Commerce is now accepting applications to support the planning, design, and construction of clean energy projects that will improve health, resiliency, and economic outcomes for communities that face inequitable risk from energy burden, pollution, and other environmental factors. For this round of grant funding, applicants will be required to demonstrate that projects benefit overburdened communities and vulnerable populations by improving environmental health conditions, reducing energy inequities, or strengthening community resiliency.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) 2024 funding opportunity. This annual funding opportunity will award $6.5 million for seedling R&D projects that focus on innovative and novel ideas in photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) and are riskier than research ideas based on established technologies.

SOLVE IT seeks to empower communities to solve their energy-related challenges. Competitors will create plans that will ultimately allow them to develop clean energy projects. By supporting communities as they identify and implement innovative solutions in a way that addresses their unique needs and challenges, the SOLVE IT Prize aims to promote the commercialization of promising energy technologies that will lead to an equitable and just energy transition.  Competitors will work collaboratively with stakeholders interested in community-scale (neighborhood-, town-, or city-scale) clean energy planning to engage their communities, build a network of support for clean energy or decarbonization projects, and develop plans for carrying these projects out. DOE aims to enable innovative solutions for local energy-related challenges, promoting wider, more equitable technology uptake. The SOLVE IT Prize offers a total prize pool of up to $5 million in cash prizes. Teams may win up to $730,000 across three phases of the SOLVE IT price.

The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding (now REAP grants are now up to 50%) to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.

The Washington State Dept. of Commerce is currently offering technical assistance opportunities through the Solar plus Storage for Resilient Communities program at no cost to a limited number of communities through the Solar plus Storage for Resilient Communities program. This assistance will position communities to apply for future funding through Commerce’s Solar plus Storage for Resilient Communities grant program. Commerce will prioritize requests from rural, tribal, and other communities most vulnerable to the impacts from power outages and emergencies.

The Blue Sky® funding awards can help to cover the capital costs to install qualifying, new renewable energy systems for non-residential sites in Pacific Power's service area.