Georgia getting $156 million in federal money for rooftop solar

Earth Day brought an influx of federal dollars to boost the development of solar energy in Georgia.

The Biden administration awarded $156 million Monday to regional nonprofit Capital Good Fund to help residents of low-income communities in Atlanta, Decatur and Savannah install solar panels on their rooftops.

The money is part of the Solar for All program, a $7 billion nationwide rooftop solar grant project.

“This funding will allow us and our partners to dramatically expand the impact of our existing Georgia BRIGHT program and bring the benefits of solar to approximately 20,000 households over five years while creating good-paying jobs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving local air quality,” said Andy Posner, Capital Good Fund’s founder and CEO.

Georgia BRIGHT offers residential and commercial rooftop solar, solar-plus-battery storage leases and power purchase agreements to homeowners and organizations. The Solar for All grant will significantly scale up the BRIGHT initiative while also broadening it to include workforce development and community solar projects, as well as enabling such repairs as roof replacements.

“Solar is the cheapest form of electricity — and one of the best ways to lower energy costs for American families,” said John Podesta, senior advisor to President Joe Biden for international climate policy. “(Monday’s) announcement … will mean that low-income communities, and not just well-off communities, will feel the cost-saving benefits of solar.”