Solar energy money is coming to Pa. and N.J. for residents with low income

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Households with low income in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware will get more access to solar power in the coming years.

That’s the promise of the Biden administration’s Solar for All grants, announced Monday to mark Earth Day.

“Not just solar for some folks,” said White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi in a press briefing Friday. “Really making sure that we’re opening up a market where everybody, no matter their ZIP code or their economic background, can tap into the savings opportunity that clean energy represents.”

The grants, funded through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, total $7 billion and will go to 49 state-level entities, six tribes and five multi-state projects. Officials estimate they’ll serve over 900,000 households.

The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority will receive more than $156 million to put toward residential-serving solar, energy storage and infrastructure upgrades to enable solar. The projects will focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities, including so-called energy communities, where a significant number of jobs and local tax revenue are tied to fossil fuel-related energy projection.