Board hears updates on solar projects and Inflation Reduction Act funding opportunities

Lauren Norvell told the Collaborative that staff will focus more on solar because about 72% of the city’s greenhouse-gas emissions come from building energy use. She said the Collaborative is working with Solar United Neighbors and local solar providers and that a potential large project by Orion Renewables is conducting community engagement and will present at a nonprofit roundtable.

Norvell said the project will include pollinator habitat and discussed trade-offs associated with siting large systems on farmland versus brownfields or rooftops. “If you really wanna put in a large project, that's really hard to do. Of course, farmland's flat, already cleared. It's a lot easier,” she said, while noting that agrivoltaics and habitat co-existence are possible.

She also described “Solar for All” funding from the Inflation Reduction Act intended to help residents access solar and battery backup; Norvell said an organization (referred to as INCA, the Indiana Community Action Agency) was awarded administration of that funding and has contacted the Collaborative about participating. “So we have more to find out and we have to submit a proposal on how we wanna use it, but we're hoping to help residents with solar,” Norvell said.

Norvell said the Collaborative may use some of that funding for resilience hubs that provide public battery backup during outages. She did not present firm commitments or project budgets at the meeting; staff said details and proposal timelines are “not specified” and subject to forthcoming discussions with INCA and the Environmental Resilience Institute.

The board was invited to review the Orion Renewables engagement and provide feedback at a nonprofit roundtable scheduled for the next day; staff said they would bring more detailed information as projects advance.