Congratulations to the 24 Round 1 Selectees of the Renew America's Schools Grant!  On June 29, 2023, the Office of State and Community Energy Programs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the 24 Selectees for the first round of funding from the Renew America's Schools grant. This competitive award is part of the $500 million Renew America's Schools program, which aims to help K-12 public schools across the country make energy improvements that lower utilities costs, reduce emissions, and create healthier learning environments for students and teachers. Funded projects will increase energy efficiency while improving indoor air quality, reducing community exposures to pollution, improving occupancy comfort, and providing better lighting. Some projects will install renewable technology packages such as solar panels and batteries, and others will install infrastructure to support alternative-fueled vehicles. This funding opportunity has garnered unprecedented public interest and engagement. DOE received 236 full application submissions from Local Education Agencies across 44 states, totaling $1.62B in requests. In response to high demand and overwhelming evidence of need, DOE has doubled the funds available in the first round of the competition from $80 million to $178 million. Applications Are Open for the $25 Million Enhancement & Innovation (E&I) Competitive Grant Program  DOE announced that applications are open for the $25 million Enhancement & Innovation (E&I) competitive grant program that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition through demonstration projects. The E&I program offers competitive funding and flexibility to allow a broader range of innovative weatherization activities including renewable energy technologies, more expansive health and safety measures, and workforce development. Successful grant projects will support low-income households in a variety of ways, including expanding the number of weatherization-ready homes, increasing renewable energy technology, expanding health and safety measures, and disseminating new weatherization best practices. In addition, it encourages weatherization providers to hire, train, and retain employees with good-paying jobs. DOE intends to issue multiple awards, with a maximum individual award amount of $2 million. Eligible entities include existing Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Grantees, WAP Subgrantees, and other nonprofit organizations. An optional, informational webinar will be held on July 20, 2023, for potential applicants. Concept papers are due Aug. 31, 2023, and full applications are due Jan. 5, 2024. DOE plans to announce E&I selections in June 2024. | DOE Issues Notice of Intent for Energy Future Grants Program  The Energy Future Grants (EFG) provides $27 million in financial and technical assistance to support local, state, and tribal government-led partnership efforts that will advance clean energy program innovation. EFG will provide support for at least 50 multijurisdictional teams (ideally 3–4 or more state, local, and tribal government partners). Teams will further partner with community benefit organizations to turn innovative (novel or early action) ideas into solutions that address barriers to clean energy deployment. EFG solutions will provide measurable benefits to communities and support Justice 40, which directs 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to flow to disadvantaged communities. For more information read the EFG Notice of Intent. For questions or comments, contact EnergyFutureGrants@hq.doe.gov. | EPA Announces Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund's Solar for All Notice of Funding Opportunity  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a $7 billion grant competition to increase access to affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy for millions of low-income households. The Solar for All competition, which was created by the Inflation Reduction Act's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), will expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities primed for residential solar investment. Up to 60 grants will be awarded to states, territories, tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofits to create and expand low-income solar programs that provide financing and technical assistance, such as workforce development, to enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from residential solar. To enter this competition, all applicants are required to submit a Notice of Intent. The deadline to apply is Sept. 26, 2023. Register for the informational webinar on July 12, 2023, from 1–3 p.m. ET, which will provide information on the Solar for All grant competition and the application process. Additional details can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. | New Inflation Reduction Act Provisions Allow State, Local, and Tribal Governments, Nonprofits, U.S. Territories, Rural Energy Co-ops, and More to Access Tax Credits for Building a Clean Energy Economy  As part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released guidance on key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to expand the reach of clean energy tax credits and help build projects more quickly and affordably, which will create good-paying jobs, lower energy costs for families, and advance American innovation. Treasury's proposed guidance helps provide clarity for governments, tax-exempt organizations, and businesses to understand the law's scope and eligibility requirements. The proposed regulations clarify which entities would be eligible for each credit monetization mechanism, lays out the process and timeline to claim and receive an elective payment or to transfer a credit, and addresses numerous other issues. The proposed regulations will now have a formal 60-day public comment period. Treasury and the IRS will carefully consider public feedback before issuing final rules. In addition, IRS.gov contains more information about the proposed and temporary guidance, as well as the underlying tax credits that can be used with elective pay and transferability. | New Equity Datasets Available to Support State and Local Energy Planning  The State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Platform recently released six new datasets to help community energy planners dive deeper into their local energy context. These data layers highlight the potential for low-to-moderate income households to participate in the solar economy; showcase energy affordability, demographic data, and disadvantaged community status; and introduce SLOPE's first dataset focused on resiliency. This platform is a collaboration between DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory designed to support data-driven state and local energy and decarbonization planning. New datasets are available at the state, county, and census-tract levels and include: - Rooftop and Ground-Mount Distributed PV Annual Generation Potential by Low-to-Moderate Income, Building Type, and Occupant Tenure
- Behind-the-Meter Distributed PV Offsetable Residential Electricity Consumption
- Low-to-Moderate Income Households, Demographics, and DOE Disadvantaged Community Status
- Average Residential Electricity Costs
- 2020-2050 Degree Day Projections.
Visit the SLOPE Platform to learn more about how to use these new layers for your energy planning needs. | On-Demand Training to Support State and Local Performance Contracting  Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) enables state, local, and educational institutions to leverage and maximize the impact of available grants, incentives, and capital budgets to modernize systems and facilities, increase efficiency, reduce operating expenses, and improve resiliency. Having knowledgeable in-house staff or working with an owner's representative to guide an ESPC project, from procurement and scoping to performance period measurement and verification, can greatly improve project outcomes. The Performance Contracting National Resource Center's (PCNRC) Training Certificate Series can help strengthen staff knowledge and augment consultant qualifications. The series offers eight stand-alone accredited training modules with the opportunity to earn a certificate, through which users can gain an understanding of ESPC roles and processes, build their performance contracting expertise, and demonstrate their ESPC proficiency. Register for an informational webinar on July 19, 2023, at 3 p.m. ET to learn more about how this no-cost training series can support individual projects as well as state-wide programs, or access the trainings here. For more information, please contact PCNRC@hq.doe.gov. | State Energy Program Success Story: New Hampshire Generates Energy Savings and Better Learning Environments in Public Schools  The New Hampshire Department of Energy (NHDOE) is making transformative investments in energy efficiency and safety in schools through its School Energy Efficiency Development (SEED) Grant Program. Unlike heating or cooling, lighting is used in buildings year-round and accounts for 17% of all electricity consumed in U.S. commercial buildings. Investments in lighting efficiency thus have the potential to drastically cut buildings' energy use and costs, saving money and reducing carbon emissions. Energy efficiency projects funded through the SEED Grant Program have the dual benefit of lowering a school's energy costs to provide a direct financial benefit for school budgets and local property taxpayers, as well as providing a safer, healthier learning environment for students and staff. DOE's State Energy Program provided funding to support this program. Read more about NHDOE's SEED Grant Program and learn how states can lead the way with high-impact energy efficiency projects in public buildings. | DOE Recognizes Better Buildings Challenge Partner Parkway School District for Leadership in Energy Efficiency  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized Better Buildings Challenge partner Parkway School District in St. Louis, Missouri, for energy efficiency achievements and leadership across its portfolio. The St. Louis-area district operates 34 buildings across a total of 3.3 million square feet and serves more than 17,000 students in grades pre-K through 12. Parkway hosted DOE for a tour of South High School to showcase its successful renewable energy measures and efficiency strategies. Parkway has taken a comprehensive approach to improving efficiency at South High School, resulting in more than 20% annual energy savings and $100,000 annual cost savings. The district has installed a central geothermal plant and 75kW solar array, implemented building envelope upgrades, LED lighting retrofits and controls, and retro-commissioning of the school's HVAC system. Parkway's work at South High School builds on the partner's decades of progress in energy efficiency. In 2020, the school district achieved its Better Buildings Challenge energy goal, reaching 25% reduction in energy intensity across its portfolio. Parkway has since set an additional goal of 35% reduction in energy intensity by 2025, and its exemplary work at South High School will help the school district progress toward this target. Learn more about how Parkway is demonstrating leadership in energy efficiency to the K-12 education sector and the broader economy. | DOE and GSA Select 20 "Green" Technologies to Test in Real-World Buildings  In collaboration with the DOE Building Technologies Office (BTO), the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Green Proving Ground program has selected 20 novel building technologies to test in real-world buildings that could help commercial buildings decarbonize. These American-made technologies were chosen in response to GSA's most recent Request for Information, which sought recommendations of technologies that could improve the operating efficiency of commercial buildings while promoting healthy workplaces; enable whole-building electrification; facilitate greenhouse gas reductions; provide on-site energy generation and storage systems; or deliver electric vehicle fleet and load management solutions. Funding through the Inflation Reduction Act has enabled GSA to expand this program to support GSA's ambitious goals to achieve a 65% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and net-zero operational emissions by 2045. | DOE Announces Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize Winners  DOE announced six grand prize winners of the Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize. The prize seeks to foster a just and equitable clean energy future by investing in community-led innovation and entrepreneurship programs in areas historically underserved by federal funding. The winning teams in this first-of-its-kind competition will receive $250,000 each for their entrepreneurship, job-training, mentorship, and other solutions to expand clean energy and economic opportunities in underserved communities. DOE also announced it will launch a second round of the American-Made Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize. This next iteration of the prize will build on the success of the first competition by awarding prizes for community-led clean energy entrepreneurship and innovation efforts. Read more about the six teams recognized for their solutions to expand clean energy opportunities in underserved communities. Visit the American-Made program website to learn more about similar competitions, and subscribe to the American-Made Newsletter for updates on future rounds of the Inclusive Energy Innovation prize. | First Historically Black University Joins Board at National Renewable Energy Laboratory  Howard University, one of the nation's leading historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU), became the first HBCU to join the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) governing alliance board of directors, which consists of leaders from universities with top-tier science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. This partnership will help ensure that more students from historically disadvantaged communities can enjoy fulfilling careers that shape the future of renewable energy. Howard University, in Washington, D.C., produces more African American Ph.D. students than any other higher-education institution. Joining NREL's governing alliance board enables Howard to offer more education and training opportunities to its students and provide expertise, guidance, support, and perspective to NREL. DOE has several longstanding partnerships with HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions and was recently recognized in the top five of government agencies supporting HBCUs in 2023. These successful working relationships will help DOE achieve the energy-equity goals stated in President Biden's Justice40 initiative while preparing the next generation of STEM professionals to support the clean energy transition. | Interested in Collaborating with DOE National Laboratories to Develop Innovative Wood Heater Technologies? |
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