U.S. EPA GGRF Solar for All

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund "Solar for All" Funding Opportunity

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long been at the forefront of efforts to combat climate change and promote sustainable practices in the United States. Under the Office of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the EPA has recently announced a significant funding opportunity titled "Solar for All." This initiative aims to accelerate solar energy adoption across the country, particularly in underserved communities, and drive meaningful progress towards a cleaner and greener future.

The Inflation Reduction Act has authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). This fund amounts to a historic $27 billion investment aimed at combating the climate crisis by mobilizing financing and private capital for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in communities across the United States.

As part of this initiative, the EPA is launching a $7 billion Solar for All competition. The primary goal of this competition is to promote the widespread adoption of residential distributed solar energy, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities. By doing so, the program aims to lower energy bills for millions of Americans while also catalyzing transformative changes in markets serving these communities.

The Solar for All competition will address both financial and non-financial barriers that have limited the ability of low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from the growing distributed solar capacity. This effort aligns with the Biden-Harris Administration's climate and environmental justice objectives.

Through the competition, up to 60 grants will be awarded to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofit recipients. These grants will enable the expansion of low-income solar programs or the creation of new Solar for All initiatives nationwide. The funds will be used to provide subsidies and other financial assistance for residential rooftop and residential-serving community solar projects in low-income communities.

Additionally, grantees will receive project-deployment technical assistance, which includes workforce development, community outreach, and other support to overcome barriers to solar deployment, such as interconnection technical assistance, siting, and permitting support.

Overall, the $7 billion Solar for All competition is a critical step in advancing the United States' climate and environmental justice goals, ensuring that clean and affordable solar energy becomes accessible to millions of households in disadvantaged communities across the country.

Understanding the "Solar for All" Funding Opportunity

The "Solar for All" funding opportunity falls under the category of a Request for Applications (RFA). It is identified with the funding opportunity number EPA-R-HQ-SFA-23-01 and falls under the assistance listing number 66.959. The primary objective of this funding opportunity is to expand access to solar energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance energy equity by making solar technologies more accessible to low- and moderate-income households and communities facing environmental challenges.

Key Dates to Remember

For organizations interested in applying for this funding opportunity, it is essential to be mindful of the following key dates:

1. Closing Date: September 26, 2023 This date marks the deadline for all applicants to submit their proposals. It is crucial for potential grantees to thoroughly review the application requirements and ensure that all necessary documents are submitted before the closing date.

2. Anticipated Notification of Selections: March 2024 After the initial review and evaluation of the submitted applications, the EPA anticipates notifying the selected applicants regarding the status of their proposals. This stage allows successful candidates to proceed to the final stage of the award process.

3. Anticipated Award: July 2024 The anticipated award date signifies when successful applicants will be officially granted funding to implement their proposed projects. It is important for recipients to be adequately prepared to undertake their solar initiatives effectively.

The Importance of "Solar for All"

The "Solar for All" funding opportunity aligns perfectly with the EPA's commitment to tackling climate change and promoting environmental justice. By focusing on solar energy adoption in underserved communities, the EPA aims to bridge the gap in renewable energy access and reduce the disproportionate environmental burdens faced by vulnerable populations.

The benefits of this initiative are manifold:

1. Advancing Renewable Energy: Solar energy is a clean and abundant resource that can significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By supporting solar projects, the EPA can foster the integration of renewable energy into the nation's power grid, ultimately reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

2. Promoting Energy Equity: Energy costs can be a significant burden for low- and moderate-income households. By facilitating the adoption of solar energy in these communities, the EPA can help alleviate energy poverty, providing long-term cost savings and improved energy security for those who need it most.

3. Enhancing Environmental Justice: Environmental justice is a key principle guiding the EPA's actions. The "Solar for All" initiative seeks to address environmental disparities by focusing on communities disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change. By empowering these communities with access to solar energy, the EPA can contribute to a more equitable and sustainable future.

4. Driving Economic Growth: Investing in solar energy projects can create job opportunities in various sectors, from manufacturing and installation to maintenance and research. The "Solar for All" initiative can stimulate economic growth and promote green jobs, further contributing to the overall wellbeing of society.

How to Apply

Interested applicants are encouraged to visit the EPA's official website to access the full Request for Applications (RFA) and detailed application instructions. The application process is competitive, and applicants are expected to submit comprehensive proposals that demonstrate a clear and feasible plan for implementing solar energy projects that benefit underserved communities.

Potential applicants should pay close attention to the evaluation criteria outlined in the RFA, which may include project feasibility, environmental impact, community engagement, and the potential for long-term sustainability and scalability. Additionally, you will need to submit a program narrative and Program Administration Narrative as outlined below:

Program Narrative

The GGRF Solar for All Program is an ambitious initiative by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aimed at achieving rapid and equitable distributed solar and storage deployment, particularly benefiting low-income and disadvantaged communities. The program seeks to deliver meaningful benefits to these communities by setting impact targets for solar and storage capacity, households served, CO2 emissions avoided, household savings, and additional outcome metrics.

1.????Program Strategy Narrative: The program strategy outlines how the initiative will achieve its objectives. It sets impact targets for solar and storage capacity, households served, CO2 emissions avoided, and household savings. The achievement of these targets will be evaluated during the program period.

2.????Meaningful Benefits Plan: The program will ensure meaningful benefits to low-income and disadvantaged households, including a minimum of 20% household savings, increased access to solar through financing options, enhanced resiliency and grid benefits, promotion of ownership models for equity building, and investment in quality jobs aligned with the Good Jobs Principles.

3.????Distributed Solar Market Strategy: The program addresses market barriers to residential-serving distributed solar deployment in targeted geographies, enabling low-income communities to benefit from residential rooftop and community solar and storage projects.

4.????Financial Assistance Strategy: The program will use Solar for All funds to provide financial assistance for low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy residential rooftop and community solar and storage. The funding allocation between different project types will be specified, with support for storage deployment and upgrades.

5.????Project-Deployment Technical Assistance Strategy: The program will provide technical assistance to communities and solar market stakeholders, including workforce development, technical assistance services, and leveraging existing resources to develop and deploy solar projects.

6.????Equitable Access and Meaningful Involvement Plan: The program will ensure equitable access by serving a diverse range of communities and involve low-income communities in program design and operations through participatory governance and meaningful engagement.

7.????Program Planning Timeline and Workplan Narrative: The workplan outlines steps and milestones to implement the various strategies. The program aims to spend all funds within five years of the award.

Program Administration Narrative

1.????Budget Narrative: The budget will efficiently and cost-effectively achieve program goals, ensuring at least 75% (or 65% for option 2) of funds are used for financial assistance. It will break down costs and provide explanatory details.

2.????Fiscal Stewardship Plan: The plan ensures compliance with grant terms and conditions, robust risk management, fraud prevention, and prudent management of grant funds. It addresses consumer protection laws and financial management plans for program income.

3.????Reporting Plan: The plan will execute against the grant's reporting requirements, tracking progress in achieving environmental outputs and outcomes, and integrating program evaluation activities for timely publication of findings.

4.????Programmatic Capabilities and Environmental Results Past Performance: The application demonstrates the applicant's capabilities and experience in completing and managing assistance agreements, meeting reporting requirements, achieving program objectives, and staff expertise.

Applicants must adhere to the specified format, content requirements, and address each evaluation criterion to be eligible for the GGRF Solar for All Program funding. The program's successful implementation will contribute significantly to combatting climate change, promoting environmental justice, and advancing solar energy adoption in low-income and disadvantaged communities across the nation.

Evaluation

The GGRF (Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund) Solar for All Program utilizes a point-based evaluation system with a total of 245 points possible to assess eligible entities' applications. The program aims to promote low-income solar deployment and meaningful benefits to disadvantaged communities. Applicants must address specific criteria in their Program Narratives to be considered for grant funding. The evaluation criteria and their respective point allocations are as follows:

1.????Program Strategy Narrative (175 points): Applicants' plans to use grant funds to advance GGRF program objectives related to low-income solar deployment will be evaluated. This includes achievable outcome metrics and the impact on addressing market barriers, considering metrics such as households benefiting, solar and storage capacity deployed, CO2 emissions avoided, and household savings realized over time.

2.????Impact Assessment (20 points): The evaluation assesses how well applicants explain the program's intended impact on addressing market barriers and set achievable outcome metrics. Historical data, market barriers assessment, and program augmentation or development with Solar for All funds will be considered.

3.????Meaningful Benefits Plan (30 points): Evaluation criteria include ensuring 20% household savings for all benefiting households, increasing access to solar for low-income communities, delivering energy resilience and grid benefits, promoting household and community ownership models, and investing in jobs and businesses in disadvantaged communities.

4.????Distributed Solar Market Strategy (30 points): Applicants' identification and addressing of barriers to low-income residential distributed solar deployment, including net metering policies, third-party ownership policies, interconnection processes, RPS mandates, and community solar policies, will be evaluated.

5.????Financial Assistance Strategy (30 points): The efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed financial assistance model, considering subsidies, complementary funding sources, support for associated storage and upgrades, and long-term impacts, will be assessed.

6.????Project-Deployment Technical Assistance Strategy (20 points): The evaluation focuses on the plan to address market barriers using project-deployment technical assistance, including investment in a skilled workforce, assistance for interconnection challenges, and ensuring efficient and resilient project deployment.

7.????Equitable Access and Meaningful Involvement Plan (30 points): The extent and quality of the plan to maximize access for low-income communities, participatory governance, stakeholder engagement, and customer acquisition and management strategy will be evaluated.

8.????Program Planning Timeline and Workplan Narrative (15 points): The quality of the plan to implement the program within the specified timeline and coordination with stakeholders and adoption of best practices will be assessed.

9.????Program Administration Narrative (50 points): The deployment and management of funds efficiently, responsibly, and transparently, including budget allocation and explanatory detail, program oversight, consumer protection, and verification of household savings, will be evaluated.

10.?Reporting Plan (15 points): The applicant's plan to execute reporting requirements, including program evidence and evaluation activities, understanding and capacity for reporting, will be assessed.

11.?Programmatic Capabilities and Environmental Results Past Performance (20 points): The applicant's past performance in completing and managing assistance agreements, meeting reporting requirements, organizational experience, and staff expertise and resources will be evaluated.

Applicants must address each criterion thoroughly and accurately to maximize their chances of receiving grant funding under the GGRF Solar for All Program.

In Summary

The "Solar for All" funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund presents a critical avenue for advancing renewable energy adoption, promoting energy equity, and addressing environmental justice concerns. By supporting solar projects in underserved communities, the EPA takes significant strides towards achieving a cleaner, more sustainable, and equitable future for all.

If your organization is passionate about driving positive change in the realm of renewable energy and environmental justice, seize this opportunity and submit your proposal by the closing date. Together, we can make a difference and pave the way for a greener, more sustainable world.

To learn more about the funding opportunity please go to https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/solar-all