Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas Technical Assistance

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), NREL provides no-cost technical assistance to communities and organizations interested in energy improvements in rural or remote areas.

The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program was created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide $1 billion over 5 years to support energy projects that will improve the resilience, safety, reliability, availability, and environmental performance of energy systems in rural or remote areas with populations of not more than 10,000 inhabitants.

Learn more about the DOE ERA program and sign up for updates about future opportunities.

Apply for Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas Technical Assistance

DE-FOA-0003428: $2 Million–$50 Million Award Range

The ERA program is currently accepting concept papers for Notice of Funding Opportunity DE-FOA-0003428 Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas – Fiscal Year 2025 Release. DE-FOA-0003428 supports an anticipated federal cost share of $2 million to $50 million per project.

To be eligible to submit an application for this funding opportunity, prospective applicants must first submit a concept paper.

OCED is funding technical assistance to support the development of concept papers for this funding opportunity. NREL and other national laboratories will provide up to 8 hours of no-cost support to each prospective applicant during the concept paper phase.

Technical assistance for applicants to the OCED ERA Program is temporarily paused. If you would like to be added to the technical assistance waiting list, please email the ERA Program.

Key Dates

• Applications Open: Oct. 3, 2024
• Deadline for Concept Papers: Feb. 27, 2025, by 5 p.m. ET
• Deadline for Full Applications: Aug. 28, 2025, by 5 p.m. ET
• Anticipated Award Date: Spring 2026

To learn more about this funding opportunity, read the official press release.

Prior Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas Technical Assistance

The ERA program previously issued two funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) to award projects that increase energy affordability and promote climate resilience.

DE-FOA-0003045: $500,000–$5 Million Award Range

DE-FOA-0003045 supports an anticipated federal grant of $500,000 to $5 million per project.

This FOA application process is now closed. Additional technical assistance will be offered to awardees after selections are made.

DE-FOA-0002970: $5 Million–$100 Million Award Range

DE-FOA-0002970 supports an anticipated federal cost share of $5 million to $100 million per project.

This FOA application process is now closed. Additional technical assistance will be offered to awardees after selections are made.

Topics for Technical Assistance

Topics for technical assistance will vary based on specific project needs and requests. The following list is therefore not exhaustive but provides examples of what technical assistance may include. If you are interested in assistance that is not included in the list, you are encouraged to submit a technical assistance application, and NREL will determine if your request can be fulfilled. Example technical assistance topics include:

• Describing the technology and/or systems to be developed, construction activities, and infrastructure development
• Describing a preliminary development plan and timeline
• Detailing the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the proposed project team
• Developing the community benefits plan.

Technical assistance is available to advise applicants during the ERA FOA application process, but applicants are responsible for completing and submitting their own applications.

Contact

For questions about the technical assistance application, contact the ERA technical assistance program.