U.S. DOE recently announced recipients of the 2022-2023 Renew America’s Schools Program to promote the implementation of clean energy improvements at K-12 public schools across the country to decrease energy use and costs, improve indoor air quality, and foster healthier learning environments. Memphis-Shelby County Schools was one of the twenty-four schools selected and will receive over $9.5 million for Riverview Elementary and Middle School. The school, which serves over 400 K-8 grade students and is a community shelter for the surrounding neighborhood, will utilize the funding toward improvements, including energy-efficient lighting and HVAC upgrades, boiler plant electrification, new exterior windows, and a solar array.  

Lenoir City based Veracity Nuclear, LLC, will receive over $200,000 from U.S. DOE under the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs. Veracity Nuclear’s project aims to increase the lifetime of nuclear fuel, decrease waste, minimize cost, and maximize reliability, safety, and operational flexibility by creating a fuel management software product.

The Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council’s (TNEAC) Business and Regulatory group seeks input regarding economic opportunities and regulatory barriers in the nuclear industry. The survey seeks to delve into these critical dimensions, aiming to identify economic solutions and regulatory challenges that affect the creation and expansion of nuclear facilities and businesses in Tennessee. Complete the TNEAC Business and Regulatory Survey here.

Recently enacted legislation known as the ADVANCE Act will support new nuclear reactor deployment in the U.S. The Act directs the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to reduce certain licensing application fees and authorizes increased staffing for NRC reviews to expedite the process. It also introduces prize competitions that U.S. DOE can award to incentivize deployment. Additionally, the Act directs NRC to develop guidance to license and regulate nuclear microreactor designs within 18 months. Furthermore, the Act enables the cleanup and reuse of brownfield sites, including retired or retiring coal plants, for nuclear power plants.

U.S. DOE recently announced the Elective Pay – Blueprints for Communities funding opportunity to address knowledge gaps for organizations interested in the Elective Pay provision created by the Inflation Reduction Act, which allows tax-exempt and governmental entities to benefit from clean energy tax credits. The funding will support the development and distribution of blueprints or other guiding reference materials to serve as a resource to communities, including U.S. DOE grantees, as they plan and develop projects eligible for clean energy tax credits through Elective Pay.

The opportunity envisions blueprints as documents that will help guide interested entities through all stages of a sample project, identifying important considerations, opportunities, and restrictions along the road to claiming Elective Pay. A total of $915,000 in funding will be awarded to 3-10 selectees through this opportunity. Applicants can request up to $305,000 to execute proposed activities over the course of 6 months.

Both individual and joint applications are eligible from organizations working to increase community capacity to implement clean energy projects, including energy efficiency and/or access to federal funding. A webinar recording and slides on the funding opportunity are available here. Applications are due August 8.

U.S. DOE recently announced $65 million in funding for Connected Communities 2.0 to drive innovation to manage growing building, transportation, and industrial electric loads on the grid. The funding opportunity seeks to validate grid-edge technology innovations in real-world situations and provide tools for utilities; grid planners and operators; automakers and smart charge management service providers; and the communities they serve. 

The funding opportunity has two major topical areas:

Eligible applicants must be domestic entities and include institutions of higher education, for-profit entities, nonprofit entities, and state and local governmental entities. A Teaming Partner List is available here. Concept papers are due August 20, and full applications are due October 10.

The U.S. DOE Office of Electricity recently announced two voucher opportunities totaling $1 million in technical assistance for long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies. One voucher opportunity will aid technology developers of LDES, and the other will aid communities or other entities interested in deploying storage for the first time.

Voucher Opportunity 7 focuses on U.S. for-profit companies developing innovative LDES technologies, excluding hydrogen-based solutions. Eligible technology areas include lithium-ion batteries, flow batteries, lead-acid batteries, zinc batteries, pumped storage hydropower, compressed-air energy storage, and bidirectional thermal energy storage.  Recipients will receive in-kind support for services including:

Voucher Opportunity 8 focuses on LDES community development and targets municipalities, tribes, state or local governments, community development organizations, and utilities interested in first-time LDES deployments. The initiative will provide in-kind support for services including: 

Applications for both voucher opportunities are due August 28.

U.S. DOE recently launched the Science Synthesis Prize under the new Grid Resource Integration Technologies (GRIT) Prize Series. The Science Synthesis Prize aims to address opportunities and challenges as renewable technologies are integrated into the electric grid. U.S. DOE invites students, researchers, industry partners, and key stakeholders to form multidisciplinary teams to develop an in-depth and cohesive research paper that highlights state-of-the-art renewable technologies, addresses the current and projected challenges associated with such technologies, and identifies the renewable integration gaps present throughout the industry that could be addressed with greater investment, research, development and/or awareness.

The $125,000 prize will provide $10,000 for as many as ten teams with five additional $5,000 cash prizes for exceptional submissions. Teaming lists are available here. Applications are due August 30.

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 U.S. DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office launched the Equitable Solar Communities of Practice program to support the expansion of equitable benefits in solar adoption. The program consists of five communities of practice, or groups of organizations working on a common problem who exchange information and ideas, that work to identify resource gaps, support the development and dissemination of best practices and resources, and identify and propose new resources, tools, and technical assistance offerings needed to scale equitable solar.

Two of the communities of practice are convening in August:

The Center for Energy, Transportation, and Environmental Policy in the University of Tennessee Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs will host the second annual Southeast Energy Policy Forum on August 14-15 in Knoxville. The Forum will provide educational content and networking opportunities for private and public sector leaders as they navigate new energy markets, decarbonization trends, demand-side technologies, and transportation electrification. Register here for the Forum.

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.

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. 

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. Chamber of Commerce recently released a 2024 Climate Resilience Report, The Preparedness Payoff: The Economic Benefits of Investing in Climate Resilience. The report shows that investment in resilience and preparedness can substantially reduce the economic costs associated with disasters. The study revealed that each $1 of investment in resilience and disaster preparedness reduces a community’s economic costs after an event by $7. Each scenario in the report highlights the jobs saved, workforce preserved, and economic savings that would come from investing up-front in resilience and disaster preparedness programs and resources. One of the scenarios included addresses a tornado hitting Nashville. View the full report and overview here.  

The U.S. DOE Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Regulatory Assistance Project, the Clean Air Task Force, and others, recently released a report, Laws in Order: An Inventory of State Renewable Energy Siting Policies. The report examines the diversity of siting and permitting regulations, authorities, and processes for renewable energy across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. For example, in Tennessee, siting decisions are made at the local level, but State-level certification is required for wind facilities of at least 1 MW or taller than 200 feet. View the report overview page and the interactive map for additional information.

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

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

June 2024

May 2024

April 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.