Community Solar

Federal funds for community solar in Nevada slowly trickling in

Federal funds for community solar in Nevada slowly trickling in
Solar panels are shown on a valley home Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Las Vegas (Ronda Churchill/Nevada Current)

by Jeniffer Solis, Nevada Current

Two years ago, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act – the largest investment ever in clean energy – but many of those funds are just now trickling into state coffers. 

On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Nevada Clean Energy Fund could start using a $156 million “Solar for All” federal grant designed to support community solar projects that benefit low-income households.

But the amount of federal funds the state will be allowed to access from the multi-million dollar grant will be limited for now, as the federal government works to approve Nevada’s final work plan. 

“We have a fairly final work plan, it’s really just that the EPA needs to approve it,” said Kirsten Stasio, the CEO of the Nevada Clean Energy Fund.

Nevada will now work with the EPA over the next few months to finalize the state’s community solar project plans, with the goal of fully funding community solar projects in Nevada in early 2025.

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“We’re trying to move really quickly, so that we can be ready to get funds out the door when we have that capability, even though we don’t have full access to the federal funds we need,” Stasio said.

Nevada is on the right track to fully fund solar projects as soon as the federal government approves Nevada’s solar plan, Stasio said. Last year, the Nevada Legislature gave $1 million to the Nevada Clean Energy Fund to get their project plan ready in time for 2025.

The funding is expected to pay for about 50 multifamily and community solar projects across Nevada. Those projects will directly benefit more than 20,000 low-income and disadvantaged households in Nevada. 

The Nevada Clean Energy Fund has also developed an interest form on their website where interested households can sign up to receive updates on the program, including when to apply.

While rooftop solar has exploded in popularity, high upfront costs and physical constraints have prevented lower-income residents from reaping the benefits of low-cost solar power. Renters in the state have also been sidelined by the solar boom.

Under the Nevada Clean Energy Fund plan, Nevada residents living in households restricted from installing solar panels will qualify for rebates under a community solar project, while low-income single family homes and affordable housing developers would be eligible for direct rooftop solar financing. 

Nevada was awarded the $156 million grant in April and was given the highest award amount per capita of any state. In fact, Nevada received the same award amount as Florida, Illinois, and Pennsylvania — states with significantly higher populations.

The Nevada Clean Energy Fund launched five community councils in August representing Tribes, schools, municipal government, housing developers, and regional housing authorities, to identify opportunities for solar in low-income and underserved communities.

“The idea with the community councils is to have diverse stakeholder input onto program design, so that we make sure that our programs are workable for these stakeholders,” Stasio said.

The “Solar for All” federal grants are funded by a $7 billion established under the Inflation Reduction Act and administered by the EPA.

On Friday, the EPA also announced that a total of $27 billion in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Grants will now be accessible to grant recipients. That funding includes $14 billion for the National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF), $6 billion for the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA), and the $7 billion Solar for All program.

Nationally, the Solar for All program is estimated to deliver residential solar to over 900,000 low-income households, starting in early 2025.

“With climate impacts increasingly impacting all Americans, and especially those in communities that have been historically left behind, EPA knew it had to move swiftly and deliberately to get this historic funding out the door,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan in a statement. 

Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: [email protected]. Follow Nevada Current on Facebook and X.