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June 11, 2024
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other state and federal funding announcements
The Minnesota Department of Commerce seeks to work with and facilitate connections with local and Tribal governments, utilities, businesses, communities and other entities interested in energy-related partnerships. The opportunities outlined below are funded by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other state and federal programs.
Announcements: Department of Commerce Energy Programs
- Department of Commerce -- State Energy Policy and Conservation Report – Public Meeting
The Minnesota Department of Commerce is holding a virtual public meeting to share the draft State Energy Policy and Conservation Report, completed every four years per Minn. Stat. §216C.18. The goal of the report is to provide legislators and energy leaders with information on the status of energy use in Minnesota. The report identifies major emerging trends, projections, and issues in Minnesota’s energy supply, consumption, conservation, and costs. Report requirements and the draft report contents will be shared in the meeting, with time reserved at the end for questions and feedback.
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Elective/Direct Pay Webinar
- June 20, 2024 | 10:00 to 11:00 AM CT | Register
The Department of Commerce will be hosting a series of informational webinars on the Inflation Reduction Act IRS Tax Credits. The first webinar on Elective Pay/Direct Pay will be held Thursday, June 20 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM CST. This webinar will be presented by Alan Gregerson from the IRS and provide an overview of the Elective Pay/Direct Pay, Applicable Entities, Registration Process, and how to claim these Elective Pay/ Direct Pay amounts.
Commerce is seeking your input on what IRS tax credit topics you would to be covered during this webinar series. Please provide your input on topics on this brief survey (5 questions) by Wednesday, June 19.
- Stakeholder training webinar: Screening Tool for Equitable Adoption and Deployment of Solar (STEADy Solar)
NREL held a webinar on Wednesday, June 5 to introduce the STEADy Solar database tool to a national audience. NREL has generously offered to hold additional webinars, if need be, for Minnesota stakeholder groups by “entity-type” groupings. Attendees of the June 5 NREL seminar who would like the opportunity to get additional NREL guidance on the use of the STEADy database to develop community solar gardens or other solar projects should send a note to [email protected]. As part of the email request, please provide specifics on what additional information or use-case scenarios the entity would like to discuss with NREL.
A recording of the June 5 NREL STEADy Solar webinar can be found here.
Energy-related Funding Awards to Minnesota Entities
Read on to learn more about the most recent innovative Minnesota energy projects (listed by Funding Opportunity Program), and the funding they have been awarded. Congratulations to all the recipients!
Minnesota School Districts Committed to Electric School Buses
The Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded $22 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to assist Minnesota school districts in the purchase of Clean School Buses.
Congratulations to the following Minnesota school districts:
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Rochester Public School District - $8,685,000 in rebate funding to purchase 25 clean school buses.
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Cleveland Public School District - $50,000 in rebate funding to purchase two clean school buses.
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Ogilvie Public School District - $25,000 in rebate funding to purchase one clean school bus.
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Bloomington Public School District - $800,000 in rebate funding to purchase four clean school buses.
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Rosemount – Apple Valley – Eagan School District- $1,600,000 in rebate funding to purchase eight clean school buses.
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St. Clair Public School District - $50,000 in rebate funding to purchase two clean school buses.
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Crosby-Ironton Public School District - $75,000 in rebate funding to purchase three clean school buses.
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St. Paul Public School District - $8,685,000 in rebate funding to purchase 25 clean school buses.
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Milaca Public School District - $75,000 in rebate funding to purchase three clean school buses.
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St. Louis Park Public School District - $175,000 in rebate funding to purchase seven clean school buses.
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Lanesboro Public School District - $690,000 in rebate funding to purchase two clean school buses.
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Laporte Public School District - $345,000 in rebate funding to purchase one clean school bus.
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Wrenshall Public School District - $25,000 to purchase one clean school bus.
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Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools - $300,000 to purchase 12 clean school buses.
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Edina Public School District - $400,000 to purchase two buses.
EPA recently opened the application process for the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, an Inflation Reduction Act program with $932 million available for 2024 to replace non-zero-emission Class 6 and 7 heavy duty vehicles with zero-emission Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles. The deadline for this grant is July 25, 2024. Find more information about the program here.
Solutions for Lasting, Viable Energy Infrastructure Technologies (SOLVE IT) Prize – Phase One Winners - The DOE has awarded over $2 million to 28 winners of the Phase One awards, including:
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Cooperative Energy Futures, Minneapolis - Developing district level ground-source heating systems centered around anchor sites, reaching surrounding homes and businesses. Cooperative Energy Futures was awarded $80,000.
Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Demonstration Program
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Xcel Energy in collaboration with Form Energy, Becker MN and Pueblo, CO – Xcel Energy was awarded $.4.3 million by DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations for the LDES Multiday Iron Demonstration (MIND) project. The Phase 1 and 2 funding will support the planning, design, permitting, and other development activities necessary to deploy two 10MW 100-hour LDES systems at two retiring coal plants—one in Becker, MN and one in Pueblo, CO. During Phases 1 and 2, which are expected to last 7 to 12 months, Xcel Energy will prepare to begin project construction in Phase 3.
Recent and Expected Federal Funding Activity
The federal government issues a variety of announcements related to federal funding opportunities: Requests for Information (RFI), Notices of Intent (NOI) and energy Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA). More information can be found on the Commerce Federal Funding Opportunities web page or by clicking the links below.
To facilitate a quick review of this newsletter, the subject matter of included items is previewed here; full details can be found in the body of the newsletter.
Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA), Administrative and Legal Requirements Document (ALRD), Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), Requests for Applications (RFA)
- Vision Open 2024
- Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives
- Solar Technologies’ Rapid Integration and Validation for Energy Systems (STRIVES)
- DOE Clean Energy Technology Voucher Program
- Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program Round 2
- FY 2024 Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator
Notice of Intent
- Fiscal Year 2024 Batteries and Electrification
- Carbon Management – Round 6
Request for Information (RFI)
- Reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for Power and Hydrogen Production
Guidance on IRA Tax Credit Programs
- Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) Program – Round 2
Webinars
- Geothermal Technologies Office’s Quarterly Webinar
- ARPA-E & USDA Rural Energy Innovation Webinar
- Clean School Bus Webinar Series
Publications/Videos/Webpages
- EJ TCTAC Federal Grants Database
- Cash for Communities: Leveraging Historic Federal Funds for Racial, Economic, and Climate Justice
- Distributional Equity Analysis for Energy Efficiency and Other Distributed Energy Resources: A Practical Guide
- Microgrid Design Toolkit
- Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Power System Model Results for Long-Term Resource Plans
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge: Building Supply Chains
- Floating Offshore Wind Shot Progress and Priorities – Report
- Lighting Market Characterization for Baseline Year 2020
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IIJA Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA)
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Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program Round 2 (IIJA)
- 693JJ324NF00017
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Deadline: August 28, 2024
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Webinar: Charging and Fueling Infrastructure NOFO Overview: Reconsideration of Round 1 Applications | June 11, 2024 | 12:00 PM CT | Register
The US Department of Transportation Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI Program) has up to $1.3 billion to fund new applications submitted in this round, as well as applications previously submitted Round 1 (CFI FY 2022/2023 NOFO Number 693JJ323NF00004).
Two separate grant categories are included in the CFI Program:
Community Charging and Fueling Program Grants (Community Program), to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, propane fueling infrastructure, and natural gas fueling infrastructure located on public roads or in other publicly accessible locations; and
Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program), to strategically deploy charging and alternative fueling infrastructure located along designated alternative fuel corridors.
Eligible applicants: State, county, city or township governments, Native American tribal governments, Public Housing Authorities and Indian Housing Authorities, public and State institutions of higher education and special district governments.
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Other Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA)
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Vision Open 2024
- DE-FOA-0003387
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Deadlines: Concept Paper: July 16, 2024 | Application: TBD
The DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) Vision Open program will fund topical, groundbreaking research supporting the goals below:
Goal 1: GHG-Free Abundant Primary Energy. Complete transition of global primary energy supply to GHG-free forms by 2050, while increasing the primary energy supply.
Topic 1.A. 1: Rapid Deployment.
Topic 1.B: Transformative Advances.
Goal 2: Intermodal Energy Superhighways. To meet growing energy needs, ARPA-E envisions an intermodal energy superhighway that will reliably and efficiently distribute roughly 13 TW of power.
Topic 2.A: Novel and Efficient Energy Transport Systems.
Topic 2.B: Energy Delivery Optimization Through Intelligent Systems.
GOAL 3: Carbon as a Sustainable Building Block of the Future. ARPA-E envisions a path to a transition from carbon as a source of unsustainable energy to a source of valuable materials.
Topic 3.A: Living Refineries Technologies.
Topic 3.B: Refinery Transformation Technologies.
Topic 3.C: Carbon Allotrope Manufacture and Utilization.
Topic 3.D: Scalable Polymer Design and Deconstruction.
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Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives
- DE-FOA-0003361
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Deadlines: Pre-Application: July 9, 2024 | Application: August 27, 2024
The DOE’s Fusion Energy Science (FES) is implementing virtual team collaborations called "Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE)" with $180 million to support basic science research programs and the growth of fusion industries.
Fusion Science and Technology (FS&T) drivers, with four distinct "Fusion Engine Ecosystems (FEE)" are key areas of interest award support:
FEE1: Fusion Materials and Technology - FS&T Driver 2 Advanced plasma-facing components, advanced first wall concepts, and structural materials.
FEE2: Fusion Blanket and Fuel Cycle Systems - FS&T Driver 3 Fusion fuel breeding, extraction, processing, and separation.
FEE3: Fusion Enabling Technologies - FS&T Driver 1 Advanced technologies to enable plasma formation, burn, control, or confinement.
FEE4: Advanced Simulations for Design and Optimization - FS&T Driver 1 FS&T challenges specific to device configurations. Crosscutting challenges addressing FE1-FE3 areas. Design and optimization capabilities.
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Solar Technologies’ Rapid Integration and Validation for Energy Systems (STRIVES)
- DE-FOA-0003331
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Deadlines: Concept Paper: July 25, 2024 | Application: October 17, 2024
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Informational Webinar: June 20, 2024 | 12:00 PM CT | Register
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) seek projects which will develop software tools to accurately represent solar inverter-based resources (IBRs) and increase confidence in modeling of power systems. Approximately $31 million will be available for new awards with 12 – 15 awards of $1 - $3 million may be funded. Two topic areas are included in the FOA:
Topic 1: Robust Experimentation and Advanced Learning for distribution systems operator DSOs.
Topic 2: Improved Simulation Tools for Large-Scale IBR Transient and Dynamic Studies.
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DOE Clean Energy Technology Voucher Program
In partnership with ENERGYWERX, DOE has instituted a Voucher Program to increase adoption readiness of new technologies. Five voucher opportunities (VOs) have reopened to accelerate clean energy technology adoption and two new VOs have launched with $15 million in available funding to support manufacturers.
The program facilitates the matching capabilities of Voucher Providers and Voucher Recipients to aid recipients overcoming their energy adoption challenges.
Voucher Providers will be paid by the program for the work accomplished on behalf of the Voucher Recipients; Voucher Recipients will receive the capability they applied for, at no cost, from the Voucher Providers.
Voucher Opportunity 1 - Pre-Demonstration Commercialization Support (OCED)
Voucher Opportunity 2 - Performance Validation, Modeling, and Certification Support (OCED)
Voucher Opportunity 3 - Clean Energy Demonstration Project Siting/Permitting Support (OCED/EERE)
Voucher Opportunity 4 - Commercialization Support (EERE)
Voucher Opportunity 5 - Commercialization Support (FECM)
Voucher Opportunity 9 - Planning and Validation of Industrial Decarbonization Projects (OCED)
Voucher Opportunity 10 - Manufacturing Conversion, Retooling, and Retrofitting Support (OCED)
Those interested in applying as a Provider for the Voucher Program are encouraged to attend these office hours:
~ June 18, 2024 | 2:00 PM CT | Register | Voucher 1, 2, 4 & 5
~ June 20, 2024 | 2:00 PM CT | Register | Voucher 9 & 10
~ June 20, 2024 | 3:00 PM CT | Register | Voucher 3
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FY 2024 Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator
- DE-FOA-0003289
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Deadlines: Concept Paper: July 19, 2024 | Application: October 7, 2024
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Informational Webinar: June 13, 2024 |3:00 PM CT | Register
The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy expects to provide up to $38 million for between 11 and 23 awards ranging from $1 to $5 million for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that de-risk solar hardware, manufacturing processes, and software products across a wide range of solar technology areas. There is three Topic Areas of interest:
Topic Area 1: Solar Research and Technology Development
Topic Area 2: Solar Technology Demonstration
Topic Area 3: Solar Permitting Software Outreach, Education, and Development
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Notice of Intent (NOI)
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Fiscal Year 2024 Batteries and Electrification
The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on behalf of the Vehicle Technologies Office intends to issue a FOA in the July/August 2024 timeframe, with funding to support RDD&D around the following potential areas of interest:
Area of Interest 1: Demonstration of smart charge management of electric vehicles
Area of Interest 2: Improved 12 Volt Lead Acid Batteries for Safety-Critical Electric Vehicle Applications
Area of Interest 3: Develop Vehicle or Structural Level Strategies to Reduce the Likelihood of the Cascading Effects of Electric Vehicle Fires
Area of Interest 4: Battery Electrode, Cell, and Pack Manufacturing Cost Reduction
Area of Interest 5: Silicon-Based Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Area of Interest 6: High Energy Density Conversion Cathodes
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Carbon Management – Round 6
The DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, on behalf of the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, intends to issue FOA DE-FOA-0002614 in the middle of 2024 calendar year. The following Areas of Interest may be included, each having a minimum cost-share of 20%.
Area of Interest 1. Carbon Conversion Technology
AOI-1F. Reactive Carbon Capture Approaches for Point Source Capture or Atmospheric Capture with Integrated Conversion to Useful Products
Area of Interest 3. Point Source Carbon Capture Technology
AOI-3F. Engineering-Scale Testing of Transformational Carbon Capture Technologies for Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) Power Plants
AOI-3G. Engineering-Scale Testing of Transformational Carbon Capture Technologies in Portable Systems at Industrial Plants
AOI-3H-a. Preliminary Front-End Engineering Design Studies (Pre-FEED) for Carbon Capture Systems at Existing (Retrofit) Domestic NGCC Power Plants
AOI-3H-b. Preliminary Front-End Engineering Design Studies (Pre-FEED) for Carbon Capture Systems at Hydrogen Production Facilities Using Coal, Mixed Coal/Biomass, or Natural Gas Feedstock
Area of Interest 4. Carbon Transport and Storage
AOI-4A. Enhancing CO2 Transport Infrastructure (ECO2Transport): Pre-FEED Studies for Multimodal CO2 Transfer Facilities
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Request for Information (RFI)
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Reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (R-SOFCs) for Power and Hydrogen Production
- DE-FOA-0003367
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Deadline: June 24, 2024 submitted electronically to: [email protected] with the subject line “DE-FOA-0003367 RFI”
DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management seeks feedback on technologies and strategies that companies are deploying, or could deploy, for R-SOFCs with hydrogen production. DOE is requesting information on high-performing, thermodynamically stable, low-cost advances for R-SOFCs which will contribute toward the Hydrogen with Carbon Management Program’s overall efforts and DOE’s Hydrogen Shot.
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Guidance on IRA Tax Credit Programs
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Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) Program – Round 2
The Department of Treasury has issued Notice 2024-36, Appendices A & B (A: Eligibility and B: DOE Application Process), and Appendix C (Section 48C (e) Energy Communities Census Tracts) relating to the $6 billion in tax credit allocations are available in the second round of the 48C(e) program, with approximately $2.5 billion allocated to projects in § 48C energy communities.
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Webinars
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Geothermal Technologies Office’s Quarterly Webinar
The DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office provides a quarterly webinar focused on the latest funding opportunities, research updates, and other information on the role of geothermal in the energy sector.
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ARPA-E & USDA Rural Energy Innovation Webinar
The DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) and the USDA Rural Development Innovation Center are bringing together energy technology innovators and end-users to discuss select ARPA-E projects and programs for key USDA stakeholders. ARPA-E awardee projects will be showcased to external stakeholders to bring awareness and ideation.
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Clean School Bus Webinar Series
EPA’s Clean School Bus (ESB) Program provides $5 billion over five years to replace school buses with low- and zero-emission school buses. Additionally, DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Clean Bus Planning Awards Program has $5 million in funding to provide free technical assistance for creation of comprehensive and customized bus electrification plans for fleets. This webinar series will cover technical assistance topics related to clean school buses.
June 18, 2024 | 12:00 PM CT – Differences Between Electric School Buses (ESBs) and internal-combustion engine (ICE) School Buses, ESB Maintenance, and Bus Request for Proposal (RFP) Best Practices
July 24, 2024 | 12:00 PM CT – Battery Overview, Recycling/End-of-Life Options, and Warranties
August 28, 2024 | 12:00 PM CT – Building a Case For ESBs in your Fleet including Benefits, Total Cost Of Ownership (TCO), and Emissions Calculators
September 25, 2024 | 12:00 PM CT – Electrification Process including a Step-by-Step Guide for New Adopters
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Publications/Videos/Webpages
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EJ TCTAC Federal Grants Database
The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers have created a grant search database which pulls information from 10 federal agencies every 24 hours.
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Cash for Communities: Leveraging Historic Federal Funds for Racial, Economic, and Climate Justice
The Congressional Progressive Caucus Center and the Local Progress Impact Lab published a new guide to help local elected officials take advantage of Direct Pay.
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Distributional Equity Analysis for Energy Efficiency and Other Distributed Energy Resources: A Practical Guide
DOE’s Berkley Lab has released this new report, "Distributional Equity Analysis for Energy Efficiency and Other Distributed Energy Resources: A Practical Guide" which describes a seven-stage framework addressing the distributional equity impacts of utility resource investments in the context of cost-effectiveness evaluation.
DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories has developed the Microgrid Design Toolkit, a publicly available free software for microgrid designers. Intended for use in the early stages of the design process, the toolkit uses powerful search algorithms to identify and characterize alternative microgrid designs in terms of user-defined inputs and objectives such as cost, performance, and reliability. Six step-by-step tutorials will guide new users who download the free software system.
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Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Power System Model Results for Long-Term Resource Plans
Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) are strategic roadmaps used by utilities to plan their future energy resources. The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Strategic Analysis team, along with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have developed a two-part informational guide to help stakeholders understand the power system model results and be better able to contribute to the development of (IRPs). The Beginners Guide provides an introduction, explanations, context, and methods for IRP modeling. The Advanced Guide takes a deeper dive into demand, best practices, clean energy scenarios, recommended steps, and the importance of resilience planning.
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Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge: Building Supply Chains
The SAF Grand Challenge: Building Supply Chains RFI (DE-FOA-0003157) requested input from industry, academia, national laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders to identify opportunities for developing effective supply chains capable of meeting these SAF Grand Challenge goals. The RFI was open to the public for two months and collected feedback from stakeholders resulting in multiple key takeaways which are discussed in the report. Responses were categorized by:
Accelerating success of regional SAF supply chain coalitions.
Modeling and simulation tools for enabling the SAF supply chain.
Critical gaps in the demonstration and SAF supply chain elements.
Scaling and commercial build-out of SAF supply chain elements Understanding the government’s role in informing stakeholders.
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Floating Offshore Wind Shot Progress and Priorities – Report
The Floating Offshore Wind Shot is led by the Departments of Energy (DOE), Interior (DOI), Commerce, and Transportation. The report was released on May 16, 2024 and documents over 50 milestones achieved to advance the Floating Offshore Wind Shot.
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Lighting Market Characterization for Baseline Year 2020
The DOE has published a new Lighting Market Characterization (LMC) report for baseline year 2020. The report details how many lighting products (lamps and luminaires) were installed in the U.S. as of 2020, where they were installed, and how much energy they consumed. It also highlights key changes in U.S. lighting market characteristics between 2015 and 2020.
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Energy-specific funding opportunities, Commerce is here for you
The Minnesota Department of Commerce seeks to work with and facilitate connections with local and Tribal governments, utilities, businesses, communities and other entities interested in energy-related partnerships. The opportunities outlined here are funded by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and other federal and state energy programs. Interested in partnering with Commerce on funding opportunities or have questions? Stay updated by clicking subscribe below and e-mail us at [email protected].
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