The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship (CEIF) program funds recent graduates and energy professionals to support critical energy organizations in advancing clean energy solutions that will help decarbonize the power system, electrify transportation and industry, and make the U.S. power system more resilient, equitable and inclusive. The goal of the program is to increase access to clean energy career opportunities across the country and accelerate the national energy transition. CEIF is funded by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Grid Deployment Office and Office of Indian Energy Policy & Programs, and administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).
The program recruits candidates from diverse backgrounds to spend up to two years with eligible Host Institutions, which may include electric cooperatives, grid operators, municipal utilities, public utility commissions, state energy offices and Tribal entities. Innovator Fellows receive a stipend to support their participation in the CEIF program and an allowance for education and professional development opportunities.
The application for Host Institutions closed on March 12, 2024. The application for Fellows is now open and closes on May 3, 2024, at 11:59 PM ET (dates are subject to change). Visit the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education's CEIF webpage to review Host Institution projects and submit your application.
If you have questions about the application, please contact DOE-RPP@orise.orau.gov.
If you have questions about the CEIF program, please contact CEIF@ee.doe.gov.
Since 2017, DOE has placed fellows with 59 hosts across 36 states and territories to help them implement clean energy solutions.
On Oct. 12, 2023, DOE announced the critical energy institutions that are hosting a 2023 Class fellow, with the option to renew for a second year.
2023 Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship Class
Host Institution | Category | State | Project Focus |
---|---|---|---|
Trico Electric Cooperative, Inc. | Cooperative Utility | Arizona | Support design of a comprehensive program to integrate EVs, smart home devices, smart grid devices, and distributed energy resources into Trico’s system and practices |
San Carlos Apache Tribe | Tribal Entity | Arizona | San Carlos Apache energy sovereignty, Tribal utility, and renewable energy projects |
Blue Lake Rancheria | Tribal Entity | California | Advancing Blue Lake Rancheria's energy resiliency efforts through Tribal and community engagement |
Longmont Power & Communications | Municipal Utility | Colorado | Data and systems integration for distributed energy resources and grid optimization |
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. | Cooperative Utility | Colorado | Optimizing supply and demand side resources to maximize the value of the cooperative energy ecosystem |
Colorado Public Utilities Commission | Regulatory Commission | Colorado | Help the grid sparkle with distributed energy resources |
Illinois Commerce Commission | Regulatory Commission | Illinois | Enhancing resource adequacy through grid modernization |
Louisiana Public Service Commission | Regulatory Commission | Louisiana | Advancing an equitable and resilient clean energy future for Louisiana |
Maryland Public Service Commission | Regulatory Commission | Maryland | Energy storage program development and deployment of other distributed energy resources |
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities |
Regulatory Commission | Massachusetts | Alternatives for integrating distributed generation in a modernizing grid |
Great Lakes Energy | Cooperative Utility | Michigan | Electric vehicle adoption & infrastructure impact for Great Lakes Energy |
Lansing Board of Water & Light |
Municipal Utility | Michigan | Creating customer-focused energy programs |
Michigan Public Service Commission PSC, Project 1 | Regulatory Commission | Michigan | Incentivizing resilience through distributed energy resource expansion |
Michigan Public Service Commission PSC, Project 2 | Regulatory Commission | Michigan | Resiliency metrics, valuation, and application to undergrounding backlot electrical lines |
Migizi EDC/Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan | Tribal Entity | Michigan | Recommendations on feasibility and optimization of innovative microgrid design |
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission | Regulatory Commission | Minnesota | Advancing grid resiliency and interconnection requirements |
Blackfeet Community College | Tribal Entity | Montana | Developing grid resilience metrics |
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities | Regulatory Commission | New Jersey | Analyzing and aligning regional energy market reforms with New Jersey’s local distribution and clean energy goals |
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission | Regulatory Commission | New Mexico | Developing policies and incentives to enable essential grid services on the distribution system |
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio | Regulatory Commission | Ohio | Advancing equity, environmental and energy justice priorities through grid resilience program funding |
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians |
Tribal Entity | Oregon | Maximizing the chances of Tribal success on the path towards energy sovereignty |
Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, Project 1 | Cooperative Utility | Puerto Rico | Microgrid of the Mountain |
Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, Project 2 | Cooperative Utility | Puerto Rico | Community energy resilience through photovoltaics |
LUMA Energy | Utility | Puerto Rico | Quantification of the impact of grid-forming inverters on island grid stability |
Public Service Commission of South Carolina | Regulatory Commission | South Carolina | Costs, benefits, and effective implementation of utility hosting capacity maps |
Austin Energy | Municipal Utility | Texas | Community benefit measures, equity planning, and stakeholder engagement for grid resilience |
Virgin Islands Public Services Commission | Regulatory Commission | U.S. Virgin Islands | Analyze and address existing advanced metering infrastructure systems and interoperability |
District of Columbia Public Service Commission | Regulatory Commission | Washington, D.C. | Grid integration of distributed energy resources in the District of Columbia |
Public Service Commission of Wisconsin | Regulatory Commission | Wisconsin | Analysis and modeling for Wisconsin’s roadmap to zero carbon |