MN Solar Project Receives $62M Federal Greenhouse Reduction Grant

MINNESOTA — A solar project in Minnesota will receive $62,450,000 in grant funding under a $7 billion federal program to bring solar energy to more than 900,000 people nationwide, saving them $350 million annually in utility costs, the Biden administration announced on Earth Day Monday.

Solar power could save about $400 per household in electricity costs, and prevent 30 million metric tons of carbon pollution over 25 years, the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement.

The Minnesota Commerce Department will use the grant "to support residential-serving solar for low-income and disadvantaged households in communities across Minnesota, including the federally recognized Tribal communities that share the same geography."

“Solar for All” grant funding is provided by the EPA’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act.

The projects funded this year not only lower energy costs in low-income and disadvantaged communities but also create good jobs in communities that have been “left behind,” advancing environmental justice and tackling climate change, the EPA said in a statement.

As the cheapest form of energy, solar-generated energy is one of the best ways to lower utility costs for American families. The Solar for All awards “will mean that low-income communities, and not just well-off communities, will feel the cost-saving benefits of solar,” John Podesta, senior adviser to the president for International Climate Policy, said in a statement.