What is the Onsite Energy Program?
The Onsite Energy Program is a new initiative to provide technical assistance for industrial facilities and other large energy users to increase the adoption of onsite clean energy technologies.
Technologies include but are not limited to:
- battery storage
- combined heat and power (CHP)
- district energy
- fuel cells
- geothermal
- industrial heat pumps
- renewable fuels
- solar photovoltaics
- solar thermal
- thermal storage
- wind power
Why is Onsite Energy Important?
By generating and storing electricity and heat directly at their own facilities, manufacturers can save money, reduce uncertainty associated with fuel prices, and gain greater control over the availability of clean energy and how it gets integrated into their processes. Many onsite energy technologies save energy and reduce operating costs by increasing efficiency and capturing usable energy that would otherwise be wasted.
Developing clean energy resources onsite can also help decarbonize industry. The industrial sector is responsible for approximately 30% of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and energy use in this sector is projected to increase by 31% over the next two decades. Clean onsite energy technologies can provide facility owners across the industrial sector with a practical option to reduce their emissions and dependence on fossil fuels, by generating electricity and heat from flexible, reliable, and affordable energy resources.
The Onsite Energy Program will help:
- Deploy onsite renewable energy and storage technologies
- Identify cost-effective options for achieving clean energy targets
- Highlight pathways for accelerating the integration of onsite clean energy technologies
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions while prioritizing energy justice and workforce development
As part of the Onsite Energy Program, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will establish a network of regional Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs) to deliver technical assistance services to end-users and key stakeholders. The Onsite Energy TAPs will build on the success of the existing CHP TAP program, with the goal of providing similar services for a broader set of technologies.
Additional Information
- Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002945: Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships (April 21, 2023, submission deadline for full applications)
- Request for Information (RFI): Barriers and Pathways to Integrating Onsite Clean Energy Technologies in the Industrial Sector (Response period closed September 23, 2022)
Contact onsiteenergy@ee.doe.gov for more information.