Community Innovation Grant Winners
Jul 2, 2019
EBCE awarded its first round of Community Innovation Grants in June, giving out $240,000 to six local non-profit and community-based organizations. The winning groups proposed projects designed to deliver energy-related social and environmental benefits to residents of Alameda County.
Altogether EBCE received twenty-six applications and chose six local groups to get awards. Because the applications were so strong, EBCE funded two more — and $80,000 more — than originally intended. Applications were scored based on community benefits, innovation and collaboration, scalability, feasibility, local impacts, and other criteria.
The winners, approved by the EBCE board at the June 19 board meeting, were:
In the West Oakland Renewable Power project, WOEIP will work with the Port of Oakland to deploy a large scale community solar project that will deliver profits from energy sales to income qualified residents. This will demonstrate a model for partnership between local communities and commercial property owners/developers.
In their “Innovation in Electric Vehicle Charging for Affordable, DAC and Market Rate Multi-Unit Dwellings” project, Ecology Action will design a scalable multi-unit dwelling EV charging program delivery model for low- and moderate-income residents within EBCE. This is a proof of concept initiative that will result in a fully-tested and vetted program design that will be ready to be implemented by EBCE within one year.
Rising Sun will use their “Climate Careers: Launching Green Jobs and Delivering Community Energy Savings” workforce training program to hire 26 Alameda County youth from low-income households or other disadvantaging circumstances to conduct no-cost Green House Calls in up to 950 hard-to-reach Alameda County households.
People Power Solar Cooperative will organize its second community-owned solar project to provide a critical model for community investment and ownership of renewable energy in California and other states that lack shared solar laws.
The 10-month Community Energy Conservation Initiative will empower and educate Alameda County families and businesses to tackle climate change through energy conservation and literacy. The project includes two conservation challenges to reduce usage, a Clean Energy Mini-Conference and Business/Career Fair, a three-part workshop series, and an online educational campaign.
Using a unique community empowerment model, RE-volv will bring solar installations to at least four East Bay nonprofits that serve underserved communities while raising awareness about the benefits of clean energy, and creating dramatic electricity bill savings to benefit the community.
