The Dept. of Energy is circulating a new list of energy project cancellations just a week after it announced plans to cancel more than 300 subsidies in just the states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. The new list, obtained by E&E newsalso includes projects in red states. The more than 600 projects on the list include previously announced terminations.
These cuts could impact a number of solar energy initiatives. A A $1.5 million grant on the list awarded to Amicus, O&M Cooperative helped the company create a comprehensive solar O&M training and certification program with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Grant money that poured in during the first year allowed Amicus and its partners to create the first level of a planned four-level program, which was published this summer on the Solar and Storage training website. HeatSpring. But the flow of money stopped in late January, after President Donald Trump signed executive orders ending all government funding related to DEI initiatives.
Amicus also later appeared on a list of projects to be scrapped by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“The pause has had a much bigger impact than the cancellation threats because it essentially stopped the flow of money,” Amicus O&M CEO Amanda Bybee said. World of solar energy.
Following the executive orders, Amicus instructed its subcontractors who helped create the program to cease operations, fearing lack of funding. Since then, the group has been seeking funding from other sources to continue building a standard O&M training program for the industry.
“I’m very disappointed to lose access to this funding because they’re clearly making these decisions in broad strokes. They’re not judging every project on its merits. I think training the technicians who are taking care of the assets that are already in place is ultimately quite apolitical,” Bybee said. “The goal of our grant work is to increase the professionalism and safety of solar energy and BESS O&M services. This is a benefit to the industry and our energy system as a whole. We are eager to continue this work and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with the DOE.”
Bybee told World of solar energy that Amicus has not yet received formal notice of the latest cancellation threat, but the group is considering appealing if it surfaces.
“We signed a contract with the Ministry of Energy to deliver what we submitted and to deliver the work plan. It’s just unclear to me what the legal basis is for these cancellations because we have kept our end of the bargain,” she said. “We did everything we had to do. We were working on all our results and our work plan. What is the value of a contract if the other party can arbitrarily fix it?”
