DECD0000076
Cooperative Agreement
Overview
Grant Description
This project plans to create a consortium of rural electric cooperatives and deploy microgrids (including solar PV, battery storage systems, and distribution upgrades) across seven rural communities in California, North Carolina, Minnesota, Arizona, Tennessee, and Montana.
This national microgrid deployment effort aims to demonstrate region-specific energy systems that improve energy access, enhance energy resilience, and increase capacity for renewable energy deployments at a community level.
Establishing a consortium of rural utilities could enable communities to collectively pursue federal funding, addressing capacity constraints and financial barriers.
The cooperatives seek to devise methodologies and implementation strategies tailored to their local community, sharing best practices with the broader membership of almost 900 utility cooperatives during annual meetings.
As part of its community benefits plan, more than 70% of consortium members have a collective bargaining agreement in place to deliver economic and workforce development to their local communities.
Specifically, these projects anticipate creating an estimated 85 full-time temporary jobs.
This national microgrid deployment effort aims to demonstrate region-specific energy systems that improve energy access, enhance energy resilience, and increase capacity for renewable energy deployments at a community level.
Establishing a consortium of rural utilities could enable communities to collectively pursue federal funding, addressing capacity constraints and financial barriers.
The cooperatives seek to devise methodologies and implementation strategies tailored to their local community, sharing best practices with the broader membership of almost 900 utility cooperatives during annual meetings.
As part of its community benefits plan, more than 70% of consortium members have a collective bargaining agreement in place to deliver economic and workforce development to their local communities.
Specifically, these projects anticipate creating an estimated 85 full-time temporary jobs.
Awardee
Funding Goals
MICROGRIDS FOR COMMUNITY AFFORDABILITY, RESILIENCE, AND ENERGY DECARBONIZATION (CARED)
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Multi-State
United States
Geographic Scope
Multi-State
Related Opportunity
Analysis Notes
Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 166% from $21,816,341 to $57,957,022.
Nreca Research was awarded
National Rural Microgrid Consortium: Enhancing Energy Access Resilience
Cooperative Agreement DECD0000076
worth $45,278,922
from the Department of Energy in October 2024 with work to be completed primarily in Multi-State United States.
The grant
has a duration of 5 years and
was awarded through assistance program 81.255 Clean Energy Demonstrations.
$12,678,100 (22.0%) of this Cooperative Agreement was funded by non-federal sources.
The Cooperative Agreement was awarded through grant opportunity Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Energy Improvement in Rural or Remote Areas Funding Opportunity Announcement.
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 7/22/25
Period of Performance
10/1/24
Start Date
9/30/29
End Date
Funding Split
$45.3M
Federal Obligation
$12.7M
Non-Federal Obligation
$58.0M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Subgrant Awards
Disclosed subgrants for DECD0000076
Transaction History
Modifications to DECD0000076
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
DECD0000076
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
Nonprofit With 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other Than An Institution Of Higher Education)
Awarding Office
892436 OFFICE OF CLEAN ENERGY DEMONSTRATIONS (OCED)
Funding Office
892410 OFFICE OF CLEAN ENERGY DEMONSTRATION
Awardee UEI
WGCNKTE6CZA3
Awardee CAGE
8EQH4
Performance District
90
Modified: 7/22/25