The U.S. Department of Energy has announced $425 million in funding for clean energy projects. The money for the projects will come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and be managed by the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains.
Crucially, the funding will be directed toward companies operating in current and former coal communities, in an attempt to use the clean energy transition to bring jobs back to communities that have long relied on the polluting coal industry — and have suffered as society has moved away from burning coal.
The funding will prioritize two "areas of interest": clean energy manufacturing and recycling, and industrial decarbonization. Both areas aim to reduce our national dependence on dirty energy by creating more clean energy infrastructure.
There are currently under 50,000 coal miners employed in the United States, and areas that once relied on the industry — particularly in the Appalachia region— are among the most economically depressed in the United States.
This round of funding from the DOE is the latest to bring clean energy jobs to those communities — several former coal plants are in the process of being turned into solar farms, wind farms, and battery storage facilities. And in Appalachia, a team of electricians and former coal miners have started a solar panel business.
"All across America we're seeing a manufacturing boom that is revitalizing communities while preserving and expanding the local workforce," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. "DOE is utilizing the historic investments in President Biden's Investing in America agenda to expand economic opportunities to ensure former coal communities can take full advantage of the clean energy transition and continue their leading role in powering our nation."
If you are not a former coal miner, but would still like to take advantage of government subsidies in order to help facilitate the clean energy transition, there are several ways to do that through the Inflation Reduction Act.
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