Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) Program: Peer-Learning Cohorts - FY 2024 (2)
| Agency: | U.S. Department of Energy |
|---|---|
| Office: | National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) World Resources Institute |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | 04/30/2024 (Application) |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | Unknown |
| Match Required: | No |
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to provide an opportunity for participation in peer-learning cohorts. Each peer-learning cohort will convene regularly to exchange strategies and best practices; learn in a collaborative environment; and workshop policy or program proposals, action plans, or strategies to overcome challenges around a common clean energy transition topic. Laboratory experts will provide each cohort with education, case studies, analysis and modeling tools, templates, trainings, and facilitated collaboration to enable accelerated clean energy progress.
Peer-learning cohorts will bring together communities with similar clean energy goals, opportunities, or challenges to:
- Learn from subject matter experts who will provide education, best practices, analysis tools, templates, and other resources as needed
- Exchange case studies, experiences, and insights with other communities that can inform their own activities
- Gain insights that will help them access upcoming funding or programmatic opportunities
- Develop proposals, action plans, and strategies to overcome common challenges and enable accelerated clean energy progress
This program's cohort topics include:
- Implementing an agrivoltaics project: This cohort will support community-based organizations, local nonprofit organizations, and tribal governments in navigating the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing successful agrivoltaics projects. Participants will be able to identify and refine their project goals; evaluate suitable technology options; discuss zoning, licensing, land use, and ownership considerations; explore funding and financing approaches; and learn about market and policy considerations that may affect project viability, scale, and economics. Participants will develop strategies to establish or strengthen partnerships with local utilities, rural development agencies, and university agricultural extensions to unlock implementation pathways and increase impact. Participants will also examine opportunities to partner with organizations that could assist in education, outreach, training, research, or other community-supporting activities through the agrivoltaics installation.
- Designing and enhancing energy efficient programs for residential buildings: This cohort will convene public and nonprofit practitioners seeking to improve the uptake of public-facing residential energy efficiency programs. Cohort education and peer-learning will highlight best practices from successful residential energy efficiency programs and practical approaches to advance innovation, including cross-organizational collaboration, shared market outreach, and strategies to take full advantage of available federal funding. This cohort will explore existing funding opportunities and programs which support greater residential efficiency improvements and equity-driven outcomes.
- Charting a path to municipal fleet electrification: This cohort will support municipal fleets, municipal and cooperative utility fleets, and other public entity fleets in their transition to zero-emissions light- and medium-duty vehicles. Participants will learn how to identify and work with key project partners, including internal staff and utility representatives; prioritize vehicles for replacement; evaluate charging infrastructure needs; choose sites and install infrastructure; and procure and contract for necessary equipment and services. This cohort will also discuss workforce development needs and best practices for preparing and training their teams to drive, manage, and maintain the new fleet vehicles. This cohort will be especially helpful for entities with a fleet electrification mandate or goal that are in early-to-mid stages of electric vehicle and charging infrastructure procurement, and need support to reach a more coordinated next stage in their electrification journey.
An optional webinar is scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible primary applicants are entities that have decision-making power or influence in their community but need access to additional clean energy expertise to inform upcoming opportunities. Specific eligibility requirements will vary according to cohort topic, as follows:
- Implementing an agrivoltaics project: Eligible applicants are community-based organizations; local nonprofit organizations; and tribes, including Alaska Native villages, Alaska Native corporations, and state-recognized tribes. Local governments, utilities, private landowners, and universities may also be eligible to participate as partners to the aforementioned organization types.
- Designing and enhancing energy efficient programs for residential buildings: Eligible applicants are local government entities, county and regional government entities, municipal and cooperative utilities, and community-based organizations.
- Charting a path to municipal fleet electrification: Eligible applicants are local government entities; county and regional government entities; municipal and cooperative utilities; and tribes, including Alaska Native villages, Alaska Native corporations, and state-recognized tribes. Clean Cities and Communities coalition representatives may also be eligible to participate as partners to the aforementioned organization types.
Applicants may be located within U.S. territories.
Primary applicants may benefit from including secondary partners, such as electric utilities, community-based organizations, and other public agencies, on their application, especially those that may play a significant role in planning, decision-making processes, and implementation efforts.
Applicants will be required to indicate their primary community representative, which must be a member of the applicant organization, on their application. Full-time, permanent employees are preferred, but exceptions may be made in cases in which other team members show that they will support increased institutional knowledge. In either case, the primary community representative should be a team member who has both the technical background and available staff capacity to meaningfully engage with the cohort as well as the authority to make decisions and inform organizational activities. Applicants may also indicate a secondary community representative, if desired.
Applicants may apply for up to two cohorts in a single cohort cycle.
Applicants that have already been selected to participate in a cohort under this program are eligible to apply.
Applicants currently receiving support from other U.S. Department of Energy programs are eligible to apply; however, priority may be given to applicants that have not received, or that are not currently receiving, support from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Previous award recipients include:
- Broward County (FL)
- Sedona (AZ)
- North Central Texas Council of Governments (TX)
- Eastern Shawnee Tribe (OK)
- Burbank (CA)
Refer to the Award file for additional information on previous award recipients.
Eligible Applicants:
Local GovernmentConsortia
Native American Tribe
Schools/School Districts
Application Notes:
Applications must be received by April 30, 2024.
Applications must be submitted online at forms.office.com.
Applications must include:
- General applicant information
- Primary cohort representative
- Secondary representative or administrative contact (optional)
- Cohort-specific application questions
- Closing questions
An optional webinar will be held for this program as follows:
April 10, 2024
10:00 a.m. PT
Registration: nrel.zoomgov.com
Refer to the NOFA file and AppTemplate folder for additional application information.
| Match Required: | No |
|---|---|
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Match Notes:
Matching funds are not required for this program.
Funding Notes:
Rather than providing monetary awards, this program provides an opportunity for participation in peer-learning cohorts. Each peer-learning cohort will convene regularly to exchange strategies and best practices; learn in a collaborative environment; and workshop policy or program proposals, action plans, or strategies to overcome challenges around a common clean energy transition topic. Laboratory experts will provide each cohort with education, case studies, analysis and modeling tools, templates, trainings, and facilitated collaboration to enable accelerated clean energy progress.
Each cohort is estimated to consist of 8 to 15 communities; however, in some cases, cohorts may be larger or smaller.
Communities will be selected and notified in early June 2024.
Cohorts will launch in July 2024. Each cohort is expected to last approximately six months on average; however, some cohorts may be shorter or longer depending on the content and time needed to effectively meet participant needs. It is anticipated that each community representative will require approximately four hours per month for each cohort, including participation in sessions, limited one-on-one technical assistance, and individual work between sessions.
For the second round of FY 2023, 15 participants per cohort were selected to participate in three peer-learning cohorts. For the first round of FY 2023, 14 to 15 participants per cohort were selected to participate in three peer-learning cohorts. Refer to the Award file for details.
Contacts:
Program Staff
C2C@nrel.gov
Agency Address
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
901 D Street, SW, Suite 930
Washington, D.C. 20024-2157
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to the program staff.
Applications must be submitted online at forms.office.com.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
NOFA File: US17766_NOFA_FY2024_2.pdf (97.1 Kb)Other Pre-Award File: US17766_AppTemplate_FY2024_2.zip (614.8 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17766_FAQ_FY2024_2.pdf (87.1 Kb)
Award File: US17766_Award_FY2024_2.pdf (145.8 Kb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains detailed program information and application guidelines. The AppTemplate folder contains samples of the online application and should be used for reference purposes only. The FAQ file contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients.
Grant Keywords
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Training & Vocational ServicesEnergy
Environment/Natural Resources
Human Services
Transportation