MI2 One of the Recipients of the US DOE Community Energy Innovation Prize

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The U.S. Department of Energy recently revealed the inaugural batch of winners for the American-Made Community Energy Innovation Prize. Among the cohort of winners in the Manufacturing Ecosystem track is the Metals Innovation Initiative.

According to the Tiffany Plate with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which will be administering the prize, the Community Energy Innovation Prize is designed to support capacity building, innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development related to clean energy and climate for disadvantaged communities, in accordance with the Justice40 Initiative.

CONCEPT phase prizes were awarded to organizations/teams with a demonstrated history of community work who are connecting with an underserved community to collaboratively make plans to develop a project that promotes environmental, climate, and energy justice.

MI2 worked with our strategic partner AccelerateKY on the application, which includes concept funding for MI2’s planning for increasing clean energy supply for the metals industry, our efforts to support the feasibility of increasing metals recycling feedstock for the industry within the region, and our pilot efforts with AccelerateKY to bring manufacturing industry jobs that can be done from “not that far away” from the main plant facility to satellite offices in traditional coalfield economic areas in Eastern and Western Kentucky.

MI2's selection as a recipient of this prize underscores our focus on solving industry challenges while finding solutions to economic and workforce development challenges that improve the lives of Kentuckians and test novel solutions to challenges for metals companies in the region. We are honored to be recognized for our contributions to innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development.

As we celebrate this recognition, we’re rolling up our sleeves to work on the next steps. Currently, we’re working with AccelerateKY to make progress in our pilot communities in Floyd County and Pike County in Eastern Kentucky, and in Muhlenberg County and Ohio County in Western Kentucky. Further, this month, MI2 has officially released RFPs to find partners to help lead the way in developing our plans for solutions that increase the mix of clean energy supply for the Kentucky metals industry and for increasing metals recycling feedstock in Kentucky.

We extend our gratitude to the U.S. Department of Energy and NREL for their support and are honored to be included alongside some other great organizations who are part of this Community Energy Innovation Prize initiative.