Indiana Gets $117M Solar Grant for Low-Income Homes

Communities that lived with the pollution are now getting clean energy solutions, thanks to one of the largest solar grants in Indiana history.

Former EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced Thursday in Indianapolis that five Hoosier cities will share $117.4 million in federal "Solar for All" funding. Indianapolis, Gary, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Terre Haute will use the money to bring solar energy access to low-income households that have long shouldered environmental burdens without sharing in economic benefits.

Regan, the first Black male EPA Administrator, chose Indiana to highlight how clean energy investments can reverse historical inequities. He pointed to Northwest Indiana, where residents have breathed some of the nation's most polluted air for decades while living beside steel mills and refineries.

"This state was built on industry, built on manufacturing and agriculture," Regan said. "Those sectors have powered the nation, but too often the benefits have not been shared equally."

The funding represents a concrete shift. Black, brown, low-income, and rural communities across Indiana face contaminated water, toxic waste sites, and coal ash dumps near their neighborhoods. Now those same communities will get infrastructure that cuts energy costs while reducing pollution.

The Ripple Effect

The solar grant does more than install panels. It puts money back in families' pockets through lower utility bills, money that can go toward groceries, healthcare, or education.

It creates local jobs in installation and maintenance, building a clean energy workforce in communities that need economic opportunities. And it demonstrates that environmental justice means more than stopping harm; it means actively investing in solutions where they're needed most.

Regan emphasized that local leadership and community voices drove this progress. "Where there is environmental harm, there is also resistance and leadership," he said. "People who organize, people who document, people who demand accountability."

The communities closest to pollution problems turned out to be closest to the answers. Residents in these five cities advocated for clean energy access, documented their environmental challenges, and pushed for investment that makes both ecological and economic sense.

Rural areas with failing infrastructure and limited resources will particularly benefit from distributed solar power that doesn't depend on aging electrical grids. The technology leapfrogs outdated systems to deliver reliable, clean energy directly where families need it.

Thousands of Indiana households will soon see lower energy bills and breathe cleaner air, proving that environmental progress and economic opportunity can arrive together.