The California Energy Commission is seeking applications for its Power Electronics for Zero-Emission Residential Resilience (PEZERR) to fund emerging power electronics technologies that improve affordability and simplify the complexity and time required for installing and integrating zero-emission backup power systems for powering critical loads during grid outages.
Donor Name: California Energy Commission (CEC)
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/19/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
This solicitation aims to lower the cost and reduce the time to install zero-emission behind-the-meter (BTM) backup power systems in existing residential buildings such as homes and multifamily dwellings. Current zero-emission BTM backup power options are expensive not only due to high up-front costs of the generation or storage source, but also the balance-of-system (BOS) costs incurred when altering an existing building to accommodate the new backup power system. BOS costs encompass all the components and activities required to support and integrate the backup power system, excluding the actual power generation and storage devices. Examples of BOS costs include wiring, control systems, and other equipment, as well as installation labor, permits, and engineering design.
This Grant Funding Opportunity (GFO) will fund research on power electronic technologies that can simplify the materials needed, streamline the interconnection process, and reduce BOS costs associated with installation of zero-emission backup power systems in existing residential buildings.
Project Focus
Projects funded under this solicitation will demonstrate low-cost, modular power electronic technologies that can effectively reduce the costs and time of integrating zero-emission BTM backup power systems into existing residential buildings. These technology products should seamlessly integrate backup power systems into different types of residential buildings (e.g., single family or multi-unit dwellings). Grant recipients will use demonstrations to display how their power electronic technology can reliably island from the grid so that the zero-emission BTM backup system can provide backup power to critical loads during grid outage events. Proposals should focus on demonstrating how their power electronic technology helps overcome barriers to make zero-emission BTM backup options more affordable for disadvantaged or low-income communities. The research being proposed should incorporate a comparative analysis of how costs and time to install zero-emission BTM backup power systems are reduced by using the power electronic technology compared to fossil-fuel based BTM backup power options for powering critical loads (e.g., diesel generators), as well as demonstrate how the technology reduces costs and complexity of integrating current leading zero-emission BTM backup power options.
Funding Information
There is up to $6,000,000 available for grants awarded under this solicitation. The minimum funding amount for each project is $1,500,000. The maximum funding amount is $2,000,000.
Eligibility Criteria
This solicitation is open to all public and private entities with the exception of local publicly owned electric utilities. In accordance with CPUC Decision 12-05-037, funds administered by the CEC may not be used for any purposes associated with local publicly owned electric utility activities A local publicly owned electric utility is an entity as defined in California Public Utilities Code.
For more information, visit CEC.
