2024 Sustainability Grants

100% zero carbon by 2030When SMUD developed our 2030 Zero Carbon Plan in 2021, we promised to take bold steps forward to decarbonize our power supply, while maintaining our world-class reliability and affordable rates, which continue to be some of the lowest in California.

We also knew that hundreds of millions of dollars were available nationally because of the federal focus on prioritizing decarbonization.

From the beginning of developing the 2030 Clean Energy Vision and the Zero Carbon Plan, we opened our doors to a variety of partnerships. These include the local Sacramento community, government, other utilities, public and private sector companies, agencies, foundations and others to explore potential funding sources. We developed a grant strategy to secure funding to tackle carbon reductions in a way that uses more than our customers’ money to get to our goals. Part of this includes working to align regional priorities and bring investments into the region to establish Sacramento as the place where climate-friendly businesses want to be.

By pursuing grants, we're seeking not just funding, but also opportunities to unlock innovation. These grants allow SMUD to explore new solutions, pilot groundbreaking technologies – like carbon capture and sequestration – and push the boundaries of what's possible in the utility industry and beyond.

In 2024, we implemented the grant strategy that was created to align our 2030 Zero Carbon Plan with known funding opportunities to offset costs and accelerate planned projects. We’ve delivered significant progress, securing the following grant opportunities for $29 million:

  • $25.5M awarded for the California Energy Reliability and Resiliency Investment program (CERRI) to replace 350,000-400,000 circuit feet of underground cabling and 148 network protectors.
  • $750k planning grant awarded in partnership with the Sacramento City Unified School District to perform needed Design and Engineering for school-based microgrid development at Hiram Johnson High School.
  • $588K Catalyst Fund planning grant for regional utility workforce training curriculum development from Valley Vision.
  • $2 million from a Sacramento Metro Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) grant for EV charging equipment installation.

We also executed contracts in 2024 for the following grants:

  • $50 million from the Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Deployment’s Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships program (GRIP) for SMUD’s Connected Clean PowerCity® application.
  • $2.9 million from the CEC through its FAST Grant to enable modernization of DC Fast chargers at the Airport and Amtrak, along with supporting SMUD’s development of a charging app to enable a common payment platform and potentially offer things like subscription rates.
  • $5 million from the REACH 2.0 CEC grant to install 400 charging handles in multifamily housing and adjacent properties in underserved communities.