The Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) under the U.S. Department of Energy has announced a new funding opportunity with the theme “Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA)”. Projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation by rural or remote areas, including geothermal projects, are considered eligible under this program.
More details on the program are available in the official Funding Opportunity Announcement. Concept papers are due by 14 April 2023 while full applications should be submitted by 28 June 2023.
The ERA program seeks to improve the resilience, reliability, and affordability of energy systems in communities across the country with 10,000 or fewer people. The program will leverage DOE’s expertise and experience in resilient energy solutions to modernize electric generation facilities, address disproportionately high electricity costs, and support new economic opportunities in rural and remote communities.
The ERA program received $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and provides financial investment, technical assistance, and other resources to advance clean energy demonstrations and energy solutions that are replicable and scalable. ERA aims to fund community-driven energy projects with three specific goals:
Deliver measurable benefits to energy customers in rural or remote areas by funding replicable energy projects that lower energy costs, improve energy access and resilience, and/or reduce environmental harm;
Demonstrate new rural or remote energy system models using climate-resilient technologies, business structures that promote economic resilience, new financing mechanisms, and/or new community engagement best practices;
Build clean energy knowledge, capacity, and self-reliance throughout rural America
Interested parties may view the recordings (Day 1 and Day 2) of public workshops that the OCED has held to hear directly from state, local, and Tribal governments, utilities, private sector project developers, and others in rural and remote communities on the energy challenges and types of projects that can improve their energy systems as part of the development of the ERA program.
We had recently reported on another Funding Opportunity Announcement under the OCED for clean energy demonstration projects on current and former mine lands. Again, geothermal projects are among the eligible clean energy technologies for this funding opportunity.
