$17 Million to 23 State & Native Governments for Clear Vitality – CleanTechnica – TechnoNews

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Grants From the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation Will Fund Clear Vitality Infrastructure Initiatives in Communities Starting from Vitality Audits and Research to EV chargers and Photo voltaic-Plus-Storage

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Division of Vitality (DOE) at present introduced its newest spherical of award recipients by the Vitality Effectivity and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. The EECBG Program will distribute $16.9 million to 22 native governments and the state of New York to enhance vitality effectivity, scale back greenhouse fuel emissions, and decrease general vitality use. Funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation and managed by the Division’s Workplace of State and Neighborhood Vitality Packages (SCEP), the EECBG Program is designed to fund a variety of vitality effectivity and decarbonization tasks. Communities throughout the nation are investing in tasks and applications that save vitality, scale back local weather air pollution, and advance native vitality objectives.

“The Biden–Harris Administration is committed to increasing access to clean energy and boosting energy resilience through community-led initiatives,” mentioned U.S. Secretary of Vitality Jennifer M. Granholm. “The investments from the EECBG Program are increasing renewable energy capacity, prioritizing environmental justice initiatives, and accelerating the deployment of energy efficiency projects at the local level.”

Right now marks the ninth tranche of components awards granted to EECBG Program eligible entities. Because the first awards had been introduced in October 2023, this system has awarded almost $180 million to 233 communities. Via this system, 1,878 native governments, 774 Tribes, 5 territories, the District of Columbia, and all 50 states are eligible to obtain components funds. This system is very versatile, enabling entities to select from 14 eligible classes of fresh vitality tasks and applications to deal with clear vitality objectives.

Grantees will use EECBG Program funds to help low-income households by vitality assessments and effectivity upgrades, to conduct electrification research for municipal amenities, to buy electrical car (EV) charging stations, to put in photo voltaic arrays and battery storage techniques, to leverage Vitality Financial savings Efficiency Contracts, and extra.

Study extra about what grantees on this tranche are doing with their funds under and on our web site.

• Bayamón, PR will set up a roof-mounted photo voltaic array on its police headquarters. This effort, which Bayamón calls the “Sustainable Security” challenge, can even embody buying a battery storage system to advertise group resilience whereas producing clear vitality. This challenge will present Bayamón with energy during times of peak electrical energy demand in addition to energy outages, observe vitality manufacturing and use, and can be utilized for renewable vitality training efforts in the neighborhood. (Award Quantity: $213,340)
• Columbus, OH will present free complete vitality audits to nonprofits that present well being and human providers to deprived communities. Columbus will accomplice with the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County to establish the non-profits and auditing contractors. Upon completion of the audits, the non-profits will obtain technical help to interpret the findings and type implementation methods to chop energy-related prices. Participation can even assist nonprofits adjust to the town’s ordinance, which requires benchmarking of enormous amenities. (Award quantity: 778,900)
• Miami, FL will advance the Miami Ceaselessly Carbon Impartial Plan by buying seven EVs and putting in six Stage 2 EV chargers for its municipal fleet. The challenge can even embody a workforce growth program designed for car mechanics. This system will put together technicians to service high-voltage EVs and set up and keep residential and industrial EV charging stations. College students will obtain an Electrical Car Technician Certificates upon program completion. (Award Quantity: $477,720)
• Navajo County, AZ will weatherize a county-owned historic constructing by upgrading 12 window models to energy-efficient fashions. A comparative constructing vitality evaluation earlier than and after the set up will present real-time vitality and cost-saving information, additional informing the county’s vitality effectivity investments. This challenge will observe key actions from EECBG Program Blueprint 2A: Vitality Effectivity: Vitality Audits and Constructing Upgrades. (Award Quantity: $78,750)
• New York, NY will pursue a number of interconnected actions to advance its internet zero emissions objectives. Actions embody hiring a coverage advisor to establish and promote financing mechanisms for decarbonization and resiliency tasks. Second, it should establish and scale back carbon emissions in new building and consider the emissions of supplies concerned on this building and related infrastructure (e.g., supplies manufacturing, transportation, and manufacturing) and suggest methods to scale back these emissions by 50%. Town can even develop a performance-based constructing code for brand new building in addition to rent a third-party contractor to guage and confirm the town’s GHG accounting strategies and information. New York Metropolis will develop software program for residential constructing homeowners to fast-track vitality audits, establish incentives, and develop decarbonization plans conscious of market circumstances.  (Award quantity: $6,875,730)
• Pueblo, CO bought two solar-powered EV charging stations for public and municipal use. The chargers are transportable, off-grid, outfitted with an emergency energy panel, and obtainable to be used by first responders. Every charger is able to charging two electrical autos at any time of day by way of the system’s battery storage elements. This challenge makes Pueblo extra resilient and ready for emergencies; within the occasion of an influence outage, the EV chargers may present backup energy for emergency operations. (Award Quantity: $161,870)
• Whittier, CA will develop a Municipal Operations Vitality Plan and conduct energy-efficiency upgrades in municipal buildings. The Vitality Plan will set up a complete vitality stock and formally set city-wide objectives for carbon-free vitality use and emissions reductions. They can even set up a floor supply warmth pump in a city-owned constructing and three ventilated transformers in Whittier Metropolis Corridor. Town’s tasks align with the Justice40 Initiative, as 82% of the entire award funding will go to tasks in deprived communities. (Award Quantity: $140,540)

Further awards embody:

• Metropolis of Beavercreek, OH ($76,640)
• Metropolis of Chelmsford, MA ($76,320)
• Metropolis of Diamond Bar, CA ($114,980)
• Metropolis of Hempstead, NY ($649,790)
• Metropolis of Pittsburgh, PA ($337,960)
• Metropolis of Portland, OR ($602,650)
• Metropolis of Richmond, VA ($262,500)
• Metropolis of Thousand Oaks, CA ($174,360)
• Bexar County, TX ($464,940)
• Camden County, NJ ($244,430)
• El Paso County, CO ($259,440)
• Palm Seashore County, FL ($652,450)
• Prince William County, VA ($421,130)
• Travis County, TX ($293,610)
• State of New York ($3,351,520)

View the entire checklist of tasks to this point on our web site.

This program advances the Justice40 Initiative, which set the purpose that 40 % of the general advantages of sure Federal local weather, clear vitality, and different lined investments circulation to deprived communities which are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by air pollution.

DOE gives in depth technical help to help EECBG Program grantees, together with Blueprints and Blueprint Cohorts. Blueprints supply concepts and mannequin tasks with step-by-step guides to eligible and high-impact clear vitality and vitality effectivity tasks and applications. Blueprint Cohorts convey collectively EECBG Program-eligible communities to study from each other and business consultants on matter areas akin to financing, direct pay tax credit, group engagement, and extra.

The EECBG Program utility deadline for eligible native governments is October 31, 2024, and Could 31, 2025, for Tribes. Native governments and Tribes can apply for both conventional grants or vouchers for tools rebates and/or technical help. For extra data, go to the EECBG Program web site.

Media Inquiries: (202) 586-4940 or DOENews@hq.doe.gov

Learn extra on the vitality.gov/Newsroom