Local Government, Tribes, Schools, & Nonprofits: Clean Energy Funding Series

Written by Brandon HofstedtA part of the Lunch-n-Learn program

Summary

This second webinar in the Clean Energy Funding Series focuses on empowering local governments, tribes, schools, and nonprofits to access funding successfully so that Wisconsin can prosper in the transition to the clean energy economy. Our expert panelists inform you of current Federal and state grants, payments, and financing opportunities and what you can do to prepare to apply for them.

Webinar Recording

Coming soon!

Presenter Slides & Resources

Resources from US Department of Energy

US Department of Energy, Development to Scale: Partnering with State/Local Government to Deliver Clean Energy, PowerPoint

• OECC’s Federal Funding

• Summary of Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Production Tax Credit (PTC) Values Over Time

• Prevailing Wage & Apprenticeship Information

• FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Budget Lowers Energy Costs, Combats the Climate Crisis, and Advances Environmental Justice

• FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Advances Cleaner Industrial Sector to Boost American Manufacturing and Cut Emissions

• FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Standards and Major Progress for a Made-in-America National Network of Electric Vehicle Chargers

• DOE’s New Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) Program – Technical Assistance

• White House Highlights Infrastructure Progress in Every Corner of the Country, Updates State-by-State Fact Sheets

• How to Engage with Treasury on Clean Energy Tax Incentives

• STATE FACT SHEETS: How the Inflation Reduction Act Lowers Energy Costs, Creates Jobs, and Tackles Climate Change Across America

• Homeowner’s Guide to the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics (also in Spanish)

• Federal Solar Tax Credits for Businesses

• Federal Tax Credits for Solar Manufacturers

• How the Inflation Reduction Act Impacts Solar Deployment and Expands Manufacturing (including slides)

• Energy Saver Guide

• Updated Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Fact Sheet

• IRA – Clean Energy for All

• BIL – Building a Better America

• Rural Opportunity Tour Fact Sheet

• DOE Equity Action Plan

• DOE Clean Energy Corps 

• Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency® – DSIRE

• Justice 40 Resources

  • A letter from Secretary Granholm on the Department’s commitment to Justice40 implementation

  • ICYMI: Justice40 Kickoff Webinar Recording

  • J40 general guidance document

  • Justice40 covered programs list

  • The DACs Reporter tool, which allow users to explore and produce reports on the census tracts DOE has categorized as DACs 

  • Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST)

  • Justice40 Fact Sheet

  • Energy Justice Mapping Tool

Resources from Wisconsin Office Sustainability and Clean Energy

WI Office of Sustainability & Clean Energy, Grant Writing Tips, PowerPoint

Resources from Dane County Office of Energy & Climate

Dane County Office of Energy & Climate, Direct Pay & Case Study with Inflation Reduction Act, PowerPoint

Resources from Focus on Energy

Focus on Energy, 2023 Local Government, Tribe, and School Offerings, PowerPointDownload

• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Incentives for Schools and Governments

• Interactive Tool to find the Energy Advisor in Your Area by Business Type

• An Interactive Tool to find a Focus on Energy Registered Trade Ally in Your Area

• List of Events and Trainings by Focus on Energy

• Financial Resources available to Wisconsin Customers

Resources from UW-Madison Extension/Energy On Wisconsin

• 179D Commercial Buildings Energy-Efficiency Tax Deduction for Public Schools

  • Learn how school districts can take advantage of the 179D tax deduction.

• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Resources for State and Local Leaders

  • This resource guide highlights resources and publications from the State and Local Solution Center website and across US DOE’s Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) programs.

• The State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Platform

  • SLOPE’s groundbreaking Scenario Planner allows users to visualize scenarios for future energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and system costs of a selected state or county. The Platform also features SLOPE Stories, which provide real-world examples of how states and local governments are using SLOPE to better understand their energy use and clean energy potential. SLOPE’s Data Viewer integrates energy and environmental justice-related data and projections for the cost and performance of key efficiency technologies.

• Energy Savings Performance Contracting for Small Projects Primer

  • US DOE, May 2021 highlights strategies and case studies for implementing Energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) in smaller towns, rural counties, and small school districts to complete energy upgrades and maximize energy and cost savings without straining local budgets.

• Achieving Energy Savings in Small- and Medium-Sized Public Facilities: A Strategic Approach to Prioritizing and Financing

  • This resource can help state, local government, and K-12 school staff managing small- and medium-sized facilities to strategically prioritize and finance energy-saving projects.

• Better Climate Challenge

  • US DOE, February 2022, invites organizations to set ambitious, portfolio-wide greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. This new challenge provides additional opportunities for peer exchange and technical assistance to meet the urgent call to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

• Clean Energy for Low Income Communities Accelerator (CELICA) Toolkit

  • Developed from a voluntary partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and state and local governments to lower energy bills for low-income communities.

• Energy Justice Mapping Tool for Schools 

  • A tool to explore and produce reports for individual school facilities based on several metrics. Tutorial video YouTube

• The Financial Case for Zero Net Energy Schools

  • Getting to Zero is a brief on the cost associated with zero net energy schools.

• Financing Efficient and Healthy Retrofits for high performance schools

  • US DOE website of resources features solutions to access capital and financing energy-efficiency projects in schools.

• Efficiency-As-A-Service

  • Learn how to implement efficiency projects with no upfront capital expenditure

Related Resources

The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA), promoting clean energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living since 1990, manages the Solar on Schools (SOS) Program, funded by the Couillard Solar Foundation (CSF).  The CSF promotes the expansion of solar energy in Wisconsin through partnering with renewable energy focused, Wisconsin-based organizations, and since 2019 has provided grants to support 27 solar school projects.

Solar on Schools Case Studies, Program Contact, and Grant information is available on the MREA Solar on Schools website.

Here are some Solar on Schools CASE Studies:

• Elkhorn Area High School Agriculture Greenhouse

• Merton Community School District

• Madison Area Technical College

Generation 180’s Solar School Campaign Toolkit is another great resource for schools in the process of investigating solar procurement.

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Resources for State and Local Leaders May 2022–May 2023. This resource guide highlights resources and publications from the State and Local Solution Center website and across US DOE’s Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) programs.

The State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Platform SLOPE’s groundbreaking Scenario Planner allows users to visualize scenarios for future energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and system costs of a selected state or county. The Platform also features SLOPE Stories, which provide real-world examples of how states and local governments are using SLOPE to better understand their energy use and clean energy potential. SLOPE’s Data Viewer integrates energy and environmental justice-related data and projections for the cost and performance of key efficiency technologies.

Energy Savings Performance Contracting for Small Projects Primer, US DOE, May 2021 highlights strategies and case studies for implementing Energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) in smaller towns, rural counties, and small school districts to complete energy upgrades and maximize energy and cost savings without straining local budgets.