The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship (CEIF) program funds recent graduates and energy professionals to support critical energy organizations to advance clean energy solutions that will help decarbonize the power system, electrify transportation and industry, and make the U.S. power system more resilient, equitable and inclusive.

The program recruits candidates from diverse backgrounds to spend up to two years at eligible host institutions, which include:

  • Electric public utility commissions in the United States and U.S. territories
  • Electric cooperatives and municipal utilities
  • Puerto Rican essential energy organizations
  • Tribal utilities
  • Inter-Tribal councils and other Tribal organizations
  • Grid operators

Innovator Fellows receive a stipend to support their participation in the CEIF program and an allowance for education and professional development opportunities.

The goal of the program is to increase access to clean energy career opportunities across the country and accelerate the national transition to resilient and affordable clean energy.

On October 12, 2023, DOE announced the critical energy institutions that will host a fellow for the next year, renewable for a second year.

This is the second round of CEIF, and is an expansion of the Solar Energy Innovator Program. Since 2017, DOE has placed fellows with 59 hosts across 36 states and territories to help them implement clean energy solutions.

 

 

2023 Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship Cohort

Host Institution Category State Project Focus
Trico Electric Cooperative, Inc. Cooperative Utility Arizona Support design of a comprehensive program to integrate EVs, smart home devices, smart grid devices, and distributed energy resources into Trico’s system and practices
San Carlos Apache Tribe Tribal Entity Arizona San Carlos Apache energy sovereignty, Tribal utility, and renewable energy projects
Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal Entity California Advancing Blue Lake Rancheria's energy resiliency efforts through Tribal and community engagement
Longmont Power & Communications Municipal Utility Colorado Data and systems integration for distributed energy resources and grid optimization
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. Cooperative Utility Colorado Optimizing supply and demand side resources to maximize the value of the cooperative energy ecosystem
Colorado Public Utilities Commission  Regulatory Commission Colorado Help the grid sparkle with distributed energy resources
Illinois Commerce Commission Regulatory Commission Illinois Enhancing resource adequacy through grid modernization
Louisiana Public Service Commission Regulatory Commission Louisiana Advancing an equitable and resilient clean energy future for Louisiana
Maryland Public Service Commission Regulatory Commission Maryland Energy storage program development and deployment of other distributed energy resources

Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities

 Regulatory Commission Massachusetts Alternatives for integrating distributed generation in a modernizing grid
Great Lakes Energy Cooperative Utility Michigan Electric vehicle adoption & infrastructure impact for Great Lakes Energy

Lansing Board of Water & Light

 Municipal Utility Michigan Creating customer-focused energy programs
Michigan Public Service Commission PSC, Project 1 Regulatory Commission Michigan Incentivizing resilience through distributed energy resource expansion
Michigan Public Service Commission PSC, Project 2 Regulatory Commission Michigan Resiliency metrics, valuation, and application to undergrounding backlot electrical lines
Migizi EDC/Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan Tribal Entity Michigan Recommendations on feasibility and optimization of innovative microgrid design
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Regulatory Commission Minnesota Advancing grid resiliency and interconnection requirements
Blackfeet Community College Tribal Entity Montana Developing grid resilience metrics
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Regulatory Commission New Jersey Analyzing and aligning regional energy market reforms with New Jersey’s local distribution and clean energy goals
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission Regulatory Commission New Mexico Developing policies and incentives to enable essential grid services on the distribution system
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Regulatory Commission Ohio Advancing equity, environmental and energy justice priorities through grid resilience program funding

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians

 Tribal Entity Oregon Maximizing the chances of Tribal success on the path towards energy sovereignty
Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, Project 1 Cooperative Utility Puerto Rico Microgrid of the Mountain
Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, Project 2 Cooperative Utility Puerto Rico Community energy resilience through photovoltaics
LUMA Energy Utility Puerto Rico Quantification of the impact of grid-forming inverters on island grid stability
Public Service Commission of South Carolina Regulatory Commission South Carolina Costs, benefits, and effective implementation of utility hosting capacity maps
Austin Energy Municipal Utility Texas Community benefit measures, equity planning, and stakeholder engagement for grid resilience
Virgin Islands Public Services Commission Regulatory Commission U.S. Virgin Islands Analyze and address existing advanced metering infrastructure systems and interoperability
District of Columbia Public Service Commission Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. Grid integration of distributed energy resources in the District of Columbia
Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Regulatory Commission Wisconsin Analysis and modeling for Wisconsin’s roadmap to zero carbon

2023 Project Topics

To assist 2023 Host Institution applicants with their project summaries, DOE offered the following topics of interest for consideration.

GROUP A: TOPICS OF INTEREST FOR PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSIONS (PUCS), ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES & MUNICIPAL UTILITIES, & GRID OPERATORS

  • Distributed energy resource adoption and integration
  • Electrification (e.g., buildings, vehicles and transportation, charging infrastructure)
  • Grid planning and modernization
  • Equity and energy justice
  • Regulation (e.g., rate design, interconnection)
  • Resilience

GROUP B: TOPICS OF INTEREST FOR PUCS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN ENABLING ESSENTIAL GRID SERVICES ON THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

  • Regulatory and economic structures that allow distributed technologies to provide essential grid services while ensuring asset owner/operators receive fair compensation for these services. 
    • Distributed energy technologies include but are not limited to inverter-based resources, microgrids, electric vehicle supply equipment, and distributed energy resources. 
    • Essential grid services include but are not limited to frequency regulation, voltage support, and operating reserves. 
  • In their project summary, host institutions should identify specific grid services or distribution-level operations for which economic or regulatory support is necessary.  
  • DOE’s Grid Deployment Office will support fellows and help facilitate the collaborative development of best practices.   

GROUP C: TOPICS OF INTEREST FOR PUERTO RICAN ESSENTIAL ENERGY ORGANIZATIONS

  • Grid resilience and energy planning

GROUP D: TOPICS OF INTEREST SPECIFIC TO GRID RESILIENCE AND/OR TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS

  • Grid resilience formula grant implementation (i.e., BIL Sec. 40101(d))
  • Grid resilience investment prioritization and valuation
  • Grid resilience metrics development
  • Community engagement and equity in the context of grid resilience planning
  • Development of tribal energy expertise and energy sector workforce
  • Tribe energy resilience planning practices and decision-making

Learn about the 2022 CEIF cohort.