Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (Office of Indian Energy) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to release a $50 million Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) this spring to support clean energy technology deployment on tribal lands. Awards from this planned FOA are anticipated to range from $100,000 to $2.5 million or from $250,000 to $5 million, depending on the Area of Interest. 

“We hope this investment will provide aid to American Indian and Alaska Native communities to address high energy costs and unreliable electricity, as well as bring power to unelectrified homes,” said Wahleah Johns, Director of the Office of Indian Energy. “The $50 million that will soon be available is intended to support the transition to a clean energy future and energy sovereignty.”

Through this planned FOA, the Office of Indian Energy intends to solicit applications from Indian Tribes, which include Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Village Corporations, Intertribal Organizations, and Tribal Energy Development Organizations, to:

1. Install clean energy generating system(s) and/or energy efficiency measure(s) for tribal building(s); or,
2. Deploy community-scale clean energy generating system(s) or energy storage on tribal lands; or, 
3. Install integrated energy system(s) for autonomous operation (independent of the traditional centralized electric power grid) to power a single or multiple essential tribal buildings during emergency situations or for tribal community resilience; or,
4. Power unelectrified tribal buildings. 

In partnership with Native communities, the Office of Indian Energy will continue to build on its efforts to accelerate the deployment of energy infrastructure on tribal lands through this planned FOA. Between 2010 and 2022, the DOE’s Office of Indian Energy has invested over $120 million in more than 210 tribal energy projects across the contiguous 48 states and Alaska. These projects, valued at more than $215 million, are leveraged by over $93 million in recipient cost share. Please see the DOE Office of Indian Energy’s Tribal Energy Projects Database for a map and summaries of these competitively funded projects.

Download the NOI for Clean Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands – 2023 (DE-FOA-0002974).

Find more information about past funding opportunities and learn more on the DOE Office of Indian Energy website.

Original source can be found here.