February 2026 Newsletter
ODOE Grants Support Renewable and Resilience Energy Development
The Oregon Department of Energy has selected 24 recipients to receive nearly $12 million in Community Renewable Energy Grant Program funds. The program supports planning and construction of renewable energy or energy resilience projects for Tribes, public bodies, and consumer-owned utilities.
ODOE received 76 applications requesting over $46 million to support projects for this fourth round of grant funding. Awards were chosen on a competitive basis with the help of a grant application evaluation committee, which included community-based organizations, renewable energy advocates, industry leaders, and technical experts from across the state. Committee members considered project feasibility and strength, equity considerations, cost savings, economic development, and other features to select the 24 awarded projects.
The Salem Housing Authority has been awarded about $295,000 to construct a net-metered solar system that will offset energy costs for 114 apartments for seniors at two low-income housing locations. Pinehurst School District’s $219,500 award will support installation of a 19-kW solar photovoltaic array, along with 71.5 kWh of energy storage to mitigate routine power interruptions at Pinehurst Elementary School. The school serves as an emergency resilience hub for a remote community in the mountains east of Ashland. The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians has been awarded a $100,000 planning grant for a Tribal-wide renewable solar plus storage resilience project at the Three Rivers Health Center. A $63,811 grant award to Oakridge School District will support planning for solar and energy storage, including a potential solar and biomass combined heat and power system at three area schools and a Parent Resource Center.
ODOE was also pleased to see program participants that received previous planning grants return to request construction funds to put those plans into action. The Curry Public Library District was awarded a planning grant in 2024, and will now receive nearly $1 million to install three ground-mounted solar canopies paired with energy storage. In addition to producing energy savings, the library will serve as a community emergency center during potential outages or other emergencies. The City of Cascade Locks also received a planning grant in 2024, and is now awarded nearly $778,000 to install rooftop solar and paired battery storage that will support Cascade Locks Fire Station operations during outages and emergencies. In total, ODOE’s program is supporting eight planning and 16 construction projects – see a complete list of awardees on ODOE's blog.
The Community Renewable Energy Grant Program was created by the Oregon Legislature in 2021 to support projects outside Portland city limits. ODOE also announced grant awardees in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
ODOE Awards Incentives for Early Action on Building Performance Standards
The Oregon Department of Energy has selected 50 recipients to receive about $834,000 in Early Compliance Action and Planning Program incentives. The incentives will help building owners offset costs of early planning activities associated with Building Performance Standard compliance, such as energy benchmarking and reporting or conducting an energy audit.
ODOE received 81 applications requesting a total of about $1.5 million for Tier 1 and Tier 2 buildings. The 50 awardees were chosen on a competitive basis with priority given to buildings with the highest Energy Use Intensity, buildings located in a rural area, and multifamily affordable housing, among other building types. Awardees include state, county, and city governments; healthcare organizations; multifamily residential buildings; retail and office space; schools; utilities; and others. A complete list of awardees is available on ODOE's blog.
The awarded incentives will support up to four compliance actions: energy benchmarking and reporting, energy management plans and operations and maintenance programs, energy audits, and achieving compliance. ODOE will finalize incentive agreements with awardees, which will outline their responsibilities for receiving the funds.
In 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 3409, establishing the Building Performance Standard for commercial buildings. The bill requires covered commercial buildings to enhance energy management practices and implement efficiency measures to meet energy use targets; the earliest compliance date for some buildings is 2028. The bill directed ODOE to establish an early compliance incentive program to encourage building owners to consider implementing energy efficiency efforts ahead of compliance dates. ODOE expects to open a second round of Early Compliance Action and Planning Program incentives later this year.
ODOE Accepting Applications for New Building Performance Standard Incentive Program
Following the Early Compliance Action and Planning Program mentioned above, the Oregon Department of Energy is now accepting applications for a second Building Performance Standard-related incentive, the Building Energy Reduction Incentive Program. This early compliance incentive program encourages building owners to meet Oregon BPS compliance requirements ahead of schedule.
ODOE was awarded $12 million in federal funding for incentives as part of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action program. Incentives help building owners offset the cost of energy efficiency measures, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help lower energy costs.
Oregon’s Building Performance Standard sorts eligible buildings into Tier 1 and Tier 2 buildings. The Building Energy Reduction Incentive program’s first round of funding will offer approximately $4 million in incentives for Tier 1 buildings, approximately $1.5 million for Tier 2 buildings, and approximately $450,000 in incentives for Tribal buildings.
Incentives must be used for energy efficiency measures, such as heating, ventilation, and cooling or lighting, that reduce the energy use intensity and greenhouse gas emissions of buildings. The maximum incentive per building is $50,000 for Tier 2 buildings and $100,000 for Tier 1 buildings. Learn more and access application materials on ODOE’s website.
ODOE Welcomes Public Comments on Two Executive Order 25-29 Efforts
The Oregon Energy Strategy recognizes there is a need for the state to facilitate energy infrastructure enhancement and expansion while avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating negative impacts on energy burden, natural and working lands, Tribal cultural resources, and communities.
Governor Kotek’s Executive Order 25-29 directs the Oregon Department of Energy to submit two reports by September 1, 2026 that focus on electricity infrastructure and barriers to clean energy deployment.
ODOE is now accepting written public comments online through 5 p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2026 to support both reports, and will be holding two listening sessions on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 1-2 p.m. and at 5-6 p.m. to receive oral comments.
ODOE is interested in hearing from those who have worked to develop large-scale energy facilities in Oregon, people engaged in the development process, or anyone who has ideas how to improve Oregon’s processes.
More information on each report, meeting log-in information, and other materials are available on ODOE’s Oregon Energy Strategy website. After the first round of public comments, ODOE will review comments and prepare a draft report to share for a second round of public comments. Oregonians can sign up to receive future updates by email.
2025 By the Numbers
Each year, ODOE likes to look back at some of our specific programs by the numbers, including our incentive programs.
Our new 2025 By the Numbers shows an exciting year of serving Tribes, homeowners, renters, businesses, and other organizations. Heat pumps had a big year, with about $2.4 million in rebates and grants for 701 projects through our Oregon Rental Home Heat Pump Program, more than 1,300 rebates worth $2,000 each issued through the Heat Pump Purchase Program, and 324 heat pumps installed through the Community Heat Pump Deployment Program with $1.7 million in rebates and 150 upgrades totaling $300,000. Our Grid Resilience Grant Program awarded $9.95 million for selected projects, including five at electric cooperatives, one at a People’s Utility District, and one at an investor-owned utility. ODOE was also proud to support six organizations that support energy workforce development across the state with a total of $2 million in grants.
See more of our 2025 By the Numbers online, and learn more about our available incentive programs on ODOE's website.
Getting Grounded Podcast: Geothermal
Deep underground is a heat source that fuels hot springs, volcanoes, and potentially an increasing amount of Oregon’s energy and electricity needs.
On this episode of Getting Grounded, our energy fundamentals series of mini episodes, host Katelyn Jackson is joined by Rob Del Mar, ODOE senior policy analyst to discuss geothermal.
The Oregon Energy Strategy identified geothermal as a cost-effective emerging resource for electricity. Previously, locating a source of hot water under the earth was required. Now, with emerging technology studied at places like the Newberry Volcano, surface water can be pumped down to hot rock to generate electricity. The new technology removes the challenge of locating an underground hot water source to start a geothermal project.
Listen on our blog or your favorite podcast app.
Reports from Around the Agency
Join our team! We are currently recruiting for a Chief Information Officer/IT Manager. Learn more on our website and please share with your networks.
At the beginning of February, ODOE Director Janine Benner attended a National Association of State Energy Officials board meeting and Energy Policy Outlook Conference in Washington, DC. Janine appreciated the opportunity to connect with other state energy officials, including moderating a panel on energy trends and state policy priorities, presenting on a panel about quantifying and prioritizing energy efficiency, and participating in a briefing for Congressional staff.
ODOE was proud to sponsor the 2026 Oregon State University Small Farms Conference on February 21. ODOE staff were on hand to discuss how the agency can support small farms, such as the Oregon Rural and Agricultural Energy Assistance Program.
On February 4, ODOE Codes and Standards Analyst Madeline O'Dwyer and Building Performance Standards Program Analyst Andrew Johnson joined the City of Gresham to discuss ODOE's BPS program and incentives with local business owners.
On February 24, staff from across the agency gathered in ODOE's Agency Operations Center for an annual nuclear emergency exercise. Each year, ODOE practices how we would respond in the event of an emergency at the Columbia Generating Station nuclear power plant in Washington, just 35 miles from Oregon's border. This month's exercise was a dress rehearsal for a second exercise in March that will be graded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Did you know ODOE's Energy Facility Siting Team is currently reviewing more than a dozen proposed or amended energy facilities? From wind to solar facilities – to combined wind, solar, and storage facilities – you can learn more about the state's process and how to get involved on our website. You can also sign up to receive a monthly facility siting update showing the latest and greatest.
Oregonians can search for available renewable energy and energy efficiency incentive programs through ODOE’s Energy Hub for Incentive Programs and Projects in Oregon (Energy HIPPO!). Plug your address into the online calculator along with a few other basic pieces of information, and the tool will show the various programs you may be eligible for. The Energy HIPPO also provides other helpful resources for homeowners, renters, and contractors.
LOOKING AHEAD
Executive Order 25-29 Reports Listening Sessions | March 3, 2026 | Via Webinar
Oregon Climate Action Commission | March 13, 2026 | Via Webinar
Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board | March 17, 2026 | Via Webinar
Energy Facility Siting Council | March 19-20, 2026 | Boardman and Via Webinar
Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge | March 12, 2026 | ODOE Sponsoring + Keynote
Current Rulemakings (click to see details)
Other Stakeholder Groups (click to see details)
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