Frequently Asked Questions

If I have a question or comment related to this program or application process, how do I submit a comment or question? 

Please submit questions or comments to the program’s email address ES4SE@pnnl.gov or phone number 509-372-4487.  

Am I eligible? 

This Program has four eligibility criteria: 

  1. Technical assistance will provide benefits to a disadvantaged community

  1. Disadvantaged community experiences problems or challenges with their energy system that can be addressed or partially mitigated through electric service delivery and/or energy storage  

  1. Applicant must have the capacity to support the technical assistance process  

  1. Applicant must have credibility to support the disadvantaged community 

Who can apply?

Types of organizations eligible to apply include, but are not limited to:

  • Community development organizations
  • Economic development organization
  • Non-profits
  • Non-governmental organizations
  • Administrative departments (e.g. School districts, water districts, sewer districts)
  • Municipalities/counties/cities/towns
  • Commercial entities
  • Tribal or indigenous organizations and departments
  • Utilities and electric co-ops

Can an organization apply for more than one community? 

Organizations may apply in support of more than one community, so long as the applications are separate and the organization can demonstrate a meaningful role with each community.  

Are there any geographic limitations?

The program is open to applicants from all U.S. States and Territories.

What energy storage technologies will be evaluated?

The Department of Energy defines energy storage as a broad range of technologies in several categories: electrochemical, electromechanical, thermal, flexible generation, flexible buildings, and power electronics. ES4SE technical assistance is centered on the energy challenges communities face. Analysis in the program is not pre-engineered to a particular technology. Program administrators are focused on mature commercialization readiness level technologies to ensure outcomes for disadvantaged communities.

What if I missed the December 3, 2021 deadline? Can I still submit my application? 

To ensure fairness to all applicants, ES4SE will not accept late applications. 

How will my application be evaluated? 

Eligible applicants will be evaluated based on four selection criteria: 

  1. Impact potential of energy storage to contribute to community objectives 

  1. Unique value of laboratory analysis (limited funding, need for scoping work, potential public benefit, etc.) 

  1. Strength of team described in the application to support the technical assistance process, develop a cohort with other participants, and support the community 

  1. Likelihood of technical feasibility to enable implementation of solution identified in technical assistance. Note: this program does not include implementation/demonstration/deployment 

When will I be notified if my application was selected or not? 

Applicants will be notified by February 2022 of selection or non-selection. Notifications will be sent via email to the email address used to apply. For selected communities, the email will contain instructions on next steps.   

How much money can my community expect to receive from the technical assistance program?  

Communities will not be receiving direct financial assistance through this opportunity. Selected communities will be receiving non-financial support through the National Laboratories.

What are the different topic areas that this technical assistance covers?  

The scope of technical assistance will be tailored to each participant’s needs. However, Technical Assistance may include, but is not limited to, the following: 

  • Energy analysis

  • Economic analysis 

  • Spatial analysis 

  • Grant/funding application assistance 

What is the expected duration of the project period?  

Technical assistance duration may last until December 2022. The specific timeline of technical assistance will be decided with each participant.  

DOE recently released the Communities LEAP Program. How does ES4SE relate to the Communities LEAP Program? 

  • The Communities LEAP Pilot focuses on communities facing direct economic impacts from a shift away from historical reliance on fossil fuels, while ES4SE is open to all disadvantaged communities.  

  • For the ES4SE Initiative, the technical assistance is integrated with a pathway to deployment, whereas Communities LEAP is a broad TA program.  

  • Communities LEAP requires communities to be confident of the desire to pursue a clean energy transition and clean energy economic development, while ES4SE Initiative will work with communities to explore their needs and potential solutions.  

  • The ES4SE Initiative is focused on energy storage, but will work with communities to identify other solutions and pursue opportunities. 

Do you need energy expertise to participate in ES4SE?

No - selected technical assistance participants will work with National Laboratories to understand their energy system and the potential role energy storage can play. There is no expectation for applicants to know this in advance, this is the purpose of the technical assistance program!

If applicants already have a strong understanding of their energy storage solution needs, they may be suitable candidate for acceleration to phase 2 project demonstration and deployment. However, applicants must still submit a technical assistance application. If selected, we will work with participants to determine appropriate timelines and scopes of work based on existing efforts.