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With the alarming reports concerning global warming, the authorities became fully aware that a solution needs to be found to the excessive burning of fuel fossils that leads to heavy pollution and to damaging effects on many species inhabiting the planet.
This is why the White House is planning to waste no more time and come up with solutions to give as many Americans as possible the opportunity to use renewable sources of energy instead of the ones we have been used to. These include solar energy, whose use has known an expansion within the past years.
However, the officials at the White House announced on Tuesday, July 7th that they are planning to extend access to solar energy even to people who have lower incomes and people who rent.
The initiative is called “community solar” and the project is meant to be expanded all over the U.S., focusing especially on low-income communities.
Furthermore, the project aims to install 300 megawatts of both solar and other renewable sources in various homes by 2020. This is quite an ambitious aim, given the fact that a megawatt is enough to power 164 homes.
The government hopes that in 15 years’ time the whole country will get about 20 percent of its total energy from renewable sources.
“It’s very important not only that we achieve that goal, but how we get there as well. We know there are significant challenges in the scope and geographic reach of solar,” said Obama senior adviser Brian Deese .
The decision came after a decline in solar power costs was recorded. This prompted many people to start using it as an alternative to traditional sources, but its implementation has not spread uniformly all over the country. The community which was the most reluctant to using solar energy was the one that earned the lowest income.
Unfortunately these people also represent the majority. The reports show that there are more than 49 million homes where their inhabitants make less than $ 40,000 a year. These make up for 5 percent of the total number of solar installations ,but they represent 40 percent of the number of American households, according to a report issued by the George Washington University.
The authorities believe that lower electricity bulls will be an incentive for many people to look for alternatives.
In order to achieve such an ambitious goal, the government will receive assistance from many other organizations, such as US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Administration, AmeriCorps and even the Department of Education.
Image Source: solar.calfinder
