White House Opens Door to Clean Energy for All

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 19, 2016) The Obama Administration announced a suite of enabling actions and reforms today aimed at ensuring every American household has access to clean and affordable energy. The “Clean Energy for All” initiative sets a bold goal of bringing 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar to low- and moderate-income families by 2020. In order to achieve this goal, the initiative takes a comprehensive approach, including opening up new investment channels, scaling up best practices and innovation, supporting clean energy job creation, and empowering local community leaders, housing agencies, rural cooperatives, and others implementing energy efficiency and community solar projects.

Clean Energy for All will coordinate efforts from a number of federal agencies, remove policy barriers and further unlock the impact of transformative programs like property-assessed clean energy (PACE) financing, and open up new pathways for investment in low- and moderate-income communities.  

“Much too often, working families in this country are forced to decide between paying for groceries and keeping the lights on. Today’s announcement casts a direct spotlight on the need to ensure all American families can access clean and affordable energy so they are no longer burdened with bills they can’t afford, and live in safe, healthy, and efficient homes and communities.

“Most critically, the announcement highlights a broad coalition of state and local actors that are pioneering energy innovation. Using the power of partnerships is critical to leveraging these new sources of capital in the most impactful and sustainable manner so all Americans can participate in the new, clean energy economy.” 

• Jayant Kairam, Director, Partnerships, Urban and Rural Strategic Implementation