News

$4.5 Million in Awards Available for Energy Efficiency Capacity Building in Public Schools 

School illustration with workers and children out front

Calling all local education agencies to apply for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy CLASS Prize. Through this prize, energy managers will receive training on ways to identify, plan, and implement energy upgrades in school facilities so students can learn in comfortable, healthy classrooms.

Watch a recording of the Energy CLASS Prize Office Hours for answers to common questions including what is required of a full application, eligibility rules, and upcoming deadlines. 

Full applications are due February 28, 2023, by 5 p.m. ET.

Check out the prize FAQs or watch the Energy CLASS Prize Informational Webinar to learn more.

Follow the Energy CLASS Prize on HeroX to stay up to date on all prize-related news.

Registration Open for the 2023 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit

April 11-13 2023 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit

The annual summit event for Better Buildings, Better Plants partners and other key stakeholders provides opportunities for professionals to explore emerging technologies and share innovative strategies in energy efficiency, decarbonization, water, and waste reduction. 

Attendees take part in interactive sessions with industry experts and market leaders and will have multiple opportunities to network with peers. Over the last 7 years, nearly 10,000 professionals from public, private, and industrial sector organizations have attended the summit.

Why Attend?

  • Discover what's next in emerging technologies, resilience planning, and workforce development.
  • Share and discuss successful approaches utilized by Better Buildings, Better Plants partners facing the same challenges as your organization.
  • Grow your network and make connections with industry peers, technical experts, and other Better Buildings partners and allies.
  • Explore future opportunities to achieve greater energy, water, and waste efficiency in your organization.

Register for the 2023 summit that takes place April 11-13, 2023, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.  

Trash To Treasure: Revitalizing Wastewater Treatment Yields Economic Opportunities in Rural Iowa Towns

Workers checking a water sample

Revitalizing rural America means giving it the same access to resources and opportunities as urban areas. As part of a strategy to drive rural-urban equity, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), in partnership with the University of Iowa (UI), is working to develop innovative energy and wastewater solutions for rural Iowa communities where municipal wastewater treatment costs often stifle local economic vitality.

Through the Iowa Wastewater and Waste to Energy Research Program, IEDA and UI spearheaded the construction of a state-of-the-art tech park and have supported nearly 50 communities in improving the energy efficiency of their wastewater treatment facilities and testing new technologies to capture nutrients and generate renewable natural gas. 

The DOE State Energy Program provided funding to support this program, which helps advance shared goals of promoting economic growth, improving environmental quality, reducing energy costs and waste, and bolstering the resilience of energy infrastructure.

Learn more about this project

PCNRC Releases Two New Modules in Training Certificate Series

Two men pointing to papers on a desk

The Performance Contracting National Resource Center (PCNRC) continues to grow with the release of the latest chapters in the Training Certificate Series. The interactive Training Certificate Series provides foundational training on energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) and supports the professional development of emerging and experienced professions alike, at no cost to trainees.

 The release brings access to 4 of 8 modules in the Training Certificate Series, introducing users to vital components of the ESPC process.

  • Training 3: Developing Scope for Project and Request for Proposal explores the components of project development and service provider selection as well as risk management for ESPCs. 
  • Training 4: Measurement & Verification for ESPC introduces customers and owner's representatives to the best project evaluation practices to ensure energy and cost savings are being met. 

Get started with the first 4 modules of the Training Certificate Series. The remaining four modules will be released on a rolling basis through early 2023.

Learn more about the PCNRC Training Certificate Series

Apply for the New Low-Income Community Solar and Energy Assistance Fellowship

Row of homes

DOE launched the new Low-Income Community Solar and Energy Assistance Fellowship, which offers energy professionals the opportunity to work with state and regional organizations to make community solar subscriptions more accessible to low-income households. 

The fellowship will enable candidates to spend up to two years working at host organizations beginning in May 2023. Fellows will receive a stipend, health benefits, and an educational allowance.

The fellowship is open to professionals in fields relevant to community engagement, communications and education, energy affordability, and clean energy. Fellowship candidates must demonstrate interest and experience in renewable energy, community engagement, data analysis and coding, and state policies and programs. The opportunity is open to candidates with bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees, as well as established professionals with relevant post-degree experience.

Applications for the 2023 cohort are due March 6 at 5 p.m. ET. You can submit questions to community.solar@ee.doe.gov.

New State Manufacturing Leadership Program

Collage of three images of solar panel manufactoring

The State Manufacturing Leadership Program supports new or expanded state programs that exhibit leadership in accelerating the deployment and use of smart manufacturing or high performance computing technologies by small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). 

Programs may foster this engagement through assisting SMMs with workforce development and worker training, technical and financial assistance, and resources needed to implement smart manufacturing technologies. The state programs will be expected to identify specific disadvantaged communities and entities for participation in their programs and established means for long-term sustainability of program resources.

This Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains program includes financial assistance in the form of cooperative agreements to states, including, but not limited to, state energy or economic development offices.

Connect the Dots on Solar Energy: Learn About Benefits of Solar Power

Workers installing a solar panel on a roof

Every day, Americans are making the choice to power their lives with solar energy either through installing it on their rooftops or by joining a community solar program. Over the next few years, millions more will take advantage of solar tax credits for consumers and tax credits for businesses.

The DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office is connecting the dots for you—demonstrating how solar energy investments accrue over years to benefit individuals, communities, and the nation.

Follow along with Connect the Dots on social media, and join the conversation using the hashtag #ConnectSolar.

2023 National Energy Codes Conference

City skyline

he DOE Building Energy Codes Program is excited to announce the 2023 National Energy Codes Conference! After three years in a virtual setting, we are thrilled that this year’s event will be held in-person in Chicago, Illinois. With new energy code funding opportunities emerging from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, there will be no shortage of timely discussions, engaging topics, and networking opportunities. We hope you’ll join us!

  • What: 2023 National Energy Codes Conference
  • When: May 2- 4, 2023
  • Where: The Palmer House, Chicago, IL
  • Who: Builders, designers, code officials, policymakers, and code stakeholders of all types!

More information on registration, lodging, and topics and speakers will be released in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

DOE Announced First Round of Community Clean Energy Coalition Prize Winners

Ring of hands

DOE announced Phase One winners of the inaugural American-Made Community Clean Energy Coalition Prize (CCEC). The CCEC Prize, in alignment with the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s family of prizes focused on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, is a multiphase competition aimed at developing partnerships between organizations within communities to address energy and sustainability challenges. 

The prize’s goal is to incentivize the creation of community coalitions—made up of nonprofits, city governments, school systems, and other community organizations—to develop a strategy to address a local clean energy opportunity or inequity. Strategies can vary widely, but may include student education, workforce trainings, or implementation of new technologies that align with the goals of the White House’s Justice40 Initiative

These coalitions are eligible to compete for an additional $115,000 each in Phase Two by submitting a coalition implementation plan. The prize will conclude after Phase Three with a summit event, at which all competitors who complete Phase Two will have the opportunity to present their progress, then network with other communities and philanthropic partners. A $50,000 cash grand prize will be awarded to one final winning coalition at the summit.

Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships

The DOE Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office announced a $23 million funding opportunity that will establish a regional network of Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs) to help industrial facilities and other large energy users increase the adoption of onsite energy technologies. 

Integrating clean energy technologies directly in buildings and plants will play a significant role in achieving the nation’s climate goals and reaching a net-zero economy by 2050. The Onsite Energy Program TAPs will accelerate the integration and deployment of clean energy technologies to drive U.S. industrial decarbonization, productivity, and competitiveness. 

The awards are subject to the availability of funds and will be issued as cooperative agreements with an estimated period of performance of three years for Topic 1 and four years for Topic 2. Optional letters of intent are due February 28, 2023, and full applications are due April 21, 2023.  

To encourage the formation of a diverse range of project teams, a Teaming Partner List is available so interested parties can provide contact information and indicate areas of expertise and interest. 

Opportunity for U.S. Municipalities To Receive Waste-to-Energy Technical Assistance

Close up of food waste

The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are launching the next phase of the organic Waste-to-Energy Technical Assistance for Local Governments program, which helps communities evaluate the most sensible end-uses for their waste.

BETO will fund up to 40 hours of subject matter assistance to municipalities topics, including:

  • Waste resource information
  • Infrastructure considerations
  • Techno-economic comparison energy and resource recovery options
  • Evaluation and sharing of case studies (to the extent possible) from similar communities/projects
  • Equity assessments.

For more information, including, timing, eligibility and how to apply, visit the Technical Assistance web page.