The Dept. of Energy is circulating a new list of energy project grant cancelations just a week after it announced plans to cancel 300+ grants in only the states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. The new list, obtained by E&E News, includes projects in red states too. The 600+ projects on the list include the previously announced terminations.
A number of solar-related initiatives could be impacted by these cuts. One $1.5 million grant on the list awarded to Amicus O&M Cooperative was helping the company create a comprehensive solar O&M training and certification program with a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) focus. The grant money flowing in the first year allowed Amicus and its partners to create the first level of a planned four-tier program, which was published this summer on solar + storage training website HeatSpring. But money stopped flowing at the end of January, after President Donald Trump signed executive orders to end any government funding related to DEI initiatives.
Amicus also later showed up on a list of projects to cut from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“The pause has been the far more significant impact than the threats of cancelation, because it actually stopped the money flowing,” Amanda Bybee, CEO of Amicus O&M, told Solar Power World.
After the executive orders, Amicus instructed its subcontractors helping to create the program to stop working for fear of lack of funding. Since then, the group has been seeking funds from other sources to continue building out a standard O&M training program for the industry.
“I’m really disappointed to lose access to this funding because obviously they’re making these decisions in broad sweeps. They’re not evaluating each project on its merit. I think that training the technicians who are taking care of the assets that are already on the ground is pretty apolitical in the end,” Bybee said. “The goal of our grant work is to increase the professionalism and safety of solar and BESS O&M services. This is a benefit to the industry and our energy system as a whole. We would like to continue this work and would welcome an opportunity to discuss it further with the DOE.”
Bybee told Solar Power World that Amicus has yet to receive a formal notice of the latest cancellation threat, but the group is considering appealing it if it shows up.
“We signed a contract with the Dept. of Energy to deliver on what we submitted and to deliver the work plan. I am just unclear on what the legal basis is for these cancelations, because we’ve kept our end of the bargain,” she said. “We did everything that we were supposed to do. We were slamming on all of our deliverables and work plan. What’s the value of a contract when the other party can arbitrarily set it down?”
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