Obama administration aims to boost affordability of solar power

Access to solar power is largely skewed toward affluent households. Of the roughly 645,000 homes and business with rooftop solar panels in the U.S., less than 5% are households earning less than $40,000, according to a report from the George Washington University Solar Institute.

The Obama Administration recently announced more than $520 million in commitments from private companies, investors, NGOs, and state and local governments to pay for energy efficiency and solar projects for low-income households. The initiative emphasizes so-called “community solar,” in which groups of households pool resources to build and maintain a shared solar power system in their neighborhood.

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