04.22.24

Cantwell, Murray Celebrate Earth Day With $156M Solar Energy Expansion For Low-Income WA Households

Solar For All Program funded in 2022 under the Cantwell and Murray-backed Inflation Reduction Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on Earth Day, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding over $156 million to the Washington State Department of Commerce to expand the Solar For All Program, which helps deliver residential solar energy to low-income households.

"These historic awards will empower over 900,000 American households to go solar, reducing their utility bills by $350 million per year, and enabling them to benefit from the transition to a cleaner energy future,” said Sen Cantwell. "This is a special Earth Day for thousands of low-income households and Tribal communities across Washington state who will soon be able to generate their own solar energy, reducing their energy costs and shrinking their carbon footprint."

“This announcement means families in Washington state, especially those with the tightest budgets, will soon be able to benefit from rooftop solar in a major way—saving money on their energy bills and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the process,” said Sen. Murray. “With the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed with only Democratic votes, and thanks to the tireless work of the Biden Administration, we’ve made enormous strides over the past four years in the fight against climate change—and this historic investment will further lower families’ cost of living, cut carbon pollution, and create jobs in communities all across our state. This is a new day for solar power in Washington state and throughout the country—it’s a big deal.”

With this funding, the Washington State Department of Commerce will launch several programs to expand solar access to income-qualified residents and frontline communities throughout the state. Washington’s proposal includes a program to provide at least 3,000 low-income households with no-cost rooftop solar installations, a program to support larger community solar projects that allows subscribers to split the benefits of a larger offsite solar array, a program to provide no-interest loans to multifamily properties to install solar and energy efficiency upgrades, and a program to work with Tribes to co-create a solar offering for at least 2,000 tribal households. All these programs will be focused on ensuring the benefits of solar accrue to low-income households throughout the state, with a specific focus on environmental justice.

The Washington State Department of Commerce was one of 60 entities to receive a portion of $7 billion in total funding announced by the White House today. The Solar For All program was funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as part of the EPA’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

Sen. Cantwell, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Sen. Murray, chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations were instrumental in authoring and enacting the IRA. Sen. Cantwell served as a key architect of several provisions in the package, including those related to climate resiliency and reducing carbon pollution. Sen. Murray played a key role in getting the IRA across the finish line as then-Assistant Majority Leader and she highlighted the Inflation Reduction Act’s investments in clean energy and solar specifically in 2022 at Hinoki, a residential building leased by the Seattle Housing Authority, that boasts a 52-kilowatt rooftop solar installation.