The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $22 million to improve the planning, siting and permitting processes for large-scale renewable energy facilities. Six state-based projects will receive $10 million through the program Renewable energy location through the Technical Engagement and Planning (R-STEP) program to develop and expand statewide initiatives that provide expertise, training, and technical resources to local governments and communities in planning and evaluating large-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects. DOE also announced its intention to open a second round of the program with up to $12 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding.
“Solar and wind energy and battery storage are on the rise across America. This year, we expect them to account for a record-breaking 94% share of our nation’s new electricity generation capabilities,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Often the biggest obstacle to the use of clean energy is the location and the granting of permits. The Biden-Harris Administration is helping provide local leaders with the resources needed to deploy more clean energy for their residents in a way that is tailored to their unique needs.”
Solar and wind energy will be needed supply up to 80% of America’s electricity to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035, so removing barriers to rapid implementation is critical. A significant portion of large-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects will likely be built on private lands, where state and local authorities make permitting decisions. The R-STEP partnerships will assess the needs of their stakeholders and develop state-specific educational materials and technical assistance programs.
Deploying large-scale renewable energy projects in a manner based on meaningful community engagement can unlock opportunities for building community wealth, workforce development, increased grid resilience, and electricity bill savings, especially in rural or community communities with subordinated facilities. Through these partnerships, state-based entities will act as trusted messengers to deliver the capacity and knowledge needed for rapid, equitable clean energy expansion.
The partnerships bring together stakeholders from all sides of the energy planning process, including state and regional agencies, universities, developers, technical experts, public service commissions, farm unions, tribes, community organizations and other trusted entities. The selected partnerships are:
- Indiana: Led by Purdue University Extension, the partnership will serve as a technical resource and community engagement hub to assist Indiana communities with renewable energy planning, evaluation and decision-making (award amount: $1.9 million).
- Iowa: Led by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the partnership will develop and distribute educational resources for city and county officials planning for renewable energy and energy storage facilities. The partnership will also translate materials into Spanish and provide facilitation services to communities in Iowa (award amount: $1.7 million).
- Michigan: Led by the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, the partnership will establish a one-stop shop for renewable energy siting resources and experts and provide free technical assistance to Michigan communities (prize amount: $2 million).
- Mississippi: Led by the Mississippi Development Authority Energy & Natural Resources Division, the partnership will develop a large-scale solar energy development playbook and training and provide technical assistance in collaboration with Mississippi Planning and Development Districts (award amount: $2 million ).
- North Carolina and South Carolina: Led by the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, the partnership will create an online hub for technical assistance and education to respond to specific concerns and needs of communities, local governments, landowners and developers in North and South Carolina (Award amount: $2 million).
- Wisconsin: Led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, the partnership will engage stakeholders and expand education and facility services to rural communities across the state to achieve coordinated, equitable, inclusive and transparent processes for the siting of renewable energy and battery storage facilities (Prize amount: $1 million).
Learn more about the selected state-based partnerships including the full list of partners.
News release from DOE
