On April 22, 2024, the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) and the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) were selected for a $62.5 million Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Solar for All grant. Low-income and disadvantaged households will benefit from rooftop solar and community solar projects with no cost matching required from the grantees — more information coming soon!
The Solar for All program is a $7 billion competitive grant program through EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Fund authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act. It is designed to deploy residential rooftop and residential-serving community solar projects benefiting low-income and disadvantaged households. The EPA’s program does not require a cost match from the grantees.
In October 2023, AEA and AHFC submitted a coalition application to be shared evenly between the organizations. This will fund a two-pronged Solar for All program for Alaska, supporting community solar installations and residential rooftop solar for low-income and disadvantaged households.
With funding, AEA will administer a grant program to develop community solar arrays, including battery energy storage systems (BESS) that benefit customers in disadvantaged communities. BESS will fortify electrical distribution in rural Alaska communities, delivering resilience and reliability for the foreseeable future.
AHFC will administer a statewide residential program that provides subsidized rooftop solar installations for utility grid connected low-income in disadvantaged households where net metering applies.
With the final award, Alaska’s Solar for All program is anticipated to last five years, with the first year set aside for planning.
Following the April 22, 2024, notice of selection, AEA and AHFC will work with EPA to secure a final award, which is anticipated no later than September 30, 2024. Following the receipt of the award, AEA and AHFC will share updated information and provide opportunities for public input prior to making funding available.
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