00:00Washington, D.C., a city in the grip of a heat wave. Its households are bracing for
00:07higher electricity costs, and the government is trying to help.
00:12Kalen Roach of the D.C. Sustainable Energy Utility does outreach to let especially lower
00:17income residents know how tapping into communal solar projects like this one can help lower
00:22their bills.
00:23So this is a 502-kilowatt system, and that services about 143 income-qualified district
00:30households across the district. And these systems can help district residents save up
00:35to $500 off of their electricity bills a year.
00:40The program, called Solar for All, essentially helps reduce electricity costs for low-income
00:45households by either directly installing solar panels on the roofs of beneficiaries or letting
00:51them subscribe to community solar facilities. The D.C. Sustainable Energy Utility says the
00:56aim is to get a 50 percent reduction in energy bills for 100,000 households by 2032.
01:03I especially like community solar because it really throws open the doors access-wise,
01:09because it doesn't matter how old your roof is or if your property is shaded. Anybody
01:13can participate in it.
01:14The way that our program operates in terms of making sure that the funds are helping
01:19to incentivize installers and developers so that they have resources needed to make
01:25it economically viable and also spur on more innovation and more participation in the solar
01:31field.
01:34And the local program is about to get a huge federal financing boost via the Greenhouse
01:39Gas Reduction Fund created by the White House's signature piece of legislation, the Inflation
01:44Reduction Act. Thomas Bartolomew is Associate Director for Policy and Compliance with the
01:49D.C. Department of Energy and Environment.
01:52With the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress and the Biden administration saw that this
01:57would be a great model for them to invest in as well, and they've taken $7 billion and
02:03they've made awards all across the country. So every state is going to get its own Solar
02:07for All program. So we were lucky enough to get one of those awards. We're getting a little
02:13over $62 million, and we plan to help something like 19,000 more households through those
02:20investments.
02:22Charisse Perry-Brussell is one resident hopeful the program can help her rein in her costs.
02:27I just found out about the program, about the solar program to save energy. I don't
02:31know, none of my neighborhood or my community didn't know about the free solar panels to
02:36save energy. So we all got on it.
02:40The neighborhood's residents mostly acknowledge there is help available, but say more can
02:45be done.
02:46I know they've got programs to help people. They do stuff, but I feel like some people
02:51can't get to them programs, and some people don't have enough money to do what they need
02:55to do. But a little bit more can help out.
02:58They do help you with electricity, utilities, but no, they're not doing enough to keep them
03:04down as far as a steady rate.
03:07Legislation that would step up these forms of assistance is not without its critics.
03:12Presidential candidate Donald Trump has vowed to reverse the Inflation Reduction Act.
03:16It's certainly a possibility, given what candidate Trump has said about these and other programs.
03:23Congress and the president can always change the laws. That is how that all works. I do
03:27think that the idea behind the Inflation Reduction Act is a really good idea, and the idea of
03:33incentivizing clean energy. And I think it's hard to defeat a good idea in the end.
03:38In this election, it will be up to voters to decide what is a good idea and who has
03:42them.
03:43Therese Perry-Russell says she's undecided.
03:45Oh, nope. I'm doing my research as they come. I'm doing my research as they come.
03:52After a scorching summer of campaigning sets up the election in the fall, many here hope
03:56solar is here to stay, whatever the political weather.
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