The California Energy Commission (CEC) is now accepting applications for its Food Production Investment Program (FPIP) 2024.
Donor Name: California Energy Commission (CEC)
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/26/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Purpose
Food manufacturing, specifically processing and production, is an industrial sector that traditionally has been highly energy- and carbon-intensive, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Food manufacturing is a critical area of opportunity to advance industrial decarbonization and electrification efforts, but it faces many unique barriers and challenges due to its diversity.
Food processing and production costs tend to be higher in California than elsewhere, potentially making it difficult for in-state companies’ products to compete with similar products produced outside of the state. Supporting the updates and improvements of food production facilities with technologies that are energy efficient, decarbonizing, or both will reduce operating costs and GHG emissions. This support can help ensure California’s food processing industries remain competitive, operational, and within California.
The Food Production Investment Program (FPIP) was established in 2018 and initially funded by Assembly Bill (AB) 109 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017) and Senate Bill (SB) 856 (Chapter 30, Statutes of 2018). In 2022, FPIP received additional funding from AB 209 (Chapter 251, Statutes of 2022) to continue program implementation. The program uses Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds (GGRF) from the California Climate Investment Program (CCI) and General Fund monies to further the purposes of reducing GHG emissions, reducing energy use, and sustaining grid reliability.
The program’s goals are to accelerate the adoption of advanced energy efficiency, decarbonization, renewable energy technologies, and to support the electrical grid reliability. (Pub. Resources Code, §§ 25663 – 25663.6) The technologies to be funded by this Grant Funding Opportunity (GFO) will help reduce energy costs, maintain product quantity and quality, and reduce GHG emissions associated with food production.
This program is open to all California food processors and related support facilities. All projects funded under FPIP must be located in California. Projects must also support electrical grid reliability, reduce GHG emissions, and further the purposes of AB 32 (Nunez, Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, Chapter 488, 2006) and SB 32 (Pavley, California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, Chapter 249, 2016).
FPIP will assist California food producers in achieving the following:
- Energy Efficiency: Support the adoption of commercially available (“drop-in ready”) and emerging energy-efficient equipment upgrades that are replacements or additions to existing equipment or processes that provide greater GHG emission and energy reductions than current best practices or industry-standard equipment.
- Grid Reliability: Support the adoption of commercially available and emerging technologies needed to support grid reliability, especially during net peak periods.
Project Focus
This solicitation focuses on projects to install and demonstrate:
- Commercially available technologies that are a drop-in replacement or addition to current systems and have higher efficiencies than current best practices and industry standards.
- Cutting-edge emerging technologies, with a minimum technology readiness level (TRL) 8 or greater, that are not widely used in California and not drop-in ready replacement equipment or additions but have been commercially proven elsewhere in actual food processing applications with independent verification of actual benefits, such as energy reduction, GHG emissions reduction, and improved air quality.
These projects must include one or more of these goals:
- Maximize GHG emissions reductions
- Maximize energy reductions
- Provide benefits to support grid reliability
- Provide benefits to priority populations.
Funding Information
There is up to $36,000,000 available for grants awarded under this solicitation. The minimum funding amount for each project is $500,000. The maximum funding amount is $5,000,0000.
Applicant Requirements
Applicants to the FPIP are limited to food processing and related support facilities located in California. The applicant must own or operate one or more food processing facilities where grant-funded equipment will be installed. For this solicitation, food processing facilities are those defined by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS ) codes 311 (Food Manufacturing), 3121 (Beverage Manufacturing), and 493120 (Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage). To be eligible for grant funding, projects must meet all the following minimum requirements:
- Food processing and related support facilities must be existing facilities located in California;
- Proposed projects must reduce GHG emissions as defined in the grant solicitation, enhance and benefit the electrical grid, especially during net peak periods, or both; and
- Applicant must meet all eligibility and other criteria specified in this solicitation.
Food and beverage industries and related support facilities that are receiving funding for the same project, or portions of the same project, from the CEC’s INDIGO Program are ineligible for funding from FPIP.
For more information, visit CEC.
