Electricity towers with wires stretch between them.

Outdated power grids in Black and brown communities block access to clean energy

The clean energy transition is accelerating, but many communities of color in the United States remain stuck with unreliable power and rising energy costs due to the legacy of redlining and federal funding delays.

Mario Alejandro Ariza reports for Floodlight.


In short:

  • Detroit’s St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center is still waiting on $2 million in federal funding for clean energy upgrades, one of many delays linked to Trump’s freeze on Biden-era climate equity funds.
  • Neighborhoods historically subjected to redlining suffer higher rates of power outages, energy shutoffs, and barriers to clean energy adoption, including aging infrastructure and housing stock.
  • Community solar and subsidy programs show promise but remain inaccessible to many due to state restrictions, utility resistance, or poor program design.

Key quote:

“The current energy system has this imbalance, but if we don't fix that, we'll continue down that path, even as we transition to a cleaner, greener energy system.”

— Tony Reames, professor of environmental justice at the University of Michigan

Why this matters:

Across the country, historically redlined communities, often home to Black and brown residents, face compounding challenges: old electrical grids, outdated housing, and disproportionately high utility bills. These barriers make it nearly impossible for many to access the cost savings and resilience offered by clean energy technologies like solar panels and battery storage. And the problem isn’t just technical — it’s systemic. Federal support programs meant to close this gap have been frozen or gutted, while utilities often prioritize upgrades in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods. The result is a power system that reinforces old inequalities even as it modernizes.

Learn more:

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In short:

  • Searles Valley Minerals, a mining company in Trona, Calif., is replacing one of its two coal plants with a solar thermal system but says the other may need to stay online for the foreseeable future due to operational demands.
  • The company will use a concentrating solar power system from start-up GlassPoint, which uses mirrors to generate high heat, a solution that works well in hot, sunny areas but requires a large land footprint and remains rare in the U.S.
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Key quote:

“We just think coal is going to be a problem. We’re going to have a hard time sourcing it. We need to be ready to pivot.”

— Dennis Cruise, president of Searles Valley Minerals

Why this matters:

Industrial heat — the kind used in mining, chemical production, and heavy manufacturing — accounts for about half of global energy use, yet it’s rarely mentioned in public climate debates. Unlike home heating or car travel, generating this level of heat without fossil fuels is still tough. Most renewable energy technologies don’t deliver the extreme, continuous heat these facilities need. That leaves industries like the one in Trona stuck with coal, even as it becomes harder to source and politically unpopular. As the U.S. attempts to decarbonize, industrial energy needs present one of the biggest hurdles.

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