Carbondale awarded $500K grant from Department of Energy

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KBSI) – The City of Carbondale was awarded a half million dollar grant in planning funding through the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Phase 1 Energy Future Grants Program (EFG).

The city of Carbondale, in partnership with the village of Dowell, the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), Elevate Energy, and Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) will conduct a comprehensive pre-feasibility study over the next year of what this community has been calling “The Energy Sovereignty, Security, & Democracy Proposal”, a revenue-positive and replicable rural energy system model that fosters equitable American self-sufficiency and lasting prosperity for our Nation’s recovering energy communities.

“It’s never been a question of whether renewable energy is coming to Southern Illinois. It’s already here. It’s always been a question of who benefits. This proposal ensures that local resource generation fosters local prosperity,” said Planner & Sustainability Coordinator Lauren Becker. “My thanks goes out to every community member who has provided their perspective on this proposal so far. Our team could not have won this planning grant without your insight.”