by Michael Choi, Summer Intern
On July 19th, the Obama Administration announced the commencement of the Clean Energy Savings for All Initiative to “increase access to solar energy and promote energy efficiency across the United States.” The initiative, which creates a partnership between the Departments of Energy (DOE), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Agriculture (USDA), Health and Human Services (HHS), Veteran’s Affairs (VA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), aims to bring 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar to low- and moderate- income families by 2020. There are several notable components of the initiative that are intended to promote access to clean energy and energy efficiency while offsetting the costs of the sustainable energy transition:
- The Community Solar Challenge, which will award teams of communities up to $100,000 in cash and technical assistance to develop innovative models to increase solar deployment and reduce community energy bills, with a focus on low income areas.
- The Solar Training Network, which will help Americans find clean energy jobs by connecting solar workforce trainers, solar employers and individuals interested in working in the solar industry.
- The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides grants to low-income residents for weatherization and energy efficiency programs.
The fact sheet for the program is available here.
