Idaho to receive $56.5 million in federal funds for solar energy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week announced it is awarding $56.5 million in Solar For All grants to Idaho. 

The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a national environmental nonprofit that applied for the funding, will deliver solar energy to Idaho residents with the funding. 

The funding is part of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to lower energy costs and create jobs in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

The Idaho Solar for All program will expand economic and environmental benefits of solar to low-income, tribal and disadvantaged communities, according to the EPA website.

“Local solar power can help low-income Idahoans lower their power bills, breathe cleaner air, work good green jobs, have more reliable electricity, and take pride in being part of solutions to the climate crisis,” Lisa Young, the director of Idaho Sierra Club, said in a press release. “It’s about time we made solar more affordable and accessible to Idahoans of all income levels. This federal funding is a key step in the right direction.” 

Idaho was one of 60 recipients to receive funding. A complete list of the selected applicants can be found on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Solar for All website. 

The EPA estimates the 60 Solar for All awardees will enable over 900,000 households in low-income communities to benefit from solar energy.