TDEC was selected to receive funding under the $7 billion EPA Solar for All grant competition. In total, TDEC will be awarded $156,120,000 for a Tennessee Solar for All Program, which will be administered by the TDEC Office of Energy Programs (OEP). Tennessee’s Solar for All Program will accelerate the deployment of solar infrastructure to benefit low-income households and disadvantaged communities while supporting Tennessee’s varied urban, suburban, and rural communities.

The proposed Program’s geographical coverage includes the entire state, and the scope of work is to provide financial assistance for residential rooftop and residential-serving community solar infrastructure, battery storage, and associated enabling upgrades in conjunction with preexisting, complementary programs (e.g., the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Flexibility 2.0 Program, Dispersed Power Production program, and community solar programs such as Nashville Electric Service's Music City Solar program). The Program will also provide project-deployment technical assistance focused on workforce development opportunities, as well as siting, permitting, and interconnection assistance, as needed.

TDEC OEP will begin a one-year planning period following formal receipt of award funding from EPA, which is anticipated to occur no later than September 30, 2024. Prior to the start of the planning year, TDEC will continue to engage stakeholders to address aspects that will inform the planning process. The planning period will provide time to refine Program plans, develop Program guidelines, and shape technical assistance and workforce development offerings before financial and technical assistance are deployed. For more information on Solar for All program implementation in Tennessee, click here.

TDEC OEP and the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) were selected as host institutions for the U.S. DOE Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship. The goal of the program is to increase access to clean energy career opportunities across the country and accelerate the national energy transition. Paid fellows will spend up to two years at critical energy organizations, which include electric cooperatives, grid operators, municipal utilities, public utility commissions, state energy offices, and Tribal entities, supporting projects that will help decarbonize power systems and bolster energy resilience.

U.S. DOE is accepting applications from recent graduates and energy professionals to be considered for the paid fellowship. Candidates should have a demonstrated interest in clean energy solutions, and those with diverse backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply. More information on the specific projects to be supported by fellows at each organization, as well as details on preferred fellow experience, can be found here. Applications are due on May 3.

U.S. DOE and the Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) STEM Research and Development Consortium have recently announced $5 million in funding for two minority-serving universities, including Tennessee State University (TSU), to support the development of programs that will equip students with the skills needed to succeed in clean energy careers. TSU’s workforce development program will provide a pathway to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees and equip students with the skills needed for entry-level positions in the clean energy sector.

Using a virtual reality platform, the project will offer an online training certificate coupled with in-person workshops in solar energy (including design, installation, and energy storage). The course will be made available to partner institutions, which include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), and Tribal colleges, through a course-sharing agreement. Additionally, the project includes an entrepreneurship component, encouraging students to develop clean energy businesses to increase the number of minority-run clean energy businesses.

U.S. DOE recently announced the phase two winners of the Hydrogen Shot Incubator Prize competition, which aims to identify, develop, and test disruptive technologies that reduce the cost of producing clean hydrogen. In phase two, Knoxville-based Electro-Active Technologies was awarded $400,000 for a project to integrate solar technologies, algae, and microbial electrolysis for hydrogen production from waste.

U.S. DOE recently announced the appointment of 18 science, business, academic, and industry leaders to the Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee (ITIAC) to help decarbonize the industrial sector. ITIAC is a federal advisory committee whose members will report directly to the Secretary of Energy with a comprehensive strategy to accelerate the development of technologies and processes to reduce emissions across the U.S. industrial sector and move the nation closer to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. The newly appointed chair of ITIAC is Sharon Nolen, Program Manager and Fellow at Eastman Chemical Company in northeast Tennessee.

Energizing Tennessee, a podcast from the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) and FirstBank, explores the latest news and insights about the advanced energy sector with experts sharing their thoughts on transportation electrification, workforce development, and the growing sector of advanced energy in Tennessee’s economy.

In episode nineteen, host Cortney Piper interviews Lilly Trench, Director of the Spark Innovation Center at the University of Tennessee Research Park. Piper and Trench discuss the Spark Cleantech Accelerator program and the application process for Cohort Three, which is open until May 15.

All episodes are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. Click here to listen.

The University of Tennessee Research Park is accepting applications to its Spark Cleantech Accelerator. This program supports early stage cleantech businesses to drive commercialization of their technologies in Tennessee and throughout the Midwest and the Southeast. The Spark Cleantech Accelerator program provides mentorship, connections, stipends, prototyping services, and business acceleration services to early-stage cleantech entrepreneurs to help commercialize innovations. The 12-week program will kick off on August 19 and run until mid-November. Applications are due May 15.

U.S. DOE recently announced approximately $18 million in funding available from the new Local Government Energy Program to advance community-identified energy priorities through the Communities Sparking Investment in Transformative Energy (C-SITE) funding opportunity. The opportunity focuses on delivering funding to support projects and programs at the local level that reduce energy use, create local jobs, and focus on providing benefits to disadvantaged communities.

The major goals of the funding opportunity are to: 

Additional information is available in the Funding Opportunity Announcement and Frequently Asked Questions. Applications are due by May 31 at 5:00 PM Eastern.  

U.S. DOE recently announced $180 million in funding available through the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize for schools engaging in strategic partnerships to build capacity and implement energy upgrades at K-12 schools, lowering energy use and costs and improving indoor air quality. Competitive proposals will implement energy assessments and building improvement projects across a portfolio of 10 or more school facilities, which may be composed of school facilities from one or more districts.

Awards will focus on schools that serve disadvantaged communities, including those with a high percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, and/or those which qualify as rural. Eligible improvements include HVAC and ventilation systems, building envelope and lighting projects, alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure (including electric vehicles), and renewable energy technologies.

Additional information is available on the Renew America’s Schools page and in the Fact Sheet, and a Teaming List is available on the HeroX Platform. U.S. DOE will host office hours on May 29 at 2:00 PM Eastern. Applications are due June 13.

Through the U.S. DOE Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) Program, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offers in-depth technical partnerships that support communities in developing secure, reliable, resilient, equitable, and affordable clean energy systems. NREL recently released a Request for Proposals to support two to four communities in developing tailored, actionable decarbonization strategies as part of the C2C In-Depth Partnerships.

Eligible teams comprising a local government, electric utility, and community-based organization can apply for a multi-year partnership with experts from U.S. DOE's national laboratories. U.S. DOE experts will help these teams better understand, model, and validate potential clean energy deployment strategies so the communities they represent can make more informed decisions. In-depth partnerships focus on key challenges that address multiple sectors, including the renewable energy, mobility, grid, and buildings sectors.

Awards include up to $500,000 in direct subcontract funding and $3.5 million worth of in-depth technical assistance from one or more national laboratories. Direct funding can be used to support staff, community engagement activities, and the purchase of clean energy infrastructure or technology.

Additional information is available on the C2C In-Depth Partnerships, Request for Proposals, and the frequently asked questions pages. Proposals are due June 14. 

The U.S. DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Vehicle Technologies Office recently announced up to $17.5 million in funding to develop cost-effective strategies for communities to sustainably manage and recover potential clean energy sources from their waste stream through the WASTE: Waste Analysis and Strategies for Transportation End-Uses funding opportunity announcement. The funding opportunity will support municipalities and transit authorities with waste-to-energy solutions for converting organic waste into feedstocks for various clean transportation fuel products that can benefit local energy economies. 

The funding opportunity seeks a phased approach through two topic areas:

Eligible applicants include local, tribal, and intrastate government entities and instrumentalities, states, nonprofit organizations, and transit authorities. BETO has also compiled a teaming partners list to encourage collaboration and facilitate the formation of project teams.

Additional information is available on the WASTE: Waste Analysis and Strategies for Transportation End-Uses website and in the funding opportunity announcement. U.S. DOE will host an informational webinar on May 10 at 12:00 PM Eastern. Concept papers are due June 19, and full applications are due August 14.

EPA announced $2 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act for the Community Change Grants Program. Funding is available for projects that deploy clean energy, reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input.

There are two separate tracks available: 

Eligible applicants include partnerships between two community-based non-profit organizations and partnerships between a community-based non-profit organization and a local government, institution of higher education, or federally recognized tribe. View the Notice of Funding Opportunity and the Grants.gov page for additional information. Applications are due November 21.

TDEC will host an online public input session on May 3 at 1:00 PM Central to provide an update on the status of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Home Energy Rebate Programs and solicit comments. In July 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released guidance for states to apply for the Home Energy Rebate Programs funding. TDEC is designing programs that comply with the U.S. DOE guidance and is preparing applications for submittal to U.S. DOE during the second quarter of this calendar year.

Funding is provided for two rebate programs – the Home Efficiency Rebate Program and the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate Program. Following application approval from U.S. DOE and subsequent program launch, eligible households may apply for rebates. The rebates will provide a discount on select home retrofit projects that can lower energy bills. 

The public input session will give participants an opportunity to hear about and provide comments on the TDEC’s proposed implementation plan and timeline. Interested stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide feedback at the end of the session or via a survey, which will be distributed following the event. Public comments will be accepted through May 24.

The Tennessee Environmental Network Show of the South (TENSOS) will be held May 15-17 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Over the three-day event, TENSOS will host environmental professionals seeking to exchange knowledge and share ideas about environmental concerns in Tennessee and across the Southeast region. TDEC Commissioner David Salyers will open the event on May 15, and Deputy Commissioner Greg Young will participate in the morning session on May 16.

Breakout sessions will cover a wide range of topics and include energy-focused breakout sessions focused on nuclear innovation and investment in Tennessee as well as the advancement of clean transportation.

The conference schedule is available online and interested attendees can register here.

The annual PACENation Summit is a global event for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing professionals. PACE is a financing tool that enables low-cost, long-term funding for energy efficiency, renewable energy, water efficiency, resilience, and public health improvements to new and existing buildings.

The 2024 PACENation Summit will be held in Nashville June 12-13 and will include panel sessions, small group interactions, and extensive networking opportunities. View the tentative agenda outline and register here.

The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) will host the Opportunities in Energy event November 19 in Knoxville. The event brings together members and stakeholders to discuss all new and upcoming “opportunities” in the advanced energy sector, including trends, businesses, technologies, and other exciting developments. During the event, a state or local leader will be presented with the annual Thomas B. Ballard Advanced Energy Leadership Award. The award honors exemplary leadership and success in championing, connecting, and strengthening Tennessee’s advanced energy economy. 

TenneSEIA will host the 2024 Tennessee Valley Solar + Storage Conference in Huntsville, AL from November 20-21. The focus of the Conference is to bring together people interested in growing solar business opportunities in the Tennessee Valley and to discuss strategies, market trends, and policies that impact the solar industry. Attendees will participate in in-depth and forward-looking discussions on TVA policy and processes and the evolving technical opportunities facing the industry in the Tennessee Valley region. Early bird registration is now available here.

E4 Carolinas recently released a report on the Economic Impact of the Nuclear Industry in the Southeast U.S. The report notes that the southeastern part of the U.S. is a leader in domestic nuclear energy production. The analysis estimates the total economic impact of the nuclear industry in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia to be $42.9 billion. In Tennessee specifically, the nuclear industry is estimated to have a $9.8 billion impact, with approximately 40,286 jobs, and a contribution of roughly $1.1 billion in state and local tax revenue.

Visit the TDEC Office of Energy Programs Website at http://www.tn.gov/environment/energy.

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

For more information or to submit an idea for a future Monthly Energy Edition, contact:

Audrey Jackson, Communications Officer
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
615-917-6683 or audrey.jackson@tn.gov

OR

Alexa Voytek, Deputy Director, OEP Programs
U.S. DOE State Energy Program / Innovation & Transportation / Communications
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
 615-613-1096 or alexa.voytek@tn.gov

OR

Mark Finlay, Senior Energy Analyst, TDEC Office of Energy Programs
615-772-6011 or mark.finlay@tn.gov

Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the State Energy Program Award Number DE-EE0009487

Disclaimer: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government.  Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.