Business Opportunities

Partner Clean Energy Business Opportunities


 

2024 Solar+ Schools Grant

Issued By: NC GreenPower
Topic Areas: solar photovoltaic
Application Deadlines: February 29, 2024

Solar+ Schools is currently installing 20-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to be designed as roof-mounted or ground-mounted arrays. We estimate that there will be funding for up to nine school grants this year, though the total number of awards will depend on donations made to the program. Any North Carolina K-12 school in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 county, as defined by the NC Department of Commerce, may apply.

City of Raleigh Rooftop Solar Installation

Issued By: City of Raleigh
Topic Areas: rooftop solar
Application Deadlines: N/A

Installation of Solar Panel arrays on the roofs located at (but not necessarily limited to) City of Raleigh Facility Buildings. Learn more here.

DOE's Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) Expert Match Program

Issued By: National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
Topic Areas: clean energy, local governments, utilities, community orgs, colleges
Application Deadlines: N/A  

Need help advancing clean energy goals? If so, check out the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) Expert Match program. It offers 40–60 hours of expert analytical support to communities, including local governments, utilities, community organizations, colleges, and others seeking no-cost, short-term assistance to answer clean energy questions. It’s best suited for communities that need to make time-sensitive decisions and learn about options for achieving clean energy goals by applying for federal funding. Applicants get matched with researchers from DOE national laboratories. For more info reach out to: C2Cexpertmatch@nrel.gov

North Carolina Green Business Fund

Issued By: NC Green Business State Grant Program
Topic Areas: energy efficiency, renewable energy
Application Deadlines: N/A  

The North Carolina Green Business Fund State Grant Program is a Local Government, State Government, Agricultural, Institutional, Commercial, and Nonprofit program for those who have energy efficient improvements made with the following: Comprehensive Measures/Whole Building, Custom, Photovoltaic, Wind, Biomass, Hydroelectric, Geothermal Heat Pumps, CHP/Cogeneration, Hydrogen, Renewable Energy Technologies, Tidal Energy, Wave Energy, Renewable Fuels, Other Distributed Generation Technologies, Passive Solar Space Heat, Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, and Solar Thermal Process Heat. The program offers up to $500k. More details. (Credit: energy-grants.net) 

Career Opportunities—NC Department of Environmental Quality

Issued By: NC Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ)
Topic Areas: clean energy, energy efficiency, weatherization, environmental services, natural resources, technology, engineering, recycling and waste management
Application Deadline: Depends on position

NC DEQ is in the process of hiring for a wide variety of positions across the state. These jobs will play key roles in funding allocation and project management as the state pursues its clean energy transition. Postings are typically on the website for an average of 5-10 business days so checking regularly is a good idea.

Link: Job Opportunities | NC DEQ

Two Resources for Findings Federal Funding Opportunities

Issued By: American Cities Climate Challenge and Interagency Working Group on Coal & Power Plant Communities & Economic Revitalization
Topic Areas: federal funding, clean energy, local communities, economic development
Application Deadline: N/A

  • Created by the American Cities Climate Challenge, the Federal Funding Opportunities for Local Decarbonization (FFOLD) tool helps users learn about the many federal funding opportunities that exist for advancing local decarbonization efforts.

Navigating these opportunities and making strategic decisions on how to best utilize the funds available can be challenging. This tool helps local governments prioritize and leverage existing federal funding to advance system-wide energy transition goals—from block grants and technical assistance to competitive grants, loans, and revolving loan funds.

Find more information on and download the FFOLD Tool at the American Cities Climate Challenge website.

  • The Interagency Working Group on Coal & Power Plant Communities & Economic Revitalization created a centralized clearinghouse that features billions of dollars in existing federal funding sources. This government-wide list offers easy access to energy communities applying to fund infrastructure, environmental remediation, job creation, and community revitalization efforts.

View the Interagency Working Group's Clearinghouse.

Electric Coalition’s EV Funding Finder

Issued By: Electric Coalition (EC)
Topic Areas: electric vehicles, federal funding, transportation electrification
Application Deadlines: N/A

The Electric Coalition (EC) has released a new tool to enable cities, states, businesses, and other partners to identify EV funding opportunities across the country. Sources will span the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and other programs that have increased EV and EV charging infrastructure eligibility. The finder, which will be updated regularly, can be found here.

Please contact us at infrastructure@electrificationcoalition.org for further questions.

One North Carolina Small Business Program

Issued By: NC Department of Commerce
Topic Areas: small business, technology, community development, clean energy, workforce development
Application Deadline: Dependent of Solicitation Period and county status

The One North Carolina Small Business Program is comprised of two programs:

  • The SBIR/STTR Phase I Incentive Funds Program (***new this year)
  • The SBIR/STTR Phase I Matching Funds Program.

As authorized by North Carolina General Statute § 143B‑437.80 the SBIR/STTR Phase I Incentive Funds Program provides reimbursement to qualified NC businesses for a portion of the costs incurred in preparing and submitting Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) proposals to federal agencies. The goal of the Incentive Program is to increase the number, quality, company and technology diversity, and geographic breadth of NC applications for Federal SBIR and STTR Phase I awards.

As authorized by North Carolina General Statute § 143B‑437.81 the SBIR/STTR Phase I Matching Funds Program awards matching funds to NC businesses who have received a federal SBIR or STTR award. The goals of the Matching Program are to help NC companies bridge the funding gap period between the final Phase I payment and the first Phase II payment in the Federal Program and increase the intensity of the research conducted under Phase I, making NC small businesses more competitive in the competition for Phase II funds.

If you have questions regarding the programs overall or eligibility, please contact the OSTI staff.

American Cities Climate Challenge Justice40 Capacity Building Fund (J40 Fund)

Issued By: Bloomberg Philanthropies
Topic Areas: environmental justice, community development, clean energy, workforce development
Application Deadline: Awards issued on a rolling basis, early applications encouraged

The J40 Capacity Building Fund provides capacity building and technical assistance services to community-based organizations to implement projects which support the investment areas of the federal Justice40 Initiative. Some of the J40 investment areas include clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, and training and workforce development. Selected community-based organizations will receive awards of up to $30,000 to partner with their local government to carry out community-led projects which help expand access to the benefits of federal climate and clean energy investments. All proposed projects must be completed before August 1, 2022 and led by a community organization that serves environmental justice communities. To access additional application support and materials, please visit the J40 Capacity Building Fund webpage.

All of the following positions can be credited to: NASEO’s The Week Ahead

DOE Notice of Intent: Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Recycling and Second Life Applications

Issued By: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Topic Areas: electric vehicles, recycling, second use battery
Application Due Date: TBD

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy released this Notice of Intent (No. DE-FOA-0002679) to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement. DOE anticipates making $60 million available to fund research, development, and demonstration projects in two areas. First, Recycling Processing and Reintegration into the Battery Supply Chain. Second, Second Use Battery Scale Up and Demonstration.

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) Funding Opportunity Exchange

Issued By: US Department of Energy (DOE)
Topic Areas: clean energy, renewables, energy efficiency, building codes, clean energy
Application Deadlines: N/A

Stay up to date with the most recent DOE funding opportunities here.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program: Notice of Intent and Funding Allocations Released

Issued By: US Department of Energy Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP)
Topic Areas: state, local, tribal, energy efficiency, conservation
Application Deadlines: Unspecified

The US DOE Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) has released a Notice of Intent (NOI) and draft State, Local, and Tribal allocation amounts for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG), which was authorized $550 million by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Approximately $123 million will go as formula grants to State Energy Offices, who are required to sub-grant at least 60 percent of their allocations to cities and counties in the state not receiving direct formula grants under the program. According to the NOI, DOE anticipates issuing further guidance and application materials in January 2023.

DOE Notice of Intent to Fund Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships

Issued By: US Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Topic Areas: energy efficiency, renewable energy
Application Deadlines: Unspecified

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced a Notice of Intent to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) that will establish a regional network of Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs) to help industrial facilities and other large energy users increase the adoption of onsite energy technologies. Such technologies include battery storage, combined heat and power (CHP), district energy, geothermal, industrial heat pumps, renewable fuels, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, thermal storage, and wind power. The FOA is expected to include about $23 million in federal funding through cooperative agreements, with periods of performance of one to three years, for the following:

  • Topic 1 - Regional Onsite TAPs:Funding up to 10 entities to serve as regional Onsite Energy TAPs, each serving a multi-state region.
  • Topic 2 - Onsite Energy Technical Analysis and Support Center:Funding one national entity to serve as the Onsite Energy Technical Analysis and Support Center.

EERE plans to issue the FOA via EERE Exchange in January 2023. To encourage a diverse range of project teams, EERE will provide a Teaming Partner List where interested parties can provide contact information and indicate areas of expertise and interest. Please submit questions and comments electronically to onsiteenergy@ee.doe.gov.

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