PA Environment Digest Blog: Solar Energy Advocates, Business Owners Urge PA Lawmakers To Unlock $156 Million In Solar For All Federal Funding

On May 19, advocates from Solar United Neighbors Action (SUN Action) and solar business owners are urging Pennsylvania legislators to release Solar For All funding to the PA Energy Development Authority and bring energy bill relief to consumers before the availability of the funding sunsets on September 1.

Pennsylvania was granted $156 million in federal dollars from the Solar For All program to finance rooftop solar installations that will save consumers money, but legislative approval to release the funds was made a requirement in the 2024 budget agreement.

Pennsylvania’s legislators have until June 30, 2025- or a final budget agreement- to release millions in funding so that their constituents may tap into homegrown solar energy to cut energy costs.

"These next few weeks of session are the last chance to make sure $156 million in funding that could help income-eligible Pennsylvanians save money on their energy bills doesn’t go down the drain,” said SUN Action Pennsylvania Program Director Monica Carey. “The Solar For All program would additionally create new jobs across the Commonwealth and help build a more reliable and resilient power grid, benefits we cannot afford to pass up. Once legislators finish the state budget, they go home to their districts and don’t come back for session until after September 1, so the clock is ticking.”

“It is equally critical that the mechanism to release Solar For All funding preserves net metering,” explained Carey. “Net metering is a policy which makes it possible for Pennsylvanians to be able to afford to go solar and underpins our commonwealth’s entire solar industry. Our economy would suffer without it.”

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar For All program provides financial incentives and support for solar installations, covering the costs of installing solar panels to benefit income-limited residents of rural, urban, and suburban regions of the Commonwealth.

If authorized, it would expand solar access to more than 12,500 households across Pennsylvania without any new cost to taxpayers or utility ratepayers.

Pennsylvanians who go solar will lower their electricity bills by an average of 20%, and total savings would add up to more than $468 million over the next 25 years.

“Electric utility bills are currently draining the pockets of Pennsylvania families and in turn, draining the local economy. Solar For All will invest funds into local communities and build strong economies where our families can thrive,” said Richard Flarend, owner of Groundhog Solar, LLC in Altoona.

Along with benefits for homeowners and ratepayers, establishing the Solar for All program in Pennsylvania would prompt the creation of new jobs, expand clean energy workforce training, and drive local economic growth for small businesses.

Unlocking these funds is critical for the nearly 4,300 Pennsylvanians working in the solar industry, along with the 500 in-state companies in Pennsylvania that manufacture, install, and support other elements of solar energy production.

"Solar For All funding has already been allocated by the federal government and is sitting in limbo here in Pennsylvania, while 49 other states are putting it to good use. Leaving Solar For All funding on the table is a missed opportunity for the commonwealth,” said Doug Edwards, owner of Newtown-based Exact Solar. “This funding would allow Exact Solar to hire people in our community, create more local jobs, and lower energy bills for our fellow Pennsylvanians."

If the legislature fails to act in time, thousands of households will miss out on the powerful financial relief provided by Solar For All, and Pennsylvania will forgo an opportunity to create family-sustaining jobs.

“We urge legislators to act in the interests of their constituents and make the funding owed to Pennsylvanians available, while opposing utility efforts to kill net metering and prevent ratepayer savings,” said Carey. “Solar For All will provide critical resources to make solar energy and necessary home repairs affordable and accessible to Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth.”

Upcoming Event

-- May 20-- Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00 a.m. Contact: Geoff Bristow, gbristow@pa.gov or (717) 783-8411. Click Here for options to join remotely. (formal notice)

Resource Links:

-- House Energy Committee Reports Out Bill To Unlock A State Freeze On $156 Million In Federal Funding For Solar For All Program [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Draft PA Energy Development Authority Energy Development Plan; $156 Million In Solar For All Funding Still Locked Up [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 17 to 23 -- Failure To Comply With Shale Well Plugging Order; 28 Months Without 3 Conventional Well Cleanups; 206 Abandoned Conventional Wells; Road Dumping Continues [PaEN]

-- Environmental Hearing Board Agrees There Is ‘Acute’ Danger In CNX Misusing A Deposition In An Appeal Before The Board To ‘Punish’ An Environmental Advocate For Her Advocacy Against CNX [PaEN]

-- Late Night Dumping II: Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Dumping Continues On Roads, This Time With Bigger Trucks; New Research On Harmful Wastewater Impacts [PaEN]

-- PA American Water Begins Construction Of Pipeline To Provide Replacement Water For Dimock Township Residents Who Had Wells Contaminated By Shale Gas Drilling 20 Years Ago In Susquehanna County [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - May 24 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 95 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In May 24 PA Bulletin [PaEN]