Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and other federal funding announcements

The Minnesota Department of Commerce is seeking to work with and facilitate connections with local and Tribal governments, utilities, businesses, communities and other entities interested in energy-related partnerships. Funding opportunities outlined below are offered through the federal funding opportunities, including those funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). 

Virtual public hearings on Weatherization Assistance Program IIJA Formula Grant Application 

The Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources will conduct two virtual public hearings on Monday, September 19 on the draft plan of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income Persons Grant Application to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The virtual public hearings will be from 11-12 pm. and 2-3 pm. via Webex. If you are interested in attending either virtual hearing, click the link below or email Commerce at [email protected] for registration information. Formal testimony must be received by 4 pm, September 19, 2022 and can be submitted in-person or emailed to Commerce at: [email protected]. 

• Register for the WebEx at 11 AM
• Register for the WebEx at 2 PM

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 Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA). More information can be found on the Commerce IIJA web page or by clicking the links below.

--Open IIJA Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA):

• Section 41007 (b) & (c) Solar and Wind Grid Services and Reliability Demonstration 
  • Concept Paper Due Date: September 15, 2022, 4pm CDT
  • Full Application Due Date: November 17, 2022, 4pm CDT.
  • DE-FOA-0002745; CFDA Number: 81.087

  • The DOE has extended the submission deadline dates for this funding opportunity. The required concept paper is now due September 15th, and the Full Application is due November 17th.

--Open IIJA Requests for Information (RFI): 

• Section 41007 (b) (1) Bat Deterrent Technology Solutions
• Response Deadline: September 15, 2022, 4pm CDT
• DE-FOA-0002825.

An RFI, issued by the DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) on behalf of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office (EERE), is seeking public input regarding research priorities, partnership interest, the solicitation process, and structure of a potential DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to fund activities to reduce the impacts of wind energy facilities on bat populations.  Areas of interest are:

(1) Behavioral research regarding deterrent stimuli

(2) In situ testing at wind facility

(3) Hardware integration, reliability, and signal generation flexibility improvements.

--Non-IIJA Funding Opportunity Announcements

• Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization FOA 
  • Concept Paper Due Date: October 12th, 2022, 4pm CDT
  • Full Application Due Date: December 20th, 2022, 4pm CDT.
  • DE-FOA-0002804; CFDA Number: 81.086

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)  Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) has announced the “Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization FOA” to fund high-impact, applied research & development, and prototype / pilot-scale technology validation & demonstration projects, in order to expedite the adoption of the transformational industrial technology necessary to increase energy efficiency across industry and in high GHG-emitting industrial subsectors, reducing both energy usage and GHG emissions. This includes cross-sector industrial decarbonization approaches via opportunities in energy efficiency; industrial electrification; low carbon fuels, feedstocks and energy sources; and industrial carbon capture and utilization.

There are six topic areas under this opportunity, covering five different industry sectors:

1) Decarbonizing Chemicals; 2) Decarbonizing Iron and Steel; 3) Decarbonizing Food and Beverage Products; 4) Decarbonizing Cement and Concrete; 5) Decarbonizing Paper and Forest Products; 6) Cross-Sector Decarbonization Technologies.

Resources: The DOE has developed an industrial decarbonization roadmap which frames the emerging and transformative technology pathways needed to achieve net-zero GHG emissions in the industrial sector by 2050. The industrial sector is among the most difficult to decarbonize. The roadmap outlines a multidimensional plan with four pathways to reduce emissions across these critical sectors named above.

Also, the DOE's High Performance Computing for Energy Efficiency special Manufacturing day will focus part of the day on Decarbonization of the industrial sector.  See the item below under RESOURCES for more information.

Resources

Inaugural DOE Justice Week 

DOE is hosting its first-ever Justice Week September 12-16, with free, public webinars to be held on Wednesday and Friday.  For a better understanding of Justice40 and how to better incorporate Equity Action Plans and Community Engagement into IIJA funding proposals, register and attend of the sessions below:

Wednesday, September 14, 8:00am - 11:30am CDT - Equity Action Plan Townhall and Exec. Order 13985

Friday, September 16, 9:00am - 2:30pm CDT -  Community Engagement (Internal and External)

High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI)

During these sessions, DOE pairs industrial partners with specialists at DOE national laboratories to work on projects that increase energy efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.  DOE is hosting a special Manufacturing Day webinar on October 7th to discuss current DOE priorities and initiatives that industry and the national laboratories can address to tackle the climate crisis. Webinar discussion topics include: decarbonization of industrial processes; research needs in the areas of carbon utilization and concentrated solar energy; and the issues around high hydrogen fuel mixtures for gas turbines or internal combustion engines. View the event agenda and register.

Ask us! The MN Commerce Department is your partner for IIJA  energy-specific funding opportunities

Interested in partnering with the Department of Commerce around funding opportunities? Have questions? Send an email, detailing the program, your organization and contact information to IIJA Initiatives Project Manager, Kellye Rose: [email protected].

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