Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations Workshop (Rural and Remote Areas)

Dear NCTCOG Members,

The staff at NCTCOG would like to make you aware of the below virtual workshop for rural and remote communities from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). Please direct any questions you may have about this workshop to the staff at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The upcoming energy improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) workshop is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). In this video, the OCED Principal Deputy Director Kelly Cummins recording does a great job of explaining the role of the office and this workshop.

The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $1 billion to improve energy systems in rural or remote areas of the country with fewer than 10,000 people, and OCED is seeking input as it shapes this new ERA program in preparation for a future funding opportunity announcement.

There is an upcoming ERA Workshop that stakeholders may be interested in (list below):

Virtual workshop is set for November 1-2, 2022: Register here

The DOE is interested in hearing about how demonstration projects will improve the resilience, safety, reliability, availability, and environmental performance of rural and remote energy systems throughout the country. The workshop is an opportunity to hear from people like you about energy challenges you are facing and the types of projects that can improve your energy systems.

The workshop will:

Provide a detailed overview of the ERA program to interested stakeholders
Collect feedback from stakeholders on drivers, challenges, and potential impacts of demonstrations
Offer a forum for stakeholder networking in preparation for the funding opportunity announcement

The staff contact for this workshop will be: Emmalee Benson (Emmalee.Benson@nrel.gov) with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)