DOE accepting applications for $425M in formula funding through State Energy Program

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is accepting applications for $425 million in formula funding through the State Energy Program (SEP).

This funding, provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will allow states to develop and implement various clean energy programs. It will transform SEP by expanding formula grants to nearly 10 times recent funding levels, allowing states to ramp up their clean energy planning and deployment efforts. Applications will be accepted from all 50 states, five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.

“States are the vanguard of our nation’s energy planning and implementation efforts, driving the deployment of clean energy infrastructure to lower utility costs and ensure an equitable clean energy transition,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding expands foundational, longstanding programs like the State Energy Program to help every state and territory manage their energy resources and accelerate gains in energy efficiency and add more clean energy onto the grid.”

States can use the funding to finance a range of activities and projects, such as the installation of renewable energy systems and clean energy infrastructure, innovative clean energy technology demonstration projects, energy efficiency upgrades, clean energy financing programs, and critical planning for clean energy and workforce development programs. For example, in recent years, Maryland has used SEP funding to build solar canopies and electric vehicle charging stations, while Kentucky has used them to repurpose mine lands as sites for solar energy generation.

DOE recently established the Office of State and Community Energy Programs within the Office of the Under Secretary for Infrastructure to support states’ clean energy deployment efforts. The Office of State and Community Energy Programs partners with state and local governments and organizations to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies, catalyze local economic development, create jobs, reduce energy costs, and reduce pollution.

DOE will also leverage funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to deliver targeted technical assistance to states to help facilitate and amplify the impact of their SEP funding. Through this effort, states will invest portions of their SEP funding in related programs and projects and receive hands-on technical assistance from DOE.