Key Takeaways

• Nevada’s Clean Energy Fund is facing a freeze on $156 million in federal solar funding after an executive order from President Trump.
• This funding was meant to support community solar projects for low-income households, benefiting over 20,000 families in Nevada.
• Advocates label the funding cut as “illegal” and “unconstitutional,” claiming it undermines efforts to assist low-income families during rising energy costs.

Nevada’s effort to implement community solar projects has hit a roadblock following the suspension of $156 million in federal funding. This funding, awarded to the Nevada Clean Energy Fund by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April under the Solar for All program, is designed to help low-income households. However, President Trump’s executive order on January 20 halted all grants and contracts related to the program.

The funding freeze applies to numerous states and restricts access to the EPA’s grant management portal, effectively suspending the Solar for All initiative. Initially, applications had opened in December, with expectations for funds to reach property owners and community solar hosts by February 2025. This development raises questions about the program’s future amidst unclear federal funding availability.

Established in 2017 by former Republican Governor Brian Sandoval, the Nevada Clean Energy Fund has relied on both state and anticipated federal support. In 2023, the Nevada Legislature contributed $1 million to the fund before applying for the EPA grant. However, the inability to access these funds now puts in jeopardy plans to finance approximately 125 multifamily affordable housing and community solar projects across the state, which would lower energy costs by at least 20% for more than 20,000 disadvantaged households by 2029.

Moreover, the construction of rooftop solar projects financed by the fund was projected to create nearly 1,000 jobs in Nevada, further underscoring the impact of the funding freeze. Advocates, including Audrey Peral, the Program Director of Chispa Nevada, have criticized the federal government’s actions as detrimental to low-income families already facing high electricity rates. This sentiment is echoed in their assertion that the funding cut is both immoral and unconstitutional, given that the funds were already appropriated and legally obligated to support community solar in Nevada.

In December, Chispa Nevada even invested $130,000 in bilingual advertising to promote the Solar for All program among Spanish-speaking communities, highlighting the gap left by the funding freeze.

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