KUNM reports on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Solar For All program, which distributed $156M in grants set to unlock affordable, resilient, clean solar power to households across New Mexico. The article quotes United's Michael Barrio on the program's potential in the state.
New Mexico has received a huge $156 million-dollar boost from the Biden Administration to put more solar energy in many low income and disadvantaged communities across the state.
The cash injection comes directly from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar For All program – which distributed nearly $7B in aid to 60 selected applicants to create new or expand existing low-income solar programs.
Here in New Mexico, that cash will go to the state’s Energy, Minerals, & Natural Resources Department to “expand access to shared solar” beyond the state’s current community solar program.
Michael Barrio is senior principal with Advanced Energy United, working to bring clean energy across America. He said that it’s going to be a slow process to implement solar in some of these places, but it’s well-worth the investment.
“Renewable energy is not something that's a phase or a fad,” Barrio said. “It’s not something that’s going away. This is literally the industry of the future, right?”
While some details of how the state will prioritize this group of New Mexicans are unclear, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office says the over $156 million will allow the state to give grants and low-interest loans to both homeowners and renters to provide solar power access in low-income and rural households.
Read the full article here.