The US government has promised to support the deployment of solar energy in a bid to maintain the sector’s momentum.
The White House has announced a number of initiatives designed to boost the uptake of solar energy by homes, businesses, schools and communities, including a $15 million Solar Market Pathways funding opportunity, providing technical assistance and analysis for solar at federally-assisted housing and bolstering co-investment in renewable energy and natural gas.
Since the beginning of 2010, the average cost of solar panels has fallen by more than 60 per cent and the amount of solar installed in the USA has increased nearly eleven fold since 2008 to 13 GW.
The White House has called for new commitments from the private sector as well as non-profit organizations to ensure that the sector’s growth continues.
The Solar Market Pathways project will help communities to install rooftop solar schemes by removing red tape and enabling financing schemes. The total federal funding for this opportunity will be about $15 million with a minimum 20 per cent required awardee cost share. Individual awards are expected to range from $100 000 to $4 million.
