For Immediate Release

September 13, 2023

Contact: Emilia.Rowland@mail.house.gov

Congresswoman Lee Announces DEO Selected Pittsburgh As One of Six Community Teams in a $25M Effort to Develop Tailored Decarbonization Strategies and Clean Energy Solutions

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced up to $25 million through the Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) partnerships program to help Pittsburgh & 5 other community teams develop tailored decarbonization strategies and clean energy solutions. Local governments, electric utilities, and community-based groups working closely with experts from DOE’s national laboratories will utilize $8 million in award funding and up to $17 million in technical assistance to research, model, and deploy clean energy systems that are reliable, affordable, equitable, and reflective of local priorities.

Congresswoman Lee said, “Being selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Energy to Communities program is a significant win for Pittsburgh—a city that has grappled with some of the worst air quality in the nation. By focusing on clean energy, we’re creating a new standard of living. A standard where families can breathe freely without worrying about pollutants and where every resident has access to clean, safe water. Let this be the legacy we leave for our children and future generations to come. Clean energy, clean air, and clean water aren’t just environmental buzzwords—they are basic human rights that impact the health and well-being of our communities. This initiative is a big step in the fight for our future.”

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring the benefits of our clean energy future reach every American—whether they’re in urban centers or America’s rural heartland,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “By connecting communities with innovative tools and know-how from our world-renowned national laboratories, DOE is laying the foundation for the partnerships needed to help transform local clean energy goals and ambitions into reality.” 

C2C offers in-depth technical partnerships which provide collaborations with national lab experts to help communities make informed decisions about their own energy needs and address key challenges across the renewable energy, mobility, grid, and buildings sectors, lowering risks to clean energy deployment.   

Selected community teams and projects include:   

• Pittsburgh, PA: The City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning, Duquesne Light Company, and the Green Building Alliance plan to deploy Smart Electric Energy Districts as part of a comprehensive approach to achieving a clean and affordable electricity system. These districts are comprised of ‘smart’ energy infrastructure, such as rooftop solar, appliances, buildings, energy storage, and EV chargers, and can work together to meet both grid and community needs throughout the city and surrounding areas.

• Chicago, IL: The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Commonwealth Edison, and Respiratory Health Association aim to refine tools and analyses to help reach net-zero transportation emissions by 2050. These improved tools will help the region better understand opportunities and challenges from implementing low-carbon transportation technologies, including passenger and freight travel electrification and energy efficient mobility options, while also assessing cross-sectoral interactions with the grid.
  
• Colorado Springs, CO: The City of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Utilities, Energy Resource Center, the Housing & Building Association of Colorado Springs, and Careers in Construction Colorado seek to validate concepts that aggregate power across complex energy systems, including virtual power plants. This will support the deployment of large amounts of solar, grid-connected buildings, electric vehicles (EVs), and other distributed resources.  

• Delaware Valley, PA and NJ: The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Philadelphia Electric Company, Bucks County Opportunity Council, Community Action Agency of Delaware County, and the Community Action Development Commission of Montgomery County aim to identify the most impactful clean energy solutions for the Delaware Valley region, and create a Regional Clean Energy Activation Hub that will help facilitate and streamline procurement for identified technologies across its 200+ municipalities. ​
  
• Moloka‘i, HI: The Hawaiʻi State Energy Office, Hawaiian Electric, Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai, Moloka‘i Clean Energy Hui, and Shake Energy Collaborative aims to develop and validate a portfolio of renewable energy generation projects that meets 100% of Molokaʻi’s electricity needs while supporting community values.
  

• Sitka, AK: The City and Borough of Sitka, City and Borough of Sitka Electric Department, Renewable Energy Alaska Project, and Mt. Edgecumbe High School aim to optimize their existing hydropower generation as well as planned solar, wind, and storage projects. They will also explore the potential to use clean energy to produce ammonia, which could be exported and help lower energy costs and emissions for local families and businesses.