[A provision in the state Fiscal Code bill passed with the FY 2024-25 state budget last year prohibits the expenditure of Solar for All federal funds in Pennsylvania until specific legislation is passed to authorize the program. Read more here.
[Pennsylvania’s legislators have until a final state budget agreement to unlock millions in funding so that their constituents may tap into homegrown solar energy to cut energy costs.]
[House Bill 362 (Fiedler-D- Philadelphia) that would make the necessary changes is still in the House Appropriations Committee. Read more here.
[But, legislative language to unlock the funding could be put in the final state Fiscal Code as part of the budget settlement.]
All $156 million in federal Solar For All funds allocated to Pennsylvania wil sunset on September 1 if not used.
This program would help consumers throughout the Commonwealth save money on their electric bills, but legislative approval to release the funds was made a requirement in the 2024 budget agreement.
"We appreciate that our General Assembly will be working through July to finish the Pennsylvania budget and urge them to also ensure the release of $156 million in funding that could help income-eligible Pennsylvanians save money on their energy bills,” 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. The clock to September 1 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 (EPA) 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.”
NewsClips:
-- TribLive/AP: US Senate Republican Tax Bill Could Crush Wind, Solar Power, Advocates Say
-- Wall Street Journal: US Senate Budget Bill Stuns Clean Energy Industry With New Tax On Wind And Solar Energy
[Posted: July 1, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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