South Carolina awarded nearly $125 million to grow solar, clean energy programs
South Carolina was awarded nearly $125 million in federal funding Monday to launch new statewide programs that will expand residential-serving community solar and grow its clean energy workforce, fueling renewable energy solutions to the Palmetto State’s growing energy generation demands, according to a news release.
The South Carolina Office of Resilience (SCOR) will receive $124.4 million to launch its Community Solar Initiative, a distributed solar generation program to install solar on single-family and multi-family homes for income-qualified homeowners and renters, and a Solar Innovation Fund designed to expand solar opportunities and deploy energy storage technologies that increase resiliency, the release stated. SCOR’s initiatives will build on existing solar training programs to help grow the workforce needed to deploy solar to more South Carolina households and communities.
SCOR was one of 60 successful applicants that competed against states and other entities from across the country for funding through the $7 billion Solar for All Program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and established by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund within the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, according to the release. Selected applications include 49 state-level awards, six awards to Tribes, and five multistate awards that span the country, according to EPA.
Click here for a full list of projects.
“Pursuing this unprecedented, $124 million federal investment shows that the state recognizes the vital role of solar and other renewable energy solutions in South Carolina’s energy generation mix,” said Conservation Voters of South Carolina President John Tynan in the release. “As evidenced by this federal award, and more than $13 billion in clean energy manufacturing investments with over 16,000 jobs announced since August 2022, South Carolina is helping to lead the transition away from polluting coal-fired plants and speculative natural gas facilities of the past, and advancing toward a clean energy future that expands jobs and economic opportunity and improves health, wellness, and grid reliability in our communities.”
According to EPA, the 60 selected applicants will create new or expand existing low-income solar programs, which will enable over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from distributed solar energy, according to the release. Collectively, these programs will deliver on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s objectives by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution, delivering cost savings on electric bills for overburdened households, and unlocking new markets for distributed solar in 25 states and territories that have never had a statewide low-income solar program before.
This $7 billion investment in clean energy will generate an estimated 200,000 jobs across the country, according to an EPA news release. All selected applicants intend to invest in local, clean energy workforce development programs to expand equitable pathways into family-sustaining jobs for the communities they are designed to serve. At least 35% of selected applicants have already engaged local or national unions, demonstrating how these programs will contribute to the foundation of a clean energy economy built on strong labor standards and inclusive economic opportunity for all American communities.
“Today we’re delivering on President Biden’s promise that no community is left behind by investing $7 billion in solar energy projects for over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan in the release. “The selectees will advance solar energy initiatives across the country, creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, saving $8 billion in energy costs for families, delivering cleaner air, and combating climate change.”
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