The Oregon Department of Energy is currently accepting applications for its Community Renewable Energy Grant Program.
Donor Name: Oregon Department of Energy
State: Oregon
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/15/2023
Size of the Grant:
- Planning a community renewable energy project: $100,000
- Planning a community energy resilience project: $100,000
- Constructing a community renewable energy project: $1,000,000
- Constructing a community energy resilience project: $1,000,000
Details:
The Community Renewable Energy Grant Program is open to Oregon Tribes, public bodies, and consumer-owned utilities. Public bodies include counties, municipalities, and special government bodies such as ports and irrigation districts. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis and priority will be given to projects that support program equity goals, demonstrate community energy resilience, and include energy efficiency and demand response.
At least half of the grant funds will be awarded for projects that serve environmental justice communities, including communities of color, lower-income communities, rural communities, and others. Similarly, at least half of the grant funds will be awarded to projects that support community energy resilience.
Objectives
The Community Renewable Energy Grant Program provides grants to:
- Support offsetting the cost of planning and developing community renewable energy projects.
- Make community renewable energy projects economically feasible for qualifying communities.
- Promote small-scale renewable energy projects.
- Provide direct benefits to communities across this state in the form of increased community energy resilience, local jobs, economic development, or direct energy cost savings to families and small businesses.
Funding Information
- Constructing a community renewable energy project
- The maximum grant available for developing a community renewable energy project that does not qualify as a community energy resilience project is $1,000,000.
- Constructing a community energy resilience project
- The maximum grant available for developing a community renewable energy project, whether it qualifies as a community energy resilience project or not, is $1,000,000.
- Planning a community energy resilience project
- The maximum grant available for planning a community renewable energy project, whether it qualifies as a community energy resilience project or not, is $100,000 and it may be used tom cover up to 100 percent of the reasonable planning costs.
- Planning a community renewable energy project
- The maximum grant available for planning a community renewable energy project, whether it qualifies as a community energy resilience project or not, is $100,000 and it may be used to cover up to 100 percent of the reasonable planning costs.
Eligible Projects
Eligible projects include renewable energy generation systems like solar or wind, and energy storage systems, electric vehicle charging stations, or micro grid technologies paired with new or existingrenewable energy systems. Eligible applicants are encouraged to partner with community groups, non-profits, private businesses, and others on potential projects.
Eligible community energy resilience projects must utilize one or more renewable energy systems to support the energy resilience of structures or facilities that are essential to the public welfare. Eligible renewable energy system technologies include:
- Energy generation:
- Biomass
- Solar
- Geothermal
- Hydroelectric
- Wind
- Landfill gas
- Biogas
- Wave
- Ocean thermal energy technology
- Energy storage
- Micro grid technologies
- Electric vehicle charging
Eligibility Criteria
- An applicant must be one of Oregon’s federally recognized Indian Tribes, a public body, or a consumer-owned utility.
- An applicant may partner with another entity, or entities, including another entity that would qualify as an applicant, a Federal agency, nonprofit entity, private business located in Oregon, or owner of rental property in Oregon.
For more information, visit Oregon Department of Energy.
