• Resilient Power Technical Assistance Fund

    Providing Technical Support to Build Local Resilience

Clean Energy Group’s Resilient Power Technical Assistance Fund (TAF) fills a critical resource gap by equipping community-serving organizations with the information they need to advance a resilient solar and battery storage project toward the next stage in development. The TAF provides dedicated one-on-one support to help organizations gain a better understanding of solar+storage and its benefits, along with targeted funding to engage technical expertise to produce a solar+storage feasibility assessment for a proposed project. Clean Energy Group serves as an advisor throughout the process to ensure that each organization’s questions are answered and their unique energy resilience, economic, and community goals are prioritized.

Geographic Focus:

  • Funded projects may be located anywhere in the United States including Washington D.C. and U.S. territories
  • Projects must directly serve low-income populations and/or BIPOC communities. CEG is committed to awarding 50% of TAF support to advance the work of BIPOC-led organizations
  • Projects will be selected based on their importance in providing critical services to low-income populations, BIPOC communities, and other marginalized groups such as those located at assisted living, supportive housing, and emergency shelters
  • There may also be limited situations that warrant exceptions to these guidelines

Project Focus:

  • Supported projects typically include solar and battery storage, though these may be paired with other clean resilient power technologies such as fuel cells, combined heat and power (CHP), and energy efficiency measures
  • Projects involve clean, onsite generation that can support critical loads independent of the utility grid by islanding during a power outage
  • Projects not serving as sources of reliable backup power may be considered if they deliver clear economic benefits to low-income residents or to community facilities providing an essential public service

TAF Awards Can Cover:

  • Third-party technical services needed to determine the technical and financial feasibility of a specific resilient power project (i.e., feasibility studies and technical advice)
  • Pre-development costs associated with resilient power projects, where appropriate

Grant Amount:

  • A typical grant from the TAF is $8,500
  • In limited situations, if a project involves multiple facilities or other complexities, additional funding up to $15,000 may be available

Application Process and Timeline:

  •  Parties interested in requesting a TAF award should fill out this form, which requires some of the following information:
    • Name of the property, development, or project
    • Name(s) of primary contact, organization, email, and telephone
    • Size and type of community benefiting from the potential project
    • Name(s) of property owner and occupant/host
    • Name(s) of solar developer and energy storage developer (if known at this time).
    • Preliminary description of potential critical loads to be covered by implementing the project (if applicable).
    • Estimated size of the distributed generation and energy storage systems.
    • Description of key people who will manage the project.
    • Any available additional information that would help CEG understand the project.
  • Once an application is submitted, CEG staff will review the application and contact the applicant with any additional questions
  • In all cases, the decisions to approve project proposals for the TAF and determine the terms of the grant agreements will be made exclusively by CEG staff, with approval of CEG’s CFO

TAF Agreement Terms:

  • CEG will establish terms of the grant agreement with recipients on issues concerning the scope of funded work and the use of and reporting requirements for the funds expended under the grant

When is the best time to apply for a TAF award?

The TAF accepts applications on a rolling basis, so there is no deadline on when to apply.

Do I have to find my own third-party solar+storage technical services provider?

The TAF can be used to fund a technical feasibility assessment from any trusted technical services providers. If you are unsure or do not know who to work with, CEG has long-term partnerships and can refer you to a provider.

How far along in the project development process do I need to be before applying?

The TAF covers pre-development feasibility analysis, which will help with decisions to be made regarding what types of resilient power systems to install on a particular site. We recommend you apply prior to having made those decisions. Both new construction and existing facilities are eligible.

Can I request multiple TAF awards?

There is not a limit to the number of applications you can submit. However, CEG rarely funds two separate projects from the same organization at the same time. If you are having difficulty deciding where to pursue resilient power among multiple properties, we are happy to provide a preliminary analysis to assist in project prioritization.

Can TAF awards cover the purchase of resilient power systems?

Unfortunately, at this time we cannot provide grants to cover the purchase of resilient power systems.

WHO WE SERVE

The TAF supports organizations that provide essential services to low-income and under-served communities, environmental justice communities, and communities of color so that they can develop resilient power solutions for critical community service providers in the event of a power outage. Clean Energy Group works with community centers, emergency shelters, cooling centers, affordable housing, food pantries, fire departments, and health clinics to provide information and guidance. Working with dozens of local and regional organizations, including municipalities, affordable housing providers, institutions of faith, community-based organizations, and nonprofit service providers, CEG is committed to awarding 50 percent of TAF funds annually to support the resilient power efforts of BIPOC-led organizations.

OUR PARTNERS

PROJECT IMPACT 

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“Jubilee Housing expresses its gratitude to Clean Energy Group for their grant, which not only allowed the organizations to create a first of its kind Resiliency Center at the Maycroft Apartments, but most importantly is channeling the benefits of solar+storage to low-income housing residents – who most severely feel the impact of energy outages.”

“Developing such resiliency solutions is at the forefront of the nation’s affordable housing and renewable energy dialogues, and should be a model for others. Clean Energy Group was a key partner in developing and implementing this important proof-of-concept project.”

“With our Technical Assistance Fund grant, our small grassroots non-profit was able to hire a local consultant to work with us on finding a low-budget solar+storage system for our small food hub in a rural community highly impacted by Hurricane María. “

“Clean Energy Group helped complete feasibility studies for two solar-plus-battery storage projects and continues to be a key partner as we move towards implementation. These projects will bring resilient power solutions to critical facilities in the Providence communities that need them most and we are grateful to have CEG’s support and expertise.”

“In serving our local tribal community, it is critical that we implement strategies that provide environmental and cultural resource protection and emergency response during wildfires and power outages. The grant facilitated support from local government officials and partnership organizations for the museum to become a designated resilience hub and generated capital funding from multiple federal and private sources.”

“From our first meeting, the CEG team has been supportive and provided guidance and resources to see us through the completion of a feasibility study to where we are now, on the brink of the actual solar PV installation. In addition, CEG has given us the opportunity to learn from and share our experience with others embarking on the solar+storage journey. We are fortunate to be in partnership with Clean Energy Group.”

MEET OUR TEAM 

Marriele Mango
Project Director
marriele@cleanegroup.org

Abbe Ramanan
Project Director
abbe@cleanegroup.org

Anna Adamsson
Project Associate
anna@cleanegroup.org

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