Washington State University's Tri-Cities team developed the Clean Energy Ambassadors Network, which aims to empower the future energy workforce by engaging and retaining students, particularly Hispanic/Latinx students. They are working to empower communities to take control of a clean energy future by installing rooftop solar and storage systems, starting with businesses and community service centers.Įmpowering the Future Energy Workforce, Richland, Washington Under the leadership of the Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, this team is working to accelerate microgrid deployment in rural and low-resourced communities. The Clean Energy Academy team expanded its workforce training program for disadvantaged communities, which serves as an on-ramp for professionals looking to enter or transition into the clean energy workforce and provides an upskilling opportunity for existing workers.ĭata Miners of the Mountain, Utuado, Puerto Rico "It's wonderful for NREL to be able to support such important community-led initiatives."Īt the end of the event, these six teams took home the Grand Prize:Ĭreative Collaborations Build Thriving Communities, New York, New York "It's amazing to be in the room with all of these teams who are so passionate and dedicated to their causes," said Julie Baker, NREL's deputy laboratory director and chief operating officer, who helped kick off the final winner announcement. Teams came from as far away as Alaska and Puerto Rico and from many states in between. The six Grand Prize winning teams of the Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize split a $1.5 million prize pool. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, the finalist teams showcased their yearlong efforts to advance equitable and just clean energy ecosystems within their communities. During the two-day Presenting Impact Through Communities at Home (PITCH) event, held at the U.S. Those strategies took center stage during the prize's finale event on June 13 and 14, where six Grand Prize winners were awarded $250,000 each. Their strategies have been as diverse as the communities they are aiming to serve. They have been supporting solar startups in marginalized regions, balancing clean energy development with traditional principles of land stewardship in rural areas, and developing an acceleration support ecosystem for climate solution innovators from Black and underrepresented communities.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |