Weekly Jolt ⚡️ Essential News for Clean Energy Champions

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August 23, 023

Funding Updates

DOE Announces Up to $4.7 Million for Manufacturing Cybersecurity Innovation

DOE, in collaboration with the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute, is requesting proposals to enhance cybersecurity within American manufacturing. Up to $4.7 million will be available for projects within three critical Industry Use Cases: Industrial Control Systems, Secure Industrial Digitalization, and Industrial Additive Manufacturing.

DOE Renews Critical Materials Institute to Secure America’s Clean Energy Technology Supply Chains

EERE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office will renew funding for the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), with a potential $30 million per year over five years. CMI will further its mission to accelerate innovative scientific and technological solutions to develop resilient and secure supply chains for materials critical to the manufacturing of clean energy technologies.

DOE Extends Commitment to Enhanced Semiconductors through PowerAmerica Institute Renewal

DOE’s first Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute, PowerAmerica, will continue its work of advancing domestic manufacturing of next-generation wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors. EERE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office announced the institute will receive an initial $8 million, with potential funding across four more years to follow. WBG semiconductors are used in a range of applications to aid economy-wide decarbonization and electrification. 

Buildings and Industry

Announcing Dr. Avi Shultz as IEDO Director

Welcome Dr. Avi Shultz, the new director of EERE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO). Dr. Shultz will lead a team of 80 clean energy champions and spearhead IEDO’s mission to accelerate the innovation and adoption of cost-effective technologies that eliminate industrial greenhouse gas emissions.

Renewable Energy

Database Helps Quantify Materials Needed to Support Growth in Wind Energy

DOE released a first-of-its-kind database that catalogs materials used to build wind turbines and solar panels. The Renewable Energy Materials Properties Database includes information about the availability, country of origin, physical properties, and significant uses of materials that make up wind and solar facilities.

First Cohort Announced in the INTERN Program to Support Growth of the Geothermal Energy Workforce

A group of 14 students will work with geothermal companies, national laboratories, or state agencies on projects that advance geothermal technologies. A collaboration between DOE and the National Science Foundation (NSF) will support this first group of geothermal interns under the NSF Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) Program.

Make a Splash Contest Open, Seeking High-Impact Photos and Videos

EERE’s Water Power Technologies Office recently opened its Make a Splash contest. Applicants should submit their best photos and videos demonstrating water power technologies, research and development activities, and infrastructure, as well as the people and communities contributing to or benefitting from water power. The total prize pool of $31,500 will be distributed to the top contenders in six photography and three video categories. 

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Clean Energy

STEM education is the foundation of the clean energy workforce. With the clean energy transition underway, there are opportunities for students at every age and grade level to get involved in addressing the climate crisis and becoming clean energy champions.

Join us this September for a weekly webinar series highlighting EERE careers in renewable energy, sustainable transportation and fuels, buildings and industry, and business operations. Each session features EERE leaders and employees who will share their career journeys and explain why it is the most exciting time to be part of the clean energy revolution at DOE. Hear from hiring managers about the duties and skills required for positions and how you can apply to be a clean energy champion.

Events and Webinars 

The Path Forward: Customized Clean Energy Solutions for Communities 

August 24 | 1 p.m. ET 

Hear from local leaders from Unincorporated Norcross, Georgia about how the Expert Match Program helped their community envision a path forward for building modernization and future clean energy developments.  

Good Jobs and Workforce Development in Milwaukee, WI

August 29–30

Join DOE in Milwaukee, WI, for a clean energy jobs and workforce accelerator workshop. We are seeking stakeholder input on how to fill the gaps in economic and workforce development efforts to ensure that investments in clean energy result in high-quality, accessible careers.  

Investing In Opportunity: How EERE’s Geothermal Technologies Office Is Supporting Geothermal Everywhere

August 30 | 4 p.m. ET

Join Lauren Boyd, director of EERE’s Geothermal Technologies Office, for a discussion about the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ target and how the U.S. geothermal industry is growing, in the next installment of Full Steam Ahead Webcast Series.

Solar Photovoltaics: Procuring High-Quality and Federally Compliant Modules (Training)

Sept. 6 | 1 p.m. ET

The Federal Energy Management Agency provides on-demand training to foster and maintain a high-performance workforce. This session will cover topics such as how a solar PV module produces electricity from sunlight, important factors in selecting and procuring a solar PV module, and the advantages and disadvantages of the most common solar module technologies in use today.

Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute

September 6 | 4 p.m. ET

Join leadership from the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute for a discussion about a DOE request for proposal with up to $4.7 million to enhance the cybersecurity landscape within U.S. manufacturing. 

Celebrating One Year of the IRA and What's Next for the Solar Industry

September 7 | 2:30 p.m. ET

Join EERE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office to discuss how the Inflation Reduction Act has impacted domestic solar manufacturing and encouraged equitable solar energy deployment since it was passed last year—and where DOE sees the industry heading next.

Bioenergy 101: Introducing Educators to National Laboratory Bioenergy Research Case Studies

Sept. 14 | 3 p.m. ET

Kick off the new school year with cutting-edge bioenergy resources that help students explore clean energy careers and build critical thinking skills. Join EERE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office for a professional development webinar to learn how the Bioenergy Research and Education Bridge Program, a case study-based bioenergy education curriculum, can be incorporated into the classroom.

Good Jobs and Workforce Development in Atlanta, GA

September 21–22

Join DOE in Atlanta, GA, for a clean energy jobs and workforce accelerator workshop. We are seeking stakeholder input on how to fill the gaps in economic and workforce development efforts to ensure that investments in clean energy result in high-quality, accessible careers.