Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency and Shaw Solar are partnering to provide independent solar power generation and long-term cost savings for homeowners within Shaw Solar’s service territory in La Plata, Archuleta, Montezuma and San Juan counties.
Despite uncertainty stirred by proposed federal funding policy changes stemming from the White House, 4CORE and Shaw Solar say they have a renewable energy program not reliant on favorable political winds.
Project SunShare is a new solar power program aimed at working homeowners earning at or below 150% of the area median income, or $132,600 for a two-person household in La Plata County.
4CORE Executive Director Jenny Hill said the goal of the program is to make solar power more affordable to working people and families who couldn’t otherwise afford solar panel installations. Applications opened Saturday after nine months of planning.
Prospective applicants can fill out an application online at fourcore.org or complete a paper application. She said the program is strictly for rooftop solar installation, open to income-qualified homeowners, and guidelines will be available to help applicants determine their eligibility.
“We do prefer taking a look at your roof and making sure it's in good condition,” she added.
Hill said Project SunShare is insulated from a federal funding freeze announced by the Trump administration on Monday that was paused by a federal judge on Tuesday and rescinded by the White House on Wednesday (although White House officials said that wasn’t the end of the matter).
Among funding that was temporarily halted was $7 billion under the Inflation Reduction Act for Solar for All contracts between state and local governments, nonprofits and the Environmental Protection Agency, Politico reported on Thursday.
The abrupt federal policy shift whisked up a whirlwind of confusion and uncertainty for nonprofits and businesses that utilize federal grants and financial assistance to fund programs and services, she said.
The Colorado Sun reported the freeze on federal grants and assistance could total trillions of dollars, including a $326 million U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency grant for Colorado State University “to help oil and gas companies improve their methane emissions nationwide.”
But Project SunShare is being funded 100% by local dollars, Hill said.
The Michael and Elaine Moravan Foundation contributed $85,000 to Project SunShare and donations from other donors totaled $4,000 as of Friday morning. Applicants to the program will contribute a payment based on their income bracket and the size of their requested solar power system.
“Solar has largely been available to the top half the economy and that didn't feel right, and so we purchased a large amount of solar panels to commit to the program,” John Shaw, Shaw Solar owner and founder, said.
Homeowners who adopt solar power stand to save a significant amount of money on long-term energy costs, increase the value of his or her home, and the environment benefits from reduced carbon emissions, he said. Independent solar power can also save money on peak power charges being implemented in the evenings.
Hill said the spirit of Project SunShare is to serve community members who truly can’t afford independent solar power at current market prices. Community solar programs can be especially impactful during times of precarious politics.
“We're trying to fill a niche that is currently in a market of people that currently can't afford solar. Especially with the uncertainties that are unraveling today in our political climate. It's a way for people that really want to go solar, that haven't been able to do so, to actually have a chance to do it,” she said.
The funding freeze announced earlier this week and then rescinded just as suddenly gave 4CORE workers whiplash. Hill said it’s been the topic of conversations at the 4CORE office in the Smiley Building on East Third Avenue all week.
“Like most of America, it was a sense of fear and uncertainty,” she said. “We didn't know what was really going on. There was a lot of misinformation, a lot of questions marks. And then we do have two programs that are not quite (ready to) launch that do have federal funding.”
California-based CALSTART, a partner organization to 4CORE, issued case and desist orders for one federal funding source 4CORE would like to utilize. Other federal funding available through the Colorado Energy Office for 4CORE to hire a regional energy coach remains up in the air, she said.
“We're accepting applications, and we've been told by the state of Colorado that we can go ahead and go through the interview process, and even as far as making it a job offer,” she said. “... But we can't quite hit go yet until we have more guidance from the federal government, because otherwise they might not pay invoices.”
She said 4CORE’s general plan for navigating the present tumultuous political landscape is to proceed with caution.
Shaw Solar has been in business 18 years, weathered the headwinds of opposition to solar power and renewable energy and it, along with solar power technology altogether, still presses forward.
“We jokingly call it the ‘solar-coaster,’ because there's incentives coming, there's incentives going,” Shaw said. “There's presidents and administrations for solar, against solar, and what keeps rising to the top is solar is the cheapest form of energy that we can produce in the U.S.”
He said despite political forces at odds with solar power, it keeps bouncing back. A brain trust of about 100 solar companies has a lobbyist in the District of Columbia with fingers on the pulse of U.S. House representatives’ leanings on solar power.
Many solar programs offer tax credits and utilize grants, and the lion’s share of solar projects is in red states and rural areas that benefit from the jobs the solar industry provides and the money it brings in, he said.
“Even if there's been kind of blanket statements of not liking renewable energy by this administration, there's some real opportunity with Congress, as most of the solar current programs have been bipartisan,” he said.
Monetary interests aside, Shaw said solar power is to the benefit of the environment, and community solar programs empower people to participate in bringing about a cleaner Earth.
“There's tons of solar panels in the country that are in warehouses,” he said, “and we want to get them on roofs.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
