Stone Mountain Technologies, Inc. (SMTI) recently announced an investment of $13.9 million to establish manufacturing operations in Piney Flats, TN. SMTI will create 111 new jobs in Sullivan County and launch production of ANESI, its brand of high efficiency gas-fired heat pumps. Headquartered in Piney Flats, SMTI develops cost-effective, next-generation heating technologies using sorption heat pump cycles. The company aims to provide customers with high-comfort, cost-effective, low/zero-carbon heating and cooling.

In 2020, the U.S. DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office awarded nearly $4 million to a team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to develop an optimized solution to manage the distribution of electricity within a network of solar-powered microgrids. Researchers at the lab designed a tool to connect and coordinate multiple microgrids to maintain reliable electric service. The team is in the final stages of hardware testing before demonstrating the microgrid orchestrator in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico.

The IRS has released guidance on the 45L tax credit for energy efficient homes, amended by the Inflation Reduction Act, to clarify who is eligible to claim the credit, what the energy savings requirements are for each tier of the credit, and what the requirements are for certification and substantiation. Tax credits vary based on the year the home is acquired and the applicable program and program requirements under which the home was certified, such as Energy Star or U.S. DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Homes. 

Certified Zero Energy Ready single-family homes are eligible for a $5,000 tax credit, as are units in multifamily buildings if the credit’s prevailing wage requirements are met. Homes must be certified to the Zero Energy Ready Home program version in effect based on the project’s Permit Date (or Production Date for Manufactured Homes), as defined in the program requirements document corresponding to the building type. View the program version effective dates for eligible projects on the Zero Energy Ready Home Program Requirements page. 

The U.S. DOE Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) is providing rebates for the replacement of a qualified energy-inefficient transformer with a qualified energy-efficient transformer and for expenditures made by qualified entities for the purchase or installation of a qualified extended product system.

The Energy Efficient Transformer Rebate Program aims to help qualified entities such as domestic manufacturers, utilities, hospitals, schools, and other operators replace qualified energy-inefficient distribution transformers with qualified energy-efficient transformers. Applicants are also eligible if they are replacing transformers that were destroyed in a natural disaster. MESC will accept applications for rebates until the program deadline of December 8 or until funds are expended, whichever comes first.

Rebates under the Extended Product System Rebate Program are for qualified entities that purchased and installed or newly incorporated an extended product system. Extended Product Systems (EPS) are industrial and large HVAC systems that are comprised of combinations of electric motors, electronic control, and driven load (e.g., pumps, fans, and compressors). MESC will accept applications for rebates until funds are expended.

Please contact DOERebates@icf.com with any questions or for more information.

U.S. DOE’s Communities Local Energy Action Program (LEAP) is open for applications for technical assistance services valued at over $18 million. The funding will support 24-32 communities to develop and advance their community-driven clean energy transition approach. Under Communities LEAP, U.S. DOE matches selected communities with technical assistance providers that will assist them with bringing their clean energy planning and economic development vision to life.

Eligible applicants are low-income, energy-burdened communities experiencing either direct environmental justice impacts or direct economic impacts from a shift away from historical reliance on fossil fuels. The Communities LEAP map of eligible census tracts is available here. Applications are due December 14.

The Local Infrastructure Hub (LIH) was launched to ensure that all communities can access federal infrastructure funding to drive local recovery, improve communities, and deliver results for residents. The LIH Regional Cohorts Program is now open to assist local governments and their partners in the Southeast in accessing the historic levels of federal funding available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Administered by the Southeast Sustainability Director’s Network, the Southeast Regional Cohort Program has three-tiered learning and mentoring tracks.

Cohorts can provide 1:1 local government outreach and technical assistance and can also work with strategic local and regional partners in a way that will build long-term capacity for local implementation. The three support options are:

Applications will be accepted until mid-2024 or until funds are expended, whichever comes first. Additional information, including eligible applicants, is available in the Southeast LIH Regional Cohort Invitation and on the Southeast LIH Regional Cohort website.

U.S. DOE recently launched the Community Energy Innovation Prize competition, administered through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), that will award up to $7.5 million in prizes as well as mentorship opportunities to organizations supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, capacity building, and economic development in communities historically underrepresented in climate and energy technology funding. With three prize tracks, the prize aims to support local organizations with proven track records of engaging underserved communities and/or promoting environmental, climate, and energy justice as they enact community-led climate and clean energy solutions; inspire the next generation of clean energy leaders with opportunities for college students to work with community partners; and foster innovation in clean energy manufacturing ecosystems in historically underserved communities.

The three prize tracks are as follows:

All three tracks of the prize will consist of three phases: Concept, Progress, and Impact. Any eligible team may compete in the first phase, Concept, where applicants form coalitions and develop project ideas. Up to 34 teams across the three tracks will be selected as Concept phase winners and receive an initial prize along with mentorship and access to NREL technology experts. Winning teams will be eligible to move on to the remaining phases.

Clean Energy Ecosystem and Manufacturing Ecosystem Track applications are due on February 2, 2024.

The Better Buildings Webinar Series takes on the most pressing topics facing energy professionals, with experts leading the conversations on proven best practices, cost-effective strategies, and innovative new ways to approach sustainability and energy performance. View all upcoming webinars here, or click on any webinar below to register.

Atlas Public Policy has compiled basic information on water source heat pumps in an article on their Buildings Hub. Water source heat pumps are an alternative to air-source and geothermal options and transfer from a body of water (lake, river, pond, aquifer) into a building space by way of a heat pump. They are structurally very similar to geothermal heat pump systems that extract heat from the subsurface. Learn more about the types of water source heat pumps available in The 411 on Water Source Heat Pumps article.

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

Past Monthly Newsletters: 

October 2023

September 2023

August 2023

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.