California stalls on community solar as Trump moves to pull federal funds
With the White House poised this week to cancel the Inflation Reduction Act’s Solar for All grants, California regulators face scrutiny for leaving nearly its entire $250 million award unspent.
Noah Baustin and Camille von Kaenel report for POLITICO.
In short:
- The California Public Utilities Commission’s extended rulemaking left solar firms unable to finance community projects before the grant’s 2029 deadline.
- California has just 217 MW of community solar in place or planned, compared with Florida’s 3,873 MW and New York’s 2,110 MW.
- A bill to overhaul the tariff and speed installations died in committee, and state leaders have not said if they will sue to keep the funds.
Key quote:
“The PUC’s slow-walking of this process has likely squandered $250 million in federal support. As of today, we have no program, no development, federal tax credits that are about to sunset, and now an announcement that Solar for All funding is going to be pulled by the Trump administration.”
— Matthew Freedman, staff attorney with The Utility Reform Network
Why this matters:
Rooftop arrays primarily benefit homeowners, but nearly half of Californians rent and often live in shaded or multifamily buildings where panels are not feasible. Shared mid-scale projects let those households subscribe to locally generated power, lowering bills, and cutting reliance on gas-fired plants that blanket low-income neighborhoods with nitrogen oxides and fine soot. Delays threaten to strand projects before construction, locking in fossil fuel generation just as heat-driven electricity demand surges and wildfire smoke worsens respiratory disease.
Read more: Trump EPA moves to cancel $7 billion in Solar for All rooftop aid to low-income homes
