The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it will allocate more than $7.3 million from the Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) Implementation Grants program for 37 separate small-and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) across the U.S. to make energy efficient improvements that will save energy, reduce pollution, and strengthen the domestic manufacturing sector.
The IAC program is currently accepting applications and SMMs can still apply for grants throughout the next year.
A part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains Office (MESC), the IAC Implementation Grants program provides up to $300,000 per manufacturer per funding round to implement recommendations made by DOE and other qualified energy assessments.
The projects are expected to offset around 17,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which is equivalent to approximately 70 small businesses’ annual emissions.
The announcement reinforces the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to invest in American manufacturing, bolster the workforce, make progress on energy and environmental justice through the Justice40 initiative, and act as another step closer to meeting the country’s ambitious goal of a net-zero economy by 2050.
“The clean energy transition presents a world of new opportunities for the American workforce,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, in a statement. “The Biden-Harris Administration is training the next generation of workers to enable small-and-medium sized manufacturers to increase their energy efficiency all while lowering costs and reducing emissions.”
For application instructions, visit Energywerx.org.
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