| Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award Winners |
Each year, the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards recognize some of Tennessee's most dedicated and innovative thinkers and doers. In total, eleven winners were selected for the 2023 awards, including multiple winners focused on energy. Winners recognized for efforts involving energy in Tennessee include:
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Building Green: Asurion Gulch Hub - The Asurion Gulch Hub is a new LEED-Gold certified headquarters for Asurion, a global technology company with over 280 million customers worldwide. The global headquarters, developed by Highwoods Properties, is designed to foster productivity, collaboration, and innovation to attract and retain talent while enhancing and engaging the neighborhood and broader community.
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Energy and Renewable Resources: City of Chattanooga - The City of Chattanooga is one of around 40 U.S. cities that participated in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge. The city was named a Better Buildings Goal Achiever in 2019 and has since achieved more than a 35 percent reduction (saving 18.16 GWh) in energy use intensity from a 2015 baseline across 2 million square feet of building space, meeting the goal six years ahead of schedule. The City’s Moccasin Bend Environmental Campus (MBEC), a Better Buildings Showcase Project, underwent several structural improvements beginning in 2018 to ensure long-term effective wastewater treatment for its growing population and increased resilience in times of extreme events.
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Roane State Community College Launches Nuclear Technology Program |
Roane State Community College recently announced the launch of a Nuclear Technology Program with a $100,000 contribution from the UT-Battelle LLC, which manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. DOE. Students will receive an associate degree or a certificate in Nuclear Technology, preparing them for a broad range of activities including medical isotopes, fissile material handling, waste handling and disposition, and support for companies and sites developing nuclear reactors and fuel. The first class is set to begin in the Fall of 2024.
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Tennessee Has Secured $7 Billion in Clean Energy Investments Since August 2022 |
A recent news article analyzing public announcements found that $7 billion in clean energy investments have been announced in Tennessee since August 2022. Planned investments in the state for clean energy, including the construction of electric vehicles, energy storage, and solar panel materials, far outpaced investments in other sectors. The $7 billion in investments are from 14 projects proposed in all three grand divisions of the state, which combined anticipate adding 5,600 jobs.
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Inaugural Southeast Energy Policy Forum Recap |
The inaugural Southeast Energy Policy Forum, hosted by the University of Tennessee’s Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, welcomed 100 attendees in Knoxville earlier this month. Attendees heard from industry leaders with TVA, the World Energy Council, Oak Ridge National Lab, the Electric Power Research Institute, and more. The three-day event covered topics ranging from energy equity to achieving a zero-carbon future. Check out the day one and day two recaps to learn more about the event.
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Build America, Buy America Final Guidance |
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has released a pre-publication version of final guidance on the use of goods made in the U.S. in federal infrastructure projects. The guidance will aid the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law statutory requirements that manufactured products, construction materials, and iron and steel used in federally funded infrastructure projects are made in the U.S. The final, published version of the guidance will be forthcoming on Regulations.gov.
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Voucher Program for Innovative Energy Technologies |
U.S. DOE recently announced a $27.5 million voucher program to bring innovative energy technologies to market. The vouchers, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as part of the Technology Commercialization Fund, will be for in-kind commercialization support for organizations that have a role in bringing innovative energy technology to market.
The voucher program has five categories for in-kind support, with the potential for more to be added in the future:
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Pre-demonstration commercialization support to address key adoption risk areas faced by companies already funded by U.S. DOE that are moving on from the research and development stage.
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Performance validation, modeling, and certification support that enables third-party evaluation of technology performance under certification-relevant operating conditions, accelerated lifetime testing to test for potential failure types, and access to advanced modeling and digitization resources.
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Clean energy demonstration project siting/permitting support to help authorities like city or tribal governments understand new clean energy technology benefits and challenges, evaluate siting and permitting best practices developed by similar jurisdictions, develop streamlined permitting processes, and support community engagement on related issues.
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Energy efficiency and renewable energy commercialization support that provides market research, business plans, fundraising road-mapping (from both public and private sources), and other commercialization strategy assistance for companies who have received funding from U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy research and development programs and have a functional technology prototype.
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Carbon management or resource sustainability and technology commercialization support, including an independent assessment of Monitoring and Reporting and Verification (MRV) technologies and practices for carbon management technologies and performance validation support for resource sustainability technologies.
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Applications for all vouchers are due September 26. Additional information is available on the energywerx.org opportunities page.
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American-Made Solar Prize |
U.S. DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office has opened applications for round seven of the American-Made Solar Prize, a $4.2 million prize program for innovations in solar hardware and software technologies and ideas to address challenges to rapid, equitable solar energy deployment.
Students, professors, small-business owners, company staffers, researchers at national laboratories, or anyone else based in the United States with a potentially marketable solar technology solution are eligible to compete and can sign up on the HeroX prize platform. This challenge requires competitors to progress quickly, form private-sector partnerships, and engage customers to bring their ideas to life. Competitors will have access to the American-Made Network to find partners and testing facilities to accelerate their progress.
Competitors will participate in three escalating challenges – the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests – as they develop their concept from idea to product. Each competitor can win up to $700,000 in cash and $150,000 in technical support vouchers over the course of the three contests.
Applications are due September 27.
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| Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) Program |
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) PACE Program will make $1 billion in funding available to make clean, affordable, and reliable energy accessible to the people of rural America. Under PACE, USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service will forgive up to 60 percent of loans for renewable energy projects that use wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, or biomass, as well as for renewable energy storage projects. The maximum available loan is $100 million, including the forgivable portion, and the minimum loan is $1 million.
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The PACE program is available to eligible applicants that generate electricity for resale to residents in both rural and nonrural areas. However, at least 50 percent of the population served by the proposed renewable energy project must live in communities with populations of 20,000 or fewer. Eligible applicants include corporations, states, territories, municipalities, utility districts, cooperatives, nonprofits, and more.
Letters of interest are due September 29.
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Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) |
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) REAP provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to improve energy efficiency. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy-efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing. Through funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, REAP has increased its grant size to $500,000 for energy efficiency projects and $1 million for renewable energy systems. Check for eligible rural areas here. The current application window closes September 30.
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Community Energy Innovation Prize
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U.S. DOE recently launched the Community Energy Innovation Prize competition, administered through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), that will award up to $7.5 million in prizes as well as mentorship opportunities to organizations supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, capacity building, and economic development in communities historically underrepresented in climate and energy technology funding. With three prize tracks, the prize aims to support local organizations with proven track records of engaging underserved communities and/or promoting environmental, climate, and energy justice as they enact community-led climate and clean energy solutions; inspire the next generation of clean energy leaders with opportunities for college students to work with community partners; and foster innovation in clean energy manufacturing ecosystems in historically underserved communities.
The three prize tracks are as follows:
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Clean Energy Ecosystem Track: In this track, a total prize pool of $4.9 million is available for community-led projects across a wide range of clean energy initiatives, technologies, and areas of focus that advance local clean energy transitions.
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Manufacturing Ecosystem Track: In this track, a total prize pool of $2.1 million is available for projects that advance clean energy manufacturing innovation ecosystems in historically underserved communities. Successful applicants will bring public, private, and community stakeholders together to address key barriers to advancing manufacturing innovation, business models, and market development. These projects may include but are not limited to, manufacturing-related education and workforce development, entrepreneurship, resilient supply chains, circular economy development, or other goals related to clean energy manufacturing.
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Collegiate Track: In this track, a total prize pool of $450,000 is available for student-led teams to work alongside a community partner on a project related to the clean energy transition. These efforts aim to help prepare students for careers in clean energy through collaboration in a real-world setting. Students from minority-serving institutions, universities located in rural and/or disadvantaged communities, and community colleges are especially encouraged to apply.
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All three tracks of the prize will consist of three phases: Concept, Progress, and Impact. Any eligible team may compete in the first phase, Concept, where applicants form coalitions and develop project ideas. Up to 34 teams across the three tracks will be selected as Concept phase winners and receive an initial prize along with mentorship and access to NREL technology experts. Winning teams will be eligible to move on to the remaining phases.
Register here for a webinar to learn more about the Collegiate Track on October 2 at 3:00 PM Eastern, and register here for a webinar with additional information on the Clean Energy Innovation and Manufacturing Ecosystem Tracks, which will be held on October 12 at 2:00 PM Eastern.
Applications for the Collegiate Track are due on November 3, and Clean Energy Ecosystem and Manufacturing Ecosystem Track applications are due on February 2.
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Tennessee Volunteer Emission Reduction Strategy Kickoff Webinar |
The Tennessee Volunteer Emission Reduction Strategy (TVERS) is an emissions reduction plan currently being developed by TDEC with support from various partners. This plan is funded through the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, established in the Inflation Reduction Act. Through this program, funding is being provided to states, local governments, air pollution control agencies, tribes, and territories to develop and implement plans for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other harmful air pollutants.
Tennessee is one of 47 states that accepted allocated funding to participate in this federally funded initiative, with TDEC as the state grant recipient. As part of this program, TDEC will work closely with the three municipalities in Tennessee who also received funding: Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville.
Join the TVERS kickoff webinar September 7, 7:00 PM Eastern to learn more about the plan, ask questions, and provide comments. Additional opportunities for engagement can be found on the TVERS Engagement Opportunities page.
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STEMtember Sessions: Careers in Clean Energy |
U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will host STEMtember Sessions: Careers in Clean Energy webinar and networking opportunities that highlight career opportunities across EERE. Attendees will be able to meet and hear from EERE leaders and team members to learn about their career journeys. Sessions will take place every Thursday in September. View all upcoming sessions here, or click on any session below to register.
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Better Buildings Webinar Series |
The Better Buildings Webinar Series takes on the most pressing topics facing energy professionals, with experts leading the conversations on proven best practices, cost-effective strategies, and innovative new ways to approach sustainability and energy performance. View all upcoming webinars here, or click on any webinar below to register.
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Tennessee Valley Solar + Storage Conference |
TenneSEIA will host the 2023 Tennessee Valley Solar + Storage Conference in Chattanooga from October 18-19. The focus of the Conference is to bring together people interested in growing solar business opportunities in the Tennessee Valley 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.
View the agenda and register online here.
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Tennessee Environmental Conference |
The Tennessee Environmental Conference will be held October 23-25 in Kingsport. The three-day event will bring together industry leaders, environmental professionals, consultants, government liaisons, decision-makers, academia, entrepreneurs, and influencers from across the region to network for solutions. It is designed to help professionals learn about new technologies, current updated regulations, innovative ideas, case studies and best practices that improve how we manage our natural resources. Keynote speakers will include TDEC Commissioner David Salyers and Deputy Commissioner Greer Tidwell.
For the first time this year, a Sustainability Solutions Symposium will feature panel discussions and presentations on best practices, case studies, and real solutions from top environmental professionals and leaders. The event will include a series of educational sessions focusing on emerging issues in the field of sustainability, as well as networking opportunities to share knowledge and experiences with peers from across Tennessee and beyond.
Register here.
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Investing in American Energy Report |
U.S. DOE recently released a report titled Investing in American Energy: Significant Impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on the U.S. Energy Economy and Emissions Reductions. The report describes key results from analysis of the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) as seen in the National Energy Modeling System. According to the report, by the end of the decade, the IRA and BIL investments are positioned to save U.S. families up to $38 billion on electricity bills, reduce industrial and manufacturing emissions up to 40% below 2005 levels, double the share of U.S. electricity generated by clean sources to 80%, accelerate the electrification of vehicles in the U.S. with the share of zero-emissions light-duty vehicle sales reaching up to 65%, and more.
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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
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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.
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