Two Deadlines are Approaching for Solar Funding

Mandatory concept papers for the Renewables Advancing Community Energy Resilience (RACER) funding opportunity are due May 26 at 5 p.m. ET.

$25 million in funding is available to enable communities to utilize solar and solar-plus-storage to prevent disruptions in power caused by extreme weather and other events, and to rapidly restore electricity if it goes down. Projects will foster engagement and ongoing communication among multiple stakeholders, increase the durability of photovoltaic (PV) technologies so they can withstand extreme weather conditions, and demonstrate technologies that enable rapid recovery after an extreme event. Diverse teams of universities, federally funded research and development centers, nonprofits, community-based organizations, utilities, state agencies, local governments, and solar developers are encouraged to apply.

Learn more about the topic areas and download the funding opportunity.

Mandatory letters of intent for the Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS) funding opportunity are due June 1 at 5 p.m. ET.

$8 million in funding is available for projects that examine how agrivoltaics—agricultural production, such as crop production, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat that exist underneath solar panels and/or in between rows of solar panels—can scale up to provide new economic opportunities to farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry. Projects that partner with farmers who are pursuing climate-smart and sustainable agriculture and are considering agrivoltaics to enhance the economic efficiency and sustainability of these farms, as well as projects that offer economic benefits to underserved communities in these farming areas, are of interest.

Learn more about the topic areas and download the funding opportunity.

DOE | energy.gov/eere