Renewable Energy Development in the Heart of Texas: RED HOT Wins $100k

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) announced 67 winners in the first phase of the $6.7 million Energizing Rural Communities Prize. This prize challenges individuals and organizations to develop partnership and financing strategies to support efforts in rural or remote communities to improve their energy systems and advance clean energy demonstration projects. Each of the 67 winners will receive $100,000, in-kind-mentorship services, and eligibility to compete in phase two of the prize to win an additional $200,000.  

The goal of China Spring, Texas, is to engage with the technical and social needs to combat energy poverty and energy literacy disparities in rural Texas. RED HOT is prioritizing trust, energy literacy, and combatting misinformation to reduce the barriers to clean energy. This work includes job creation and empowering partners to be decision makers to ensure the longevity, sustainability, and equity of community energy projects. Their partners, Solar Waco, the Heart of Texas Electric Coop, and China Spring Cares will partner with Justice and Mercy Energy Services to offer design and installation knowledge with local experience and advise on how to incorporate new energy projects into the grid to meet utility, respectively. Their goal is to bridge the gap between social and technical needs by developing a partnership that is equipped and qualified to implement change.

“These prizes are designed to accelerate community-driven energy improvement projects in rural or remote areas across the country,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Today’s announcement reflects one of the many strategies this Administration is implementing to support energy projects that make energy systems more resilient, reliable, safe, and affordable for the nearly 50 million Americans living in rural or remote areas.”

This prize is part of DOE’s $1 billion Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) Program, managed by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). The funding is available through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to demonstrate new ways to improve the resilience, reliability, and affordability of energy systems in communities across the country with 10,000 or fewer people. The ERA program reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued commitment to ensuring no communities are left behind in the historic transition to a clean energy future.

The Energizing Rural Communities Prize has two tracks: a partner track that is designed to create and strengthen the necessary networks for implementing energy projects; and a finance track to support new and innovative efforts to access capital or to develop community ownership models to finance energy projects.

The ERA Program also supports rural and remote American communities through technical assistance, grants, and cooperative agreements. Learn more about the ERA Program on the OCED website.