Melanie Turner, Sacramento Business Journal

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District has been awarded $4 million in federal grant funding to expand Sacramento's use of solar energy, and the California Community Colleges Board of Governors has won a $3.5 million grant for job-training in the solar industry.

Rep. Doris Matsui announced the awards on Friday, saying they will bolster Sacramento-based solar energy research and educational programs. The awards come through the U.S. Department of Energy.

SMUD will use the funding to continue its pilot program researching solar energy use in homes. SMUD aims to determine how well energy storage systems can support the utility's peak hours, between 4 and 7 p.m., when the output from photovoltaic systems tends to drop off.

The $3.5 million grant for the California Community Colleges Board of Governors will go toward the administration of a California Solar Training Partnership. The partnership includes local community colleges, the California Energy Commission, the Labor Management Cooperative Committee and the California Center for Sustainable Energy.

The grant is in addition to $2 million the Los Rios Community College District received earlier this year for work force training.