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| Technical Assistance, Incentives, and Funding Opportunities: Upcoming Events and Activities:
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| TDEC's Office of Energy Programs Awarded Two Competitive U.S. DOE Grants
- An Energy Efficiency Registry: A Flexible and Transparent Way for States to Track and Report Energy Efficiency: Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia, the National Association of State Energy Officials, and the Climate Registry will deliver model principles and operating rules for a voluntary energy efficiency registry, informed by a national consensus multi-stakeholder process. These rules will then be used to develop a roadmap with potential pathways for voluntary state adoption and implementation, and integration of the registry into broader state energy planning and policy
- Advancing Energy Efficiency in Wastewater Utilities and Other Underserved Sectors: Tennessee and Alabama will work together to advance the adoption of energy efficiency improvements in the wastewater and water treatment utility sectors – along with other underserved sectors – in at least 24 local governments in both states through onsite energy assessments and energy management implementation support. The project teams will also provide technical assistance to participants to help identify and procure sources of financing for energy and/or renewable energy improvements.
These two projects will complement the work that OEP is currently performing under its DOE State Energy Program 2013 Competitive Award, which provides education, outreach and technical assistance to local jurisdictions, K-12 schools, and public housing authorities, in order to support the implementation of energy efficiency, energy management and renewable energy projects in Tennessee’s local government buildings and public housing facilities. For more information, please contact Alexa Voytek, Program Manager at TDEC’s Office of Energy Programs, at (615) 253-1952 or alexa.voytek@tn.gov.
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| ORNL and Alcoa Selected as U.S. DOE Technologist in Residence Partners
On September 15, 2015, as part of its Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Technologist in Residence (TIR) pilot program, the U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) selected seven “technologist” pairs to receive $2.6 million in funding. This funding will allow senior technical staff from paired national labs and manufacturing companies to collaborate on strengthening U.S. clean energy manufacturing competitiveness and enhancing the commercial impact of DOE’s national laboratories. In particular, the collaboration will encourage industry partners to bring specific industry needs and challenges to the table, and will utilize the expertise and facilities of the national labs to develop mechanisms, tools, and technologies to respond to these needs and to boost U.S. clean energy manufacturing and competitiveness. In the State of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Lab and Alcoa have been selected as partners to participate in this pilot.
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| Great Smoky Mountains National Park Celebrates Alternative Fuel Equipment
On September 30, 2015, Great Smoky Mountains National Park unveiled 10 new pieces of alternative fuel equipment, to be used within the Park. The new equipment includes propane mowers, electric vehicles, and electric vehicle charging stations. Of note, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the first National Park to install and operate public DC fast-charging stations for electric vehicles. The equipment purchases were made possible by funding from the joint Clean Cities National Parks Initiative, which is helping a variety of national parks reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and improve air quality in and around the parks.
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| Knox County to Install 5 MW of Solar at 14 Knox County Schools and Facilities
QECBs are low-interest federal bonds available for issuance on qualified energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy conservation capital projects. TDEC’s 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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| On September 23-24, 2015, Tennessee-based Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) hosted its Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Industry Day, which is a facilitated networking conference to connect businesses with leading technology manufacturers, national lab scientists, investment firms, and other entities to help commercialize and increase competitiveness of energy-efficient technologies and concepts. At the conference, ORNL unveiled its Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy (AMIE) demonstration, which is a 3-D printed house with integrated energy storage via bidirectional wireless power transfer to and from a vehicle. The AMIE initiative combines ORNL’s research expertise in advanced materials, building technologies and vehicles technologies into an integrated system of clean energy use, storage and consumption.
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| TVA Named Top Utility for Economic Development for 10th Consecutive Year
Site Selection Magazine named TVA the nation’s top utility, in terms of economic development, for the 10th consecutive year. In 2014, TVA is credited with attracting and retaining more than 60,300 jobs and $8.5 billion in investments within the Tennessee Valley. Within the past year, TVA has encouraged major companies, such as Unilever, Hankook Tire, Fresenius Medical Care, Remington Arms, and Beretta to either relocate or expand business operations within the area. Of note, the TVA Economic Development Team has established the following innovative programs, which encourage economic development within the Valley:
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| 2015 Quadrennial Technology Review
- Convergence – energy sectors and systems are increasingly interacting and interconnected;
- Diversification in Supply and Demand – multiple technologies, fuels, and modes create opportunities for flexibility and challenges for infrastructure and operations;
- Confluence – advances in cloud computing, data management, materials, sensors and controls create opportunities at many scales;
- Efficiency – improving efficiency at every step in the energy value chain and system-wide will use resources wisely, contain costs, and reduce climate impacts.
The 2015 QTR complements the work of the first Quadrennial Energy Review (QER), which focused on energy infrastructure, and the forthcoming QER, which will focus on the electricity system and end use applications.
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| TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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| New Round of Funding for USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
USDA Rural Development’s REAP creates opportunities for economic development for agricultural producers rural small businesses, farmers and ranchers by supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. REAP grants provide a 25% reimbursement of the total system costs, with a maximum grant of $500,000 for renewable energy systems and $250,000 for energy efficiency systems. The 2015 fall REAP funding round is making $63 million available across the country. USDA estimates that this round of REAP projects will generate or save “207.8 million kilowatt hours (KWh) of energy – enough to power more than 13,600 homes for a year.” Applications are due on November 2, 2015. This deadline is for projects with a total project cost of $20,000 or less. A second round application deadline of May 2, 2016 will apply to projects of all sizes. Further details on the new round of funding are forthcoming. For more information, and updates on the application requirements, contact Pam Crozier, REAP’s Coordinator for Tennessee, at pamela.crozier@tn.usda.gov or (615) 783-1367.
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| EPA to Fund School Bus Replacement and Retrofit Grants
In support of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2010, and to encourage the use of school buses that satisfy the cleanest emissions standards, on September 28, 2015, the EPA announced $7 million in funding for rebates on efficient school bus replacements and/or retrofits. Eligible replacement buses may operate on ultra-low sulfur diesel, battery or hybrid drive trains, or alternative fuels. The program will also fund retrofits of model year 1994 to 2006 engines with Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOCs) plus Closed Crankcase Ventilation (CCVs) to reduce toxic emissions and the redirect of emissions back to their intake systems for combustion instead of emission.
For technical assistance related to the grant application, please contact East Tennessee Clean Fuels Executive Director Jonathan Overly at 865-974-3625 or jonathan@ETCleanFuels.org.
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| U.S. DOE to Award $11 Million for the Development of Alt Fuel Technologies for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
On September 10, 2015, the U.S. DOE announced $11 million in funding to support the development of alternative fuel technologies for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. This funding opportunity is broken into two possible application categories:
- Vehicle Powertrain Electrification: To research, develop, and demonstrate electric-drive powertrain technologies for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles and full Electric Vehicles that reduce fuel consumption by at least 50% when compared to an equivalent vehicle with a conventional internal combustion engine powertrain.
- Dual Fuel Heavy Duty Vehicle Fleet Demonstration: To demonstrate and evaluate the performance and emissions systems of dual fuel heavy-duty vehicles equipped with engines capable of using a mixture of diesel fuel and gaseous fuels (natural gas, propane or natural gas derived fuels).
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| U.S. DOE's Small Business Voucher Program Provides Access to National Labs
A new U.S. DOE pilot program by EERE will provide up to $20 million in vouchers to small businesses seeking technical expertise in clean technology development and commercialization. By way of the vouchers, small businesses will be able to request technical support from DOE national labs, which will in turn assist with addressing technical problems, testing and validating technologies, developing and testing unique materials, conducting modeling and analyses, prototyping, providing advanced technology for hardware and software applications, scaling up technologies and processes, developing engineering designs, field-testing, and conducting analyses to understand market value. Tennessee-based Oak Ridge National Laboratory was selected as one of the five pilot laboratories for this program. In particular, Oak Ridge will assist with projects that focus on advanced manufacturing, building technologies, and vehicle technologies. In addition to Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, National Renewable Energy Lab, Berkeley Lab, and Sandia National Lab have also been chosen to participate in the program. More than 100 small businesses will receive $50,000 to $300,000 in vouchers to exchange for national lab technical assistance or collaborative research related to the development of technology in one of the following areas: advanced manufacturing, bioenergy, buildings, fuel cells, geothermal, solar, water power, wind and vehicles. To be eligible to apply, businesses must be based in the U.S. and may have no more than 500 full-time employees. A total of three cycles of voucher competitions will be offered in 2015 and 2016, with the first round closing on October 23, 2015. For more information, visit https://www.sbv.org/.
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| Funding Opportunities for Clean Energy Manufacturing: High-Performance Computing & Advanced Sensors, Controls, Platforms and Modeling
On September 15, 2015, U.S. DOE announced two funding opportunity announcements related to the Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI):
- The High Performance Computing for Manufacturing Program, which will be led in part by Tennessee-based Oak Ridge National Laboratory, seeks industry partners to participate in short-term collaborative projects with the DOE National Labs. The partnerships will utilize $3 million in funding to apply modeling, simulation and data analysis to the manufacturing of materials for optimized decision making, design, quality, performance, testing time, and technology adoption. Eligibility is limited to entities that manufacture products in the U.S. for commercial applications. Selected Phase 1 projects will be awarded up to $300,000 to support compute cycles and work performed by the national lab partners. Completed concept papers must be submitted in PDF format by email to hpc4mfg-submissions@llnl.gov by 11:50 PST on October 15, 2015, and full proposals will be due in late November.
- The public-private Innovation Institute on Smart Manufacturing will provide $70 million in funding to support research and development advancements that can reduce the cost of deployment for technologies such as advanced sensors, controls, platforms and modeling for manufacturing by as much as 50%. The Institute will be the third DOE funded facility as part of President Obama’s National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) institutes. Concept papers are due by November 4, 2015, and full applications are due on January 29, 2016. All entities are eligible to apply.
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| Loan Program Office Issues Guidance for Distributed Energy Projects
The LPO will also increase the loan guarantees available under these two programs by an additional $1 billion, in an attempt to overcome market barriers and accelerate deployment of innovate distributed energy technologies, such as rooftop solar, energy storage, smart grid technology, and methane capture for oil and gas wells. The LPO currently has more than $24 billion in remaining loan authority to help finance clean energy projects and is currently accepting applications. Prospective applicants may apply here. For more information, visit http://www.energy.gov/lpo/loan-programs-office.
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| U.S. DOE Funding Opportunities for Solar Cost-Reducing Technologies and Photovoltaic R&D
On September 16, 2015, as part of the overarching SunShot Initiative, U.S. DOE released two funding opportunity announcements related to solar energy. Both opportunities aim to encourage widespread deployment of PV systems by achieving cost competitiveness with traditional energy sources. The two funding opportunities are as follows:
- The Photovoltaic Research & Development opportunity will provide $20 million in funding to support 30-35 projects that will advance the limits of photovoltaic cell and module performance beyond the 2020 SunShot goals. Letters of Intent are due by October 7, 2015, concept papers are due by October 19, 2015, and full submissions are due by January 11, 2016.
- The SunShot Technology to Market Incubator 11, SolarMat 4 opportunity will provide $30 million in funding to support the development of tools, technologies, and services that will significantly reduce the costs for solar energy systems across all technology areas. This opportunity specifically targets for-profit entities, as they are considered to be the most efficient players to impact the solar energy market. Optional letters of intent are due by November 2, 2015, concept papers are due by November 18, 2015, and full applications are due by February 3, 2016.
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| Funding Opportunity for Building Energy Efficiency Innovations on the Horizon
U.S. DOE’s EERE issued a notice of intent to release a funding opportunity related to the reduction of energy use in commercial and residential buildings. The funding opportunity will include two categories:
- The Innovations section will support the development of an innovative technology, approach or tool not already supported by the Building Technologies Office (BTO), the development of hardware or software solutions for real-time occupant-centered control of building systems, or the development of novel air infiltration diagnostic technologies.
- The Frontiers section will support further development of wireless sensors and sensor platforms for building operation data collection as well as the development of advanced air-sealing technologies designed for use in existing buildings.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
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| Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry Environment & Energy Conference The 33rd Annual Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry Environment & Energy Awards Conference will take place from October 14-15, 2015 in Nashville, at Montgomery Bell State Park. This year’s conference will touch on TVA’s Integrated Resource Plan, energy management best practices, the advancement of sustainable transportation in Tennessee, business benefits of sustainable practices, waste management, water resources management, clean air, and the impact of the chemical industry in Tennessee. The Environmental & Energy Awards dinner will take place on the evening of October 14th.
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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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| SEEA-AESP Southeast Conference
Energy efficiency is advancing by leaps and bounds across the Southeast, bringing with it improvements in local economies, a national lead in housing starts, job growth, and a new appreciation for the benefits of a sustainable energy future. This year’s SEEA-AESP Southeast Conference, which will take place from October 28-30, 2015 in Atlanta, GA, will examine the multi-faceted role energy efficiency plays in advancing economic development, energy security and public well-being across the southeastern states.
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| 2nd Annual Tennessee Renewable Energy & Economic Development Council (TREEDC) Conference
From December 14-15, TREEDC will host its 2nd Annual International Conference at Tennessee Technology University in Cookeville. Session topics include EPA’s Clean Power Plan, TVA’s Integrated Resource Plan, Clean Energy Project Financing Options, and Technical Assistance for Governmental Entities. For more information, and to register for this year’s conference, visit https://epay.tntech.edu/C20205_ustores/web.
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