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City of El Paso to lead federal 'Solar for All' grant; county to partner on 440 low-income installations
Summary
County planning staff described a regional EPA-backed Solar for All program led by the City of El Paso and sub-awarded through TEPRI; the effort aims to install roughly 1.5 MW across 440 households and provide workforce training.
County planning and development staff on Monday described a regional Solar for All program funded through a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund award led by Harris County and administered locally by the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI).
Planning and Development Department senior staff Monza Asraraj and Denise Rodriguez told the court that TEPRI received a subaward and will issue subawards to El Paso, Laredo and Brownsville. Under the program, the city of El Paso’s Office of Climate and Sustainability is slated to serve as lead subrecipient and program manager, while El Paso County will act as a partner to ensure unincorporated areas are represented.
Why it matters: The program is intended to expand solar access in low-income and disadvantaged communities, reduce utility bills and create local workforce opportunities. County staff said the grant would fund about 1.5 megawatts of solar capacity across roughly 440 households, with an average projected savings near $300 per household per year and funding for workforce training and outreach.
Key details: The overall coalition is led by Harris County, which won a major award from the federal Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. TEPRI was reported as the subrecipient with an award of roughly $21 million; the city of El Paso’s portion for its service area is just over $6 million. County staff said about 76% of local project funds would go directly to installations and the remainder to workforce, outreach and program administration. Eligibility will be set at 80% of area median income for individual households. The city will present its role to El Paso City Council on June 8; county staff said they will help identify community-based organizations for outreach in unincorporated and far east areas.
Next steps: Staff said the grant partnership is planned to launch in October 2025 and run five years through 2029. The court received the presentation and discussed outreach and nonprofit partners to reach eligible households in outlying precincts.
Ending: County staff emphasized the project’s potential to lower bills for low-income households and said they will bring implementation details as the city finalizes the lead-subrecipient agreement.
