While it’s been a turbulent year for solar in the US, as 2024 draws to close it’s important to remember the industry had some really big wins.
Through the many ups, downs, approvals, and dismissals, PV advocates everywhere have reason to celebrate the many successful initiatives that were implemented, helping accelerate solar development and increasing access to low-cost renewable electricity in communities nationwide.
In this two-part series, we’ll do just that — highlight some of our favorite US solar policy wins from 2024. Let’s start with 5 of our favorite wins on the federal level.
US National Solar Policy Wins 2024
1. Saving water… and the planet
In early April 2024, the Department of the Interior announced a $19 million investment to install solar panels over irrigation canals in California, Oregon, and Utah to reduce evaporation and produce local, low-carbon electricity.
2. Solar for all
Later that month, on Earth Day, the federal government launched Solar for All, a $7 billion program to deliver residential solar projects to over 900,000 low-income households nationwide.
Solar for All is expected to save disadvantaged Americans an estimated $350 million annually, in New York, Illinois, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., Guam, and 55 other states, territories, and tribal lands. For a full list of Solar For All grant recipients and more information on local programs, please see this resource from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Solar for All reminds us of Edward Norton’s (yes, that Edward Norton) inspirational Empower keynote, “The Importance of Solar for All.”
3 & 4. GRIP times 2
On August 6, 2024, the White House announced its second round of Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) with the Department of Energy (DOE), supporting national solar development, interconnection, and energy security efforts. The $2.2 billion investment in 8 projects across 18 states was made possible by the 2023 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In October, the DOE announced another $2 billion in GRIP funding for 38 grid improvement projects across 42 states, with the primary objectives to:
- Protect the power grid against growing threats of extreme weather events
- Lower ongoing energy costs for affected and underserved communities
- Catalyze additional electricity demand from manufacturing and data centers
By now you’ve realized that’s only 4. We’re relying on you to supply the 5th. What was your favorite? Is there a big one we didn’t call out? Let us know on LinkedIn and we’ll include your thoughts in our follow-up post.
In the meantime, check out our 10 brightest state solar policy wins of 2024.
Featured image by Andreas Gücklhorn
