US to provide US$7 billion in grants for rooftop solar

The news: US President Joe Biden has announced grants for residential solar projects that will power nearly a million low-income households as part of boosting clean energy investment.

The numbers: The Biden administration will provide grants worth USD7 billion ($10.9 billion) through the US Environmental Protection Agency. The decision is expected to create 200,000 jobs and save households in the program about USD400 a year.

The context: Grant recipients include 60 state and local agencies and non-profit organisations with programs to help residents in poor communities go solar and save on their power bills. The winners include several organisations with plans to provide solar to native American households in states including Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.

Residential solar has long been regarded as difficult to access for lower-income Americans because of its high upfront cost and because less affluent people tend to rent their homes or live in apartment buildings.