Author: US DOE EERE Staff Published: 11/9/2023 EERE
EERE Funding Opportunities
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office, under a Partnership Intermediary Agreement with ENERGYWERX, created the Equitable Solar Communities of Practice program to support the equitable distribution of the benefits of solar.
This program will establish five communities of practice around the following benefits: (1) equitable access and consumer protections; (2) meaningful household savings; (3) resilience; (4) community-led economic development; and (5) workforce development. These five communities of practice, defined as a group of organizations with expertise in these topics, including one ‘lead organization’ and up to six core team members, will convene regularly over a period of six months to identify existing best practices, resource gaps, additional resource needs, and other solutions needed to scale equitable access to each of these benefits.
On November 9, 2023, ENERGYWERX opened submissions for applications from industry experts to serve as lead organizations for one or more of the five proposed communities of practice. Lead organizations will be eligible for $75,000 in funding per community of practice, distributed based on the completion of project milestones.
ENERGYWERX is searching for applicants who have the following expertise:
- Expert knowledge of and experience in the equitable solar industry at a national or regional level—how policies and programs currently function, how well benefits are currently distributed, and what barriers exist to scale the distribution of these benefits.
- Expert knowledge of and national or regional experience in providing more access to the specific meaningful benefit(s) of the community of practice they are applying to lead.
- Knowledge of and working relationships with local or regional organizations, academic institutions, or community groups.
This opportunity closes on December 8, 2023, at 5 p.m. ET. For more information on this program and to apply, visit the ENERGYWERX Equitable Solar Communities of Practice webpage.
This funding program is managed by ENERGYWERX in partnership with the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and is made possible through the innovative Partnership Intermediary Agreement set up by the DOE Office of Technology Transitions.