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| Technical Assistance, Incentives, and Funding Opportunities: Upcoming Events and Activities:
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| Tennessee Helps Launch Framework for National Energy Efficiency Registry (NEER) On October 31, the states of Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, with support from the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and The Climate Registry (TCR), released a framework for a National Energy Efficiency Registry (NEER). The NEER is the first-ever national, web-based platform that will collect standardized and transparent data on the savings associated with energy efficiency projects across the country. The group also published a NEER Roadmap and series of state-specific roadmaps identifying potential opportunities for implementation at the state and regional level. This project was funded by a State Energy Program competitive award from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2015. A press release containing statements from project team members, partners, and key stakeholders is available here.
For further information on the NEER initiative, visit neeregistry.org. Please direct questions and comments to Rodney Sobin, Senior Program Director at NASEO, at rsobin@naseo.org.
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| TDEC Awards Energy Grants to Erin and Tennessee Ridge
On November 2, TDEC awarded the Cities of Erin and Tennessee Ridge with Clean Tennessee Energy Grants (CTEG) totaling more than $120,000. Erin and Tennessee Ridge are two of 24 recipients receiving a total $1.9 million for projects that will reduce air emissions, improve energy efficiency, and help communities create cost savings (other recipients were announced in August 2017).
The City of Erin was awarded $65,000 to fund the installation of variable frequency drives to high service pump motors at the water treatment plant as well as the replacement of existing fluorescent lighting with LED lights. It is estimated these efforts will lead to a reduction of 431,534 kWh and 303 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
The City of Tennessee Ridge was awarded $58,900 to upgrade existing pumps and motors at the water treatment plant and lift stations. The projects will result in an estimated savings of 76,000 kWh, 52.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide, and $12,000 annually.
Read more about these awards here.
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| Clarksville-Montgomery County a Gold Sustainable Community
Last month, Clarksville-Montgomery County was named a Valley Sustainable Gold Community by TVA. Previously a Silver community in 2015, the city and county recently completed a program reevaluation to advance to Gold Community status. In order to achieve this advancement, a local sustainability committee initiated several improvements to already existing green practices and created a written sustainability plan for the community. Developed in partnership with TVA and Boyette Strategic Advisors (Boyette), TVA’s Valley Sustainable Communities program works with cities and counties throughout the region to help them develop a healthy environment, thriving community, and long-term economic prosperity. Learn more about this announcement here.
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| Bledsoe County Schools Reaches $500,000 Energy Savings Milestone through Facilities Improvements
Bledsoe County Schools in Pikeville reached a $500,000 energy savings milestone last month as a result of a comprehensive facilities improvement project. Bledsoe County Schools partnered with Schneider Electric to conduct a comprehensive energy audit and install $1 million in infrastructure and efficiency improvements across its five schools and Board of Education building. The customized energy efficiency solution included a district-wide energy management system that allows facility staff to monitor and control all district buildings from a single location. Schneider Electric also replaced outdated lighting in classrooms and gymnasiums with high efficiency lighting that provides a brighter, safer learning environment. In addition to annual energy savings, the project has also made a substantial environmental impact on the community, removing 4,329 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere—the equivalent of taking 914 passenger vehicles off the road for one year, powering 451 homes for one year, or planting 112,195 trees. Learn more about this accomplishment here.
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| Cookeville's Highlands Solar Array Powers Up
The new Highlands Solar Array in Cookeville is a 1 MW utility-scale solar photovoltaic electric power-generating facility developed under a partnership between RSI and Vis Solis, in cooperation with Highlands Business Park and the city of Cookeville, Tennessee. Highlands Solar will provide electricity to power 156 houses per year, with 2,506 solar modules at 325 to 330 watts per module. The engineering, procurement, and construction of Highlands Solar were performed by Vis Solis, with TVAEnergy as the primary subcontractor. Click here to read more about the project.
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| LED Street Lights Brighten Up Tullahoma
More than 800 street lights along Tullahoma’s most highly traveled roads have been switched to new LED units in an ongoing citywide project. The energy-saving changeover will eventually see all 2,900 street lights in Tullahoma converted from high pressure sodium (HPS) lights to LED by the end of next June. The LED lamps are expected to consume approximately 46% less electricity than the existing HPS lamps. Read more about the project here.
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| Energy Mentor Network Honors First Program Graduate: Solar Site Design
The goal of the Energy Mentor Network is to foster the growth of Tennessee advanced energy technologies and startups by connecting entrepreneurs with mentors and industry-specific expertise. The network, which is run by the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) in partnership with Launch Tennessee, pairs mentors with promising new companies through a structured program of panel presentations and mentoring sessions. Energy Mentor Network has now announced its first graduate, Nashville’s Solar Site Design. This company is a cloud-based marketplace platform that connects sales-ready commercial and industrial solar projects with solar construction companies in an effort the drive down customer acquisition costs. More than 85 construction companies from 27 states have subscribed to Solar Site Design since the marketplace launched last year.
The Energy Mentor Network has two dozen mentors with expertise in energy systems, clean tech, intellectual property, business, and finance strategy. Applications are now open for mentors and startups who want to participate in the program. For more information and to apply, click here.
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| Y-12 National Security Complex Recognized in U.S. DOE's 2017 Federal Energy and Water Management Awards
U.S. DOE recently recognized 27 winners of the 2017 Federal Energy and Water Management Awards. These annual awards recognize outstanding achievements in energy and water efficiency, renewable energy, and fleet management from within the federal government. One awardee was the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) in Oak Ridge, which has pursued the use of energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) to enhance its building infrastructure. These enhancements include a major project in 2016 to modernize 11,450 lighting fixtures in 123 facilities. The upgrades improved lighting conditions in more than 1.5 million square feet of work space, reduced electricity use by 36 billion Btu per year, and saved more than $538,000 annually in energy costs. Y-12's innovative lighting design included de-lamping efforts to eliminate unneeded lighting, and used reflectors and optimized light levels to improve security, safety, and productivity. Read more about the awards here.
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| TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, INCENTIVES, AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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| DOE Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project
U.S. DOE recently released a Notice of Intent to issue a Request for Proposals (RFPs) under the Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) in 2018. The CIP Round Six RFP topics may include Component Improvements and System Optimization, Manufacturing Process Improvements, Prototype Testing, Certification Testing, and Type Certification. Program objectives include an increase in the number of small and midsize wind turbine designs tested to national performance and safety standards and the reduction of levelized costs of energy in distributed wind systems. Since 2012, and through five rounds of CIP, NREL has executed subcontracts that are intended to target these program objectives and increase the competitiveness of U.S. wind turbine technologies in the expanding global market for distributed energy systems.
To receive information on the RFP, please contact Procurement Office Subcontract Administrator Kyndall Jackson at Kyndall.Jackson@nrel.gov. To learn more about the NOI, click here.
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| SBIR/STTR Released Funding Opportunities in Diverse Energy Fields
U.S. DOE has announced several categories in its latest Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding opportunity. Under Phase 1, Release 2, SBIR/STTR may fund a variety of advanced energy projects, including those related to Advanced Grid Technologies, Bioenergy, Buildings, Fuel Cells, Geothermal, Solar, Wind, and more. Letters of Intent for Release 2 funding are due on January 8, 2018, with full applications due February 26, 2018. To view the full timeline, requirements, and topic areas of this funding opportunity, click here. You can also learn more about this funding opportunity by attending program informational webinars, which you can register for here.
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| Techincal Assistance Available from the Tennessee Industrial Assessment Center
Small and medium sized manufacturers may be eligible for a no-cost energy assessment from the Tennessee Industrial Assessment Center (IAC). One- or two-day onsite visits focus on the major energy-consuming plant equipment such as compressed air, steam systems, process heating and cooling, HVAC, lighting, and more. These assessments are sponsored by U.S. DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office and are conducted by teams from Tennessee Tech University and the University of Memphis. The average report identifies more than $100,000 in potential energy savings opportunities. More information is available at the IAC’s website. Contact Michelle Davis at mdavis@tntech.edu for more information.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
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| Save the Date for Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council's Year-End "Opportunities in Energy" Event Please join the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council at its annual, year-end “Opportunities in Energy” event. TAEBC will be meeting on Thursday, December 7 at The Square Room at 4 Market Square in Knoxville. More information to follow! You can RSVP now by clicking here.
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| Energy Services Coalition Chapter Meeting
The Energy Services Coalition (ESC) is a public-private partnership promoting the benefits of, providing education on, and serving as an advocate for the widespread use of energy performance contracting in public and private facilities across the United States. The next meeting of the ESC Tennessee Chapter will take place on Monday, December 11 at 12:30 pm in Nashville. Click here for more information. If you are interested in learning more about the Tennessee effort, contact the Tennessee Chapter Public Co-Chair, Alexa Voytek, at alexa.voytek@tn.gov. You can also visit and "like" the Tennessee ESC Chapter Facebook to get involved.
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| Register for the 4th Annual Tennessee Renewable Energy and Economic Development Council Conference
The 4th Annual Tennessee Renewable Energy and Economic Development Council (TREEDC) Conference will take place on December 14-15 at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville. This year’s conference will highlight a wide variety of renewable energy technologies, case studies, and financial opportunities, and will encourage dialogue for networking and fellowship among supporters of these technologies in Tennessee and across the region. Key highlights include: - Panels on both urban and rural renewable energy programs
- Keynote speaker Matt Beasley, President of TenneSEIA, on "The Future of Solar"
- An update on the Volkswagen Diesel Settlement by the TDEC Office of Energy Programs
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| Three Energy Efficiency Resources from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
1) Fact Sheets for Energy Efficiency in Southeastern Low-Income Households Low-income households in the Southeast spend an outsized portion of their income on home energy bills, including electricity, natural gas, and other heating fuels. Utility energy efficiency programs targeted at low-income households can reduce their energy burden, but Southeastern utilities spend less on these programs, per residential customer, and save less energy than utilities in other parts of the country. The American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy (ACEEE) recently released a series of fact sheets that summarize current Southeastern utility low-income energy efforts and provides strategies for states and utilities to scale up these resources, alleviate energy poverty, and bolster local economies. Check out the fact sheet for Tennessee here.
2) Recent Developments in Energy Efficiency Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification
Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification (EM&V) plays many critical roles in planning, developing, and deploying energy efficiency resources. This ACEEE report identifies the states that are showing policy and institutional leadership in EM&V and gives examples of what they are doing. It then discusses three topics that have recently received attention in the industry: deemed savings and technical reference manuals (TRMs), common practice baselines (CPBs), and advanced metering-based measurement and verification (aka M&V 2.0).
3) Making a Difference: Strategies for Successful Low-Income Energy Efficiency Programs
Energy efficiency is a powerful tool for lowering the disproportionate energy costs faced by low-income customers. Unfortunately, lack of capital, lack of credit, and aging housing stock that may need health and safety improvements often prevent these consumers from taking advantage of low-income energy efficiency programs. This ACEEE report delves into programs that have overcome these barriers to achieve high participation and deliver deep savings. It explores the key features that make these offerings successful, including the leveraging of diverse funding sources, targeted program offerings, statewide coordination and partnerships, and a focus on quality control.
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| U.S. DOE's Better Buildings Initiative - Monthly Top 10 Solutions List
At the end of each month, U.S. DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative releases a Top 10 Solutions list of resources, success stories, and reports regarding smart energy management in building and facilities. The most recent October Top 10 Solutions list included an Outdoor Lighting Decision Tree Tool, an Energy Data Access Toolkit, and many success stories and updates for businesses and municipalities across the U.S. working to improve their energy and facilities footprints. Click here to view the full list.
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