Inflation Reduction Act Home Energy Rebates
- The Home Energy Rebate programs, Home Efficiency Rebates (HOMES) and the Home Electrification Appliance Rebates (HEAR) provide rebates to households for energy-saving improvements and other efficient equipment.
- At this time, Wisconsin’s Home Energy Rebate program is operational, and rebate payments are currently being processed as they are received. Wisconsin is continuing to monitor developments at the federal level and will share any updates as they are proved by the U.S. Department of Energy.
- The Multifamily portions of both HOMES and HEAR are now available.
- To learn more about the Home Energy Rebate programs, how to apply, and the requirements, visit the link below.
Focus on Energy
Focus to Hold Stakeholder Advisory Group Meetings in June
- Focus on Energy will hold a Virtual Residential Stakeholder Advisory Group meeting on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 2 pm
- This meeting is for organizations that are providing resources and/or services to communities that are rural, asset limited, low-income, and/or income constrained.
- This event will help organizations that would like to learn more about state resources to save energy for the communities they serve as well as improve the accessibility of the Focus on Energy program for these residents.
- At this meeting, attendees can expect a 30-minute overview to learn more about energy-saving programs, incentives, and resources to save energy.
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Following each presentation there will be a one-hour listening session where Focus on Energy will present known barriers to participation and invite participant feedback on how to remove barriers and make the program more accessible.
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Focus on Energy will hold a Virtual Small Business Stakeholder Advisory Group meeting on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at 10:30 am CT.
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At this meeting, attendees can expect a 30-minute overview to learn more about small business energy-saving programs, incentives, and resources to save energy.
- This meeting is for small business owners or staff, as well as stakeholders that represent small business, such as Chambers of Commerce, business associations, etc.
- To learn more about the meetings, please follow the links below.
$2,500 Capital Planning Incentive for Large Industrial Customers
- Large industrial customers can get $2,500 for including their Focus Energy Advisor in their capital planning process.
- Focus Energy Advisors can identify how energy efficiency projects could fit into the company’s capital plans and the financial resources available from Focus on Energy to help with those projects.
- To learn more about this opportunity, please follow the link below.
Funding Opportunities
Community Energy Innovation Prize Round 2
- The American-Made Community Energy Innovation Prize Round 2 is a multimillion-dollar prize competition designed to support energy innovation, entrepreneurship, capacity building, and economic development in communities working toward affordable, reliable, and secure energy resources.
- The prize is jointly sponsored by three offices within the U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE): the Integrated Strategies Office (ISO), the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Office (AMMTO), and the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO).
- The Community Energy Innovation Prize is made up of three tracks: the Clean Energy Ecosystem Track, the Manufacturing Ecosystem Track, and the Vehicles Ecosystem Track, each of which has distinct goals and submission requirements over three phases: CONCEPT ($100,000), PROGRESS ($100,000), and IMPACT ($10,000). Up to $500,000 will be distributed among Grand Prize winners.
- In addition to prize awards, winning competitors in all three tracks will receive in-kind mentorship through Power Connectors and other support services, valued at approximately $400,000 across all competitors.
- Applications for the Concept Phase are due Friday, June 20, 2025, at 4 pm
- To learn more about the prize, eligibility requirements, and the application process, please follow the links below.
Great Lakes Innovation Accelerator
- The gener8tor Great Lakes Innovation Accelerator helps founders working on innovative water technology build lasting companies that drive economic growth and technological advancement in the Great Lakes region.
- Gener8tor’s Great Lakes Innovation offers small cohort sizes, an intense focus on growth, one-on-one introductions to hundreds of experts, mentors, corporate partners and investors, $100k in non-dilutive funding, and a concentrated and passionate focus on your startup.
- This accelerator is made possible through the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supporting American small business innovation and regional economic growth.
- The Great Lakes Innovation Accelerator is open to any startups working on innovative water technology, building lasting companies that drive economic growth, and technological advancement in the Great Lakes region.
- Applications for the Great Lakes Innovation Accelerator are due Sunday, June 29, 2025.
- To learn more about the Great Lakes Innovation Accelerator, please follow the link below.
Learning Opportunities
Wisconsin Public Service Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Summit
- Join Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) and Slipstream at a half-day summit designed to help commercial and industrial stakeholders and trade allies stay ahead in energy efficiency and sustainability.
- Interactive workshops will be led by local and regional energy experts and will explore cutting-edge technologies and strategies designed to help optimize a facility’s energy performance.
- The summit is on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, and will be held at Lambeau Field, 6th Floor Indoor Club and Loft.
- To learn more about the summit and to see the agenda, please follow the link below.
Weather Resilience Workshop for Utilities
- U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), Argonne National Laboratory, and EPRI will host a Midwest Regional Weather Resilience Workshop for Electric Utilities on July 22.
- This interactive workshop is designed to support cooperative, municipal, and tribal utilities’ weather resilience planning efforts. Utilities attending the regionally focused workshop will gain exposure to the topic of Science and Vulnerabilities, Weather Resilience Action and Strategies, and engage with industry leaders and experts about how to successfully apply weather data to drive change within their organization.
- For more information, reach out to RCRWorkshops@anl.gov.
Energy News and Research
Four Wisconsin Teams Advance to World KidWind Challenge
- On March 1, eight teams of elementary, middle and high school students from Wisconsin earned a spot to compete in the World KidWind Challenge by winning their division at the Wisconsin KidWind Challenge.
- The Wisconsin KidWind Challenge saw 28 teams of 115 students from Wisconsin and northern Illinois compete.
- Teams built model wind turbines, faced instant engineering challenges and tests designed to test teamwork, problem solving, and knowledge of clean energy.
- The Division winners were:
- Driftless Dynamos (Stoddard, WI), elementary solar
- Sugar Maple Wildfire (Saukville, WI.), middle school solar
- Sugar Maple Wind Whisperers (Saukville, WI), elementary wind
- Darlington TEHK (Darlington, WI), middle school wind
- Mauston SIGMA (Mauston, WI), high school wind
- To read more about the Wisconsin KidWind Challenge, please follow the link below.
Scientists Make Carbon-Negative Material for Concrete and Cement
- Engineering scientists at Northwestern University used seawater, electricity, and carbon dioxide (CO2) to develop a new carbon-negative building material. Their strategy locks away CO2 and turns it into a valuable material used in manufacturing concrete, cement, plaster, and paint, locking away the CO2 in the product or structure. This process also releases hydrogen gas, a possible clean fuel.
- To read more about the process and discovery, please follow the Northwestern Engineering school link below.
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