Solar for All: Solar for Labor Highlights

Highlights from the $7 billion Solar for All selected applicants  

Background: The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s (GGRF’s) Solar for All program is a monumental $7 billion investment to enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed solar energy. The program is designed to deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution, save communities money on their utility bills, create high-quality jobs, and mobilize financing to stimulate the deployment of more residential solar projects. 100% of the $7 billion in funding for the Solar for All program is dedicated to low-income and disadvantaged communities, exceeding President Biden’s Justice40 commitment.

EPA designed the GGRF to deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to creating high-quality jobs with the free and fair choice to join a union for workers across the United States, while expanding equitable pathways into family-sustaining jobs. This sample of commitments demonstrates how these grant awards will contribute to the foundation of a clean energy economy built on strong labor standards and inclusive economic opportunity for all American communities. Please note that the sample of plans featured below are not comprehensive or exhaustive, and some details may change as the program is implemented.

Disclaimer: The summaries are based on information provided in the application packages that selected applicants submitted to EPA and that were reviewed and selected in accordance with the evaluation criteria in Section V.A: Evaluation Criteria of the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Note that EPA will work with the selected applicants to refine their application packages into detailed workplans that are subject to final approval from the EPA Award Official. Note that selections are contingent on resolution of all administrative disputes relating to the competition.

Alaska Energy Authority and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation: The proposal from the Alaska Energy Authority and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation has support from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which made a commitment to assisting with implementing the program’s Meaningful Benefits Plan. Leading universities, including the University of Alaska and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, provided support for the proposal to demonstrate their commitment to supporting the  development of a strong solar workforce in Alaska. The applicant made commitments such as working with the University of Alaska system to develop solar-specific or solar-adjacent courses and certifications to advance workforce development goals. Under this grant, the Alaska Works Partnership will receive a sub-award to provide pre-employment and pre-apprenticeship training through the existing Alaska Construction Academies, Women in the Trades, and Helmets to Hardhats program, with an emphasis on hiring and developing talent locally.

Bonneville Environmental Foundation, serving Idaho: During the one-year planning phase of this grant, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the lead applicant for Idaho Solar for All,  will convene key solar market stakeholders to design an inclusive workforce and contractor plan to address recruitment and retention of workers that face barriers to participation in the solar economy. The program anticipates deploying strategies such as expanding the availability of pre-apprenticeship programs, registered apprenticeship programs, providing stipends and wraparound services for workforce training participants, and promoting safe and welcoming workplaces. The application has support from labor partners, such as the IBEW Conference of Idaho and Idaho Department of Labor, as well as Tribes and local governments across the state interested in supporting workforce development opportunities. In addition, the program intends to integrate solar investments strategies with workforce and contractor development, using strategies such as evaluating the impact a project will have on job, apprenticeship, and business opportunities for the community when making investment d

Growth Opportunity Partners:  Growth Opportunity Partners (Growth Opps) is the lead applicant for the Industrial Heartland Solar Coalition, representing 31 cities in eight states in the Midwest and Rust Belt. Growth Opps will train hundreds of new solar workers to meet the needs of their program in partnership with labor unions and existing local workforce programs. Growth Opps and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have announced an agreement to collaborate on the implementation of this proposal. The Memorandum of Understanding between Growth Opps and IBEW outlines their commitment to ensuring high-quality jobs with a diverse and skilled workforce for projects financed under this award, including compliance with prevailing wage requirements and expanding IBEW's training and apprenticeship programs to create opportunities for workers from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and communities. This application also includes partnerships with local workforce and education partners, including the Fort Wayne Community Schools Career Academy (CTE program), Ivy Tech Community College in Fort Wayne/Warsaw, University of Dayton's Hanley Sustainability Institute (HSI), Towards Employment in Cleveland, the Department of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Buffalo, and organizations that provide wrap-around services. Additionally, Growth Opps will provide centralized technical assistance to members of its coalition to help create jobs that align with the U.S. Department of Labor and Commerce Good Jobs Principles. 

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources: Louisiana Solar for All will make investments each year in expanding the new Louisiana Solar Corps workforce training and pre-apprenticeship program, which is an equity-focused partnership to remove barriers and ensure training opportunities are accessible to workers from disadvantaged communities in rural and urban Louisiana so they can access and retain solar jobs. Louisiana Solar for All will work with the building trades to establish registered apprenticeship programs in coordination with the Solar Corps' workforce development program. Among other workforce initiatives, this award will generate new partnerships  with the Department of Corrections to support career opportunities in the solar industry for the currently and formerly incarcerated. This work will be supported by the Louisiana Solar Energy Lab (LaSEL) within the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy (EESE) Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, which has more than a decade of experience as a leader on solar deployment and workforce development. Louisiana's application support from the Louisiana Building and Construction Trades Council, solar employers, local governments, and coalitions of community-based organizations. 

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy: Through this grant award, the State of Michigan invest millions in workforce training and industry development, leveraging existing programs such as the state’s Going Pro Talent Fund, registered apprenticeship and apprenticeship readiness programs, and a partnership with the Workforce Development Institute, a non-profit affiliate of the Michigan AFL-CIO. The State will also launch and fund a Solar Market Sector Hub at the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to bring together key solar market stakeholders, including businesses, trade groups, unions, non-profits, workforce development programs, and community colleges, to identify workforce education gaps and to create solutions to prepare a clean energy workforce. Furthermore, Michigan will work in partnership with its 16 Michigan Works! Agencies across the state, in addition to other community-based organizations, to launch workforce training solutions for high-quality jobs in solar created through this grant. Michigan’s application has support from the Michigan Community College Association, Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, Utility Workers Union Association, and the Michigan AFL-CIO.

Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority and Philadelphia Green Capital Corp: Through this award, and through leveraging Governor Shapiro's Commonwealth Workforce Transformation Program, Pennsylvania intends to invest millions in workforce development to expand access to solar jobs. The Pennsylvania Solar for All coalition will work with strategic partners statewide to fund and leverage existing workforce training programs to produce local, skilled, diverse graduates eligible for employment; foster relationships with solar employers in need of new hires; create on-the-job training opportunities on Pennsylvania Solar for All projects, including Registered Apprenticeships; and provide wraparound services to ensure that underserved communities are successful from training through job placement. Staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry will work together to coordinate local implementation partners, such as Philadelphia Works, the city's workforce development board. The proposal is supported by local labor unions, including the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, which will support the program through their registered apprenticeship program and will share access to their state-of-the-art training facilities, and the Pennsylvania State Building & Construction Trades Council, which will support apprentice recruitment and training with an emphasis on participants from low-income and disadvantaged communities, pre-construction planning and installation assistance, and contractor recruitment. 

Western Indigenous Network Solar for All Program (WIN-SFA): As the lead applicant, GRID Alternatives will organize a coalition of partner organizations and Tribal Nations to deploy residential-serving solar for Tribal communities. Key partners include the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, Native CDFI Network, and Native Renewables. Under WIN-SFA, all proposed projects will be developed with the goal that 50 percent of installation and development work come from the local Tribal workforce, creating new job opportunities and career pathways into the renewable energy industry for Tribal members.  The program will develop a framework for providing guidance and requirements for contractors to ensure they advance the goals to create high-quality jobs and workforce opportunities for Tribal communities. In addition to the network of coalition organizations, the program will collaborate with Native-led nonprofits, Tribal colleges and universities, community colleges, and other similar partners. 

West Virginia Office of Energy: West Virginia views Solar for All, together with other federal investments, as a tremendous opportunity to generate a workforce of trained and certified energy workers recruited from communities most in need of jobs with family-sustaining wages. The West Virginia Office of Energy intends to invest millions in workforce development under the Solar for All program, creating a career pathways program for solar market jobs. West Virginia and its partners will establish a program that prioritizes individuals from disadvantaged communities who face high barriers for entering the workforce, using proven tools such as paid on-the-job training, apprenticeship, wraparound services, career counseling, and job placement. Multiple workforce stakeholders supported this application, including the West Virginia Building & Construction Trades Council, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, Workforce West Virginia, and Coalfield Development Corporation.