A recent webinar hosted by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the Clean Energy Business Network explored strategies to strengthen diversity and inclusivity in the clean energy economy. In addition, the webinar discussed a case study with respect to the U.S. Department of Energy’s American-Made Solar Prize, a $4.6M prize competition to help innovators rapidly develop new solar technology and software solutions. This year’s prize competition particularly seeks to recruit a diverse pool of applicants, and a subset of the prize focuses on software solutions to help promote greater justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in solar access. Watch the webinar recording below.

Speakers:

• Evelyn Butler, VP of Technical Services, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
• Gilbert Campbell, CEO, Volt Energy
• Nicole Steele, Senior Advisor, Energy Justice and Workforce, Solar Energy Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy
• Alexandra (Andie) Wyatt, Policy Director and Counsel, GRID Alternatives

This is the latest installment of Powering Forward, a webinar series from BCSE & CEBN that examines developments across the clean energy economy in the U.S. This series acknowledges unique impacts facing clean energy industries during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the vital role of our sectors in our future economic recovery. Each episode is produced collaboratively with partners working to advance clean energy, demonstrating that together, we can power forward through this crisis to emerge as a stronger, more resilient America.

​​​​​​​Powering Forward is made possible with support from Natixis Investment Managers, pioneer of the first ESG-driven 401(k) target date mutual funds.

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.

This CEBN webinar provided updates on the newly announced Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program topics for FY2021. The speakers below discussed the topics and the application process.

The sixth installment of Powering Forward, hosted by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the Clean Energy Business Network, was held in partnership with Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) Forum.

The fifth installment of Powering Forward was held in partnership with Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell LLP . This webinar explored possible election outcomes, potential impacts on the clean energy economy, and prospects for federal action on energy and climate change.

The CEBN held a webinar on October 6, 2020 ahead of the American-Made Solar challenge round 4 deadline. Speakers included previous winners of the contest who shared their best advice for creating a competitive application.

The fourth episode of the Powering Forward series is produced in partnership with Third Way. Speakers explored the opportunities and challenges associated with building and enhancing the clean energy workforce, with a focus on public private partnerships, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and recent survey results on how clean energy employers are responding to COVID-19.

The third episode of the Powering Forward series was produced in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts and National Governors Association. This webinar examined the state and local response to COVID-19. Panelists explored how state governments are responding to COVID-19, identified what energy resilience solutions are needed by communities in the wake of this crisis, and discussed federal infrastructure legislation currently pending in Congress that could assist communities in building stronger, more resilient energy systems.

The third episode of the Powering Forward series was produced in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts and National Governors Association. This webinar examined the state and local response to COVID-19. Panelists explored how state governments are responding to COVID-19, identified what energy resilience solutions are needed by communities in the wake of this crisis, and discussed federal infrastructure legislation currently pending in Congress that could assist communities in building stronger, more resilient energy systems.

The fourth episode of the Powering Forward series is produced in partnership with Third Way. Speakers explored the opportunities and challenges associated with building and enhancing the clean energy workforce, with a focus on public private partnerships, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and recent survey results on how clean energy employers are responding to COVID-19.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program provides federal support to encourage small business research, development, and commercialization of promising technologies. In Sept. 2019, CEBN sent a letter to policymakers outlining recommended improvements to SBIR in anticipation of Congressional action to reauthorize the program. Learn more about CEBN’s recommendations.