Community Scale Clean Energy Projects in Indian Country | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Community Scale Clean Energy Projects in Indian Country (DE-FOA-0000852)

What is this grant opportunity?

This was a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) discretionary grant opportunity, offered through DOE's Golden Field Office, titled "Community Scale Clean Energy Projects in Indian Country" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0000852). It was designed to support installation of clean energy systems on Indian lands.

What was the main purpose of the funding?

The main goal was to help tribes and tribal communities reduce energy costs and strengthen local energy security by deploying practical, on-the-ground clean energy projects that directly serve tribal buildings and community facilities.

What kinds of projects were DOE trying to fund?

The program focused on community-scale clean energy installations located on Indian lands, especially projects that provide electricity and/or heating and cooling for local use at tribal buildings and community facilities.

How did the FOA define "clean energy" for this program?

"Clean energy" was defined broadly. It included renewable energy systems as well as combined heat and power (CHP) systems, with an emphasis on systems that supply on-site energy services (electricity and/or heating and cooling) for local consumption.

Where were funded projects expected to be located?

Projects funded under this opportunity were meant to be located on Indian lands.

Were projects intended for commercial export of energy?

The description emphasizes direct community benefit by serving tribal buildings and facilities, rather than being purely commercial export projects.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants included federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations (non-governmental tribal entities).

Did DOE encourage any specific tribal entities or partnership structures?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly targeted participation by Indian Tribes, Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations, and Tribal Consortia, indicating DOE intended to accommodate different tribal governance structures and collaboration models.

What funding category and program listing was associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity was listed in the energy funding category and associated with CFDA 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development).

How many awards did DOE expect to make, and what was the total funding amount?

DOE anticipated making about 20 awards with an estimated total funding amount of $4.5 million.

What was the expected award size range?

Individual awards were expected to range from $50,000 (minimum) to $1,500,000 (maximum), allowing both smaller facility-scale projects and larger community-scale installations to compete.

Was there a cost share or matching requirement?

The summary data indicated "CostSharingOrMatchingRequirement: No." However, the FOA amendment specifically discussed cost share reduction requests, which implies applicants were expected to follow the FOA's detailed cost share rules and any applicable reduction provisions described in the full announcement.

What did the amendment clarify about cost share reduction requests?

The amendment clarified DOE's evaluation approach for requests to reduce cost share under Part III, Section C (Cost Share Reduction Request). DOE stated that an applicant's financial need is the most important factor in deciding whether to grant a reduction.

How important were economic and environmental benefits in a cost share reduction request?

DOE clarified that financial need outweighs other considerations such as economic benefits or environmental benefits when deciding whether to grant a cost share reduction.

What happens if an applicant does not convincingly demonstrate financial need for a cost share reduction?

DOE stated that if an applicant does not convincingly demonstrate financial need, DOE will not consider other factors, and the request to reduce the cost share will be denied.

Did the amendment change anything else in the FOA?

DOE stated that, aside from the clarification about cost share reduction evaluation, all other parts of the FOA remained unchanged.

How could applicants identify what changed in Amendments 001, 002, and 003?

DOE noted that changes made in Amendments 001, 002, and 003 were highlighted in yellow in the full FOA to make revisions easy to identify.

How were applications submitted?

Applications had to be submitted electronically through DOE's EERE eXCHANGE portal at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.

Was registration required before submitting an application?

Yes. Applicants were required to register and create an account in EERE eXCHANGE before submission.

Where could applicants find instructions on how to use EERE eXCHANGE?

DOE referenced the EERE eXCHANGE user guide (available within the system) for application mechanics, and indicated that the full FOA hosted on the portal contained instructions for content-related and technical submission questions.

What were the key dates for this funding opportunity?

The posted date was April 30, 2013. The closing date was June 27, 2013 (shown as both the original and current closing date). The archive date was June 28, 2013.

Is this funding opportunity still open?

No. Based on the listed closing and archive dates (June 27, 2013 closing; June 28, 2013 archived), the competition was time-limited and is now closed.

Who was the contact for access issues with the full announcement?

For access issues with the full announcement, the listed contact was Shannon Dennison at 720-356-1315 and shannon.dennison@go.doe.gov.