Official Government Website
Registration is open for the National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP):
This is a coalition of stakeholders organized by the U.S. DOE, who are working to expand access to affordable community solar. NCSP plans to accomplish their goal of more affordable community solar through a network of infrastructure, technical assistance and collaboration. DOE will work to equip partners with tools and information needed to design and implement successful community solar models.
DOE Announces Funding for E-ROBOT Prize:
The U.S. DOE has released up to $5 million in funding for their first-ever American Made Buildings Prize on Envelope Retrofit Opportunities for Building Optimization Technologies (E-ROBOT). This prize is meant to incentivize the development and advancement of robotic capabilities and controls for building envelop retrofits. This is the beginning of Phase I of the E-ROBOT prize; researchers, small businesses, students and non-profits based in the U.S. are encouraged to apply. Applications are due May 12, 2021.
DOE to Fund “Connected Community” Projects:
A Connected Community is a group of grid-interactive, efficient buildings with diverse, flexible end use equipment and other distributed energy resources that work together to maximize building, community and grid efficiency. The U.S. DOE will spend up to $65 million a portfolio of Connected Community projects in differing climates and geographies with varying building types, DER structures and resource bases. Concept papers for interested participants are due February 17, 2021.
DOE Inviting Applications for the Groundbreaking Hydro Prize:
The U.S. DOE has announced the application period is open for the Groundbreaking Hydro Prize under their Water Power Technologies Office. Applicants are asked to develop new ideas for cutting costs, timelines and risks associated with developing hydropower projects. Applications are due by January 31st, 2021.
DOE Looking for New Projects to Solve Manufacturing and Advance Material Development:
The U.S. DOE announced up to $3.75 million in funding available under the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) initiative for new projects that use high-performance computing to solve challenges that face domestic manufacturing and advanced materials development. Selected projects will be awarded up to $300,000 to supporting computing cycle and work performed by national labs, universities and non-profit partners. Concept papers are due January 7, 2021.
DOE Announces Funding for SBIR/STTR Program:
The U.S. DOE has announced funding is available for Phase I of their Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STRR) program. U.S. small businesses are encouraged to engage in solar research and technology development, with the potential to commercialize their product. DOE has released a list of topic areas they are interested in funding research in, that list can be viewed by following the link in the title. Mandatory letters of intent are due January 4, 2021.
DOE’s Smart Manufacturing Institute Announces New Project Challenge:
The US DOE’s Clean Energy, Smart Manufacturing, Innovation Institute (CESMII) is requesting proposals for projects that will address smart manufacturing challenges, specifically research and development projects that can apply smart manufacturing solutions to real-world manufacturing process and operation challenges that enable improved energy productivity, performance, quality and efficiency. Up to $4 million is available for this Round of proposals. Proposals are due by December 31, 2020.
For further funding opportunities please follow this link to DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office’s Funding Opportunity Exchange.
For additional funding opportunities from USDA please follow this link: https://nifa.usda.gov/page/search-grant. If you are looking for energy-related program opportunities, please use the filters located on the USDA’s webpage; this link is to a list of all of USDA’s funding opportunities.