North Austin News

Austin Energy and the Texas Solar for All Coalition are celebrating Earth Day 2024 and a quarter-billion-dollar federal grant that will give millions of low-income households access to affordable and resilient renewable energy.

"We are incredibly excited about how this grant helps the City of Austin reduce pollution, create green jobs and directly benefit our historically disadvantaged communities as we create Austin’s clean energy future," expressed Austin Energy Vice President of Customer Energy Solutions Richard Génecé. He emphasized, "By focusing on expanding access to solar power, Austin Energy is helping relieve both the burdens of high-energy costs and carbon pollution that these communities disproportionately bear while strengthening our local grid resilience in the face of climate change."

Austin Energy is one of 60 partner organizations in Texas set to receive a portion of the federal grant money. The utility is expected to receive significant funding to deploy clean solar energy to thousands of historically disadvantaged communities and medically vulnerable residents.

The grant funds will be used to establish power purchase agreements for solar energy and performance contracts for storage batteries. These renewable energy sources will be integrated into the Community Solar Program portfolio, with batteries operated as virtual power plants to help customers save money during peak energy cost periods.

Furthermore, Austin Energy will collaborate with local solar installation contractors to install solar and storage projects in low-income residential and multi-family housing sites, with a particular focus on households with medically vulnerable residents. Qualifying customers hosting solar arrays and batteries will receive upfront incentives and a 20% bill discount through the low-income Community Solar Program subscription.

In the event of a grid outage, the solar array and battery system will provide backup power to homes, ensuring continued electricity supply. After 15 years, ownership of the solar array will transfer to the customer, providing long-term benefits to these families.

The federal grant is part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, with the Solar for All program aiming to combat the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

The Texas Solar for All Coalition, comprising 60 cities, counties, and community-based organizations, will utilize these funds to invest in clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, address solar equity disparities, and create environmentally friendly job opportunities across the state.

Austin Energy, the City of Austin’s electric utility, is committed to delivering clean, affordable, and reliable energy to over 575,000 customer accounts and one million residents in Greater Austin. The utility's dedication to community service has been evident since its establishment in 1895.

For more information about Austin Energy and its initiatives, visit austinenergy.com.