DOE Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas
OPPORTUNITY:
This funding announcement will award projects that increase energy affordability and promote climate resilience. DOE seeks to provide equal opportunity to qualified applicants and enable potential replication in rural and remote communities across the nation.
DESCRIPTION:
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. This program was created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The goals of the program are to:
- 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 in rural America
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS:
Applications must identify at least one area in the United States (including U.S. territories) with a population of not more than 10,000 inhabitants that benefits from the proposal. The proposed applicant and subrecipient(s) must be domestic entities.
The following types of entities are eligible to participate as prime recipients or subrecipients:
- Institutions of higher education
- Non-profit entities
- For-profit entities
- Tribal Nations
- For-profit entities
- State and local governmental entities
- Incorporated Consortia
- Unincorporated Consortia
MATCHING FUNDS:
- 20% cost share in cases where the prime recipient is a domestic institution of higher education; domestic nonprofit entity; or U.S. state, local, or tribal government entity (including Alaska Native Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations)
- 50% cost share for all other projects
FUNDING AVAILABLE AND APPLICATION WINDOW:
FUNDING AVAILABILITY: $300 million
APPLICATION DEADLINE: The concept paper deadline is due by April 14, 2023 and full applications are due by June 28, 2023
