ST. LOUIS – The City of St. Louis will soon receive federal funding for residential solar projects.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced more than $7 billion in awards among 60 recipients on Monday for residential solar projects in celebration of Earth Day. The awards intend to help nearly 1 million households nationwide.
St. Louis was selected for funding as part of two different coalition groups, the Missouri Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority and the Industrial Heartland Solar Coalition.
Awards for the two coalitions total more than $300 million, but it remains to be determined how much is allocated for St. Louis.
“We are paying attention to the realities of climate change, and St. Louis City is at the forefront of the fight for our future,” said St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones via a news release. “Sustainability issues are intersectional, affecting public health outcomes and quality of life every day. I’m proud that St. Louis is helping to build a more sustainable and resilient future for our city’s residents.”
The mayor’s office proposed expanding the city’s Healthy Homes Program to include solar panels as an efficiency upgrade and asked the state to start a low-interest loan program for solar energy and storage.
In addition to this funding, St. Louis was one of 25 cities selected in the “Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities” initiative last month, which will offer funding and resources to help with sustainable development.
