US election: Biden looks to climate action for victory

DW (English)

President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is helping lower electricity bills for many by harnessing solar energy. But the future of the flagship program remains uncertain in an election year.

Transcript

00:00Washington, D.C., a city in the grip of a heat wave.

00:06Its households are bracing for higher electricity costs,

00:09and the government is trying to help.

00:12Kalen Roach of the D.C. Sustainable Energy Utility

00:15does outreach to let especially lower-income residents

00:18know how tapping into communal solar projects like this one

00:21can help lower their bills.

00:23So this is a 502-kilowatt system,

00:26and that services about 143 income-qualified

00:30district households across the district.

00:32And these systems can help district residents

00:35save up to $500 off of their electricity bills a year.

00:40The program, called Solar for All,

00:42essentially helps reduce electricity costs

00:44for low-income households

00:46by either directly installing solar panels

00:48on the roofs of beneficiaries

00:50or letting them subscribe to community solar facilities.

00:54The D.C. Sustainable Energy Utility says

00:56the aim is to get a 50% reduction in energy bills

00:59for 100,000 households by 2032.

01:03I especially like community solar

01:05because it really throws open the doors access-wise

01:09because it doesn't matter how old your roof is

01:12or if your property is shaded.

01:13Anybody can participate in it.

01:15The way that our program operates

01:16in terms of making sure that the funds

01:18are helping to incentivize installers and developers

01:22so that they have resources needed

01:24to make it economically viable

01:27and also spur on more innovation

01:30and more participation in the solar field.

01:34And the local program is about to get

01:36a huge federal financing boost

01:38via the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

01:40created by the White House's

01:42signature piece of legislation,

01:44the Inflation Reduction Act.

01:46Thomas Bartolomew is Associate Director

01:48for Policy and Compliance

01:49with the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment.

01:52With the Inflation Reduction Act,

01:54Congress and the Biden administration

01:56saw that this would be a great model

01:58for them to invest in as well.

02:00And they've taken $7 billion

02:03and they've made awards all across the country.

02:05So every state is going to get

02:07its own Solar for All program.

02:09So we were lucky enough to get one of those awards.

02:12We're getting a little over $62 million.

02:15And we plan to help something like 19,000

02:18more households through those investments.

02:22Cherise Perry-Brussell is one resident

02:24hopeful the program can help her

02:26rein in her costs.

02:27I just found out about the program,

02:29about the solar program to save energy.

02:31I don't know, none of my neighborhood

02:33or my community didn't know about

02:35the free solar panels to save energy.

02:37So we all got on it.

02:40The neighborhood's residents mostly acknowledge

02:42there is help available,

02:44but say more can be done.

02:46I know they got like programs for,

02:48you know, to help people.

02:49They do stuff, but I feel like

02:51some people can't get to them programs.

02:53And some people don't have enough money

02:55to do what they need to do.

02:56But a little bit more can help out.

02:59They do help you with electricity,

03:01utilities, but no,

03:03they're not doing enough to keep them down

03:05as far as a steady rate.

03:08Legislation that would step up

03:09these forms of assistance

03:10is not without its critics.

03:12Presidential candidate Donald Trump

03:14vowed to reverse the Inflation Reduction Act.

03:16It's certainly a possibility,

03:18given what candidate Trump has said

03:21about these and other programs.

03:23Well, Congress and the president

03:25can always change the laws.

03:26That is how that all works.

03:28I do think that the idea

03:29behind the Inflation Reduction Act

03:30is a really good idea,

03:32and the idea of incentivizing clean energy.

03:35And I think it's hard to defeat

03:36a good idea in the end.

03:38In this election, it will be up to voters

03:40to decide what is a good idea

03:42and who has them.

03:43Therese Perry-Russell says she's undecided.

03:46Oh, nope.

03:47I'm doing my research as they come.

03:49I'm doing my research as they come.

03:52After a scorching summer of campaigning

03:54sets up the election in the fall,

03:56many here hope solar is here to stay,

03:58whatever the political weather.

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