Solar energy group nabs $117M to help underserved communities, low-income residents

Grassroots coalition Solar Opportunities Indiana has received $117.4 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to expand clean energy access among low-income Hoosiers, with a goal of reducing participants’ utility bills by 20%.

Solar Opportunities will use the federal funding, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, to help pay for solar projects, training of solar industry workers, community engagement and public outreach, and public policy on solar energy. The goal is to benefit disadvantaged communities and low-income residents,.

Residents could have solar panels installed on their rooftops. Or a renter could subscribe to community solar “micro-grids” that can reduce their bills, according to Solar Opportunities Indiana Program Director Alison Becker. Such small grids could be in locations stateside such as a repurposed landfill in Indianapolis or former school building land in Gary.

“A renter or somebody who’s in a historic neighborhood and they’re not allowed to have solar panels, or they don’t have good siding or good roof space, they can still benefit from the generation,” Becker said.

She said that the solar power and battery storage could potentially be used to provide power at “resiliency hubs” at locations like libraries, churches or community centers during blackouts so that people can stay cool in the summer heat or charge their phones.

The Solar Opportunities Indiana coalition has 11 members statewide, including the Indiana Action Association and Citizens Action Coalition as well as the cities of Indianapolis, Gary and Fort Wayne. The coalition is looking to add a second group of cities. The Solar Opportunities Indiana funding is part of the EPA’s $7 billion Solar for All program to create or expand low-income solar programs.

Solar power generation remains a tiny part of Indiana’s power supply, about 2.5% of net generation in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Just a fifth of Indiana’s solar generation is from small-scale customer installations such as rooftops.

Becker said Solar Opportunities Indiana is still in planning mode but hopes to begin having panels installed on rooftops by the third quarter of 2025. Becker said the coalition is working with Indiana’s utilities on structural issues and with community groups, houses of worship and groups like Indiana Solar Equity for All Alliance/Black Sun Light Sustainability to reach people eligible for the solar access.

“We’ve talked a lot in the state about the affordability of electricity,” she said, “and it can make a huge difference to reduce your energy bill by 20 percent.”