Annabelle Swift and Allie Judge | December 2022
‘Tis the season to celebrate! CEBN is excited to close out the year with “12 Days of Clean Energy” celebrating major accomplishments for the industry and our network for each month in 2022. Come back to this page every day to see a new highlight, or follow us on Twitter!
CEBN kicked off the new year with an event on Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize! 107 people registered for this Stakeholder Town Hall. Part of the American-Made Challenges program, the Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize received a record number of submissions from teams working to build an inclusive and diverse clean energy ecosystem. Later in the year, CEBN enjoyed meeting the winning teams and will be working with them on Phase 2 into 2023! Meet the IEIP winners and contact CEBN with ideas for partnership!
On Valentine’s Day, CEBN partnered with Third Way to celebrate our love of innovation with an overview of U.S. Department of Energy programs supporting clean energy. Panelists across DOE offices addressed both longstanding initiatives as well as new programs established under the BIL. This was our largest event of the year, with 779 registrants. Watch the recording to find out how you can plug into these programs!
This spring, CEBN convened a series of advocacy meetings bringing 43 business leaders from across the country together with 45 Congressional offices to discuss clean energy and climate policies. These virtual meetings brought the small business voice to the table on key policy discussions around the reconciliation bill, SBIR reauthorization, Chips and Science Act, and DOE funding levels. Thank you to all the businesses who participated in our fourth annual series of advocacy meetings!
With federal agencies putting out new notices each week on programs from the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CEBN launched a new blog series, Breaking Down the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to help businesses navigate and understand the new opportunities. Since the series launched, we’ve covered EV funding, grid resilience and modernization, the new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, and the Weatherization Assistance Program. Catch up on the series here!
CEBN celebrated its 5th Birthday with a look back at a track record of growth! Since spinning out of The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2017 to become the small business arm of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, CEBN has doubled its network to more than 7,000 small clean energy business leaders. Thank you to our members for making the past 5 years such a success, and here’s to the next 5 years of pushing clean energy forward together! Watch our video celebrating CEBN’s accomplishments since our launch.
During the summer, we convened a comprehensive workshop on federal energy programs attracting 450+ registrants. This 2-for-1 event had a panel of federal energy programs and a virtual network expo of entrepreneur-support organizations. Panelists covered programs at the Department of Energy, FEMA, Department of Agriculture, and state-based technical assistance centers. See our “Insights into Federal Programs” blog series for more information on these programs.
For the third consecutive year, CEBN released the State of Clean Energy, an interactive series of infographics that capture state-level trends in clean energy deployment, jobs, power sector emissions, and federal funding. This project explores the cleantech economy in all 50 states and DC, featuring case studies as well as information from previous years. How does your state stack up?
In August, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which contains nearly $370 billion in funding for climate and clean energy, passed both chambers of Congress and was signed into law by President Biden. CEBN spent more than a year advocating for passage of IRA provisions. Our sign-on letter supporting the legislation received 938 signatures from businesses, organizations, and individuals. Following the passage of this historic law, CEBN also made it easy for business leaders to send thank you notes to their legislators. Get the latest CEBN policy memo to learn about this legislation.
CEBN celebrated National Clean Energy Week in September with an innovation showcase attracting the interest of 378 individuals that enabled attendees to network with 38 small businesses. The same week, CEBN hosted the 2021 Mária Telkes Fellows in Washington, DC for meeting with two Senate Committees, the Department of Energy, and the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. CEBN and our partners at Cleantech Leaders Roundtable then announced the 2022 cohort of Fellows. Meet CEBN’s newest Telkes Fellows!
The SBIR and STTR Extension Act prevented a lapse on October 1st of the critical Small Business Innovation Research program, which boasts a 40-year history of commercializing cutting-edge research. CEBN spearheaded a campaign supported by 340 small business leaders and other stakeholders to ensure the program continues to support entrepreneurs. Since being reauthorized, the Department of Energy has released a new round of SBIR and STTR funding. Sign up for SBIR updates here.
CEBN worked to recruit and support applicants for the Community Clean Energy Coalition Prize, which funds coalitions that are addressing environmental inequities and energy challenges among disadvantaged communities. Since 2022, CEBN has served as a Power Connector with the American-Made program, helping small businesses and community-based organizations apply for prizes and grants through the Department of Energy. See a list of current American-Made Challenges.
This year was momentous for clean energy, both in Washington and around the country! It was also a year of growth for CEBN members and for our organization. Learn more about CEBN’s engagement and impact on clean energy policy, industry, and opportunities for small businesses. View our Annual Report.
