DOE opens $325M funding call for solar, battery storage for vulnerable communities
The agency’s program will fund solar energy at facilities across Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $325 million funding opportunity for the new Programa de Comunidades Resilientes (Resilient Communities Program), funded by a second tranche of its Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF).
This program aims to improve community-level energy resilience for vulnerable populations across Puerto Rico, funding solar and battery storage installations for community health care facilities as well as community centers and other common areas within public housing and privately owned subsidized multifamily properties.
“Every municipality in Puerto Rico has a facility that could be eligible for an installation through the Programa de Comunidades Resilientes,” said María Robinson, director of the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office.
“This program will be a key tool in improving community-level resilience, ensuring that emergency rooms stay powered, residents of multifamily housing can refrigerate medicine and food, and vital services remain available during outages within low- and middle-income communities,” Robinson said.
Applicants for this funding opportunity may include individual entities or teams based in Puerto Rico that can coordinate the deployment of solar and battery storage systems across many individual sites. The DOE will award up to $325 million for solar and battery storage systems across two types of community infrastructure:
- Multifamily Housing Properties: The DOE anticipates awarding between $93 million and $185 million to fund solar and battery installations for community centers and common areas within public housing or privately owned multifamily housing properties subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S, Department of Agriculture.
The DOE anticipates funding projects that power certain common spaces available to all residents as well as shared building infrastructure that depends on electricity, such as elevators. Additionally, community centers located on Puerto Rico public housing properties would also be eligible for installations under the program. - Community Health Care Facilities: The DOE intends to award between $70 million and $140 million to fund solar and battery installations for federally qualified health care centers, dialysis centers and diagnostic and treatment centers.
Potential applicants may include individual organizations or teams of organizations with an existing presence in Puerto Rico that can coordinate the deployment of projects across many facilities or properties (e.g., 100-150) in partnership with local stakeholders.
Teams may include community-based organizations, consultants, engineering and design firms, grassroots organizations, nonprofits, solar installation companies and more. Organizations that are interested in applying as part of a team for this funding opportunity may access an online partner list to convey their interest to other applicants and explore potential partnerships, the agency explained,
Applications to this funding opportunity are due on Oct. 22 at 5 p.m.
