Schumer secures $250M for solar tech – Oneida Dispatch
TL/DR –
Senate Majority Leader, Charles E. Schumer, has announced a $249.8 million federal grant for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to implement solar technology in disadvantaged and low-income households. The funding is part of the $7 billion Solar for All grant competition and the EPA’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established by Schumer’s Inflation Reduction Act. The funds will be used to enhance NYSERDA’s existing solar deployments, technical assistance and workforce development programs, and will also cater to issues hindering solar deployment for low-income New Yorkers.
Schumer Announces $249.8M Solar Technology Federal Funding for New York Disadvantaged Communities
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer revealed a $249.8 million federal funding provision for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The funds, part of Schumer’s Inflation Reduction Act, will aid in deploying solar technology in low-income households and disadvantaged communities in New York, contributing to the residential solar power boost in the Empire State.
The funding is from the Solar for All grant competition, part of a $7 billion nationwide initiative to deliver residential solar projects. The project is backed by the EPA’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, aiming to combat climate change, reduce costs, and create new jobs. Schumer lauded solar power’s cost-effectiveness and ease of helping families lower energy bills monthly.
NYSERDA will utilize the funding to enhance the state’s solar deployments, offering technical assistance and workforce development programs, benefiting disadvantaged communities and low-income households. New programs are set to address barriers to solar deployment for low-income New Yorkers. Partners in these initiatives include HCR, the City of New York, and HPD.
Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged New York State’s leadership in community solar, providing clean, affordable solar energy access to many residents. The government’s partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports this investment in community solar, thereby securing a cleaner and healthier future for New Yorkers.
The EPA Solar for All award addresses a severe need to expand New York’s rooftop and community solar programs, benefiting residential customers. The funding will enable infrastructure upgrades, increase benefits for disadvantaged residents, and overcome affordable and multi-family housing solar deployment barriers.
The finalization and execution of award agreements are due this summer, followed by NYSERDA’s collaboration with partners and stakeholders to design and implement Solar for All funded programs over a five-year period.
As part of the $7 billion Solar for All program, 60 selectees, including states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and nonprofits, will receive funds to develop solar programs for low-income and disadvantaged communities, lowering energy costs, creating jobs, advancing environmental justice, and addressing climate change.
The program will reduce 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions cumulatively over five years, unlocking over four gigawatts of solar energy capacity for low-income communities, generating an estimated 200,000 jobs across the country. Schumer’s Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant investment in climate and energy in the U.S, supports a robust domestic clean energy supply chain, accelerates investments in clean energy technologies, reduces climate and public health pollution, and advances environmental justice.
The IRA includes $370 billion for clean energy transitions and energy security, offering tax credits and rebates covering up to 100% of the costs of installing a heat pump, expected to save families hundreds of dollars annually on energy bills. It also includes $8.8 billion in rebates for home energy efficiency and electrification projects, projected to save American households up to $1 billion annually.
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