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September 27, 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
Minnesota’s Home Energy Rebates
Minnesota Department of Commerce will be launching three residential rebate programs in 2025 to provide funds to homeowners, multi-family building owners, and renters to make energy efficient improvements to their homes. The Minnesota Home Energy Rebates, Residential Heat Pump Rebate, and Residential Electric Panel Upgrade Grant programs will communicate program updates through the Consumer Announcements newsletter. Sign up here to receive updates for individuals including consumers, homeowners, renters and the general public. Primary topics include energy rebates, grants, and incentives.
Geothermal Planning Grants
Public Engagement Webinar: Thursday, October 10, 2024, 1:30-2:30pm
In 2024 the Minnesota Legislature established the Geothermal Planning Grant Program (Minn. Stat. § 216C.47). The purpose of this program is to provide financial assistance to eligible applicants to examine the technical and economic feasibility of installing geothermal energy systems. The Department of Commerce will administer $1.08M in grants to local governments in Xcel Energy electric service territory.
Eligible applicants for this grant program include counties, cities, townships or the Metropolitan Council (Minn. Stat. § 216C.47, subd. 1).
Grants will be awarded for up to $150,000 for the planning of geothermal energy that heats and cools one or more buildings. Eligible systems include a bored geothermal heat exchanger, a groundwater thermal exchange device, and a submerged closed loop heat exchanger.
Solar on Public Buildings Grants Round 2 Request for Proposals
Request for Proposals: October 21 through December 2, 2024
Application Round 2 Webinars:
In 2023 the Minnesota Legislature established the Solar on Public Buildings (SPB) Grant Program (Minn. Stat. § 216C.377). The purpose of this program is to provide grants to stimulate the installation of solar energy systems on public buildings. The Department of Commerce will administer $4.3M in grants to local governments in Xcel Energy electric service territory. This is the second round of funding requests.
Eligible applicants for this grant program are local units of government including a county, statutory or home rule charter city, town, or other local government jurisdiction, excluding school districts eligible to receive financial assistance under section 216C.375; or a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota. (Minn. Stat. § 216C.377, subd. 1).
Grants will be awarded for up to 70% of the project costs (dependent on the government’s financial capacity) for a solar array that is built on or adjacent to a public building and is the lesser of 40kW system capacity or 120% of the building’s annual energy consumption.
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!
Communities Sparking Investment in Transformative Energy (C-SITE)
DOE’s State and Community Energy Programs has announced 12 local governments and Tribes who will receive over $31 million and technical assistance through the C-SITE funding opportunity. Under DOE’s new Local Government Energy Program, C-SITE supports the implementation of high-impact clean energy projects in disadvantaged communities, energy communities, and small - and medium-sized jurisdictions.
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Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians - MN - $3,150,000 - will invest in an innovative, behind-the-meter microgrid system to provide electricity for a secondary school complex, building towards a larger cooperative network, energy sovereignty and resilience in rural, tribal communities.
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Region Five Development Commission, MN - $2,500,000 - will provide inclusive clean energy financing to four pre-identified rural community projects in central Minnesota, including a school solar project and a tribal electric vehicle project.
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Hennepin County, MN - $2,500,000 - will provide residential audits, weatherization, energy efficiency upgrades, and solar installation in disadvantaged communities, and deploy renewable energy on two resilience hubs, while creating opportunities for training and green job creation.
Climate Pollution Reduction Grants – Implementation Grants
The EPA announced 34 selected applications for $300 million in grants to Tribes and one U.S. territory to implement community-driven solutions to tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate the clean energy transition.
Collegiate Wind Competition – Qualifying Teams
DOE announced the 35 college and university teams that have qualified to participate in the 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition. During the first half of the school year (September 2024–January 2025), teams will develop a preliminary design and report for their model wind turbine and a preliminary site design for their hypothetical floating offshore wind farm. Each qualifying team receives $2,000 in funding, which they can use to begin designing their prototype wind turbine, creating their wind energy project development plans, and conducting their outreach activities.
- University of Northwestern – St. Paul
Energizing Rural Communities Prize
DOE has announced 33 winners of the second phase of the Energizing Rural Communities Prize. Each winning team receives $200,000 for their efforts to continue developing partnership and financing strategies that support energy system improvements in rural or remote communities.
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Team Smart Grid – Magnolia, MN - Aims to create a more reliable and efficient energy grid through a wireless fault indicator system.
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The Morris Model Partnership - Morris, MN – The Morris Model is a partnership between the City of Morris, UMN Morris, UMN West Central Research and Outreach Center, Stevens County, and the Morris Area School District. The Morris Model Partnership seeks to make Morris a model rural sustainable community by expanding solar PV, implementing energy storage, and increasing public engagement.
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)
- IRA Community Change Grants Program
- Standardization for Interregional Offshore Wind Transmission
- SuperTruck Charge
- Hydropower Testing Network Voucher Opportunity – Second Phase
- Gasification of Alternative Feedstocks
- Oceans of Opportunity: U.S. Wave Energy Open Water Testing
- Clean Energy Careers for All (CEC4A)
- U.S. – Danish Floating Offshore Wind Energy Mooring and Anchoring Research and Development
Tribal Governments Funding Opportunities & Items of Interest
- 2024 Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) Tribal and Territory Grants
- Tribal Nation Transmission Program
- IRS Encourages Tribal Governments to Complete Pre-Filing Now for Elective Pay
Notice of Intent (NOI)
- Advanced Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies to Drive National Decarbonization
- Funding to Facilitate Discovery and Development of Geothermal Resources Through Field Data Collection
- HARMONY: Human-Centric Analytics for Resilient & Modernized Power sYstems
- Solar Module and Solar Hardware (SMASH) Incubator
- Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs – Recurring Program
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Improving Economics, Recovery and Reuse, and State of Health
Request for Information (RFI)
- Technology and Market Potential of Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) Systems in the United States
Prizes/Awards
- Community Power Accelerator Prize – Round 3
- Large Animal and Solar System Operations (Lasso) Prize
- Promoting Registration of Inverters and Modules with Ecolabel (PRIME) Prize
Technical Assistance
- Equitable Transmission Planning Technical Assistance
- Industrial Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Decarbonization (ISEED) Workforce Development Collaborative
Webinars
- H2IQ Hour Webinar: Hydrogen and Community Benefits Public Forums
- Solar Energy and the Monarch
- “Live Look-In” at a Public Forum on Clean Hydrogen
- Photovoltaics End-of-Life Action Plan Update
Workshops, Meetings, Conferences
- Environmental and Energy Study Institute Briefing: Funding Opportunities for Nonprofits, Municipalities, and Communities
- Listening Sessions on Transmission Planning and Energy Equity
- BRIDGES Bioenergy 101 Virtual Workshop for Teachers
- Mobilizing Climate-Aligned and Community-Led Capital
Publications/Videos/Webpages
- 2024 Better Buildings Initiative Progress Report
- Tribal-State Collaboration on Sustainability and Solar Development: A Case Study of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
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IRA Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA)
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IRA Community Change Grants Program
The EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights is accepting applications for $2 billion to support community-driven projects that build capacity for communities to tackle environmental and climate justice challenges, strengthen their climate resilience, and advance clean energy. EPA’s overarching goal is to advance collaborative efforts to reduce pollution, increase climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. There will be two tracks of funding under this opportunity:
Track I will fund approximately 150 large, transformational community-driven investment grants of $10 million - $20 million.
Track II will fund approximately 20 meaningful engagement grants of $1 million - $3 million.
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Other Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA)
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Standardization for Interregional Offshore Wind Transmission
The DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, in collaboration with ConnectWerx under a newly established Partnership Intermediary Agreement, has opened an initial funding opportunity of up to $1.25 million that will advance offshore wind (OSW) deployment along the Atlantic Coast by identifying opportunities and strategies to standardize transmission development. This FOA seeks to identify technical experts, including specialized independent consultants or academic entities, to lead a consortium that identifies standardized OSW transmission equipment specifications to support coordinated procurement in the United States.
The consortium will develop ideas with the goal of informing near-term and future-state offshore wind solicitation processes. While focused on the Atlantic region, it is expected that this work will benefit the U.S. OSW industry as a whole and may inform future state action across coastal regions.
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SuperTruck Charge
- DE-FOA-0003344
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Deadlines: Concept Papers: October 8, 2024 | Applications: November 20, 2024
DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on behalf of the Vehicle Technologies Office will provide funding to enable the design, development, and demonstration of innovative electric vehicle charging infrastructure near key ports, distribution hubs, and major corridors to support medium-and heavy-duty electric vehicles and enhance grid resiliency and reliability.
This program is meant to seek innovative and replicable solutions to support electrified medium-and heavy-duty vehicles, accelerate charging infrastructure deployment, reduce grid impacts through vehicle-grid integration strategies, and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in support of the Administration goals. It is anticipated that this FOA will provide $72 million in funding over 3 to 5 years.
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Hydropower Testing Network Voucher Opportunity – Second Phase
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Deadline: October 30, 2024
- Information
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Informational Webinar: October 2, 2024 | 2:00 PM CT | Register
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Informational Office Hours: October 15, 2024 | 12:00 to 1:00 PM CT |Register
The DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office, in partnership with ENERGYWERX, has opened the second phase of the Hydropower Testing Network for applications. The Hydropower Testing Network (HyTN) Program (pronounced “heighten) aims to raise the technology readiness of hydropower innovations by connecting technology developers to testing facilities and implementing targeted testing activities that lead to the deployment of sustainable hydropower projects. This solicitation seeks applications from technology developers who wish to receive testing voucher services from a test facility in the Network. The HyTN Voucher Opportunity seeks to provide U.S.-based hydropower technology developers the testing capabilities needed to increase the technical readiness and commercialization potential of innovative approaches to hydropower generation.
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Gasification of Alternative Feedstocks
DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Program if offering funding for development of innovative gasification designs/systems for converting alternative feedstocks into syngas to enable the low-cost production of clean hydrogen. This FOA has two Areas of Interest:
Area of Interest 1: R&D Towards Demonstration of Entrained Flow Gasification Technologies for Alternative Feedstocks. This Area of Interest has an estimated $7.5 million. The prototype or near-prototype system demonstrated must include and functionally integrate all unit operations that pertain to feedstock preparation, gasification, syngas cleanup, and slag handling.
Area of Interest 2: R&D Towards Demonstration of Fluidized Bed Gasification Technologies for Alternative Feedstocks. This Area of Interest has an estimated $7.5 million. The prototype or near-prototype system demonstrated must include and functionally integrate all unit operations pertaining to feedstock preparation, gasification, syngas cleanup, and ash handling.
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Oceans of Opportunity: U.S. Wave Energy Open Water Testing
- DE-FOA-0003415
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Deadlines: Concept Papers: October 25, 2024 | Applications: January 30, 2025
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Webinar: October 9, 2024 | 10:00 AM CT |Register
DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) is issuing this FOA to significantly accelerate the design, fabrication, and testing of multiple wave energy converters. WPTO plans to open a stage-gated, five-year, up to $112.5 million funding opportunity to advance U.S. wave energy technology commercial adoption. Up to 17 awards are anticipated under this funding opportunity. Individual awards may vary between $2.41 million and $25.3 million. There is three Topic Areas for the FOA:
Topic Area 1: Open Water Testing and System Validation for Distributed Applications - Up to $16.9 million for wave device development and open water testing for dispersed (e.g., remote/offshore) use cases and power-at-sea applications.
Topic Area 2: Open Water Testing and System Validation for Community Applications - Up to $45 million for wave device development in direct support of coastal community needs, which may include power and/or desalinated water applications.
Topic Area 3: Open Water Testing and System Validation for Utility Applications - Will provide up to $50.6 million for wave device development in support of utility power needs, utilizing offshore grid-connected testing facilities such as PacWave.
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Clean Energy Careers for All (CEC4A)
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced a new program to fund initiatives aimed at developing a diverse clean energy workforce by targeting a wide variety of groups within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The Clean Energy Careers for All (CEC4A) program will award nearly $3 million to non-profit educational organizations—including engineering, scientific, and technical societies—to support programs that promote awareness and interest in clean energy careers among K–12 and university students, alumni and academic professionals, veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals.
DOE will accept applications for new or expanded workforce development programs in key clean energy sectors including renewable energy, building energy efficiency, energy storage, advanced materials and manufacturing, electric vehicles, among others. Eligible programs will be focused on some or all of the following criteria:
~ Facilitating work-based learning opportunities (like internships, apprenticeships, or other job-based experiences) with industry partners;
~ Providing career coaching and mentorship (including soft skills development);
~ Enhancing education/curriculum development;
~ Providing career exposure (virtual exposure, or in-person visits) to stakeholder groups at multiple levels of the clean energy workforce pipeline.
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U.S. – Danish Floating Offshore Wind Energy Mooring and Anchoring Research and Development
DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office is issuing this FOA in coordination with Innovation Fund Denmark. Each is contributing $2.1 million for a total of $4.2 million to support U.S.-Danish consortia collaborating on shared research objectives to improve floating offshore wind energy mooring and anchoring technologies and methods towards cost-effective commercialization and industry growth. FOA goals include:
~ Advance floating offshore wind energy mooring technologies and methods towards cost-effective commercialization and industry growth;
~ Encourage bilateral collaboration to increase the impact of research in the United States and Denmark; and
~ Support research at U.S. minority-serving colleges and universities (MSIs) and facilitate new relationships between MSIs, other researchers, and industry participants.
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Tribal Governments Funding Opportunities & Items of Interest
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2024 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Tribal and Territory Grants
- EPA-OAR-OTAQ-24-02
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Deadline: December 6, 2024
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Informational Webinar: October 16, 2024 | 6:00 PM CT |Link to Join Meeting ID: 291 384 886 803 | Passcode: DSqnHY
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Informational Webinar: November 13, 2024 | 1:00 PM CT | Link to Join Meeting ID: 291 547 815 906 |Passcode:
EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality announces the availability of funds through this NOFO and solicits applications from eligible entities to incentivize and accelerate the upgrading or retirement of the nation’s legacy diesel engine fleet. Eligible activities include the retrofit or replacement of existing diesel engines, vehicles, and equipment with the EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) certified engine configurations and verified retrofit and idle reduction technologies. Applications will be accepted from federally recognized Tribal governments (or intertribal consortia) which have jurisdiction over transportation or air quality. The EPA anticipates awarding approximately $8 million to Tribes under this NOFO.
- Tribal Nation Transmission Program
Federally recognized Tribes can now apply for technical assistance to support strategic transmission planning. Established through Tribal input to the DOE, the new Tribal Nation Transmission Program provides educational resources, training, and on-call support from technical experts and researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Request travel funding: The program offers funding for Tribal member participation in key transmission events. Visit the program website to request technical assistance or funding to attend transmission events. Requests are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Provide feedback at Tribal listening sessions: The program will host a Tribal listening session on November 6 for Tribal Leaders, representatives, and Tribal energy practitioners to better understand gaps, challenges, and opportunities for integrating Tribal equity considerations into transmission planning.
Tribes can also join the Inclusive Transmission Planning project, recently launched in partnership by the DOE Grid Deployment Office and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This project is focused on integrating equity in the transmission planning process and builds on the Principles of Equitable Transmission Planning report. The project offers 11 months of technical assistance to develop customized resources, conduct trainings and webinars, provide direct consultation, and offer advanced modeling and analysis to selected recipients.
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IRS Encourages Tribal Governments to Complete Pre-Filing Now for Elective Pay
The Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act of 2022 allow Tribal governments to take advantage of certain manufacturing investment, clean energy investment, and production tax credits through elective pay.
Tribal governments should file their annual return after completing the pre-filing registration process. A timely filed return (including extensions) is required to make an elective payment election. Electronic return filing, if not required, is strongly encouraged.
The IRS offers office hours for help with the pre-filing registration process for elective payment and transfer of clean energy and CHIPS credits. Register to attend a session October 2, 16, 30, or November 13 2024.
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Notice of Intent (NOI)
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Advanced Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies to Drive National Decarbonization
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy intends to issue, on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, a NOFO entitled Advanced Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies to Drive National Decarbonization. The NOFO will target research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) topics critical to scaling hydrogen infrastructure and enabling increased adoption of clean hydrogen across sectors, particularly in heavy-duty vehicles and other heavy-duty transportation applications. It is anticipated that the NOFO will be issued on or about October 2024 and may include the following areas of interest:
Topic 1: Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Device Scale Up
Topic 2: High-Performance Materials for Hydrogen Service, Including Cryogenic and/or High-Pressure Conditions
Topic 3: Sustainable High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membranes and Lonomers for Heavy-Duty Transportation Applications
Topic 4: Domestic Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Motorcoach Bus Development and Demonstration
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Funding to Facilitate Discovery and Development of Geothermal Resources Through Field Data Collection
DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office expects to release funding in early 2025 to facilitate discovery and development of new U.S. geothermal resources through field data collection, including geophysics and exploratory drilling. DOE anticipates supporting partnerships to execute the following categories of activities:
Regional Data Acquisition and Analysis: New acquisition and publication of seismic, electromagnetic, and other geophysical, geological or geochemical data
Resource Characterization: Support for more localized project development activities
Data Dissemination: Efforts aimed at increasing availability, utilization, and discoverability of new and existing high-value datasets
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HARMONY: Human-Centric Analytics for Resilient & Modernized Power sYstems
Prior to the end of 2024, DOE’s Office of Electricity intends to issue a $5 million FOA to enhance grid reliability, resilience, and to accelerate pathways towards grid modernization goals.
This FOA would seek applications to conduct Research, Development and Demonstration activities that will advance the state of the art for power system uncertainty and risk metrics to help human operators receive actionable information to better understand, predict, prevent, and mitigate cascading failures in power grids. The FOA would also seek to establish a portfolio of projects that have demonstrations across a variety of geographic, economic, and climate conditions to create a varied and more comprehensive assessment of future deployment of advanced sensors technologies.
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Solar Module and Solar Hardware (SMASH) Incubator
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy intends to issue on behalf of the Solar Energy Technologies Office, a $20 million NOFO entitled “Fiscal Year 2025 Solar Module and Solar Hardware (SMASH) Incubator.” This NOFO seeks to address the lack of sufficient private investment that is available to successfully commercialize research, development and demonstration activities to bring innovative solar photovoltaic technology to market. The NOFO will have three topic areas:
Topic Area 1: Crystalline Silicon Modules
Topic Area 2: Cadmium Telluride Modules
Topic Area 3: Non-Module Hardware
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Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs – Recurring Program
The DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations intends to issue a NOFO for up to $1.8 billion, entitled “Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs – Recurring Program” in the fourth quarter of 2024. The goal of this NOFO, along with potential subsequent re-openings and related solicitations, is to support the commercialization of direct air capture (DAC) solutions and the development of four regional DAC hubs. There will be three Topic Areas:
Topic Area 1: Infrastructure Scaling Platforms
Topic Area 2: Mid-scale Commercial Direct Air Capture Facilities
Topic Area 3: Large-scale Commercial Direct Air Capture Facilities
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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL §40208) Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Improving Economics, Recovery and Reuse, and State of Health
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy intends to issue, on behalf of the Vehicle Technologies Office, a FOA entitled “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Improving Economics, Recovery and Reuse, and State of Health.” The FOA release is anticipated in December 2024 to early 2025 and may include up to $70 million to support the following Areas of Interest:
Area of Interest 1: Improving the Economics of Recycling Lithium Iron Phosphate-Based Li-ion Batteries
Area of Interest 2: Improving the Recovery and Re-use of Electrolyte Components from Lithium-Ion Batteries
Area of Interest 3: Upcycling and Improving the Value of Recovered Materials from Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries
Area of Interest 4: Demonstrating Improved State of Health Evaluation and Safety for Second-Use Applications of Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries
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Request for Information (RFI)
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Technology and Market Potential of Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) Systems in the United States
DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office seeks to better understand photovoltaic-thermal technologies (PVT). SETO is looking to solicit information on PVT technology, including but not limited to business, state-of-the-art, regulatory statutes, and consumer opinion. SETO aims to summarize the information gathered from this RFI and will use the stakeholder feedback obtained to inform future program development. This RFI aims to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, state and local government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to PVT technologies and market. Questions have been divided into four categories: business, technology, regulatory, and consumer.
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Prizes/Awards
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Community Power Accelerator Prize – Round 3
This $10 million DOE Community Power Accelerator Prize is designed to fast-track the efforts of emerging and expanding solar developers and codevelopers to grow multiple successful community-benefiting distributed solar projects.
This prize is part of the Community Power Accelerator program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy National Community Solar Partnership. It brings together investors, philanthropic organizations, developers, community-based organizations, and technical experts in one online ecosystem to accelerate the deployment of funds needed to drive a more equitable clean energy transition.
The Community Power Accelerator online platform will create a pipeline of credit-ready community solar projects—particularly those that provide benefits to underserved communities—and connect them with mission-aligned investors and philanthropic organizations to get funding.
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Large Animal and Solar System Operations (Lasso) Prize
This $8 million prize is offered by DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office to support pilot and demonstration projects designed to gather and share data on costs, business models, and outcomes associated with cattle agrivoltaics, the co-location of photovoltaics (PV) and cattle grazing operations.
There is a Standard Track for cattle agrivoltaics projects that are not yet created or are in early development and an Operating Track for cattle agrivoltaics projects that are fully operational at the time of the submission deadline. Cattle agrivoltaics systems must have a PV capacity of at least 250 kilowatts direct current.
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Promoting Registration of Inverters and Modules with Ecolabel (PRIME) Prize
DOE’s American-Made Promoting Registration of Inverters and Modules with Ecolabel (PRIME) Prize is a two-phase, $2.7 million competition aimed at increasing EPEAT registration of solar PV modules and inverters. EPEAT is the only ecolabel for solar PV products recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The goal of the PRIME Prize is to expand the number of EPEAT-registered products in the solar market, enabling the federal government to meet procurement requirements and sustainability goals as it purchases more solar power throughout the years. The PRIME Prize is open to U.S.-based manufacturing organizations of either solar PV modules or inverters.
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Technical Assistance
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Equitable Transmission Planning Technical Assistance
DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Technical Assistance (TA) program will assist transmission planners in incorporating energy equity as an objective in their planning. The TA will be targeted to transmission planners including Regional Transmission Operators, Independent System Operators, Power Market Administrators, and utilities. The TA will be delivered through a two-tiered approach:
Tier I: Capacity Building - participants will learn how to better integrate energy equity in transmission planning through consultation, presentations, workshops and webinars, and other relevant resources.
Tier II: Advanced Capacity Building - is designed to offer an advanced technical assistance program on energy equity in transmission planning through deep-dive analysis, modeling, and analytical support (e.g., framework development, proof of concept, etc.).
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Industrial Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Decarbonization (ISEED) Workforce Development Collaborative
DOE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office announced $3 million for a new initiative to help grow the readiness of the workforce needed to decarbonize the U.S. industrial sector. ISEED will help partners across the manufacturing sector to develop and disseminate instructional curricula and training programs focused on industrial sustainability, energy efficiency, and decarbonization.
The ISEED Collaborative aims to amplify existing and proven programs, develop new content to support emerging technologies, align training programs to industry needs, and improve the accessibility of training and education for workers in underserved communities. Up to six selected ISEED Collaborative members will receive funding, technical support, and guidance over the course of two years to develop and pilot workforce solutions that can be scaled regionally or nationally.
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Webinars
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“Live Look-In” at a Public Forum on Clean Hydrogen
- October 7, 2024 | 11:00 AM CT | Register
In recognition of Hydrogen Week (October 7–11), the DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office will host this special webinar to offer a "live look-in" at a public forum on hydrogen. These new innovative forums provide a template for helping communities engage in effective and beneficial discussions about clean hydrogen.
This session will begin with a brief introduction to hydrogen technologies and instructions for how to engage with the forum. Selected individuals who have indicated they would like to participate will then navigate through the three phases of the forum. The presentation will conclude with a debrief discussion.
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Photovoltaics End-of-Life Action Plan Update
DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office is hosting a webinar to provide an update on SETO’s Photovoltaics (PV) End-of-Life (EOL) Action Plan, which outlines a five-year strategy to establish safe, responsible, and economic solar PV EOL practices. This webinar will provide an update on efforts to improve PV’s environmental impact since the release of the PV EOL Action Plan (March 2022), featuring several SETO-funded projects and updates from other DOE offices and federal agencies.
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Workshops/Meetings/Conferences
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Environmental and Energy Study Institute Briefing: Funding Opportunities for Nonprofits, Municipalities, and Communities
This Live Cast briefing from EESI will explore Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding for nonprofit organizations, schools, and municipalities. Panelists will answer questions and describe the status of IRA and IIJA programs that increase the technical and financial capacity of public sector groups. They will also share case studies from across the country where funding is making a difference in communities.
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Listening Sessions on Transmission Planning and Energy Equity
- October 2, 2024 | 12:00 to 2:00 PM CT |Register
- October 15, 2024 | 12:00 to 2:00 PM CT |Register
DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is hosting virtual listening sessions with multiple sectors including communities, Tribal Representatives, Independent System Operators, Regional Transmission Operators, Power Marketing Administrations, utilities, and state agencies to solicit diverse perspectives and feedback about the intersection of transmission planning processes and energy equity. These listening sessions are part of the Inclusive Transmission Planning Project, an initiative by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office.
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BRIDGES Bioenergy 101 Virtual Workshop for Teachers
The Bioenergy Research and Education Bridge (BRIDGES) Program is partnering with the National Association of Biology Teachers to host the BRIDGES Bioenergy 101 Virtual Workshop. Educators will be introduced to bioenergy national laboratory research that can be integrated into classrooms. Bioenergy knowledge is not required.
This BRIDGES workshop will focus on the Regional Feedstocks: Are they the Answer to Achieving a Net Zero Future? case study, which evaluates regional biomass and waste resources for conversion to transportation biofuels. Educators will have the opportunity to discover how case studies can provide opportunities to understand culturally responsive agriculture and energy practices, while increasing awareness about environmental and community impacts.
To prepare for the workshop, download and review the BRIDGES Regional Feedstocks Instructor’s Guide located in the BRIDGES Portal.
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Mobilizing Climate-Aligned and Community-Led Capital
This three-day, in-person convening will prepare Minnesota stakeholders to maximize the local benefits of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and other relevant federal funding for clean technology projects. Training will include types of eligible clean technology projects and relevant financing considerations, enabling attendees to begin to evaluate how to ready local institutions to leverage these opportunities. It will also provide specifics on ensuring employment, skill-building, and other economic benefits flow to communities for impact beyond emissions reductions. Agenda:
Day 1: What is the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, and What Does it Mean for Minnesota?
Day 2: Going Deeper on Clean Energy Opportunities and Available Incentives
Day 3: Bringing Together Finance and Economic Development to Maximize IRA and GGRF Benefits for Minnesota
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Publications/Videos/Webpages
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2024 Better Buildings Initiative Progress Report
This report highlights the achievements of partners in DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative as they decarbonize and increase the energy efficiency of the nation’s buildings, manufacturing plants, and homes. The report shows that program partners have collectively saved nearly $22 billion through efficiency improvements and cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions by more than 220 million metric tons since 2011, an amount roughly equivalent to combined annual emissions of 29 million homes.
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Tribal-State Collaboration on Sustainability and Solar Development: A Case Study of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
The Clean Energy States Alliance has published this case study exploring the Tribal-State relationship through the experiences of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, which shares geography with Minnesota. Over the past decade, the Band has built relationships with state agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Commerce, in support of renewable energy and sustainability programs. The case study describes the Band’s work and successes, and it makes recommendations for how other Tribes and States can work together collaboratively and effectively.
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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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