Kicking off the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Tour and on National Manufacturing Day, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $5.2 million from the Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) Implementation Grants program for 41 small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) across the country to implement improvements at facilities that will save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. DOE also reopened the program for new applications, ensuring SMMs can continue to apply for grants throughout the next year. Funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the IAC Implementation Grants program provides up to $300,000 per manufacturer to implement recommendations made by DOE and other qualified energy assessments. Today’s announcements reinforce the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to revitalize American manufacturing, create good-paying jobs in communities across the nation, and meet the President’s ambitious goal of a net-zero economy by 2050.
“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is ensuring our manufacturing sector continues to create good jobs and power our economy, particularly by providing small- and medium-sized firms the resources they need to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs and emissions,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “By helping manufacturing facilities implement cost-effective decarbonization solutions, today’s announcement reinforces DOE’s efforts to strengthen American manufacturing competitiveness for generations to come while tackling the climate crisis.”
Industrial decarbonization presents a vital opportunity to transform industrial systems to improve energy and environmental justice. President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is providing unprecedented tools-such as DOE’s IAC program-to support decarbonization solutions critical to transforming the nation’s industrial sector and optimizing energy management systems. The grants announced today will help SMMs, which comprise more than 90% of the nation’s manufacturing base, leverage federal support and local expertise to identify cost-effective opportunities to improve energy efficiency, increase competitiveness, and reduce emissions.
The first round of 41 implementation grants will receive $5.2 million in grant funding that will be matched by $11.7 million from recipients. The grants support a wide variety of projects, including onsite solar, geothermal heat pump, and biomass boilers installations, improvements for lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, electrifying industrial equipment and fleets, and more. Sixteen projects are in underserved communities, underscoring President Biden’s commitment to ensure every community benefits from the transition to a clean energy future.