News and Events Energy Department Announces $13 Million to Help Communities Go Solar The Energy Department on February 6 announced $13 million in funding to help communities across the country reduce market and policy barriers to solar energy deployment. The Solar Powering America by Recognizing Communities (SPARC) funding opportunity will establish a national recognition and technical assistance program for local governments. The submission deadline for concept papers is March 5. Once the program is established, communities that participate in SPARC will gain access to a network of nationally recognized leaders and receive expert assistance and national distinction while supporting local efforts to spur solar market growth and deploy solar energy faster and cheaper. The funding opportunity advances the work of the Energy Department's SunShot Initiative to support innovative, locally-driven solutions for cutting the "soft costs" of solar energy—often caused by delays in permitting, inspection, and interconnection—to build markets that support solar businesses, lower costs for consumers, and increase solar deployment. See the Energy Department news release, the funding announcement, and the SunShot website.   DOI 'Flips the Switch' on California Solar Farm The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on February 9 formally “flipped the switch” on the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, the nation’s largest solar energy project on public lands. Desert Sunlight is located on about 4,100 acres managed by DOI's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Riverside County, about 70 miles east of Palm Springs and six miles north of the rural community of Desert Center. Now operating at full capacity, the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm is providing 550 megawatts of electricity to the grid, enough energy to power 160,000 average homes. The facility is estimated to displace 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, which is the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road. Desert Sunlight is the sixth solar project approved on public lands by the BLM that is now operational. See the BLM news release. New Incubator Launches Network to Help Clean-Energy Entrepreneurs The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Electric Power Research Institute have launched the Clean Energy Incubator Network. The program, funded by the Energy Department, aims to improve the performance of clean energy business incubators, connect critical industry and energy sector partners, and advance clean energy technologies emerging from universities and federal laboratories. Through its newly launched website, networking opportunities, and identifying industry best practices, the network provides nationwide coordination that addresses the unique challenges facing energy start-ups. Over time, the website will include funding, laboratory, and event resources, in addition to an evaluation toolkit that will recommend resources specifically targeted to guide start-ups, based on their commercialization readiness level. See the NREL news release. |
No Roof, No Problem: Shared Solar Programs Make Solar Possible For You A year ago, an EERE Blog post explained how shared solar programs are expanding access to clean energy for all Americans. Rather than limiting solar energy options to homeowners with ample roof space, shared solar programs enable renters, neighbors, and even small businesses, local nonprofits, and other entities to benefit from the solar energy generated by panels in one array. A major draw of shared solar is its potential for flexibility. For example, programs can be designed to encourage participation by low-income urban customers, to stabilize energy bills for mom-and-pop shops on Main Street, and to create partnerships between rural communities with available land and nearby cities with high electricity demand. Strategically-located shared solar arrays can help cities boost local economic development and help utilities by providing electric grid benefits, such as responding to and meeting increased demand. Last April, the Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative introduced Solar Market Pathways, a federal funding program designed to support local approaches to develop multi-year plans, streamline deployment, and launch innovative programs that spur solar market growth in communities all across the Unites States. The 15 selected projects include regional, state, municipal, university, and utility efforts to provide business certainty and establish a clear path for increased solar deployment over the next five to ten years. For the complete story, see the EERE Blog. |
| This newsletter is funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and is also available on the EERE website. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact the editor, Ernie Tucker. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your subscriber preferences page. You will need your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, contact support@govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). |
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