The White House announced a goal last week of producing 45 percent of our nation’s electricity from solar power by 2050. This is an encouraging target and reaching it will require all Americans to have the opportunity to access affordable solar energy generation. Unfortunately, the way existing federal policy is designed, many families – particularly in communities of color – are being left behind.
Recent extreme weather events have shone a spotlight on this unfortunate reality. If policies don't make clean energy technologies more affordable to low- to-moderate income households, then we all can envision a future where one neighborhood has power and is marginally disrupted after a severe storm while another neighborhood is left in the dark for days and potentially weeks, because that is exactly what is happening right now in Louisiana. This isn’t an if it happens, it’s the norm. We must stop leaving our most vulnerable communities, many of which are black and brown, in the dark.
One of the primary federal tools used to support homeowners looking to invest in solar panels is the residential solar tax credit, which provides a write off for a portion of that investment. But for lower-income earners with limited or no tax liability, the credit is essentially ineffective and non-existent.
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