The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the Fiscal Year 2024 Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator funding opportunity (FOA), which will provide up to $38 million for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that de-risk solar hardware, manufacturing processes, and software products across a wide range of solar technology areas. The research and development (R&D) and demonstration (RD&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will support the DOE decarbonization goals by advancing innovative solar hardware, software, and manufacturing processes across a broad range of technology readiness levels, from laboratory-scale to pilot-scale testing and prototype demonstration. Technologies of interest include photovoltaics (PV), systems integration, and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) technologies, as well as those that connect solar with storage or electric vehicles and dual-use PV applications like agrivoltaics and vehicle-integrated PV. SETO encourages for-profit applicants to team with diverse institutions including academic institutions, non-profits, state and local governments, and Tribal governments. The FOA also seeks projects that provide outreach, education, or technology development for software that delivers an automated permit review and approval process for rooftop solar PV with or without energy storage. Both for-profit and non-profit entities are eligible to apply under this topic. SETO expects to make between 11 and 23 awards ranging from $1 million to $5 million under this FOA. Learn more about past Incubator funding program awardees.

The United States Department of the Interior (Department), Bureau of Reclamation’s (Reclamation) Desalination and Water Purification Research Program (DWPR) works with Reclamation researchers and partners to develop innovative, cost-effective, and technologically efficient ways to desalinate and treat water. DWPR funding plays a critical role in iterating an idea from the lab to a real-world demonstration, yielding products that serve the water treatment community and attract commercialization interest. Reclamation is interested in research where the benefits are widespread but where private-sector entities are not able to make the full investment and assume all the risks. Reclamation is also interested in research that has a national significance—where the issues are of large-scale concern and the benefits accrue to a large sector of the public. The goal of the DWPR program is to address the need to reduce the costs, energy requirements, and environmental impacts of treating impaired and unusable water. The program also aligns with Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” by investing in development and application of advanced water treatment technologies that expand access to otherwise unusable water resources, thereby increasing water supply flexibility under the risks of long-term climate change and shorter-term drought.

The Solar Technologies’ Rapid Integration and Validation for Energy Systems (STRIVES) funding opportunity will provide up to $31 million for research, development, and demonstration projects to improve power systems simulation software tools and demonstrate new business models for distribution systems operations to integrate and optimize the value of inverter-based resources (IBRs) and distributed energy resources including solar generation, wind generation, energy storage, and other technologies such as buildings and electric vehicles.

Topic Area 1: Robust Experimentation and Advanced Learning for Distribution System Operators Projects in this topic area will design and perform field demonstrations of distribution system operator models that consider technology development and the roles of non-traditional stakeholders in potential distribution electricity services and markets. Topic Area 2: Improved Simulation Tools for Large-Scale IBR Transient and Dynamic Studies Projects in this topic area will develop and demonstrate software tools and methodologies to improve the ability of power systems engineers to accurately and efficiently model the dynamics of power systems with large amounts of geographically dispersed IBRs.

This program was designed to assist 1994 Land-Grant Institutions (Tribal Colleges) in building institutional research capacity through applied projects that address student educational needs and meet community, reservation or regional challenges. Awards are to be made on the basis of a competitive review process. Collaboration with 1862 or 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), a Non-Land-Grant College of Agriculture (NLGCA), or at least one forestry school funded under the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program is a requirement. Eligible institutions may propose projects in any discipline of the food, agricultural or natural resource sciences.

Subject to the legislative authority described in Part I, A and the availability of funds, the Secretary of Agriculture may award competitive grants to 1994s to conduct agricultural research that addresses high priority concerns of tribal, national, or multi-state significance. The TCRGP is aligned with the following:
USDA Strategic Plan FY 2022-2026 Goals:

1. Strategic Goal 1: Combat Climate Change to Support America’s Working Lands, Natural Resources and Communities
2. Strategic Goal 3: Foster an Equitable and Competitive Marketplace for All Agricultural Producers
3. Strategic Goal 4: Provide All Americans Safe, Nutritious Food
4. Strategic Goal 5: Expand Opportunities for Economic Development and Improve Quality of Life in Rural and Tribal Communities

USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023–2026 priorities:
Priority 1: Accelerating Innovative Technologies & Practices;
Priority 2: Driving Climate-Smart Solutions;
Priority 3: Bolstering Nutrition Security & Health;
Priority 4: Cultivating Resilient Ecosystems;
Priority 5: Translating Research into Action

The $2.1 million TCF Open Voucher Call will help facilitate the commercialization of scientific discoveries by helping to identify pathways by which technological breakthroughs can make their way to market. Although a variety of technologies will be considered, applicants are encouraged to leverage the capabilities and initiatives of the National Laboratories when developing their ideas so they can further develop their technology alongside the National Lab. Successful applicants will receive vouchers—valid for testing and validation, use of specialized equipment or software, simulation or modeling, consulting, or various other requests from a National Laboratory—which will ultimately allow them to advance their technologies. In this way, the call will foster a culture of curiosity and collaboration while bridging the gap between scientific expertise and public engagement.

The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will support front-end engineering and design (FEED) studies for regional CO2 transport networks to safely transport captured CO2 from key sources to centralized locations. The projects will focus on carbon transport costs, transport network configurations, and technical and commercial considerations that support broad efforts to develop and deploy carbon capture, conversion, and storage at commercial scale.

The EquityTech Fellowship is open to founders across the US and the globe building solutions to increase social and financial inclusion and close equity gaps in wealth, education, and accessibility. This fellowship is run with support from Capital One, Deloitte, Amazon Web Services, and Arnold & Porter. 

With over a decade in the books, our program leverages the vast expertise of the Boston ecosystem to accelerate the growth of disruptive and cutting edge innovations in the areas of health tech, sustainability/climate/AgTech, future of work, robotics, the built environment, and AI/ML by providing founders with unparalleled access to top mentors, investors and experts in our community.

• Acceleration in a 90-day Techstars mentorship-driven accelerator program with personal mentorship and office space;
• Lifetime access to the Techstars worldwide network of entrepreneurs, including more than 10,000 mentors, 10,000 investors, 4,000 alumni companies, and over 300 staff members;
• Each company receives up to $120,000 in funding, and access to the worldwide network of investors, hands-on mentorship, and over $4M of perks.

Techstars Los Angeles powered by J.P. Morgan is open to founders of any and all backgrounds, with a focus on Black, Hispanic and Latino, Indigenous American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs building startups in healthcare, wellness, B2B SaaS, Deep Tech, Energy, Robotics, FinTech, Mobility, Logistics, PropTech, CPG, and Climate Tech. Through game-changing investment community partnerships, together we will take steps towards dismantling institutional, structural, and systematic barriers that often limit opportunities.

• Acceleration in a 90-day Techstars mentorship-driven accelerator program with personal mentorship and office space;
• Lifetime access to the Techstars worldwide network of entrepreneurs, including more than 10,000 mentors, 10,000 investors, 4,000 alumni companies, and over 300 staff members;
• Each company receives up to $120,000 in funding, and access to the worldwide network of investors, hands-on mentorship, and over $4M of perks.

This program is designed to provide equitable access to funding and support for Black, Hispanic and Latino, Indigenous American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs who are building the future of Commerce Technology, Consumer Brands and Platforms, the Creator Economy and ClimateTech. Through game-changing investment community partnerships, together we will take steps towards dismantling institutional, structural, and systematic barriers that often limit opportunities.

• Acceleration in a 90-day Techstars mentorship-driven accelerator program with personal mentorship and office space;
• Lifetime access to the Techstars worldwide network of entrepreneurs, including more than 10,000 mentors, 10,000 investors, 4,000 alumni companies, and over 300 staff members;
• Each company receives up to $120,000 in funding, and access to the worldwide network of investors, hands-on mentorship, and over $4M of perks.

From 2024 through 2027, the Commercial Building Heat Pump Accelerator will work with stakeholders, from commercial building owners and operators to manufacturers, to accelerate the development and adoption of heat pump packaged RTUs to achieve integrated energy efficiency and electrification of buildings. The Accelerator is working to accelerate the production and deployment of heat pump RTUs. Organizations looking to partner with the Accelerator can join the Challenge or the Campaign.

The goal of the prize is to encourage citizens and organizations from all over the world for their great contribution to solving important humanitarian problems. One of the Focus Areas is:

• Ecology and Sustainable Development
  • Рrojects in the field of environmental protection, environmental education, environmental consumption, green economy and technology.