Energy Camp for K-12 Educators |
OEP recently held its Energy Education Camp for K-12 Educators at Henry Horton State Park. The Camp was comprised of a three-day training session and provided energy-related lesson plans and resources designed for use in the K-12 classroom. These lessons promote energy literacy as it relates to STEM subjects and introduce educators to topics including, but not limited to, electricity generation, consumption, and measurement; renewable energy; and energy efficiency and conservation. Energy Education Camps are offered free of charge. All participating educators receive $200 in materials to teach energy education topics in the classroom or at afterschool programs. For questions about the Camps program or OEP’s other K-12 Energy Education activities, please contact Angela McGee at Angela.McGee@tn.gov or 615-852-0131.
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| Better Climate Challenge Road Show Visits Middle Tennessee |
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U.S. DOE launched the first season of the Better Climate Challenge Road Show, a video series highlighting the leadership of public and private organizations in decarbonizing buildings and industrial plants. In the three-episode first season, DOE experts visit Middle Tennessee to highlight the industrial decarbonization work of Nissan North America, Chemours, and Whirlpool Corporation. As partners in DOE’s Better Climate Challenge, the three manufacturers have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% within 10 years and sharing solutions publicly to help others build on their success.
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Tennessee Entities Supporting Emissions Reductions in the Industrial Sector |
U.S. DOE will invest $135 million in 40 projects to reduce carbon pollution from the industrial sector. The selected projects will support research, development, and pilot-scale demonstrations in industries where decarbonization efforts can have the greatest impact: cement and concrete, chemicals, food and beverage, iron and steel, and petroleum refining. Two Tennessee entities have been selected for funding:
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SkyNano LLC of Knoxville will receive over $3.4 million to demonstrate a carbon utilization process to create solid carbon products that, when blended into concrete, can increase durability and lower the amount of portland cement, and thereby the energy and emissions required to create concrete.
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory will receive $5 million to lead a team to develop an industrial heat pump system capable of 200C sink temperatures. The project addresses multiple systems-level design considerations for raising sink temperatures of industrial heat pumps while maintaining acceptable efficiencies, including waste heat recovery technology. Developing heat pumps with high sink temperatures allows for the electrification of high-heat industrial processes.
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| TVA Accepting Comments Toward an Updated Integrated Resource Plan and Corresponding Environmental Impact Statement |
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TVA is accepting public input on the agency’s next Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and the potential environmental impacts of that plan. An IRP guides the utility on how to best meet expected energy demand in the coming decades. The comprehensive study includes descriptions of resource needs, policy goals, physical and operational constraints, risks, and proposed resource choices. The current IRP was completed in 2019, and the next IRP is expected to be completed in 2024.
As part of the IRP decision-making process and in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, TVA will analyze potential environmental impacts associated with the next IRP by preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS). TVA will use the EIS process to elicit and prioritize the values and concerns of stakeholders; identify issues, trends, events, and tradeoffs affecting TVA’s policies; formulate, evaluate, and compare alternative portfolios of energy resource options; provide opportunities for public review and comment; and ensure that TVA’s evaluation of alternative energy resource strategies reflects a full range of stakeholder input. The official Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register.
Comments must be submitted by July 3. All comments received, including names and addresses, will be considered part of the official record and will be made available to the public.
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Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas Program |
U.S. DOE announced $50 million in new grant funding made available by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for community-based energy projects in rural and remote areas under the Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) Program. Designed to recognize and address the distinct energy challenges faced by rural communities, this funding aims to increase energy affordability and promote climate resilience in areas with fewer than 10,000 people by supporting projects with a dollar amount of $500,000 to $5 million.
U.S. DOE removed the cost-share requirement for this grant opportunity and streamlined the project application process. Applicants are required to submit Community Benefits Plans to ensure benefits spread equitably across affected communities. Eligible applicants include State and local governmental entities, Indian Nations, for-profit and non-profit entities, institutions of higher education, and consortia.
The ERA Program also supports rural and remote American communities through technical assistance, prize competitions, grants, and cooperative agreements. Read the full funding opportunity announcement for the ERA program and visit the grant funding notice page for additional information. The submission deadline for pre-applications is July 13, and full applications are due October 12.
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Funding Available to Strengthen American Manufacturing |
U.S. DOE announced $80 million for small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMMs) to improve energy efficiency and reduce industrial emissions. The Industrial Assessment Centers Implementation Grant Program will bolster the U.S. manufacturing base by making grants available to support projects that modernize SMMs’ facilities with improved energy and material efficiency, enhanced cybersecurity, and increased use of smart and advanced manufacturing technologies to reduce waste and pollution while increasing productivity.
Through the Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) and Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnerships (CHP TAPs) programs, qualifying SMMs are eligible to receive a free assessment to identify cost-effective opportunities to improve manufacturers’ energy efficiency, increase competitiveness, and reduce emissions. Recommendations from the assessments offer SMMs an opportunity to take advantage of improved reliability, greater energy resilience, and more versatile fuel flexibility, which can lead to lower operating costs and reduced carbon and non-carbon pollution emissions.
SMMs that received IAC or CHP TAPs assessments between 2018 and 2023 can apply for grants to implement assessment recommendations with a 50% cost share of qualifying project costs for up to $300,000 per manufacturer. Additional information is available on the grant program’s solicitation page. Applications are due July 14 at 5:00 pm Eastern.
Tennessee an IAC at Tennessee Tech University and a satellite center at the University of Memphis. Inquire about receiving an IAC assessment here, and learn more about CHP TAP assessments here.
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Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar |
U.S. DOE’s National Community Solar Partnership announced the second round of the American-Made Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar. These awards offer $200,000 to community solar projects and programs that employ best practices in delivering meaningful benefits to their subscribers and communities.
The Sunny Awards recognize community solar project portfolios and state, utility, municipal, tribal, or territory-led programs that employ or develop best practices to increase equitable access to the meaningful benefits of community solar. These include low to moderate-income household access, greater household savings, increased resilience, community ownership, and equitable workforce development and entrepreneurship. U.S. DOE defines community solar as any solar project or purchasing program in which the benefits of a solar project flow to multiple customers, such as individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and other groups, within a certain geographic area.
Applications are due July 14.
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U.S. DOE’s Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America with ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.
In Phase 1 of Buildings UP, teams will submit innovative concepts to increase building energy upgrades, choosing to enter one of two pathways: Equity-Centered Innovation or Open Innovation. Equity-Centered Innovation teams focus on delivering upgrades to low- and moderate-income homes; small, disadvantaged businesses; and other equity-eligible buildings. Open Innovation teams will propose a concept for replicable and scalable solutions that address a geographic area or building type.
Community-based organizations, state and local governments, Indian tribes, building owners, utilities, nonprofit organizations, energy efficiency program implementers, and other organizations are encouraged to team up and apply. Up to 50 Application Support Prizes of $5,000 and 10 hours of technical assistance are available to help new and under-resourced teams complete Phase 1 applications. The Application Support Prize will be awarded on a rolling basis until funds are expended.
Follow Buildings UP on HeroX.com for all prize-related updates. Phase 1 submissions are due July 18.
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Tax Credits for Qualifying Advanced Energy Projects |
U.S. DOE, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the IRS are partnering to implement $10 billion through the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) Program, a tax credit for investments in advanced energy projects, as defined in 26 USC § 48C(c)(1). The first round of tax credits will include $4 billion for projects that expand clean energy manufacturing and recycling and critical materials refining, processing, and recycling and for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions at industrial facilities. Approximately $1.6 billion of this allocation will be set aside for projects in designated energy communities with closed coal plants or mines. The complete guidance on the tax credit is available here. Taxpayers must submit concept papers through the U.S. DOE’s 48C eXCHANGE portal by July 31 at 12:00 PM Eastern.
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| Renew America’s Nonprofits |
U.S. DOE announced $45 million to improve energy efficiency for nonprofit buildings through the Renew America’s Nonprofits funding opportunity. The program, referred to in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as the Energy Efficiency Materials Pilot Program, will lower utility costs at buildings owned and operated by 501(c)(3) nonprofits. U.S. DOE will award 5-14 larger grants to nonprofits interested in serving as Prime recipients. Prime recipients will assemble portfolios of energy-efficiency projects in nonprofit facilities and provide technical and project management assistance.
All entities interested in participating in the Renew America’s Nonprofits grant are encouraged to join the Teaming List, indicate one or more prospective roles, and connect with other organizations. To view the current Teaming List and learn more about the three pathways for participating in the Renew America’s Nonprofits grant, visit the Renew America’s Nonprofits website.
View the funding opportunity announcement for additional information. Applications are due August 3.
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Historically Black Colleges and Universities Clean Energy Education Prize |
U.S. DOE launched a competition for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to support the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics workforce. The HBCU Clean Energy Education Prize aims to help develop advanced clean energy programming opportunities and connections for HBCUs across the county.
The prize has three primary goals:
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- Inspire K-12 and community college students to engage with and learn about clean energy subjects through HBCU-hosted educational programs.
- Initiate partnerships between HBCUs and other universities with proven clean energy focused programs to build new cross-university degree and certificate programs.
- Integrate and build programming between university and industry partners to advance career opportunities for HBCU students in clean energy.
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The prize will have two track options, the Inspire Track and the Partnership Track; however, only the Inspire Track is currently open. The Inspire Track supports the development and expansion of HBCU-hosted clean energy summer or academic break programs for K-12 and community college students. The Partnership Track, expected to open in September 2023, will support the building of partnerships between HBCUs and other universities, government agencies, and industry leaders to inform new programs and provide professional opportunities that will equip HBCU students with skills for clean energy careers.
Submissions are due August 24.
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American-Made Solar Prize |
The U.S. DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office has opened applications for round seven of the American-Made Solar Prize, a $4 million prize program for innovations in solar hardware and software technologies and ideas to address challenges to rapid, equitable solar energy deployment.
Students, professors, small-business owners, company staffers, researchers at national laboratories, or anyone else based in the United States with a potentially marketable solar technology solution are eligible to compete and can sign up on the HeroX prize platform. This challenge requires competitors to progress quickly, form private-sector partnerships, and engage customers to bring their ideas to life. Competitors will have access to the American-Made Network to find partners and testing facilities to accelerate their progress.
Competitors will participate in three escalating challenges – the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests – as they develop their concept from idea to product. Individually, each competitor can win up to $700,000 in cash and $150,000 in technical support vouchers over the course of the three Contests.
An informational webinar will be held on July 11 at 12:00 PM Eastern. Applications are due September 27.
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Better Buildings Summer Webinar Series
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The Better Buildings Summer 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.
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TVA Lunch + Learn Webinar |
The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) and the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) are hosting a webinar featuring TVA’s Greg Boerschig, Vice President of the Clinch River Project, on July 13 at 11:00 AM Eastern. During the webinar, Boerschig will provide insights into TVA's advancements in nuclear energy and how it relates to its Clinch River Project. The session will consist of a presentation followed by an audience Q&A.
The webinar is free to TAEBC and/or ETEC members, and for non-members, tickets are $25, plus a small additional processing fee. Register for the TVA Lunch + Learn webinar here.
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Energy Storage Grand Challenge Summit |
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| Southeast Energy Policy Forum |
- Wednesday, August 16: The Forces Driving our Energy Future
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Thursday, August 17: The Evolution of Energy Technologies and Economics
- Friday, August 18: How Policy Will Determine Our Path to a Zero-Carbon Future
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A few of the featured speakers during the event will include:
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- Phil Bredesen, former Governor of Tennessee and founding chairman of Silicon Ranch Corporation and Clearloop
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Jeff Lyash, President and CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority
- Shameek Konar, former CEO of Pilot Company
- Michael W. Howard, Ph.D., CEO Emeritus of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Chair of the World Energy Council
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Russell Gold, award-winning investigative journalist at Texas Monthly and formerly The Wall Street Journal, and author of The Boom and Superpower on the American energy revolution
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Register by July 31 for early bird rates.
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Save the Date: TCCI and Tennessee Recycling Coalition Conference
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2023 U.S. Energy and Employment Report
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U.S. DOE recently released the 2023 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER). USEER is a comprehensive study designed to track and understand employment within key energy sectors. The analysis shows that energy jobs grew 3.8% from 2021 to 2022, from a total number of 7.8 million energy jobs in 2021 to 8.1 million in 2022. This growth rate outpaced the overall U.S. employment growth rate of 3.1% in the same period.
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U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap |
In conjunction with other federal agencies, U.S. DOE recently released the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, a comprehensive framework for accelerating the production, processing, delivery, storage, and use of clean hydrogen. The Strategy and Roadmap provides a snapshot of hydrogen production, transport, storage, and use in the United States today and a vision for how clean hydrogen will contribute to national decarbonization goals across multiple sectors in the future. The report also incorporates findings from U.S. DOE’s recent report, Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Clean Hydrogen. Download the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap here.
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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
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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.
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