POLITICO Morning Energy | September 14, 2021 — CEBN’s advocacy letter supporting clean energy in the bipartisan infrastructure package and reconciliation bill passed 500 signatures and was featured in POLITICO Morning Energy.

The American-Made Solar Prize is back! The latest iteration of this competition, Round 5, is offering solar innovators $4.6 million in total cash prizes. Learn more about this prize and view resources to help you compete to win.

CEBN President Lynn Abramson praised Senate passage of the bipartisan infrastructure deal as a first step to addressing energy infrastructure needs. Abramson urged Congress to build on today’s success and enact policies and investments in additional legislation under consideration that expand the use of energy efficiency and clean energy solutions in our homes and businesses across the country.

The CEBN delivered a letter last week to Senate leadership and the “Gang of 22” urging support for a bipartisan infrastructure package that includes the Energy Infrastructure Act. Over 420 clean energy business leaders and individuals have signed onto to an updated version of the letter, which calls on Congress to advance this legislation and other energy policies. CEBN’s parent organization, BCSE, also sent a coalition letter on this important legislation.

Dr. Lynn Abramson, CEBN’s President, testified on July 21 at 10 am ET in front of the House Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) is seeking ideas that will accelerate the development of systems that use low-cost solar-thermal energy to produce clean water from very-high-salinity water, like water produced from oil and gas extraction. CEBN recently held a webinar featuring Sarah Gomach, a program administrator from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Gary Katz, Founder and CEO of Katz Water Technologies, and one of eight semifinalists from the first round of the Solar Desalination Prize, also spoke on the webinar. The full recording can be found below.

In July 1969, an estimated 650 million people watched the historic moon landing live on TV. Federal investments in the space program not only paid off with technological advances but also served to inspire many to pursue careers in STEM. The educational spillover effects of federal support for young people in scientific innovation was on full display this month, as 13 teams of undergraduate students competed in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC).

The CEBN delivered a letter this week to Senate leadership and the “Gang of 22” urging support for a bipartisan infrastructure package that includes the Energy Infrastructure Act. Signed by 368 clean energy business leaders and individuals, the letter calls on Congress to advance this legislation and other energy policies. CEBN’s parent organization, BCSE, also sent a coalition letter on this important legislation.

Last week, the Department of Energy announced 235 American small businesses were collectively awarded $54 million through the 2021 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

The seventh installment of Powering Forward was held in partnership with Grove Climate Group. The webinar explored the growing discussion regarding how to best understand, acknowledge, and address the wide-ranging societal dimensions of the clean energy transition — with EJ issues in mind.

The Clean Energy Business Network offered comments in reaction to the Biden Administration’s review of supply chain vulnerabilities across the U.S. economy.

This spring, 42 clean energy business leaders within the CEBN participated in a flurry of advocacy meetings on clean energy research, development, and demonstration. The group pushed Congress to boost funding for clean energy RD&D programs across the Department of Energy in Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations.