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Upcoming Events and Activities:
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| TDEC Announces 2017 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award Winners Of note, the City of Lebanon was chosen as an award recipient in the category of Energy and Renewable Resources for its downdraft waste-to-energy gasification plant. The gasification initiative is the first in the nation and the largest downdraft gasifer in the world. Through the Qualified Energy Conservation Bond (QECB) program, which is managed by TDEC OEP, the City of Lebanon used $3.5 million in federal bonds to finance the energy project, which diverts 8,000 tons (equivalent to a line of semi-trucks four miles long) of wood and sludge waste from the local landfill and converts 36,000 Tennessee scrap rubber tires into energy annually. This will eliminate 2,500 tons of carbon emissions per year. The facility produces a leftover carbon-rich biochar that the city plans to sell to local farmers to fertilize crops as a potential new revenue stream. The plant also has the capacity to generate 1.8 million kWh of electricity behind the meter, which has the ability to power 312 homes. In addition to gasification, Lebanon is taking steps to support the only commuter rail system in Middle Tennessee by installing one MW of solar arrays at both the water and wastewater treatment plant to offset the electrical costs, starting a pilot recycling program for residents, and continuing the conversion of city vehicles from fossil fuels to natural gas.
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| QECB Suballocations Approved for City of Paris and Memphis Energy Projects
On April 13, the Tennessee Local Development Authority (TLDA) approved a suballocation of $2,532,500 in Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds (QECBs) to the City of Paris. The City is proposing to use the proceeds from the bond issuance for an energy savings performance contract with Trane (serving as the Energy Performance Contractor), to upgrade energy consuming systems through guaranteed energy savings. The proposed project will include an upgrade of street lights to LED lighting technology, conversion of lighting within select City-owned buildings to LED lighting technology, the addition of intelligent thermostats on HVAC systems, the addition of energy-saving vending machine controls, and an upgrade to the Civic Center’s indoor pool dehumidifier. The project is expected to generate $189,127 in annual energy and operational savings, reducing utility costs and consumption by 15-20% for the next 20 years. On May 11, the TLDA approved a suballocation of $2,142,850 in QECBs to the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE), which will serve as conduit issuer for the City of Memphis with regard to the Memphis Green Communities Program’s Southbrook Towne Center project. The proposed project includes the replacement of community center’s roof with an energy efficient roof system, an upgraded HVAC system, and an upgrade to the building’s electrical power grid. For more information on the QECB program, click here.
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| TVA Awards Additional Solar Capacity to Local Power Companies and Approves Strategic Fiber Initiative On May 8, TVA, in partnership with the TVPPA, announced that it is awarding 10 MW of additional solar capacity to seven local power companies who applied through TVA’s Distributed Solar Solutions (DSS) pilot program. Once completed, these projects will generate enough solar energy to power more than 900 average homes. DSS is a pilot program that encourages local power companies and solar developers to work together to create renewable energy projects at the community level. TVA announced the available capacity through the DSS pilot program in January. Applications were submitted for solar projects that ranged from 50 kW to two MW. The selection committee reviewed 13 proposals before selecting these projects to receive capacity: - North Georgia Electric Membership Corporation
- Volunteer Electric Company
- Memphis Light Gas & Water
- Electric Power Board of Chattanooga
- Tullahoma Utilities Authority
- Jackson Energy Authority
- Nashville Electric Service
To date, TVA has contracted or installed around 400 megawatts of solar capacity in its generation portfolio, and currently has more than 1,200 megawatts of wind and over 50 megawatts of biomass. TVA’s private renewable program, offered through participating local power companies, has resulted in over 100 megawatts of renewable capacity, with more than 3,000 systems operating across the region. For more information, click here. On May 11, the TVA board approved a $300 million strategic fiber initiative that will expand TVA’s fiber capacity and improve the reliability and resiliency of the transmission system. The network expansion will help meet the power system’s growing need for bandwidth as well as accommodate the integration of new, distributed energy resources. The fiber initiative will take five to 10 years to complete and will include 3,500 miles of fiber to enable broadband connections for more of TVA’s generating plants and as well as more of its customers. For more information, click here.
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| Nashville Residents, Anderson County Government Save with LEDs Last month, GE announced that the City of Nashville is in the top 10 cities for LED adoption, with a greater percentage of residents purchasing LEDs for their home than other major U.S. cities. According to the article, 29.2% of Nashville residents have purchased at least one LED bulb in the last year. LEDs are 70-90% more efficient than traditional bulbs; if every American switched out one, 60-watt traditional bulb with an ENERGY STAR certified LED bulb, we would save $566 million in annual energy costs. For more information, click here. In Anderson County, thanks to an $18,024 TDEC Clean Tennessee Energy Grant, the Anderson County government has purchased and installed LED replacement lighting at three of its municipal-owned facilities. Prior to installing the new lighting, the three facilities consumed 13,350 kWh per month; the new LED lighting is estimated to reduce energy consumption in these buildings by 35%, which could equate to $7,200 in savings per year. It is anticipated that the new lighting will save Anderson County 56,064 kWh a year, and at least $144,000 over the next 20 years. For more information, click here.
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| UT Receives $9.9 Million in NASA Funding for Energy Efficient Aviation Research
A team of researchers led by UT, Knoxville is the recipient of a $9.9 million grant from NASA that will go toward the development of a more aerodynamically capable aircraft. The award, announced earlier this month, is part of an overall $50 million investment that NASA is making in university research teams studying aviation innovation. The UT-led team will focus specifically on creating a more aerodynamic airplane wing with the goal of reducing energy use and leading to more efficient aircrafts. For more information, click here.
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| ORNL to Collaborate with Five Small Businesses to Advance Energy Tech
Five small companies have been selected to partner with ORNL to focus on the development and commercialization of technologies in commercial refrigeration systems, water power generation, bioenergy and battery manufacturing. The firms are among 38 selected to participate in the third round of U.S. DOE’s Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot. SBV facilitates access to the national labs for American small businesses, enabling them to leverage the world-class capabilities of the laboratories and bring their next-generation energy technologies to the marketplace faster. For more information on the companies and their projects, click here.
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| Memphis and Nashville Evaluated in ACEEE 2017 City Energy Efficiency Scorecard
On May 10, ACEEE released its 2017 City Energy Efficiency Scorecard, in which 51 cities representing 15% of the total U.S. population were assessed in five policy areas: local government operations, community-wide initiatives, buildings, energy and water utilities, and transportation. The cities of Memphis and Nashville, ranked 48 and 38 respectively, were both included within the Scorecard. For more information and to view the full scorecard, click here.
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| Memphis Home Energy Improvement Pilot Launched In April 2016, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy reported Memphis as having the highest median energy burden among major metropolitan cities in the United States. Even with rates in the Valley being some of the lowest in the country, lower-income communities like Memphis typically have a disproportionate “energy burden,” meaning they spend a larger portion of their income on energy bills. To help relieve that burden, TVA’s EnergyRight Solutions recently announced a partnership with MLGW to launch a home weatherization pilot in the Memphis area. The $1 million pilot models U.S. DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program and is slated to spend $8,000 per home for approximately 125 homes in the MLGW service territory by making Weatherization Assistance Program-approved energy improvements such as insulation, air sealing, HVAC repair or replacement, and water heating – all at no cost to the homeowner. Running now through the end of September, the Memphis Home Energy Improvement Program will use WAPez, a new online portal developed by TVA, to streamline the process of obtaining home weatherization funding. The MLGW project is one of four pilots EnergyRight Solutions will be undertaking to test the WAPez portal. Stay tuned for more updates as this program is rolled out.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
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| Webinar: Energy Savings Performance Contracting Toolkit
The U.S. DOE’s Better Buildings Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) Accelerator was a three-year partnership (2013-2016) with states, local governments, and K-12 schools to expand access to performance contracting. U.S. DOE worked with 25 state and local agencies to develop solutions for the most common barriers to ESPC, leveraging innovative and best-practice approaches for success. As a result, the ESPC Accelerator catalyzed public-sector energy efficiency investments of more than $2 billion during the Accelerator and left a legacy of valuable tools and resources to support ESPC into the future. As a result of the Accelerator’s work, U.S. DOE has released an ESPC toolkit, which is intended to guide users through various stages of the ESPC decision-making process. The toolkit website will serve as a main repository for ESPC resources moving forward. On June 6, from 3-4 pm Eastern, U.S. DOE will host a webinar to present a virtual tour of the toolkit and discuss some of its primary features. To register for the webinar, click here.
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| THDA 2016 Program Summary and Interactive Mapping Tool
The Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) has recently released its 2016 Program Summary and interactive mapping tool. The Program Summary includes an Economic Impact Report, followed by descriptions and metrics for each of THDA’s programs, such as the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). To view the Program Summary and interactive mapping tool, click here.
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| Solar Job and Training Search Platform, Report on Solar Farm Development
The Solar Foundation has launched a new platform through the Solar Training Network that connects job seekers with solar employers and training programs. The network is free, and allows users to search by state for an employer, trainer or workforce board. Employers can create a school profile, recruit students and more. Trainers can post classes and connect with employers. Students and job seekers can find training opportunities or connect with local employers to launch their careers. For more information, click here.
A new report by the Southern Environmental Law Center highlights how communities across the Southeast are harnessing the many benefits of solar power while ensuring that energy demands are balanced with smart, sustainable development of solar farms. “The Environmental Review of Solar Farms in the Southeast U.S.” describes the environmental review processes and sustainable practices that currently inform the development of solar farms, which the report defines as projects larger than 1 MW and require roughly 5 acres of land or more. In addition, the Southern Environmental Law Center also published a handout debunking anti-solar farm “myths.”
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| Report: Electricity Consumption and Peak Demand Scenarios for the Southeast
A new report from ACEEE shows that energy efficiency and demand response have the capability to level demand in the Southeast for electricity for more than a decade. Specifically, the report looks at how energy efficiency, photovoltaics (solar electricity), electric vehicles, heat pumps and demand response (shifting loads away from periods of high demand) might all affect electricity needs in the Southeast in the near future. The report concludes that if all of these resources are pursued on an accelerated basis, electricity demand in the region can be stabilized until 2030. After that, demand will likely grow in the following decade due to increased market penetration of electric vehicles and heat pumps. For more information and to view the full report, click here.
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| Better Buildings Financing Navigator
U.S. DOE has introduced a new, web-based financing navigator to help private and public sector organizations discover financing solutions for energy efficiency projects. Limited financing options are often cited as a major barrier to investing in energy efficient systems. Through the Better Buildings Financing Navigator, building owners, facility and energy managers, and other decision-makers can connect with financiers, including banks and financial institutions, to pursue-energy-saving measures. For more information and to access the Navigator, click here.
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| Toolkit: Implement Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS) in your Building Portfolio Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS) help building owners and operators manage and measure energy usage, allowing them to see their action in order to reduce unnecessary waste. A new U.S. DOE Better Buildings toolkit gives an introduction to EMIS, provides an overview of existing EMIS resources, outlines the typical variables involved in the specification, procurement, and selection of an EMIS or related building energy performance monitoring and diagnostic technology, provides information on incentives and financing programs available to support the installation and use of EMIS in commercial buildings, and references key distinguishing factors and core attributes of different solutions within the family of EMIS technologies available on the market today. For more information and to access the toolkit, click here.
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| Geothermal Prospector Data Tool
NREL’s Geothermal Prospector mapping tool provides an excellent resource for visual exploration of geothermal resources using the tools and datasets required to produce and disseminate both exploration gap analysis and Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) planning and analysis. The online tool provides the information needed to allow users to determine locations that are favorable to geothermal energy development. For more information and to access the tool, click here.
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| Implementation Model: Advancing Efficient Street Lighting Through Fixture Upgrades, Adaptive Controls, and Enabling Utility Rate Mechanisms
The City of San Diego has published a new Implementation Model highlighting their city-wide street lighting retrofit project and the process by which they were able to execute and pay for it. As a result of lighting upgrades, adaptive controls, and enabling rate design, the City cut street light energy use by more than 50 percent from 2010 to 2015. The wireless control technology reduced maintenance costs with longer luminaire life and reduced replacement requirements. The adaptive controls provide a lumen maintenance feature where the fixture output ramps up over time, and only produces the amount of light needed, extending the life-span and reducing energy waste. For more information on the project and to view the Implementation Model, click here.
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| NASEO Publishes Energy Efficiency Pathway Templates for States
NASEO has published a set of Energy Efficiency Pathway Templates to help State Energy Offices work with state air quality regulators and others to better recognize the air quality benefits of energy efficiency (EE). Developed with the support of U.S. DOE, the templates discuss energy savings and avoided emissions quantifications, as well as how EE-derived emissions reductions can help states attain air quality objectives, such as meeting National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), Regional Haze Rule requirements, or state-level greenhouse gas targets. For more information and to view the templates, click here.
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| State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Energy Assurance Program Year-in-Review
The State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) Energy Assurance Program focuses on improving the security and resilience of the energy sector with state and local governments. U.S. DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability’s (OE) Infrastructure Security and Energy Restoration (ISER) Division works with state and local partners through national associations for energy offices, emergency managers, utility commissioners, and state government officials to develop communications procedures, tools, and training to improve their capacity to prepare for and respond to energy sector emergencies. The Energy Assurance Year-in-Review provides a summary of activities that the SLTT community participated in over calendar year 2016. For more information and to access the summary, click here.
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