WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kicking off the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Tour and on National Manufacturing Day, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $5.2 million from the Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) Implementation Grants program for 41 small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) across the country to implement improvements at facilities that will save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. DOE also reopened the program for new applications, ensuring SMMs can continue to apply for grants throughout the next year. Funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the IAC Implementation Grants program provides up to $300,000 per manufacturer to implement recommendations made by DOE and other qualified energy assessments. Today’s announcements reinforce the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to revitalize American manufacturing, create good-paying jobs in communities across the nation, and meet the President’s ambitious goal of a net-zero economy by 2050.
“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is ensuring our manufacturing sector continues to create good jobs and power our economy, particularly by providing small- and medium-sized firms the resources they need to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs and emissions,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “By helping manufacturing facilities implement cost-effective decarbonization solutions, today’s announcement reinforces DOE’s efforts to strengthen American manufacturing competitiveness for generations to come while tackling the climate crisis.”
Industrial decarbonization presents a vital opportunity to transform industrial systems to improve energy and environmental justice. President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is providing unprecedented tools—such as DOE’s IAC program—to support decarbonization solutions critical to transforming the nation’s industrial sector and optimizing energy management systems. The grants announced today will help SMMs, which comprise more than 90% of the nation’s manufacturing base, leverage federal support and local expertise to identify cost-effective opportunities to improve energy efficiency, increase competitiveness, and reduce emissions.
The first round of 41 implementation grants will receive $5.2 million in grant funding that will be matched by $11.7 million from recipients. The grants support a wide variety of projects, including onsite solar, geothermal heat pump, and biomass boilers installations, improvements for lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, electrifying industrial equipment and fleets, and more. Sixteen projects are in underserved communities, underscoring President Biden’s commitment to ensure every community benefits from the transition to a clean energy future.
Learn more about the first round of grants here.
The IAC Implementation Grants funding opportunity also has been reopened for applications with a total initial funding envelope of $80 million and will now operate on a rolling basis: applications from eligible SMMs for implementation grants may be submitted at any time throughout the next year (as funds are available) and will be reviewed quarterly, with an initial application deadline of December 31, 2023. Applications from third-party assessors seeking “IAC-equivalency” qualification also may be submitted through December 31, 2023. To learn more about the application process and to apply, click here. In this first round, 10 additional energy assessment providers also have been selected for qualification as “IAC-equivalent,” meaning their SMM clients may be eligible for grants, as well.
Finally, the IAC Program team will begin holding monthly “office hour” sessions to answer questions about the implementation grant program and application. To register for the first one, which will be held on October 19th, 2023, at 1:00 pm ET, please click here.
Click here to inquire about receiving a no-cost IAC assessment and here for more information on receiving a Combined Heat and Power/Onsite Energy TAP assessment.
DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) manages the IAC Program. Learn more about the MESC mission to strengthen and secure manufacturing and energy supply chains needed to modernize the nation’s energy infrastructure and support a clean and equitable energy transition.
Originally published at https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-announces-5-million-support-cleaner-domestic-manufacturing
