DOE to Offer $454M for Energy Efficiency ‘Retrofit Ramp-Ups’
To jump-start a shift toward greater energy efficiency across the US, DOE unveiled a new "Retrofit Ramp-Up" program, funded by $450 million in Recovery Act funds. The two-pronged effort aims to catalyze a nationwide energy efficiency upgrade that could save $100 million annually in utility bills for households and businesses. The goal of Retrofit Ramp-Up is to roll out energy efficiency to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in a variety of U.S. communities.
The program kicks off with a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks comments on two portions of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. The first and largest portion will offer up to $390 million for whole-neighborhood building retrofits. These will be competitively-selected projects that demonstrate a sustainable business model for providing cost-effective energy upgrades for a large percentage of the residential, commercial, and public buildings in a specific community.
Possible approaches could include innovative public/ private partnerships, utility retrofit and audit programs, alternative financing and retail partnerships. The program targets projects that make significant, long-term impacts on energy use and can serve as national role models for grassroots energy efficiency efforts.
DOE is also open to ideas about how to spend up to $64 million intended for local governments that weren’t eligible to receive grants announced earlier this year. These funds are meant to help expand local energy efficiency efforts and reduce energy use in the commercial, residential, transportation, manufacturing, or industrial sectors.
Comments on both portions of the EECBG Program are due by September 28. A solicitation is expected to be released in early October, following the public comment period. See the DOE press release, the complete RFI, and the EECBG Program Web site.
DOE Delivers $354M for Energy Efficiency Projects in 22 States
DOE awarded $354 million from the ARRA to 22 states in support of energy efficiency and conservation activities. Under DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, these states will implement programs that lower energy use, reduce carbon pollution, and create green jobs locally.
The awards to the State Energy Offices will be used to support energy efficiency priorities on a state level as well as to fund local conservation projects in smaller cities and counties. At least 60% of each state’s award will be passed through to local cities and counties not eligible for direct EECBG awards from DOE.
Eligible efforts include development of energy efficiency and conservation strategies, development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements, delivery of energy efficiency audits and retrofits, creation and implementation of transportation programs, and installation of renewable energy technologies on municipal buildings. See the DOE press release, and for a full list of awards to date, visit the EECBG Program Web site.
New "H-Prize" Offers $1 Million for Improved Hydrogen Storage
DOE launched the H-Prize competition, offering a $1 million award to an individual or team that creates the most advanced materials for hydrogen storage in vehicles.
Hydrogen storage is a critical barrier to widespread market penetration of hydrogen-fueled vehicles, including fuel cell vehicles. Authorized under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the H-Prize is managed by DOE’s Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program and administered by the Hydrogen Education Foundation. Future prizes will address other technical barriers to fuel cell vehicles, including hydrogen production and distribution.
Participants must submit material samples by mid-November 2010; the prize will be awarded in February 2011. The H Prize is open to U.S. companies, U.S. citizens, and legal U.S. residents, with certain restrictions. Participants must register on the H-Prize Web site by February 15, 2010. Registration is not yet open, but interested parties can sign up for email notification at the website. See the H-Prize Web site and the details about the prize in the Federal Register notice (PDF 58 KB).
DOE Awards $14.6M to Develop Water Energy Technologies
DOE awarded $14.6 million on Tuesday for 22 advanced water power projects to advance the commercial viability and environmental performance for marine and hydrokinetic technologies. Some funds will also go to conventional hydropower projects, including a project by the Electric Power Research Institute to quantify and maximize the benefits to transmission grids of hydropower and pumped storage hydropower projects.
The 22 projects include studies of the cost, environmental impact, and performance of water power technologies, as well as the development of hydrokinetic devices to draw power from currents, tides, waves, and ocean temperature differences.
A technology called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) produces power from ocean temperature differences, flashing warmer sea-surface water into steam under a vacuum, driving a turbine with the steam, and then condensing it with colder seawater from the ocean depths.
Several projects involve resource assessments, including an assessment of in-stream hydrokinetic resources in the US, as well as US and global assessments of ocean currents and the ocean thermal resource. The funds will also support graduate- and doctorate-level students at Pennsylvania State University and fellowships from the Hydro Research Foundation. In addition, Pacific Energy Ventures will test a limited-range acoustic deterrent system to keep migrating gray whales from entering wave energy parks. See the DOE press release.
DOE Recognizes Midwest Industrial Efficiency Leaders
DOE announced 11 "Save Energy Now" awards on September 10 for Midwestern industry leaders with exemplary energy saving accomplishments.
The winners, recognized for energy savings of over 15% of total energy use, include Benlee, Inc. of Romulus, Michigan; the Brose plant in Chicago, Illinois; Flex-N-Gate Corporation’s MasterGuard plant in Veedersburg, Indiana; the Minster Machine Company of Minster, Ohio; and the Nease Corporation plant in Harrison, Ohio.
Awards for saving more than 7.5% of total energy use went to American Augers of West Salem, Ohio; Barnard Manufacturing of St. Johns, Michigan; Flex-N-Gate Corporation’s plant in Royal Oak, Michigan; the Metal Technologies, Inc. plant in Ravenna, Michigan; and Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio.
Through the Save Energy Now program, DOE works with private companies to improve energy efficiency and to demonstrate profitable business models that expand markets for new energy technologies.
The program’s goal is to booster competitiveness, to create jobs, and to save energy across the industrial sector. The awards were announced during the Midwest Industrial Energy Efficiency Exchange, which was held on September 9 and 10 in Detroit, Michigan. See the DOE press release and the Web site for the Midwest Industrial Energy Efficiency Exchange.
DOE, EPA Announce Green Power Leadership Awards
DOE and the US EPA recognized a variety of organizations for their work to advance and develop the voluntary purchase of electricity from renewable energy sources.
DOE selected five organizations as Green Power Network Leaders Awards, including 3Degrees, which originates and markets renewable energy certificates from projects around the world; the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), a non-profit supplier of green power products that reinvests its income into new renewable energy projects; Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS), which runs the CVPS Cow Power program, one of the nation’s first farm-to-consumer renewable energy programs that uses methane-based power generation; the Madison Gas and Electric Company, which recently expanded its green power program to add new wind power in Wisconsin while drastically reducing its price premium; and Puget Sound Energy (PSE), which in 2008 sold more than 290 million kilowatt-hours of green power to more than 20,000 participants. See the DOE press release.
The EPA honored four Green Power Partners of the Year, including Deutsche Bank AG, which made an annual purchase of 160 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind-derived renewable energy certificates (RECs), totaling 100% of the electricity needs for its U.S. operations; Intel Corporation, which is the nation’s largest voluntary corporate buyer of green power; Kohl’s Department Stores, whose portfolio includes 69 solar power systems; and Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc., which buys 110 million kWh in RECs each year, enough to cover all its operations in New York and Ohio.
Also recognized for green power purchasing were Beaulieu Commercial; Bloomberg LP; EarthColor, Inc.; Foulger-Pratt Management, Inc.; Motorola, Inc.; Neenah Paper, Inc.; Shaklee Corporation; Steelcase USA; The Joinery; and the Western Pennsylvania Energy Consortium. Accepting awards for on-site generation were Applied Materials, Inc.; Butte College; and the California and Texas facilities of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. See the EPA press release.
Overall, retail sales of renewable energy in voluntary purchase markets exceeded 24 billion kWh in 2008. See full details about all the winners on DOE’s Green Power Network Web site.
New Reports Emphasize Monetary & Security Costs of Climate Change
The significant challenges needed to convert the world’s energy systems to sources that emit less carbon dioxide are giving pause to leaders throughout the world, but three recent reports highlight the overwhelming cost of inaction.
Some point to estimates made by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which peg the global annual costs of adapting to climate change at $40-$70 billion, or about three Olympic Games per year-a cost that some may find acceptable, if they’re able to continue business as usual.
However, a new report published by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London found the real costs of adaptation to be 2-3 times greater, because the UNFCC estimate didn’t include key sectors such as energy, manufacturing, retailing, mining, tourism, and ecosystems. That could put the annual cost above $200 billion. See the IIED press release and the full report.
Two other reports take a closer look at the economic impacts in the US. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) found that unchecked climate change could result in hundreds of billions of dollars in damages here. The report, an overview of more than 60 scientific studies, found costs would be mainly driven by rising sea levels, more intense hurricanes, more flooding, declining public health, strained energy and water resources, and impaired transportation infrastructure. UCS notes the cost of taking preventative action would be dramatically less than the cost of allowing climate change to continue.
Meanwhile, the American Security Project (ASP) issued a report highlighting dire security threats to the US if climate change remains unchecked. ASP warns of competition for dwindling resources, especially water, and how that can result in weakened or poorly functioning governments throughout the world. See the UCS press release and report (PDF 3.4 MB) and the ASP press release and report (PDF 7.1 MB).
++++
EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Loading...