ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is giving New Mexico $156,120,000 to fund solar projects. The goal is to bring solar energy to low-income families through the “Solar for All” initiative.
“With the fires, drought and heat that New Mexico is experiencing because of the global climate crisis, there is real hope in being awarded $156 million dollars to superpower the Community Solar Program,” Camilla Feibelman, the director of the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, said in a press release. The funds will help “prioritize energy for unelectrified homes and families, especially in our most rural and underserved communities all while reducing our contribution to climate change.”
The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) will work with community partners to use the funds. “The program will bring the most isolated and off-grid residents (e.g., unelectrified homes) online and support grid resilience with on-site solar,” the project description promises.
New Mexico originally asked for $250 million in federal funding for solar improvements. The money is part of a $7 billion nationwide grant opportunity.
“Today we’re delivering on President Biden’s promise that no community is left behind by investing $7 billion in solar energy projects for over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a press release on Monday. “The selectees will advance solar energy initiatives across the country, creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, saving $8 billion in energy costs for families, delivering cleaner air, and combating climate change.”
