DOE details $2.5 million CAP solicitation for rural and remote microgrids, sets July 2 proposal deadline

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Community Microgrid Assistance Partnership (CAP) solicitation will offer $2.5 million in direct project funding and $1 million in technical assistance, program managers said during a CAP webinar. Ian Baringold of the National Lab of the Rockies, who manages the CAP effort from the Colorado office, and Annie Corgan of the National Lab of the Rockies’ Alaska campus laid out the RFP structure and key deadlines.

The solicitation invites proposals that advance microgrid affordability, reliability, resilience and power quality in rural, remote and islanded communities. "CAP is really the community-focused element of that work," said Ian Baringold, describing the program’s aim to help communities and industries develop affordable, reliable, secure energy services. The webinar identified three CAP offerings: the Community Microgrid Innovation Exchange (CMIX) resource library, on-demand Microgrid Support Services, and the direct funding opportunity that is the subject of the RFP.

Why this matters: DOE officials said CAP is designed not just to fund one-off prototypes but to produce measurable, replicable results and learning that can be shared through CMIX. The program funds engineering, design, analysis, commissioning and related labor—while limiting DOE purchases of equipment so awardees retain ownership after the project.

Funding, deadlines and award structure
DOE will accept proposals through July 2, 2026. The solicitation makes $2.5 million available for awards and reserves $1 million to provide technical assistance to awardees. Individual project awards are expected to range from $200,000 to $575,000 with periods of performance up to 24 months, depending on topic area. Baringold said awards will be announced in the fall, "we're shooting for September–October." He emphasized that selected recipients will be subcontractors to the National Lab of the Rockies under deliverables-based, firm‑fixed‑price subcontracts, and that payments will follow approved deliverables.

Who can apply and topic areas
For topic areas 1–4, prime offerors must be U.S.-based entities (examples cited: nonprofits, energy cooperatives, state and local governments, and federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages). Topic area 5 is restricted to U.S. businesses with SAM registrations.

The RFP identifies five topic areas:
- Regional microgrid coordination (multi‑community workforce, operations and O&M protocols);
- Integration with large-load energy consumers (microgrid utilities working with industrial or manufacturing facilities);
- Microgrid development (detailed design for new or major retrofits);
- Microgrid transformation (operational control, data acquisition and major system overhauls);
- Microgrid assessments for industrial or other large-load energy consumers.

Eligibility details and limitations
Annie Corgan said topics 1–4 must serve communities with populations of 10,000 or fewer (based on Census Bureau numbers) and the solicitation applies to U.S. states only; U.S. territories are not eligible under this RFP. The solicitation targets areas with high energy costs and expects applicants to provide metrics on current and future energy costs, availability, and power quality to justify eligibility.

Allowable costs and equipment
Speakers repeatedly emphasized that DOE funds in this solicitation may not be used to purchase durable equipment or software licenses that have a useful life longer than the award term. "If DOE purchases the equipment ... the department of energy owns that equipment," one presenter said, and applicants were advised to propose equipment procurement as applicant-funded cost share if ownership after the project is required. CAP funds can cover design, installation, commissioning and labor associated with implementation.

Proposal structure and evaluation
Proposals must respond to the statement of work templates provided for each topic area and include a deliverable schedule (attachment four is a sample). The evaluation will score proposals on four qualitative merit criteria: project context and readiness; technical approach and development plan; impact and replication potential; and teaming and expertise. Weights vary by topic area to reflect different priorities (for example, regional coordination places heavier weight on teaming).

Technical assistance and post-award support
The program pairs financial awards with technical assistance coordinated through NLR and partner organizations (examples cited: Alaska Center for Energy and Power, Island Institute, Renewable Energy Alaska Project). Technical assistance can be requested in a proposal or later in project execution to address scope uncertainties or technical barriers.

Next steps
Webinar presenters said the session recording and a written Q&A will be posted on the CAP website and that outstanding questions will be rolled into a solicitation amendment on SAM.gov. Officials pointed attendees to the CAP landing page and the RFP attachments for full details and templates.

The CAP solicitation is intended to support engineering, planning and implementation-focused work that produces measurable local benefits while creating resources for replication elsewhere. The guidance issued in the webinar underscores the emphasis on deliverables, measurable metrics and long-term community ownership of equipment.