This summer, our work is heating up in our nation’s capital and state capitals coast-to-coast.
The racial and economic disparities in our energy system limit access to the benefits and opportunities of renewable energy, creating more urgency than ever to address energy affordability while providing access to economic opportunities and driving community resilience. Our policy and program teams are hard at work, partnering with frontline communities and national stakeholders to craft solar and clean energy policies that will lead to the rapid, equitable transition to a world powered by renewable energy that benefits everyone.
Large-scale, on-the-ground solutions are built on a foundation of strong policy. In 2016, we advocated for the passage of Washington, D.C.’s Solar for All program that makes the benefits of solar electricity accessible to 100,000 low-income households in our nation’s capital, while reducing their energy burden by at least 50%. Fast forward to today, GRID Mid-Atlantic has now completed construction on GRID’s largest project to date, a 2.65-megawatt community solar project made possible by Solar for All under a partnership with DC’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). The project will serve 750 district families, cutting their energy bills in half through solar access at a critical time.
Our policy team is working to craft more equitable renewable energy policies like Solar for All, that combat climate change, help rebuild our economy in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and address systemic inequality. In the last few months, we:
- Called for a moratorium on utility shutoffs. No one should have their electricity turned off because they lost their job during a global pandemic. Join the call to stop utility shutoffs.
- Are standing with the Solar Energy Industries Association to call on Congress to rebuild better with solar energy.
- Joined over 100 organizations to demand justice be at the center of climate policy for the next Presidential administration.
- Helped shape the future of energy equity policy as a partner on the New Jersey Shines Coalition, led by Vote Solar. This May, New Jersey State Senator Troy Singleton introduced the New Jersey Clean Energy Equity Act, which is currently moving through the New Jersey State Legislature and led to the creation of an Office of Clean Energy Equity under the Board of Public Utilities.
- Advocated to boost funding in California for battery storage technology benefiting lower-income families who are also at risk of wildfires or power outages. Soon, GRID will be providing additional resilience and certainty for communities most vulnerable to climate change and power outages.
Together, we’re pushing for a more just energy future. Learn more about equitable solar policy in our Low-Income Solar Policy Guide and stay up-to-date with the latest GRID policy updates by signing up for “Policy/Advocacy Updates” in your newsletter subscription preferences.