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| Knox County to Install Rooftop Solar on 13 Public Buildings with QECB Funding
On June 30 th, Knox County issued approximately $12,450,000 in Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds (QECBs) to provide funding for the installation of solar PV on 13 targeted sites across the county. Of the 13 sites, 11 schools have been chosen to host the rooftop solar installations. According to estimations from the proposal, the project, once completed, is expected to provide the school system with more than $3.8 million in annual utility savings. QECBs are low-interest federal bonds available for issuance on qualified energy projects for certain energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy conservation capital projects. TDEC Office of Energy Programs serves as the coordinator for Tennessee’s QECB Program. Approximately $26 million, of Tennessee’s QECB capacity remains and is available for qualifying projects. There is no minimum amount that must be proposed. Eligible entities include all local jurisdictions in Tennessee. Submissions will be accepted until bond capacity is exhausted.
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| TVA's 2015 Integrated Resource Plan
The final version of TVA’s 2015 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which addresses TVA’s strategy to deal with the long-term energy needs of the Tennessee Valley region, was released in July. The report indicates that over the next 20 years, TVA sees no need for new base load plants after Watts Bar Unit 2 comes online and after updates are completed at Browns Ferry nuclear plant. In that time, TVA intends to boost additional natural gas generation (combined cycle and combustion turbine), heightened application of energy efficiency, and increased use of renewable power generation. TVA also expects to decrease the amount of coal-based generation within its energy mix.
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| Alternative Fuel Vehicles for Emergency Planning & Response
The National Association of State Energy Officials has officially launched its Initiative for Resiliency in Energy through Vehicles (iREV), a national project that brings together key players in emergency management, energy assurance, homeland security and transportation in order to strategize best practices for heightened incorporation of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) in emergency planning and response. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Office of Energy Programs is proud to be a partner in this effort. Emergency vehicles are essential in responding to critical disasters, moving obstacles from obstructed roadways, delivering supplies to cut-off areas, and rescuing citizens from dangerous situations. However, in times of emergency, disruptions in petroleum and electricity supply can prevent these vehicles from performing their critical duties. A diversified fleet that runs on a variety of fuels can act as a safeguard against these types of risk, and can bolster an emergency team’s response preparedness. With support from the U.S. DOE’s Clean Cities Program, over the next two years, iREV will develop a package of customized tools, resources, and strategies for state and local emergency management personnel to reference when building out their AFV emergency response fleets. In particular, the iREV partners will work together to:
- Develop case studies and the iREV-Tracking tool to help emergency planners access needed data and understand the potential benefits and costs of deploying natural gas, propane, biofuels, electric vehicles and other emerging technology in emergency situations;
- Hold regional workshops to share key findings and demonstrate the iREV-Tracking tool (to be held in spring 2016); and
- Work directly with states and localities to develop customized policy and planning toolkits that incorporate the use of AFVs in emergency situations.
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| Polysilicon Producer Unveils Apprenticeship Programs at Chattanooga State Community College
German polysilicon producer Wacker is investing $2.4 billion in its Charleston, Tennessee based plant, which will produce 18,000-20,000 tons of polysilicon annually for the growing solar power industry. The construction site for the plant is currently the largest single private manufacturing project ever in Tennessee, and the third largest construction site in North America. In order to guarantee a qualified workforce for the plant, Wacker has also recently unveiled new apprenticeship programs at Chattanooga State Community College. The company is seeking to hire employees trained as chemical operators, or in electrical and mechanical maintenance. Chattanooga State Community College will host a two-year apprenticeship program, which will act as a direct feeder into employment opportunities at the Wacker polysilicon plant.
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| Southeast AFV Demonstration Initiative
The East TN Clean Fuels Coalition is a partner in the forthcoming “Southeast AFV Demonstration Initiative” grant (SADI), along with the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The project seeks to incorporate alternative fuels into new fleets and industry sectors by focusing on non-existent or under-utilized markets for alternative fuels. The SADI initiative will make several alternative fuel vehicles (propane, CNG, and electric-powered) available for Tennessee fleets to borrow for periods ranging from several days to several weeks. By allowing fleets to test out these vehicles at no cost, the project will educate and market alternative fuel vehicles to a considerable number of prospective drivers/fleet operators. In the coming months, ETCleanFuels will provide more details and begin the process of registering fleets that are interested. The following vehicles are expected to be available for Tennessee fleets to borrow:
- EV = a 2015 Nissan Leaf
- Propane = a bi-fuel liquid-injection Ford Police Interceptor Utility, and a bi-fuel vapor-injection Dodge Charger
- CNG = a dedicated Chevy Cruze, two Freightliner Cascadia day cabs, and one Freightliner straight truck
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| Tennessee EV Owners Group
The East TN Clean Fuels Coalition has created a private Facebook group, titled, “Tennessee EV Owners,” to serve as a discussion platform and resource base for Tennessee-centric conversations on all-things related to electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. For those who are interested in joining, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/TNEVs/. You can request to be added to the group in the top right-hand corner of the page.
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| TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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| ORNL Selected As Leader for U.S. DOE Small Business Vouchers Pilot Program
The U.S. DOE announced on July 8th a new $20 million initiative called the Small Business Vouchers Pilot program. This public-private partnership seeks to connect clean energy innovators and entrepreneurs with top researchers and engineers at the Energy Department’s world-class national laboratories. Under this program, the national laboratories will help address the primary technical challenges faced by these small businesses, and will assist them in delivering next-generation clean energy technologies to market faster. The program corresponds with the U.S. DOE’s larger National Laboratory Impact Initiative, which aims to bridge the gap between public research and private industry. Under the program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and four other U.S. DOE national labs were competitively selected to oversee the program and provide vouchers ranging from $50,000 to $300,000 to over 100 small businesses. The vouchers will be used to finance research projects or to seek technical expertise from the labs to build out clean energy projects, technologies, and products. In particular, the labs will focus on helping businesses to develop specific clean energy technologies in the following areas: advanced manufacturing, buildings, vehicles, wind, water, bioenergy, fuel cells, geothermal and solar. The program will also involve the launch of the Small Business Central Assistance Platform, which will be a web-based tool that will allow small businesses to exchange information with each other and the overseeing national labs. Three cycles of competitions will be offered to small businesses in 2015 and 2016. Interested parties should email related queries to: EERELabImpact@ee.doe.gov.
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Government-Industry Partnership Launches to Solve TN's Manufacturing Challenges
The State of Tennessee, University of Tennessee, and ORNL recently launched RevV!, a $2.5 million pilot program that provides vouchers to Tennessee manufacturers to partner with ORNL in solving manufacturing challenges. By harnessing the capabilities and expertise of ORNL, manufacturers can improve materials science, measurement, sensor and control systems, computational science, data analytics, modeling and simulation, as well as energy and environmental related technologies. Business can apply for funding through the ORNL partnerships office. For more information, visit http://www.ornl.gov/programs/revv.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
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| Pay-for-Success, Knoxville! Stakeholder Workshop
The United Way of Greater Knoxville and Three3 are organizing the Pay-for-Success, Knoxville! Stakeholder Workshop to be held on Wednesday, August 19, 2015. The workshop is being supported through a grant from the Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee. The purpose of this workshop is to explore the feasibility of employing an innovative financing model, “Pay-for-Success” (PfS), which would utilize Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) to support low-income weatherization and healthy homes programs in the Knoxville area. Ruth Ann Norton, CEO of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) and nationally known for her efforts to implement the PfS model within this arena will deliver the keynote speech. Participants being invited to the workshop represent numerous perspectives, including those from state and local government, local/regional weatherization agencies, utility companies, members of the health care, healthy homes, and faith communities, and other foundations and initiatives with the mission of improving quality of life and dwellings for Knoxville’s most vulnerable populations. If you are interested in attending, please contact Dr. Bruce Tonn at btonn@threecubed.org or 865-310-7824.
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National Drive Electric Week
From September 12-20, 2015, Plug in America, the Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association will present National Drive Electric Week 2015, during which events celebrating electric vehicles (EVs) will take place across the U.S and other countries. In the State of Tennessee, gatherings held by local EV drivers and/or advocates in Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga and Pigeon Forge will consist of ride-and-drives, rallies, roundtables, and information sessions to raise awareness and promote increased deployment of EVs locally.
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NASEO 2015 Annual Meeting: Interconnected-- Smart Energy Policies; Clean Tech Investment; and "The Cloud" Economy
From September 13-16, the National Association of State Energy Official's (NASEO) 2015 Annual Meeting, will explore states' efforts to open new economic opportunities for businesses through smart policies and programs that help to integrate intelligent energy efficiency, distributed generation, and the benefits of cloud computing. These approaches are forever changing how we construct and use buildings, power systems, factories, and vehicles. Topics include:
- Integrating Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Evolving Utility Models - State Actions for Economic Advantage
- Revisiting Energy Infrastructure in a High Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Distributed Generation Model
- Using Data Analytics to Enable Consumer Choice
- Reinventing States' Clean Vehicle Programs - Electric Vehicle Evolution
- Finding "Fresh" Water - Supply and Demand Policy Options
- Evolving PACE Programs - State Catalysts, Local Options
- Moving Emerging Tech Faster - Aligning State, DOE, and Investor Strategies to Get New Technologies to Market
- Linking State Programs and Clean Tech Crowdfunding
- Enhancing Energy Assurance through Risk Assessment
- Constructing State Policy Pathways and Accelerating DOE Action on Zero Net Energy Buildings
- Reconstructing Before the Storm - Resilient Communities
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| Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative 2015 National Summit
On September 15, 2015, clean energy manufacturing stakeholders will present on national priorities for clean energy manufacturing at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and will explore models for addressing these priorities, identify key gaps and opportunities for growing U.S. clean energy manufacturing competitiveness, and showcase U.S. clean energy manufacturing activities. The event will run from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm. For more information about the summit’s agenda, speakers and registration, visit http://energy.gov/eere/cemi/events/cemi-2015-national-summit.
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| TAEBC Delegation to Travel to Washington, D.C.
The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council is accepting applications to travel with a delegation to Washington, D.C. from September 15-17, to meet with the U.S. Department of Energy and to participate in the Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative’s (CEMI) 2015 National Summit. The trip is open to TAEBC members only, and particular attention will be given to make sure that the delegation represents a diverse cross-section of Tennessee’s advanced energy economy. Participants will learn more about federal resources, educate public officials on Tennessee’s advanced energy economy, and network with relevant business leaders and stakeholders. Contact Cortney Piper at 865-329-0553 with any questions.
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| "Explore ORNL" Conference
The "Explore ORNL" Conference is scheduled for September 23-24 and will coincide with a larger industrial outreach event. The event will feature capabilities in building technologies, vehicle technologies and advanced manufacturing, and will highlight new opportunities for small businesses to gain access to national laboratories, including ORNL. Information about the September industry event will be released in the coming weeks.
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| NGV Technician Safety Training by NGVi
The Natural Gas Vehicle Institute (NGVi) provides technical training on the inspection and servicing of natural gas vehicles. From October 27-29, 2015 NGVi will hold a public natural gas vehicle (NGV) technician safety training course, as well as a CNG fuel system inspector training course, in Nashville. The course will touch on the properties and characteristics of natural gas, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and safety procedures, CNG fueling station equipment and operation, CNG defueling, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and LNG vehicles, as well as LNG fueling and defueling.
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