The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program will provide financial investment, technical assistance, and other resources to advance clean energy demonstrations and energy solutions in rural and remote areas that can be replicated and scaled. There are two topic areas: Community-Scale Demonstrations and Large-Scale Demonstrations.

The $15 million Energizing Rural Communities Prize challenges individuals and organizations to develop partnership plans or innovative financing strategies to help rural or remote communities improve their energy systems and advance clean energy demonstration projects. The Energizing Rural Communities Prize has two tracks, both following a two-phase timeline:

• The Partner track—with a $10 million cash prize pool—will support plans to connect rural or remote communities to government funding, technical assistance, or a network of partners that can help implement clean energy demonstration projects.
• The Finance track—with a $5 million cash prize pool—will support plans to access capital or to develop community ownership models to help finance clean energy demonstration projects in rural or remote areas.

Through this funding opportunity announcement (FOA), the DOE is soliciting applications from Indian Tribes, which include Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Village Corporations, Intertribal Organizations, and Tribal Energy Development Organizations to:

• Install clean energy generating systems and/or energy efficiency measures for tribal buildings
• Deploy community-scale clean energy generating systems or community energy storage on tribal lands
• Install integrated energy systems for autonomous operation (independent of the traditional centralized electric power grid) to power a single or multiple essential tribal buildings during emergency situations or for tribal community resilience
• Provide electric power to tribal buildings, which otherwise would be unelectrified

At Cradle to Commerce, we curate the most compelling climate technologies from 4 national labs. We connect inventors and entrepreneurs with these curated climate technologies, and with critical resources such as state-of-the-art test beds, prototyping facilities, and seed funding for technology advancement. We provide entrepreneurship training and access to early commercialization partners, mentors, and investors.

REpowering Schools (REpS) is partnering with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to offer seed-funding up to $6,000 for universities, colleges and community colleges related to wind energy.  Project expenses could include:

• Research materials and expenses
• Travel to support research and engagement
• Supplies or parts for research platforms for courses (such as simple wind tunnels or bench dynamometers for capstone classes)
• Curricula development
• Expenses related to the publication of research

Join the world’s largest multi-sector commercialization program for emerging deep technologies. Showcase, pitch and connect your innovations for licensing and investment opportunities with leading corporate, investment and federal prospectors.

This funding opportunity will establish the Onsite Energy TAPs, which will help facilities across the nation integrate the latest onsite energy technologies by providing specialized technical assistance that can range from initial site screenings to identify onsite energy opportunities to more advanced analysis to support project installations. The TAPs will have expertise to advise on a wide variety on technologies, including battery storage, combined heat and power (CHP), district energy, fuel cells, geothermal, industrial heat pumps, renewable fuels, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, thermal storage, and wind power.  Topic Areas:

1. Regional Onsite TAPs: Funding for up to 10 entities to serve as regional Onsite Energy TAPs. Each TAP will represent a multi-state region and serve as the primary technical, market, and policy point of contact for end-users and other state and local stakeholders.
2. Onsite Energy Technical Analysis and Support Center: Funding for one national entity to serve as the Onsite Energy Technical Analysis and Support Center (TASC). The TASC will centrally coordinate technical analysis and programmatic activities of the Onsite Energy TAPs.

1. Large Wind Blade Additive Manufacturing – This topic seeks projects that build on existing polymer-based AM research that supports and advances more cost-effective large wind turbine blades. Polymer-based AM generally allows for rapid prototyping, tooling, fabrication, and testing while enabling novel designs and process configurations.
2. Additive Manufacturing of Non-Blade Wind Turbine Components – This topic seeks innovative additive manufacturing solutions for lower-cost, higher-performance non-blade wind turbine system components. The focus is on non-blade components that can be improved via additive manufacturing processing and associated design and process innovation/integration.
3. Large Wind Blades – Advanced Manufacturing, Materials, and Sustainability – This topic is comprised of four areas of interest: Automation, Digitalization, Sustainability, and Modular Blade Construction/Joining. DOE is seeking projects that address remaining challenges to wind turbine manufacturing and that further previous work within these respective areas of interest.

The Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) is a stakeholder partnership to enable a simpler, faster, and fairer interconnection process for clean energy resources while enhancing the reliability, resiliency, and security of our electric grid.  One of the key activities of i2X is to provide technical assistance that will directly support stakeholders in improving interconnection practices and processes for electricity distribution systems and the transmission system, also known as the bulk power system. The technical assistance must be specific to the interconnection of solar, wind, storage, or electric vehicle charging facilities, or a hybrid integration of these technologies. The i2X team has allocated up to $750,000 for this technical assistance opportunity and intends to select up to 12 projects.

The launch of the $50M 2030 Fund signals to the market that Massachusetts is increasing its commitment to the commercialization of climate technologies. MassCEC invests impactfully and countercyclically in Massachusetts’ brightest climate technology innovators.  Our investments support climatetech companies as they de-risk their technology, reach early commercial milestones, and attract growth funding. Equity investments average about $500k in early-stage financings. MassCEC also offers venture debt, ranging from $100k to $1.5M.

Since 2013, IncubateMass has provided funding to Massachusetts incubators with the goal of growing the clean energy innovation ecosystem and commercializing cleantech startups through incubator membership. This funding supports incubator activities such as

• build-out of facilities or infrastructure
• equipment purchases
• networking events and workshops
• growing strategic clusters
• professional development of incubator staff

Grants are up to $175,000 per year and award payments are typically tied to incubator management deliverables and startup member milestones.

The Catalyst Program provides grants of up to $75,000 to researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their clean energy technologies. Specifically, the program is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of transforming new ideas from the research stage to commercially viable technologies to increase industry and investor interest. All awardees gain access to a vast network of partners, expert local market and policy insights, and mentoring from MassCEC and MassVentures, while all finalists receive complimentary pitch coaching and business mentoring.

In parallel with Catalyst, MassCEC and MassVentures will award up to two additional grants of up to $75,000 each for projects led by eligible (certified or certifiable) women-owned or minority-owned early-stage companies, to demonstrate initial prototypes of their clean energy technologies.