Clean Energy to Communities Program: Peer-Learning Cohorts

Cohort Description
This cohort will cover the types and scales of microgrids, the basics of how they work, the costs and benefits, and funding and procurement strategies. Cohort members will:

• Learn from, and exchange ideas with, other participants while receiving assistance and support from national lab subject matter experts
• Access tools and strategies to conduct community engagement to align microgrid projects with community resilience priorities
• Share experiences and approaches for working with varying regulatory and utility situations
• Learn how to maximize microgrid benefits by exploring site characteristics, technology designs, electrical performance goals, and financial considerations.

Expected Outcomes
Participants will understand how to account for the financial, economic, regulatory, and resilience considerations of a microgrid project; identify potential technologies to deploy as part of a microgrid; develop a use case for any additional investment requirements; and plan next steps for refining their project scope and timeline.  

Ideal Participants  
Priority will be given to entities in areas with significant risk of weather-related emergencies, grid instability, or power outages, including those that are located in islanded or remote communities.  

Eligible Entities 

• Local governments (cities, towns, villages, counties, etc.) 
• Regional organizations (councils of government, etc.) 
• Municipal utilities or electric co-ops  
• Tribes, including Alaska Native Villages, Alaska Native Corporations, and state-recognized Tribes 
• Community-based nonprofit organizations 
• Nonprofit colleges or hospitals

Download the microgrids application questions and submit your application by Oct. 31.

Cohort Description
This cohort will introduce entities representing rural and agricultural communities to distributed wind technologies. Distributed wind consists of small-scale wind turbine installations that allow individuals, communities, and businesses to reduce electricity costs and increase revenue through local, carbon-free energy generation. Participants will explore key levers for success, including permitting, zoning, financing and ownership models, and building awareness in key markets such as the agricultural sector. Additionally, they will learn about available tools and technical assistance that can help them explore resource and economic viability of distributed wind in their own contexts.

Expected Outcomes 
This cohort will provide participants with resources to build local capacity, both internally and within partner entities, and explore distributed wind opportunities. As a final output, participants will develop a blueprint that establishes a local vision and goals for distributed wind; highlights possible updates to local plans and processes related to distributed wind; identifies sites for potential deployment; and outlines strategies to support key regional stakeholders as they advance distributed wind projects.

Ideal Participants  
All participants must represent a rural, remote, or agricultural community. Prospective participants must demonstrate why there is an interest in distributed wind. The cohort will prioritize participation by entities that work directly with farmers. 

Eligible Entities 

• Local governments, especially rural counties, towns, and villages 
• Tribes, including Alaska Native Villages, Alaska Native Corporations, and state-recognized Tribes 
• Regional development organizations (councils of government, etc.) 
• Economic development corporations  
• University cooperative extensions 
• Cooperative and municipal utilities

Download the distributed wind application questions and submit your application by Oct. 31.

Cohort Description 
This cohort will explore available renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, including their procurement processes, available funding and financing opportunities, and other deployment factors. Participants will learn about community engagement and other strategies to ensure the new energy economy results in community benefits, and they will outline next steps to leverage these technologies for economic and workforce opportunities in Appalachia. 

Expected Outcomes 
This cohort will help participants plan to integrate next-generation energy production and energy efficiency technologies while learning from their peers across Appalachia and technical experts. Participants will share their next steps with one another at the end of the cohort, including opportunities to address basic services and local priorities through energy projects.

Ideal Participants  
Ideal participants for this cohort are local governments and regional organizations, economic development districts, and Tribes in Appalachia that are interested in learning more about renewable energy and energy efficiency and want to connect and exchange ideas with aligned peers in the region. Participating entities do not need to have dedicated energy or sustainability staff members, but participants must be willing to dedicate approximately 4 hours per month to cohort activities.  

Eligible Entities 

• Local governments (cities, towns, villages, counties, etc.) 
• Regional organizations (councils of government, etc.) 
• Economic development organizations 
• Tribes, including state-recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations
• Community-based organizations that are working in partnership with a specific local government, regional government, or Tribe

Applicants must be located in Appalachia. 

Download the Appalachia application questions and submit your application by Oct. 31.