The Department of Energy has indicated an intent to award $4.5M in total funds to train professionals who support the integration of distributed energy resources into community resiliency planning and emergency response efforts.
DOE said Monday it will support projects aimed at developing, testing and distributing educational materials for targeted professional groups through its funding program called Educational Materials for Professional Organizations Working on Efficiency and Renewable Energy Developments.
“Through this training program, DOE can help these professionals easily understand and manage distributed energy systems so that they can focus on keeping America safe,” said Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
The department will accept EMPOWERED concept papers through May 5 and expects to award $1M to $2.5M to as many as four projects.
DOE noted that not all professionals working on solar energy and storage systems, electric vehicles and modern building technology platforms have access to access to new training and informational resources.
The department pegged the annual market growth rate for smart and connected devices distributed energy at 20 percent, while the Energy Information Administration projected that electric vehicles will account for 7.5 percent of new light vehicle sales by 2025.