Primary Department: County Administration
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Diana Ramirez, County Administrator
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Interlocal Agreement
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Geotechnology Research Institute of the Houston Advanced Research Center
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Interlocal/Cooperative Agreement
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): 0%
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Grantor does not allow indirect cost capture
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of County Administration for approval of a subrecipient agreement with the Geotechnology Research Institute of the Houston Advanced Research Center to pass through grant funds in the amount of $47,547,657, for the EPA-funded Solar for All program.
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Background and Discussion:
On July 15, 2024, Harris County received a Notice of Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a $249.7 million grant on behalf of the Texas Solar for All Coalition (Coalition) to implement the Solar for All program.
The Coalition is composed of municipalities and non-profits across Texas, collectively serving a low-income and disadvantaged community population of over 11 million people. The program aims to transform access to distributed solar in these communities, fostering community wealth, energy cost savings, equity opportunities, and access to good-paying clean energy jobs.
Harris County, as the lead, will be collaborating with the following subrecipients to deliver the Solar for All Program: 1) Dallas County, 2) City of San Antonio, (3) Opportunity Home, 4) City of Austin, 5) City of Waco, 6) Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI), 7) Clean Energy Fund of Texas (TxCEF), and the 8) Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).
Expected Impact:
This historic grant aims to reduce energy burdens, cut greenhouse gas emissions from electricity use, and expand access to solar financing across Texas. Funding will primarily support financial assistance for solar programs and battery storage, alongside enabling upgrades such as rooftop repairs and energy efficiency improvements to reduce energy demand. Additional funding will support workforce development, technical assistance, community engagement, and program administration.
The subrecipient agreement with HARC will provide critical programmatic support to coalition members, leveraging HARC’s expertise in clean energy, climate equity, and resilience programming. Within the Coalition, HARC leads efforts in Port Arthur, Tarrant County, statewide multifamily housing, and Hub Homes/Community Hubs. Since the program’s inception, HARC has worked alongside Harris County to jointly manage the program's complex administrative needs, drawing on its four decades of experience managing federal and state grants.
Alternative Options:
To not execute this subrecipient agreement and risk non-fulfillment of grant deliverables.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 5. Minimize the impact of climate change and disasters.
County Strategic Plan Objective: Q: Encourage residents, businesses, and public entities to significantly reduce their environmental footprint for the health of our region.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Q2: Increase energy resilience of Harris County through deployment of affordable, reliable community solar.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
01/09/2025 |
25-0121 |
Transmittal by the Office of County Administration providing an update on the Notice of Amended Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Solar for All, including updated Terms and Conditions for the program, with the total grant amount of $249.7 million remaining unchanged. |
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10/29/2024 |
24-6889 |
Request by the Office of County Administration for approval to accept from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant funds in the total amount of $249,700,000, with no required match, for the Solar for All Program. |
|
5/7/2024 |
24-2880 |
Transmittal by the Office of County Administration/Office of Sustainability of notification of selection of an award from the Environmental Protection Agency for the Solar for All grant. |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
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Anticipated Court Date: 1/23/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 1/23/2025
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department:
Jesse Dickerman, Managing Director, Energy Transition, Office of County Administration; Andrea Oyuela, Program Manager, Solar for All, Office of County Administration
Attachments (if applicable): Subrecipient Agreement