The federal government plans to reimburse state and local governments that rebuild damaged public buildings to be more energy resilient.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will begin paying to install solar panels on schools, hospitals and other public buildings that are rebuilt after disasters, making them more resilient against future disasters while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The change, set to be announced on Tuesday, reflects the disaster agency’s decision to use federal dollars to expand renewable energy as it copes with worsening climate shocks.
The number of billion-dollar weather disasters keeps rising, straining the country’s ability to respond, as well as the ability of local officials to keep offering basic services to residents.
“If you’re installing solar panels, you are creating more energy independence,” Deanne Criswell, FEMA’s administrator, said in an interview.
The change comes amid major shifts in America’s response to disasters. Insurers are withdrawing from high-risk areas. People are donating directly to survivors through the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe, although that money largely benefits the wealthy. FEMA is overhauling its programs to help individual disaster survivors, after acknowledging that the current programs often fail to provide adequate support.
Couple issues with that. One is how to get it to work and be approved by the utility. In many areas something like this is heavily regulated and you might not even be able to do it depending upon State law (assuming you’re in the States).
Another issue is that in many areas, unless you’re only offsetting the home or business, the excess isn’t profitable. Many utilities pay a fraction of what they charge for any excess put back on the grid.
That being said, I know some utilities are actually doing this. They’re renting roof space on large commercial and industrial buildings. It’s more profitable for them since they can get full market rate for the energy generated.