Sign Up to Receive Funding Notices from EERE

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) launched a new email list to share its open funding opportunities and prizes. Researchers, entrepreneurs, academics, professionals, and other stakeholders are encouraged to sign up to receive information about open funding programs for all of EERE's clean energy technologies.

Curious about how to apply and where to find the latest information? EERE's Funding Opportunity page is a one-stop-shop that provides updated resources and information to help you get through the funding process.

Visit the EERE Funding Opportunities webpage to register for the new list and to find additional resources and the latest information.

Updated Guidebook: 'Solar Power in Your Community'

The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently released an updated version of the Solar Power in Your Community guidebook. The guidebook will assist local government officials and stakeholders in boosting solar deployment and overcoming common barriers in today's market through new case studies about innovative, field-tested approaches in cities and counties around the country. It highlights the most current technologies and strategies to maximize the benefits of solar to all communities.

Check out the guidebook on the SETO website.

Applications Open for Remote, Island, and Islanded Communities Seeking Technical Assistance for Energy Transition Planning

DOE and NREL recently announced the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) is accepting applications from remote, island, and islanded communities for technical assistance to transform their energy systems and increase energy resilience. ETIPP's collaborative, community-driven approach will help ensure remote, island, and islanded communities have the skills and tools needed to accelerate their energy resilience planning in the face of extreme weather events and changing economic conditions.

Learn more about ETIPP and the application process on the NREL website. Applications are due April 15, 2022.

Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize Phase One Submissions Due Feb. 25
 

Phase one submissions for the Inclusive Energy Innovative Prize are due Feb. 25, 2022. The prize will award up to $2.5 million in cash prizes to groups and organizations that support entrepreneurship and innovation in communities historically underserved in climate and energy technology funding. The Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize supports the Biden-Harris administration's Justice40 initiative to put environmental and economic justice at the center of America's transition to a net-zero economy by 2050.

Learn more about the prize and apply on the American-Made Challenges website!

New Funding Opportunity to Support Rural Renewable Energy Development

The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new funding opportunity to assist with the deployment of energy projects in rural areas. The Rural Energy Pilot Program (REPP) grant offers financial assistance to non-profit, state, local, and tribal entities, as well as municipalities and other public bodies. REPP grant funds can be used to support community energy planning, capacity building, and technical assistance; community efficiency and weatherization; and installation and equipping of community-scale renewable energy technologies and systems.

Read more about this opportunity and learn how to apply by visiting the REPP webpage.

DOE Releases Report on Strategies to Expand U.S. Offshore Wind

DOE recently released a report outlining regional and national strategies to accelerate and maximize U.S. offshore wind deployment and operation. The report summarizes the status of offshore wind in the United States, describes challenges to accelerating its deployment, and identifies strategies that would make the United States a global leader in the industry. The report also includes initiatives specific to offshore wind in four U.S. coastal regions—Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes.

Read the report, or for more information on DOE's work to advance offshore wind energy, visit the Offshore Wind Research and Development webpage.

WINDExchange Webinars Help Communities Learn About Offshore Wind
 

Offshore wind energy holds great potential to deliver clean, reliable, domestic power to our nation's coastal communities. WINDExchange is hosting a series of webinars to help stakeholders better understand this emerging U.S. power source. Past webinars have covered floating offshore wind, fixed-bottom offshore wind, and offshore wind technology above the surface of the water.

Learn more by visiting the WINDExchange website for updates on future webinars.

Free eProject eXpress Training

March 14, 2022, 1–2 p.m. ET

DOE and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) released eProject eXpress (ePX), a streamlined tool to help state and local governments implement energy savings performance contracts (ESPC) and reap the benefits of energy efficiency. ePX unlocks new capabilities to meet the unique data management and reporting needs of the municipal and state governments, universities and colleges, schools, and hospitals market. Using ePX can significantly reduce customers' costs and staff time associated with tracking project data and contract agreements and clearly demonstrate the success of energy efficiency programs.

DOE and LBNL is providing a free, one-hour webinar designed to guide interested users through ePX operation so they can start using ePX to strengthen their ESPC projects and programs.

Register for the March 14 ePX training webinar.

In addition to the upcoming training, a recording of the July 2021 ePX launch event is now available on the Better Buildings Solution Center website.
 

Virginians are Solving Energy Problems Through Weatherization

The energy solutions team at Community Housing Partners in Christiansburg, Virginia, helps low-income Virginians reduce their utility expenses and correct environmental injustices through weatherization services. The organization anticipates expanding their reach based on new available state funding through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a successful program to reduce pollution and help residents like those served by Community Housing Partners. For the first year of RGGI funding, Community Housing Partners anticipates being able to unlock the weatherization potential for nearly 2,000 additional households. Thanks to Virginia's participation in RGGI, the first fiscal year of the program alone devoted $15.2 million to helping families make the repairs they need to receive weatherization services.