Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Announcements

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Manufacturing & Energy Supply Chains Office (MESC). This RFI seeks public input to help inform DOE’s implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act Automotive Conversion Program. The program will support automotive manufacturing domestic facility conversion for electrified vehicles as a continuation of Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0003106. This program will focus on small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) via state-federal partnerships. This RFI contains 24 questions in the Purpose section. Respondents are not required to answer all questions.

The State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Grants, also known as the Training for Residential Energy Contractors (TREC) Program, seeks to accomplish three goals: (1) reduce the cost of training contractor employees by providing workforce development tools for contractors, their employees, and individuals including, but not limited to, subsidizing available training, testing certifications, and licenses for high-quality jobs; (2) provide testing and certifications of contractors trained and educated to install home energy efficiency and electrification technologies and deliver residential energy efficiency and electrification improvements; and (3) fund states to partner with nonprofit organizations to develop and implement a State sponsored workforce program that attracts and trains a diverse set of local workers to deliver the influx of new federally-funded energy efficiency and electrification programs—including the IRA-funded Home Efficiency Rebates Program, Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program (Home Energy Rebates Programs); and Energy Efficiency Home Improvement Credit.

This program was established by Section 50123 of the Inflation Reduction Act. For this competitive program, DOE is making up to $40 million in TREC funds available to states, territories, and the District of Columbia to complement the previously announced TREC formula funding.

Topic Area Description

Topic Area 1: Training Small Contractor Firms

State Energy Offices may use topic area one funding to train and certify small contractor firms and their employees to deliver energy efficiency and electrification improvements. DOE will fund States to support existing small contractor firms through training and certifications so that the contractor firm employees can deliver energy efficiency and electrification improvements eligible for rebates under the Home Efficiency Rebates Program or the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program.

Topic Area 2: Innovative, Effective, and Equitable Workforce Development Programs

State Energy Offices may use topic area two funding to implement innovative, effective, and equitable workforce development program models that deliver contractor training program curriculum. States can collaborate with nonprofit organizations to design/enhance and implement workforce development, training, certification, and employment programs that train, test, and certify underrepresented populations, new entrants to the workforce, youth ages 17-25, incumbent workers, displaced workers, and contractors to conduct home energy efficiency and electrification improvements under the Home Energy Rebates Programs.

This Infrastructure Exchange instance is for applications for ROUND 2 of the subject Funding Opportunity Announcement. Round 1 of this opportunity is still open for Full Application submissions in Infrastructure Exchange under record/FOA number DE-FOA-0003056; however, the Round 1 Concept Paper due date was 2/9/2024. The Round 1 Full Application deadline remains 4/30/2024 at 5:00 PM ET.

DE-FOA-0003056 Round 1 record is here: https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIda25503b3-faa7-4a9e-8216-579246093ec7

This opportunity is now open for Round 2 Concept Paper submissions until the deadline of 5/31/2024 at 5:00 PM ET. Due to system limitations, submissions for Round 2 Concept Papers and Full Applications will be accepted in Infrastructure Exchange under record/FOA number DE-RD2-0003056.

The Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Awards made under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by Section 50131 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, Assistance for Latest and Zero Building Energy Code Adoption.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) provides up to $1 billion for States and units of local government with the authority to adopt building energy codes to adopt and implement the latest building energy codes, zero energy building codes, or equivalent codes or standards. An energy code is one of several types of building codes that help contribute to the overall health, safety, efficiency, and long-term resilience of buildings. Energy codes can be adopted directly as a standalone code, such as the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which is commonly adopted by States and local governments. Moreover, energy codes are also fundamental components of certain more broadly adopted building codes, including the International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC), which are referenced in the United States as “parental” codes. Energy codes are often described as a subset of these broader building codes, representing distinct chapters of the IBC and IRC alongside other commonly recognized provisions, such as those pertaining to structural, plumbing, or electrical requirements, and other basic aspects of building design and construction. Adoption and implementation of such codes supports the decarbonization of new and existing residential and commercial buildings.

This opportunity assists eligible entities in further decarbonizing their buildings through the adoption of the latest national model building energy codes, zero energy codes, other codes that deliver equivalent or greater energy savings, including innovative approaches to decarbonize existing buildings through certain measurable and enforceable requirements. The IRA is unprecedented in its opportunity to support sustainable change at the State and local level with respect to advancing the energy efficiency of new, renovated, and existing buildings. DOE is particularly interested in supporting States and local governments in implementing local capacity building, multi-year investments in workforce and education, and long-term improvements in building energy codes through multi-cycle adoption and building performance standards (BPS).

Building energy codes establish minimum levels of energy efficiency for new and existing residential and commercial buildings. Model energy codes, such as the 2021 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019, are developed and updated through national consensus processes. States and local governments ultimately implement building energy codes, which are handled through various adoption, compliance, and enforcement processes and can vary widely across the United States. Many States have consistently received funding through their State Energy Plan to support the adoption of traditional building energy codes. In addition to this competitive funding opportunity announcement a formal funding announcement was published on September 19, 2023 for States pursuing pre-approved code packages.

Please see the full FOA document in the Documents section below.

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to IRACodes@hq.doe.gov.

Round 1 of this opportunity is still open for Full Application submissions in Infrastructure Exchange under record/FOA number DE-FOA-0003056; however, the Round 1 Concept Paper due date was 2/9/2024. The Round 1 Full Application deadline remains 4/30/2024 at 5:00 PM ET.

DE-FOA-0003056 Round 1 record is here: https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIda25503b3-faa7-4a9e-8216-579246093ec7

This opportunity is now open for Round 2 Concept Paper submissions until the deadline of 5/31/2024 at 5:00 PM ET. Due to system limitations, submissions for Round 2 Concept Papers and Full Applications will be accepted in Infrastructure Exchange under record/FOA number DE-RD2-0003056.

This Infrastructure Exchange instance is for applications for ROUND 1 of the subject Funding Opportunity Announcement. Round 1 of this opportunity is still open for Full Application submissions in Infrastructure Exchange under this record/FOA number DE-FOA-0003056; however, the Round 1 Concept Paper due date was 2/9/2024. The Round 1 Full Application deadline remains 4/30/2024 at 5:00 PM ET.

This opportunity is now open for Round 2 Concept Paper submissions until the deadline of 5/31/2024 at 5:00 PM ET. Due to system limitations, submissions for Round 2 Concept Papers and Full Applications will be accepted in Infrastructure Exchange under record/FOA number DE-RD2-0003056. DE-RD2-0003056 Round 2 record is here:  https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIde172a922-d692-4fba-841e-c2040fd07298

The Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Awards made under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by Section 50131 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, Assistance for Latest and Zero Building Energy Code Adoption.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) provides up to $1 billion for States and units of local government with the authority to adopt building energy codes to adopt and implement the latest building energy codes, zero energy building codes, or equivalent codes or standards. An energy code is one of several types of building codes that help contribute to the overall health, safety, efficiency, and long-term resilience of buildings. Energy codes can be adopted directly as a standalone code, such as the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which is commonly adopted by States and local governments. Moreover, energy codes are also fundamental components of certain more broadly adopted building codes, including the International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC), which are referenced in the United States as “parental” codes. Energy codes are often described as a subset of these broader building codes, representing distinct chapters of the IBC and IRC alongside other commonly recognized provisions, such as those pertaining to structural, plumbing, or electrical requirements, and other basic aspects of building design and construction. Adoption and implementation of such codes supports the decarbonization of new and existing residential and commercial buildings.

This opportunity assists eligible entities in further decarbonizing their buildings through the adoption of the latest national model building energy codes, zero energy codes, other codes that deliver equivalent or greater energy savings, including innovative approaches to decarbonize existing buildings through certain measurable and enforceable requirements. The IRA is unprecedented in its opportunity to support sustainable change at the State and local level with respect to advancing the energy efficiency of new, renovated, and existing buildings. DOE is particularly interested in supporting States and local governments in implementing local capacity building, multi-year investments in workforce and education, and long-term improvements in building energy codes through multi-cycle adoption and building performance standards (BPS).

Building energy codes establish minimum levels of energy efficiency for new and existing residential and commercial buildings. Model energy codes, such as the 2021 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019, are developed and updated through national consensus processes. States and local governments ultimately implement building energy codes, which are handled through various adoption, compliance, and enforcement processes and can vary widely across the United States. Many States have consistently received funding through their State Energy Plan to support the adoption of traditional building energy codes. In addition to this competitive funding opportunity announcement a formal funding announcement was published on September 19, 2023 for States pursuing pre-approved code packages.

Please see the full FOA document in the Documents section below.

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to IRACodes@hq.doe.gov.

Round 1 of this opportunity is still open for Full Application submissions in Infrastructure Exchange under this record/FOA number DE-FOA-0003056; however, the Round 1 Concept Paper due date was 2/9/2024. The Round 1 Full Application deadline remains 4/30/2024 at 5:00 PM ET.

This opportunity is now open for Round 2 Concept Paper submissions until the deadline of 5/31/2024 at 5:00 PM ET. Due to system limitations, submissions for Round 2 Concept Papers and Full Applications will be accepted in Infrastructure Exchange under record/FOA number DE-RD2-0003056. DE-RD2-0003056 Round 2 record is here:  https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIde172a922-d692-4fba-841e-c2040fd07298 

Amendment 000006 incorporates details about an Application Webinar and clarifies the required format for the Environmental Information Volume. 

This announcement supports the administration goals laid out above by accelerating the growth of domestic production capability of electric vehicles and components to meet the anticipated increased demand for clean energy technologies as the economy transitions to net zero emissions. The announcement seeks applications to address conversion of manufacturing facilities to expand domestic production capabilityof electric vehicles, components, and materials in the U.S.   

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is issuing, on behalf of the Grid Deployment Office (GDO), this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Awards made under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by Section 50152 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) – Grants to Facilitate the Siting of Interstate Electricity Transmission Lines.

The IRA makes the single largest investment in energy and climate in American history, putting the United States on a pathway to achieving the Administration’s clean energy and climate goals, including a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, while securing America’s position as a world leader in domestic clean energy manufacturing, creating quality jobs, investing in communities, and advancing environmental justice.

Under Section 50152(a), the IRA appropriated $760 million to make grants to siting authorities to carry out eligible activities that will facilitate the siting and permitting of “covered transmission projects” or to siting authorities and other governmental entities for economic development activities in communities that may be affected by the construction and operation of a “covered transmission project.” A “covered transmission project” is defined in Section 50152(e)(1) as a “high voltage interstate or offshore electricity transmission line” for which an entity has applied for, or informed a siting authority of an intent to apply for, regulatory approval, and that is proposed to be constructed and to operate:

These investments, particularly when combined with programs authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (otherwise known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), will support the timely construction of new or upgraded electric transmission facilities and facilitate the siting of transmission facilities, while doing so in a manner consistent with affected community priorities, including considerations of environmental and energy justice, equity, job quality, and Tribal cultural resources.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) of 2021 (Pub. L. 117-58), and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 (Pub. L. 117-169) included several incentives that are expected to increase demand of electric heat pumps in retrofit and new markets but may not ensure domestic capacity of electric heat pumps at the speed and scale required to meet the anticipated demand​. In June 2022, President Biden issued five determinations under the Defense Production Act (DPA) of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.), including a presidential determination to allow DOE to use its delegated DPA authorities to expand the domestic production capability for electric heat pumps.

Section 30001 of the IRA appropriated $500 million to carry out the DPA, of which $250 million was subsequently allocated to the Department of Energy to support the growth of manufacturing needed to meet the anticipated growing demand for electric heat pumps. This funding could help scale up U.S. heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and water heating (WH) manufacturing; accelerate installation of high-efficiency electric heat pumps in homes, qualified buildings; and industrial settings, and complement investment coming through other BIL and IRA provisions described earlier.

Amendment 000003 was issued to update the Community Benefits Plan page limitation. Please see the Funding Opportunity Announcement for the full text of the amendment.

For the full text of the amendment, please see the "Full Funding Opportunity Announcement" document in the Announcement Documents section below.

Attention: The Clean Energy Infrastructure Exchange system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants. Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the Clean Energy Infrastructure Exchange helpdesk for assistance (InfrastructureExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov).

This Request for Information (RFI) is soliciting feedback from state and local governments, building officials, contractors, designers, builders, other industry representatives, community organizations, academia, research laboratories, and other stakeholders on issues related to key provisions in Section 50131 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The DOE Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) is interested in information on supporting the development, adoption, and implementation of the latest model building energy codes and zero building energy codes for residential and commercial, new and existing buildings (or equivalent codes, standards, or policies) throughout the U.S. in accordance with Section 50131 of the IRA.The IRA provides direction on certain high-level eligibility criteria and overall goals but does not detail how to develop and effectively implement an IRA codes program that will empower States and local jurisdictions to update their building energy codes and standards for new and existing buildings. Therefore, to further support program development, this RFI specifically seeks input on 1) selection criteria; 2) other funding sources, 3) compliance plans; and 4) existing-building opportunities. The information collected from this RFI will be used by DOE for planning purposes to develop a potential Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The information collected will not be published. This is solely a Request for Information and not a FOA. SCEP is not accepting applications at this time.

A Notice of Intent (NOI) is being issued together with this RFI. Additional information regarding a potential FOA supporting Technical Assistance for the Adoption of the Latest and Zero Building Energy Codes or Standards is available in that NOI (DE-FOA-0003055). The full content of the NOI announcement can be found on the Clean Energy Infrastructure Exchange website at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov.

The purpose of this RFI is to gather feedback from stakeholders prior to DOE potentially issuing a FOA. This RFI is not a FOA; therefore, DOE is not accepting applications at this time. All responses to this RFI must be provided as Microsoft Word attachments and submitted electronically to iracodes@hq.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm ET on April 26, 2023. A public workshop to gather additional input on this potential FOA will be held on April 18, 2023 at 2:00pm ET. To register for the public workshop, please visit: https://pnnl.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_yKIg2RtNRh6OQC53b1ba0A.

The Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) program was established by the 2009 Recovery Act and expanded with a $10 billion investment under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Today, the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, in partnership with DOE, announced the intent to release approximately $4 billion in a first round of tax credits for projects that expand U.S. supply chains for clean energy technologies and critical materials for clean energy technology production, and for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions at industrial facilities. Approximately $1.6 billion of this allocation will be set aside for projects in coal communities. The program will provide an investment tax credit of up to 30% of qualified investments for certified projects that meet prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements.

Treasury and the IRS issued additional 48C program guidance on May 31, 2023. DOE will open the 48C eXCHANGE portal for user registration for any interested applicants and concept papers submissions no later than June 30, 2023.

Concept papers will be due no later than July 31, 2023.

Any questions or comments regarding the non-tax aspects of the February 13 IRS notice on the 48C program can be submitted to DOE at 48CQuestions@hq.doe.gov. DOE may post questions and answers related to this notice on Infrastructure eXCHANGE under this listing. Any questions or comments received under this notice are subject to public release pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. DOE is under no obligation to respond to, or acknowledge receipt of, any questions or comments submitted under this notice and any responses provided do not constitute legal advice provided by either DOE or the IRS.

The IRS notice release on February 13, 2023, is available at: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-23-18.pdf.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP). The intent of this RFI is to obtain public input regarding the solicitation process and structure of future DOE Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) to fund the Energy Auditor and Career Skills Training programs, in accordance with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This RFI also seeks public input on the State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training program, as set forth in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 

Specifically, this RFI seeks input on:

• The content of, and proposed programmatic requirements for:

1. BIL sections 40503 (The Energy Auditor Training Grant Program, or “EAT”);
2. BIL section 40513 (the Career Skills Training program, or “CST”);
3. IRA section 50123 (the State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training program, or Contractor Training Program)

• Respondent type
• Workforce and business characteristics
• Workforce development and business owner training strategies
• Accessing federal funding
• Equity and partnerships
• Access to high quality jobs
• Other

The Information collected from this RFI will be used by DOE for planning purposes to develop one or multiple potential FOAs related to BIL sections 40503 and 40513 and IRA section 50123. The information collected will not be published.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. EERE will not pay for information provided under this RFI and no project will be supported as a result of this RFI. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives. EERE may or may not issue Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to eeworkforceprograms@hq.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on January 26, 2023. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email that includes "Workforce RFI Response" in the subject line.

Please find the full RFI in the DOCUMENTS section below..