INDIANAPOLIS – Having panels on your home can help supplement the cost of your energy bill. However, adding solar panels to your home can be costly. That’s why the city is in the process of creating two programs to help make solar more accessible.
That picture below doesn’t look like much now but in the next five years the city of Indianapolis plans on making it a solar field.
The field will be located at former Julietta Landfill in southeast Indianapolis near the Whispering Hills Golf course.
The land currently has no use because it is toxic due to it formerly being a land fill. That’s why the city plans on re-purposing it for use they say will make solar more accessible.
"The main idea of community solar is that it creates equitable access to solar projects,” Lindsay Trameri with the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability said. “The energy doesn't have to be created in and produced on your property. A lot of people, for a variety of reasons, aren't great candidates for roof top solar."
The community solar project will allow property owners to subscribe. That subscription will give them a credit on their energy bill giving them a discount.
The city says it will also expand access to solar for people with low to medium incomes. They say those who qualify will be able to get solar panels installed on their home for little to no charge.
Typically, installing solar panels can cost anywhere from 10-20 thousand dollars, according to Solar United Neighbors.
"It's safe to say that thousands of Hoosier families will be able to benefit from local solar energy over the next five years, seeing hundreds of dollars a year in energy bill savings,” Zach Schalk the Indiana Program Director for Solar United Neighbors said.
The grants were made possible through Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed by congress in 2022.
According to Schalk, in the Inflation Reduction Act there was a portion called the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. That fund dedicated 27 billion dollars to reduce greenhouse gases across the country to help create more options for renewable energy. 7 billion dollars of the fund created the Solar For All Program.
Thanks to the Solar for all Program, the city will get a portion of a $117-million-dollar grant for the community solar project and a portion of a $156-million-dollar grant for the solar panel assistance program.
City officials aren’t yet sure how much of that funding they will get just yet. Regardless, they say this is one of the largest investments in renewable energy the city has ever seen.
"Just because we don't have sunny days 24/7, 365 days a year doesn't mean it's not a great option,” Trameri said.
People like Schalk who have solar panels on his roof pay much less on their electric bill. He says he pays about 13 dollars a month.
These new programs are something he believes will be the case for more Hoosiers as these programs begin to roll out
“We are targeting at least a twenty percent saving for every participating household,” Schalk said,
This is a five-year program. The community solar project will take the longest to develop. However, for the solar panel assistance program, the city hopes to have more details about when, how and who will qualify by fall this year or early 2025.
The city says to check the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability’ssocial media regularly for updates.
Solar United Neighbors will also have details on their website in the coming weeks and months.
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