More than $62M in federal funds headed to Hawai‘i to deliver solar power to homes

Today, on Earth Day, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the Hawai‘i Green Infrastructure Authority is receiving $62.45 million in grant funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to deliver solar power to low-income households across the state.

The authority is a part of the State of Hawai‘i’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and will help finance residential rooftop solar projects as well as storage and community-owned solar systems.

“The new Solar for All grant funding will help low-income households across Hawai‘i take advantage of solar power and save money on energy bills – all while cutting pollution and creating good-paying, union jobs statewide,” said Schatz.

In addition, the Biden administration also announced the launch of a new website for the American Climate Corps, a national program aimed at training young people for clean energy and climate resilience jobs. The Nature Conservancy, Hawai‘i and Kupu are among the organizations across the country that people can apply.

Schatz said these companies are empowering local people to “become a part of the fight to save our planet.”

This historic investment was made possible due to the Solar for All program and the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, which aims to make rooftop solar and storage systems accessible to low-income families nationwide and close the equity gap in access to solar energy.

“Climate change and affordability have continued to be critical areas of focus for our administration,” said Gov. Josh Green. “We look forward to continuing this important work of delivering clean energy to our communities and improving the quality of life for our residents in perpetuity.”

James Kunane Tokioka, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and chair of the HGIA board, said this unprecedented investment, designed to specifically benefit low-income households and disadvantaged communities, will create good-paying clean energy jobs and build a clean energy economy that will address the climate crisis and help our communities thrive.

“The progress we will make through the Solar for All award is in direct alignment with the state’s goal of making Hawai‘i more affordable, while serving as another major step toward our goal of 100-percent clean renewable energy for electricity,” said HGIA executive director Gwen Yamamoto-Lau. “Leveraging Solar for All funding with state and private capital, HGIA will assist thousands of low-income households lower their energy burden and carbon emissions, while increasing resiliency and grid stability over the next five years.”

The Biden administration also unveiled a slate of new actions and rules including the adoption of categorical exclusions for geothermal energy, actions to protect Alaska Native lands and wildlife, a strategy for the balanced management of public lands, and rules to strengthen accountability for oil and gas operations and promote responsible solar and wind energy development on public lands.