Fighting climate change is a collective effort, and the federal government is chipping in.

In mid-September, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the award of grant funding and technical assistance to six community teams across the country for novel clean energy solutions.

The teams are composed of local governments, electric utilities and community-based groups that are working closely with experts from the DOE national laboratories to research, model and deploy clean energy systems.

According to the DOE, the awarded systems are “reliable, affordable, equitable, and reflective of local priorities.”

In total, the DOE awards are valued at $25 million. That includes $8 million in funding and $17 million in technical assistance for the six projects. The support is provided through the DOE’s Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) partnerships program.

The awarded projects include a collaboration of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Commonwealth Edison and Respiratory Health Association to help reach net-zero transportation emissions by 2050.

In Colorado, the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Utilities, Energy Resource Center, the Housing & Building Association of Colorado Springs and Careers in Construction Colorado will receive support for work on aggregating power across complex energy systems, including virtual power plants, solar, grid-connected buildings, electric vehicles and other distributed energy resources.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is working with the Philadelphia Electric Co., Bucks County Opportunity Council, Community Action Agency of Delaware County and Community Action Development Commission of Montgomery County to identify clean energy solutions and create a Regional Clean Energy Activation Hub that will help procure technologies across more than 200 municipalities.

Funding was also awarded to a collaboration of the Hawaii State Energy Office, Hawaiian Electric, Hoʻahu Energy Cooperative Molokai, Moloka‘i Clean Energy Hui and Shake Energy Collaborative, which is working to develop and validate a portfolio of renewable energy generation projects.

In Pennsylvania, the City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning, Duquesne Light Co. and the Green Building Alliance were awarded funding to support their deployment of “Smart Electric Energy Districts,” which are comprised of “smart” energy infrastructure, including rooftop solar, appliances, buildings, energy storage and EV chargers that are integrated to help balance the grid.

Finally, in Sitka, Alaska, the City and Borough of Sitka, City and Borough of Sitka Electric Department, Renewable Energy Alaska Project and Mt. Edgecumbe High School are working to optimize existing hydropower generation as well as planned solar, wind and storage projects.