City marks Earth Day with solar energy grant

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – On Earth Day 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the awardees of the $7 billion Solar for All competition. The City of Fort Wayne will be a recipient of funds to bring solar energy projects to the community.

This grant opportunity was made available to states, territories, municipalities, and eligible nonprofits through the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to provide low-income and disadvantaged households across the United States with access to affordable solar energy and the benefits of customer-owned and community solar.

City officials released the following:

The City of Fort Wayne is part of two coalitions – Solar for All Indiana Coalition and Industrial Heartland Solar Coalition. The Solar for All Indiana Coalition is comprised of Indiana organizations and cities that have been working toward energy independence and was chosen by the EPA to make these funds available to residents and community projects. The Industrial Heartland Solar Coalition is a multi-state coalition comprised of 31 communities in 8 states across the country’s industrial heartland. This coalition is collaborating across geographic boundaries to develop and implement a vision for transformational acceleration of solar deployment for low- and moderate-income households in disadvantaged communities.

The amount of funding coming to Fort Wayne hasn’t been determined. More details will be provided in the coming weeks. The first year of the program will be for planning purposes for future projects. The City’s goal is to impact 600 homes either through community solar or roof-top solar.

Fort Wayne is a recognized leader in environmental best practices through the implementation of Sustaining Fort Wayne, the climate action and adaptation plan that was enacted in 2023.

“Today is a great day for Fort Wayne. Solar energy is a tremendous renewable resource, and Solar for All offers an unprecedented opportunity to equitably expand access to the benefits of local solar energy to more of our residents than ever before. This investment will empower families to save money and take control of where their energy comes from,” said Doug Fasick, chief sustainability officer, the City of Fort Wayne.