TDEC OEP is evaluating a potential statewide application in response to the EPA Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program for all-electric, class 6-7 vehicle replacement projects. TDEC OEP requests confirmation of interest from eligible organizations (municipalities, including school districts, as well as nonprofit school transportation associations) in a possible statewide application.

Additional details on the opportunity are available in a recent communication from TDEC OEP. Organizations interested in participating in a TDEC-led statewide application for funding should provide the following information via email to TDEC.OEP@tn.gov:

Please indicate your organization’s interest via e-mail to TDEC OEP no later than June 7. Following this date, TDEC OEP will evaluate the level of interest to determine whether it will compile and submit a statewide application. If TDEC OEP moves forward with a statewide application, it will work directly with organizations that have expressed interest to secure letters of cost share commitment as well as other relevant details on vehicles to be replaced for purposes of the application to EPA.

TDEC OEP is the State coordinator for the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, which promotes energy education among students, educators, and civic leaders through the design and delivery of energy education programs. NEED works with energy companies, local government agencies, and community organizations to provide balanced energy programs to the nation’s schools with a focus on professional development for teachers, curriculum design, and turnkey energy education strategies. NEED honors schools across the country through its NEED Project Youth Awards for Energy Achievement, a competition in which teachers take their energy education programs beyond the classroom and encourage students to engage in school and community outreach to share what they have learned about energy efficiency and conservation.

In May, Michie Elementary was named the NEED Project Youth Awards’ National Elementary School Runner-Up. At the state level, they were named the Tennessee Elementary School of the Year. Their project also received an award for Outstanding Workforce Education Project. Michie Elementary’s project, “Re-energize,” can be viewed here. Learn more about the NEED Project Youth Awards here.

The Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) was established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and expanded with a $10 billion investment under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.  The 48C credit is a tax credit for investments in advanced energy projects, as defined in 26 USC § 48C(c)(1). The following Tennessee organizations and corresponding projects received credits under the first round of the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) Program:

The Department of Treasury also recently released new guidance for round two of the 48C Program. Concept papers are due June 21.

Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Fund will provide funding to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Roane State Community College to support nuclear education programs. The University of Tennessee will establish a new program for non-nuclear engineers to obtain a minor in nuclear engineering at its Knoxville campus. Additional funding will support Roane State Community College in purchasing laboratory equipment for its inaugural nuclear technology program, which launches this fall.

Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) and Silicon Ranch recently announced a landmark solar agreement for a 110 MW solar project under TVA’s newly expanded Generation Flexibility Program. The planned solar farm will be the largest solar facility to serve a local power company directly in the Tennessee Valley. Silicon Ranch, on behalf of MTE, will fund, construct, own, operate, and maintain the Copeland Solar Farm in Cumberland County, which is expected to be completed in 2027 and will benefit more than 750,000 Tennesseans served by MTE across 11 counties.

Energizing Tennessee, a podcast from the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) and FirstBank, explores the latest news and insights about the advanced energy sector with experts sharing their thoughts on transportation electrification, workforce development, and the growing sector of advanced energy in Tennessee’s economy.

In episode twenty, host Cortney Piper interviews Charles Sims, Director of the Center for Energy, Transportation and Environmental Policy at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, about the Valley Pathways Study launched by TVA and the Baker School in February 2023. Piper and Sims discuss key findings from the study and how to build a competitive, clean economy in the Tennessee Valley.

All episodes are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. Click here to listen.

TVA recently released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for energy and capacity to help meet the growing demand for electricity. Proposals must be for 50 MW to 500 MW for various periods through December 2029. The RFP is for any type of generation that meets the definition of Firm Generation Resource or Firm System Commitment as defined in the RFP. Proposals should complement TVA’s existing generation resources and be delivered to the TVA service area. 

Clean Energy Supply Chains

The U.S. DOE Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) released a Request for Information (RFI) on clean energy supply chain data and analysis methods. The RFI covers a broad range of technology areas, including EVs and batteries, biofuels, hydrogen, and fuel cell technologies, and is an opportunity for industry and other stakeholders to highlight specific supply chain gaps, vulnerabilities, and/or challenges impacting various components of clean energy technologies. MESC will use the responses to create a heatmap to assess investment opportunities across clean energy supply chains. Responses are due by June 10 at 5:00 PM Eastern and can be submitted through the online portals on the MESC website or as attachments to MESCanalysis@hq.doe.gov.

U.S. DOE recently announced $180 million in funding available through the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize for schools engaging in strategic partnerships to build capacity and implement energy upgrades at K-12 schools, lowering energy use and costs and improving indoor air quality. Competitive proposals will implement energy assessments and building improvement projects across a portfolio of 10 or more school facilities, which may be composed of school facilities from one or more districts.

Awards will focus on schools that serve disadvantaged communities, including those with a high percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, and/or those which qualify as rural. Eligible improvements include HVAC and ventilation systems, building envelope and lighting projects, alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure (including electric vehicles), and renewable energy technologies.

Additional information is available on the Renew America’s Schools page and in the Fact Sheet, and a Teaming List is available on the HeroX Platform. Applications are due June 13.

Through the U.S. DOE Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) Program, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offers in-depth technical partnerships that support communities in developing secure, reliable, resilient, equitable, and affordable clean energy systems. NREL recently released a Request for Proposals to support two to four communities in developing tailored, actionable decarbonization strategies as part of the C2C In-Depth Partnerships.

Eligible teams comprising a local government, electric utility, and community-based organization can apply for a multi-year partnership with experts from U.S. DOE's national laboratories. U.S. DOE experts will help these teams better understand, model, and validate potential clean energy deployment strategies so the communities they represent can make more informed decisions. In-depth partnerships focus on key challenges that address multiple sectors, including the renewable energy, mobility, grid, and buildings sectors.

Awards include up to $500,000 in direct subcontract funding and $3.5 million worth of in-depth technical assistance from one or more national laboratories. Direct funding can be used to support staff, community engagement activities, and the purchase of clean energy infrastructure or technology.

Additional information is available on the C2C In-Depth Partnerships, Request for Proposals, and the frequently asked questions pages. Proposals are due June 14. 

The U.S. DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Vehicle Technologies Office recently announced up to $17.5 million in funding to develop cost-effective strategies for communities to sustainably manage and recover potential clean energy sources from their waste stream through the WASTE: Waste Analysis and Strategies for Transportation End-Uses funding opportunity announcement. The funding opportunity will support municipalities and transit authorities with waste-to-energy solutions for converting organic waste into feedstocks for various clean transportation fuel products that can benefit local energy economies. 

The funding opportunity seeks a phased approach through two topic areas:

Eligible applicants include local, tribal, and intrastate government entities and instrumentalities, states, nonprofit organizations, and transit authorities. BETO has also compiled a teaming partners list to encourage collaboration and facilitate the formation of project teams.

Additional information is available on the WASTE: Waste Analysis and Strategies for Transportation End-Uses website and in the funding opportunity announcement. Concept papers are due June 19, and full applications are due August 14.

U.S. DOE recently announced the Community Workforce Readiness Accelerator for Major Projects (RAMP) Fellowship, a pilot program offering a two-year fellowship overseen by U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Jobs. RAMP aims to create effective and inclusive workforce development strategies in local communities by offering its fellows professional development, workforce practices training, and opportunities to learn from community leaders.

Fellows will participate full-time out of Host Organizations located in a Target Geography, which includes East Tennessee. Applications for fellows are due June 30. Requests for Information for interested Hosts will be released at a later date.

U.S. DOE recently launched the Data-Driven Distributed (3D) Solar Visibility Prize, designed to incentivize innovators to develop models and algorithms that can provide accurate and real-time information about distributed solar generation in electric power distribution networks. The prize seeks to promote awareness and adoption of distribution system state estimation (DSSE) algorithms and software tools to improve the visibility of distribution systems and their operating conditions. Competitors will develop a DSSE tool to perform calculations using DOE-provided synthetic measurement data and will submit their DSSE tool results for two distribution system networks for 14 consecutive days. DSSE tools will be tested and judged through the Open Energy Data Initiative for Systems Integration (OEDI SI) platform, a SETO-funded, open-source, cloud-based web portal platform.

Eligible applicants include U.S.-based for-profit and nonprofit private entities and nonfederal government entities, such as states, counties, Tribes, municipalities, and academic institutions. The 3D Solar Visibility Prize offers up to $175,000 total in cash prizes for up to five competitors: two winners and three runners-up. Teaming lists are available here, and applications are due July 10.

U.S. DOE recently launched the Science Synthesis Prize under the new program Grid Resource Integration Technologies (GRIT) Prize Series. The Science Synthesis Prize aims to address opportunities and challenges as renewable technologies are integrated into the electric grid. U.S. DOE invites students, researchers, industry partners, and key stakeholders to form multidisciplinary teams to develop an in-depth and cohesive research paper that highlights state-of-the-art renewable technologies, addresses the current and projected challenges associated with such technologies, and identifies the renewable integration gaps present throughout the industry that could be addressed with greater investment, research, development and/or awareness.

The $125,000 prize will provide $10,000 for as many as ten teams with five additional $5,000 cash prizes for exceptional submissions. An informational webinar will be held on June 12, and teaming lists are available here. Applications are due August 30.

EPA announced $2 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act for the Community Change Grants Program. Funding is available for projects that deploy clean energy, reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input.

There are two separate tracks available: 

Eligible applicants include partnerships between two community-based non-profit organizations and partnerships between a community-based non-profit organization and a local government, institution of higher education, or federally recognized tribe. View the Notice of Funding Opportunity and the Grants.gov page for additional information. Applications are due November 21.

U.S. DOE will host the inaugural virtual Affordable Home Energy Shot Summit on June 5. The virtual summit will provide a platform for U.S. DOE and interested stakeholders to collectively understand the emerging needs and opportunities to reduce the up-front cost of upgrading homes by at least 50% while lowering energy bills by 20% within a decade as part of the Affordable Home Energy Shot. Sessions will cover topics including the market landscape and stakeholder perspectives from the affordable housing space, innovative cost reduction strategies, and  U.S. DOE’s role in enabling equity-driven building energy solutions. Register for the virtual summit here.

TVA’s Connected Communities program hosts regular webinars on a variety of topics. Past webinars have addressed workforce development, resiliency, and creating a community benefits plan. View all upcoming and past webinars here.

Upcoming webinars include:

The annual PACENation Summit is a global event for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing professionals. PACE is a financing tool that enables low-cost, long-term funding for energy efficiency, renewable energy, water efficiency, resilience, and public health improvements to new and existing buildings.

The 2024 PACENation Summit will be held in Nashville June 12-13 and will include panel sessions, small group interactions, and extensive networking opportunities. View the agenda here and register here.

The East Tennessee Economic Council will host the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop (NOW) in Alcoa on July 30-31. NOW is a nuclear industry conference focused on fission and fusion subjects for professionals and suppliers. It is a place to learn about industry developments, business opportunities, and advancements in research and technologies. Agenda topics include advanced reactors, AI’s impact on the nuclear industry, national and energy security, the nuclear fuel cycle, and a Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council session.

Attendees can network and engage with experts from TVA, U.S. DOE and its contractors, as well as a diverse array of small and large private-industry companies showcasing demonstration projects and technological capabilities. View the draft agenda here and register here for the event.

The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) will host the Opportunities in Energy event on November 19 in Knoxville. The event brings together members and stakeholders to discuss all new and upcoming “opportunities” in the advanced energy sector, including trends, businesses, technologies, and other exciting developments. During the event, a state or local leader will be presented with the annual Thomas B. Ballard Advanced Energy Leadership Award. The award honors exemplary leadership and success in championing, connecting, and strengthening Tennessee’s advanced energy economy. 

TenneSEIA will host the 2024 Tennessee Valley Solar + Storage Conference in Huntsville, AL from November 20-21. The focus of the Conference is to bring together people interested in growing solar business opportunities in the Tennessee Valley and to discuss strategies, market trends, and policies that impact the solar industry. Attendees will participate in in-depth and forward-looking discussions on TVA policy and processes and the evolving technical opportunities facing the industry in the Tennessee Valley region. Early bird registration is available here.

U.S. DOE recently upgraded the Better Buildings Solution Center to improve navigation, functionality, and design. The upgrades include a new search platform to filter 3,000+ efficiency and decarbonization solutions more effectively, updated partner profiles with interactive data displays to better showcase partner progress, an enhanced partner list that allows organizations to filter based on affiliation, goal status, and sector, and updated decarbonization resources, including five centralized focus areas and eight new subpages dedicated to actionable decarbonization processes and strategies.

The U.S. DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office created the Solar Energy Resources for City Energy Planning website to provide a variety of resources from U.S. DOE and national labs for local governments' solar deployment efforts. These resources include modeling and optimization tools, best practice guides, siting and permitting resources, and additional miscellaneous solar resources.

Visit the TDEC Office of Energy Programs Website at http://www.tn.gov/environment/energy.

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

For more information or to submit an idea for a future Monthly Energy Edition, contact:

Audrey Jackson, Communications Officer
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
615-917-6683 or audrey.jackson@tn.gov

OR

Alexa Voytek, Deputy Director, OEP Programs
U.S. DOE State Energy Program / Innovation & Transportation / Communications
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
 615-613-1096 or alexa.voytek@tn.gov

OR

Mark Finlay, Senior Energy Analyst, TDEC Office of Energy Programs
615-772-6011 or mark.finlay@tn.gov

Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the State Energy Program Award Number DE-EE0009487

Disclaimer: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government.  Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.