News

New Toolkit for Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE)

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) Toolkit is a four-part compilation of resources that state and local governments can use to navigate barriers and benefit from C-PACE financing. By leveraging the toolkit, state and local governments can make more informed decisions and ensure their C-PACE programs achieve public purpose objectives.

Resources in the toolkit include:

Visit the State and Local Solution Center website to explore the toolkit.

NASEO Releases Resources on Financing Energy Efficiency Upgrades in the MUSH Market

The publication cover for, "MUSH Market Building Financing Options for Energy Efficiency Improvements: A Primer for State Energy Officials."

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) recently released two new resources on financing energy-efficient building upgrades in the municipal and state governments, universities and colleges, schools, and hospitals (MUSH) market. These resources are valuable references for state energy office staff faced with questions or decisions about financing products commonly used in the MUSH market including energy savings performance contracting (ESPC), revolving loan funds, and energy-as-a-service, among other financing products.

  • MUSH Market Building Financing Options for Energy Efficiency Improvements: A Primer for State Energy Officials will advance state energy office staff knowledge about the financing products available to serve the MUSH market and inform how they can more effectively provide technical assistance and support MUSH market building owners.
     
  • Taxonomy on MUSH Market Financing Options compares ESPC and various ESPC-adjacent financing mechanisms (e.g., energy-as-a-service, public-private partnerships) to illuminate the similarities and differences between different financing models. The taxonomy finds that ESPCs are a go-to financing mechanism in the MUSH market responsible for more than $30 billion in cost-effective upgrades because they always include performance guarantees that protect the interests of MUSH market customers. Other financing alternatives such as energy-as-a-service and public-private partnerships may be suitable for the MUSH market, depending on the type of project and customer priorities.  

Clean Cities' New Electric School Bus Technical Assistance Series

Clean Cities logo

Clean Cities is launching a new technical assistance series, Flipping the Switch on Electric School Buses, with resources for school bus fleets interested in adopting electric school buses.

Part one is now available, which includes video modules and educational handouts featuring information about how local coalitions can connect school bus fleets with technical assistance. Part one also includes electric school bus basics, where school bus fleets can learn about key benefits and challenges, the basics of charging infrastructure, and vehicle availability.

The series is located on the Alternative Fuels Data Center website. Stay tuned for the release of parts two through eight, covering electric utilities, vehicle requirements, charging infrastructure, infrastructure planning and solutions, vehicle in-use performance, driver and technician training, and cost factors.

Applications Due April 15 for Remote, Island, and Islanded Communities Seeking Technical Assistance for Energy Transition Planning

The deadline is approaching to apply for the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), which provides remote, island, and islanded communities with technical assistance to transform their energy systems and increase energy resilience. ETIPP's collaborative, community-driven approach will help ensure these 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 National Renewable Energy Laboratory's website. Applications are due April 15, 2022.

USDA Rural Energy Pilot Program—Submit Letter of Intent by April 19

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development's Rural Energy Pilot Program (REPP) grant offers financial assistance for rural communities to further develop renewable energy. Funds can be used to support community energy planning, capacity building, and technical assistance; community efficiency, and weatherization; or installation and equipping of community-scale renewable energy technologies and systems.

A REPP partnership must serve a rural community, as specified in the REPP Notice of Funding Opportunity published in the Federal Register. Priority is given to distressed and high-energy-burden communities, in which households spend a greater proportion of their income on energy costs compared to the average U.S. household.

Eligible rural energy community partnerships must submit a letter of intent by April 19, 2022, to inform the agency of their intentions to develop a clean energy community. Applications are due no later than July 18, 2022.

Learn more and apply on the USDA website.

WINDExchange Publishes New 100-Meter Wind Resource Maps
 

A new WINDExchange map illustrating offshore wind speed for North Carolina and South Carolina.

DOE's WINDExchange initiative has released new wind resource maps to help accurately define, measure, and forecast the nation's land-based and offshore wind resources. New land-based maps are available for Missouri and Tennessee, and new offshore maps are available for Texas-Louisiana, North Carolina-South Carolina, and Mississippi-Alabama-Georgia-Florida.

Find all WINDExchange maps and data on the WINDExchange website.

Events

Free eProject eXpress Training

April 11, 2022, 1–2 p.m. ET

eProject eXpress

DOE and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) released eProject eXpress (ePX), a streamlined tool to help state and local governments implement 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 are 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 April 11 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.

State and Local Leaders in the News

Weatherization Apprenticeship Program Gains National Recognition

An apprenticeship program at North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC), based in Missouri, has garnered national attention for its approach to training employees working on home weatherization projects in the area. The goal for the apprenticeship program is to provide practical skills in various construction and electrical job fields, along with assuring fellow nonprofit weatherization agencies they are training qualified employees in a rapidly changing labor market. Leveraging funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the agency expects to hire 30 employees and perform weatherization work on 500 additional homes in the 12-county service area.