U.S. DOE recently announced the 2024 Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship class, placing fellows at 68 critical energy organizations across 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The U.S. DOE Grid Deployment Office is funding 11 fellows in the 2024 Class to support state energy offices in Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin and public utility commissions in Connecticut and Wyoming. CEIF recruits recent graduates and energy professionals from diverse backgrounds to spend up to two years supporting Host Institutions’ clean energy projects under the guidance of a designated mentor. TDEC OEP welcomes new fellow Ryan Shen to the team to support the Grid Resilience Formula Grant Program.

U.S. DOE recently announced selected recipients of the Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers grants, which provide low-income households with energy-saving measures and materials not traditionally included in U.S. DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program. The Tennessee Housing Development Agency will receive $1.5 million for a project in partnership with the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee. The Solar Photovoltaic Energy Reduction Initiative (SPERI) aims to alleviate the energy burden on low-income and disadvantaged communities in Knoxville-Knox County by leveraging solar technologies to deliver household savings. Through strategic deployment of solar technologies and collaborative efforts, the project aims to create tangible benefits for vulnerable communities while advancing broader goals of grid resiliency and job creation.

U.S. DOE recently announced winners under phase two of the Hydrogen Shot Incubator Prize competition. The multi-phase competition aims to identify, develop, and test disruptive technologies that reduce the cost of producing clean hydrogen. Among the four winners is Knoxville-based Electro-Active Technologies, which will receive $300,000 in national laboratory vouchers and $100,000 in cash to support demonstration to prepare for the final phase of the competition, in which competing teams will present their innovations to potential investors and commercial partners. Electro-Active Technologies’ project seeks to integrate solar technologies, algae, and microbial electrolysis for hydrogen production from waste.

U.S. DOE recently announced the winners of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Clean Energy Education Prize’s Inspire Track. Tennessee State University (TSU) will receive $10,000 for its Energy Exploration Camp, a two-week summer enrichment program that introduces rising 11th and 12th graders to clean energy technology areas, including bioenergy, buildings, geothermal, hydrogen and fuel cells, industrial efficiency and decarbonization, advanced materials and manufacturing technologies, solar, vehicles, water, and wind. Students build knowledge in these areas through interactive presentations, activities, and site visits.

U.S. DOE recently announced nearly $85 million in funding to four heat pump manufacturers to accelerate the manufacturing of electric heat pumps, heat pump hot water heaters, and heat pump components at five factories in New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Rhode Island. The selected projects are the second round of awards from U.S. DOE’s authorization to increase domestic production of five key clean energy technologies, including electric heat pumps. A.O. Smith Corporation, located in Ashland City, will receive $25 million for its project to modernize and expand its manufacturing capacity to enable high volume production of residential heat pump water heaters.

U.S. DOE recently announced the beginning of construction on the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the U.S. in over 50 years, by Kairos Power. The reactor, designed to demonstrate the ability to produce nuclear heat, will be built in Oak Ridge using a modular construction technique. The reactor is expected to be operational in 2027 and will leverage proven technologies that originated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, including TRISO particle fuel. The design, construction, and commissioning of the reactor are supported by U.S. DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) recently co-hosted the Tennessee Valley Women’s Policy Summit in Washington, DC. The event drew insights from federal and state officials, including TDEC OEP Director Molly Cripps, local power company leaders, and policy experts. The Women’s Policy Summit inspired key takeaways that can help serve as a roadmap for industry leaders and policymakers as they work to ensure women remain a driving force in the energy industry’s path forward. 

The five key takeaways include:

In episode twenty-two, host Cortney Piper interviews Daniel Poneman, former president and chief executive officer of Centrus Energy Corporation, United States Deputy Secretary of Energy, and chief operating officer of U.S. DOE. In the interview, Piper and Poneman discuss his long career and mission to champion an all-of-the-above energy strategy, including the work of Centrus Energy Corporation, which has a location in Oak Ridge.

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

U.S. DOE recently announced $63 million in funding to enable state and local governments to expand battery recycling and support smart manufacturing in small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). The battery recycling funding opportunity includes $41 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for state and local government battery recycling programming. Funding will support projects that create new or enhance existing battery collection, recycling, and reprocessing, with an additional focus on awareness, education, and community benefits.

Eligible entities for the battery recycling funding opportunity include states and units of local government. Applications are due September 16.

The U.S. DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office recently announced $4 million in funding for the American-Made Solar Prize Round 8, designed to spur innovations in solar hardware and software technologies and to address challenges to rapid, equitable solar energy deployment. U.S. DOE is interested in both solar hardware and software technologies. Hardware innovations should be able to be manufactured in the U.S., and software innovations should help address the non-hardware costs of solar, like customer acquisition, financing, and grid integration.

Eligible entities include anyone based in the U.S. with a potentially marketable solar technology solution. The competition will consist of three escalating challenges: Ready!, Set!, and Go!. Applications are due September 26.  

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. 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. The current application window closes September 30.

The U.S. DOE Office of Technology Transitions and the Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) recently announced the TCF Open Voucher Call program to connect the public with researchers from U.S. DOE National Labs, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The program will award up to 21 vouchers for $100,000 in technical assistance redeemable at one of eight U.S. DOE national labs.

Awardees will be selected based on innovative ideas and concepts for advancing energy, sustainability, or other lab-supported initiatives. Participating national labs will provide awardees with expertise and lab validation capabilities to help them advance their concept closer to commercialization. Applications are due October 3.

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.

The State Funding Readiness Project (SFRP) provides no-cost technical assistance to jurisdictions, including local governments, for preparing and applying for funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. SFRP can help jurisdictions identify specific investment opportunities, conduct a stakeholder mapping exercise, inform budget planning, meet Justice40 requirements, develop competitive grant applications, and strengthen linkages with administering agencies. SFRP has an open, rolling intake process and considers jurisdiction requests at any time. Learn more on the SFRP website.

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. On September 10 at 1:00 PM Eastern, Connected Communities will host the webinar Weatherization: Bringing greater comfort and energy savings to your community this winter. Attendees will gain insight into the home comfort and energy cost challenges facing disadvantaged households, explore weatherization solutions, and understand how to make improvements that add up to big savings for their community. The webinar will also overview TVA resources and programs to advance local weatherization efforts. Slides and recordings from past webinars are available here.

The Southern States Energy Board will host its 64th Annual Meeting in Chattanooga September 22-24. The Annual Meeting will be hosted by Governor Bill Lee and will explore the theme of Powering Prosperity: Driving the South’s Abundant Energy Renaissance. The meeting serves as a platform for networking and collaboration, fostering the exchange of ideas and best practices that drive progress in energy policy and technology, and as an opportunity for individuals and organizations involved in the energy sector to engage with key industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators. Register for the Annual Meeting here.

TVA’s inaugural Connected Communities Conference will take place September 24-25 in Franklin. Highlights of the two-day event include an interactive exhibition to learn about Connected Communities resources and projects, insights from TVA leadership about transformative initiatives underway across the service area, and dynamic panel sessions featuring Connected Communities’ Pilot Project and Community Partnership leaders. To learn more about the event or to request an invitation, contact connectedcommunities@tva.gov.

The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) World will host the 2024 Energy Conference and Expo in Nashville September 25-27. The conference brings together industry leaders and individuals from across the globe committed to advancing the future of the energy industry on a path toward sustainable, renewable, and affordable energy. The conference features general panel sessions dedicated to a particular topic of interest for energy efficiency and energy management professionals. A broad selection of qualified speakers present case studies, application success stories, innovations in technology, and energy service improvements. Attendees can select from 11 tracks with over 140 individual technical presentations. View additional information, including the agenda, on the webpage here and register here.

The Tennessee Renewable Energy and Economic Development Council (TREEDC) will host its annual conference in partnership with Tennessee Tech University on November 14 at the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce. Attendees will hear from Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, sustainability professionals, energy services providers, PACE clean energy initiatives, updates from TDEC OEP, and USDA Rural Development funding opportunities.

The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council 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. Register for the event here.

The Tennessee Solar Energy Industries Association (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. Register for the Conference here.

The U.S. DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office offers resources to help users navigate changes to the federal solar tax credits, such as the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for homeowners, which was expanded in 2022 through the Inflation Reduction Act. These resources for homeowners, businesses, and manufacturers provide thorough overviews of the ITC, Production Tax Credit, and Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit. Each page offers explanations and examples of the tax code, answers frequently asked questions and explains the process of claiming the tax credits. Learn more about these tax incentives on the resource pages here:

U.S. DOE recently announced the new Energy Champions Leading the Advancement of Sustainable Schools (Energy CLASS) training under the Renew America’s Schools Program. The resource aims to build knowledge within schools to promote energy, infrastructure, and health improvements in school facilities and classrooms. This library of trainings is intended to provide school districts with practical knowledge and resources around energy infrastructure projects that reduce utility costs and create healthier learning environments for students and teachers, as well as to identify funding pathways for advancing sustainability across the school district.

TDEC OEP is hiring an Administrative Services Manager and Compliance and Procurement Specialist to oversee subrecipient and vendor compliance with numerous state and federal requirements regarding procurement of goods and services, prevailing wages/labor standards, government contracting, and required audits. This position will also serve as OEP’s lead for the multi-layer Accounts Payable process (e.g., submittals, reviews, approvals, tracking, reporting). The position requires a minimum of three years of experience managing procurement activities, accounts, or budgets; writing technical documents; and program or project management.

Applications should be submitted through tn.gov/careers by September 9.

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

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

July 2024

June 2024

May 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.