January 4, 2010

NASEO News

FEDERAL UPDATE

DOE to Invest $366M in Energy Innovation Hubs

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu outlined the Department's plans to invest up to $366 million to establish and operate three new Energy Innovation Hubs focused on accelerating research and development in three key energy areas.  Each Hub, to be funded at up to $122 million over five years, will bring together a multidisciplinary team of researchers in an effort to speed research and shorten the path from scientific discovery to technological development and commercial deployment of highly promising energy-related technologies.

The three DOE Energy Innovation Hubs will focus on:

  • production of fuels directly from sunlight;
  • improving energy-efficient building systems design; and
  • computer modeling and simulation for the development of advanced nuclear reactors.

The Department will provide $22 million in the first year for the establishment of each Hub and up to $25 million per year for the following four years to support the operations of each Hub—for a total award of up to $122 million per Hub.  Important information on the DOE's Hub implementation plan and strategy for managing the Hubs can be found on the Energy Innovation Hubs website:  http://hubs.energy.gov.  Please click here for the full press release. 

EVENTS AND WEBINARS

Register Now for the NASEO/ASERTTI State Energy Policy and Technology Outlook Conference, February 1-5, 2010

The 2010 NASEO/ASERTTI State Energy Policy and Technology Outlook Conference will be held February 1 – 5, 2010 at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC. This year's State Energy Policy, Program, and Technology Outlook Conference comes as the States and the nation are in the midst of an historic energy efficiency and renewable energy transformation. New policies and investments are moving rapidly and at an unprecedented scale, with additional programs being contemplated by Congress and the Administration in the coming weeks.

To better prepare and inform conference attendees, NASEO and ASERTTI have planned a full week of informative events, with the core conference agenda being complimented by pre-meeting ARRA and committee sessions starting at noon on February 1, 2010, followed by an important post conference ARRA-related building codes workshop which concludes on February 5, 2010 at 3:00 pm.

The 2010 NASEO/ASERTTI State Energy Policy and Technology Outlook Conference will serve as an essential opportunity for State Energy Office (SEO) directors, staff, and interested stakeholders to hear the latest on ARRA and the implementation and reporting issues that SEOs are currently facing.

Session Highlights

  • ARRA State Energy Program and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Implementation
  • Road to Recovery – A Look at States' ARRA Funded Clean Energy Jobs Creation
  • DOE ARRA Implementation – Overall Progress and Expectations
  • Vehicle Electrification – Cars, Infrastructure Investments, and Consumer Demand
  • Net Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium Update
  • National Laboratory Roundtable – Transferring Emerging Technologies
  • Transformative Renewable Energy Technology
  • Scaling up Renewable Energy Investment

Invited Speakers include:

  • Vice President Joe Biden
  • Energy Secretary Steven Chu
  • EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson
  • Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
  • Congressman Steve Israel
  • Congressman Paul Tonko
  • White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy Director Carol Browner
  • Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Cathy Zoi
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency Kathleen Hogan
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy Jacques Beaudry-Losique
  • DOE General Counsel Scott Blake Harris
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory Director Dan E. Arvizu

Please click here to visit the event website for an updated agenda, information on available sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities and to register online.

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS

2010 North Carolina Green Business Fund Solicitation Now Available

The 2010 North Carolina Green Business Fund Solicitation (call for Proposals) is now open.  The North Carolina Green Business Fund is a competitive grants program established by the State of North Carolina in 2007, and administered by the NC Office of Science and Technology, a division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce.  Eligibility for the grant is limited to small for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, state agencies, and local governments to encourage the expansion of small to medium sized businesses with 100 or fewer employees that have innovative commercial technologies, products and services to grow a green economy in the state.  Agencies must have their principal base of business in North Carolina.  Please click here for information about how to apply for the NC Green Business Fund.  The deadline for the receipt of pre-proposals (750 words maximum) is January 19, 2010.

Corn Cobs Have Energy Use in South Dakota

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Poet, Sioux Falls, S.D., is readying production of a new cellulosic ethanol plant that uses the corn waste product, rather than corn itself, to make the biofuel. The plant, located in Emmetsburg, Iowa, where Poet already has a traditional corn-based ethanol refinery, is expected to produce 25 million gallons per year once it starts commercial production in 2011.  The plant, called Project Liberty, could be a new revenue source for farmers, proponents say, although the future for the technology remains uncertain.

Currently, farmers have little use for the stripped-down corn cobs. The industry is moving toward cellulosic, as spelled out in the Environmental Protection Agency's renewable-fuel mandate. The mandate calls for cellulosic ethanol to account for 16 billion gallons of the total 36 billion gallons of production by 2022.  Unlike some of the other corn residue, the cobs are seen as having little if any value to the land and can be removed without depleting the soil. And the cob, unlike the grain, doesn't ignite the "food versus fuel" debate. Poet said that it is quickly finding ways to make cellulosic ethanol profitable. Since the pilot project started, it has cut costs almost in half, to $2.35 per gallon from $4.13, by reducing energy usage and enzyme costs, among other expenses. It costs roughly 50 to 80 cents more per gallon to make ethanol from corn cobs than from the grain, Poet said.  For more information about Project Liberty, please click here.  

New Energy Economy Success Outlined in New Colorado GEO Annual Report

The Colorado Governor's Energy Office (GEO) has released its Annual Report for fiscal year 2009 detailing Colorado's expanding New Energy Economy and the GEO's role in creating jobs through diversifying the state's energy portfolio, development of renewable energy resources, increasing energy efficiency and reducing pollution and carbon emissions.  Please click here for a link to the press release.  To review the full report, please click here and follow the link to the Annual Report of the Governor's Energy Office - Fiscal Year 2009, under "Reports and Industry Studies."  

Massachusetts Request for Response (RFR) Release

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources released RFR-ENE-2010-012 on Monday December 28, 2009.  The Commonwealth is seeking a qualified vendor to implement an Enterprise Energy Management System across millions of square feet of state building space.  For more details, please follow the instructions below:

  • Go to: www.comm-PASS.com
  • Select the "SOLICITATIONS" tab from the main navigation bar
  • Select "Search for a Solicitation"
  • Under Keywords type RFR-ENE-2010-012 and click search
  • Select the blue link at the top of the page that reads "There is 1 Solicitation(s) found that match your search criteria"
  • Click the eyeglass icon under "View"
  • The RFR and appendices can be found under the "Specifications" tab.  Use the eyeglass icon to view the documents.

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Announces Green Energy Works! Projects

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced the commonwealth is investing $5 million in federal recovery money in eight innovative alternative energy projects that use biological materials such as sewage, animal and food processing waste to generate enough energy to power more than 80,000 homes.  Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds support the commonwealth's Green Energy Works! Biogas initiative.  The projects will leverage an additional $22 million in private investments.  The eight projects receiving grants will generate more than 470,000 megawatt hours of electricity over their lifetimes. That is enough energy to power more than 47,000 average homes in Pennsylvania for one year. The projects will also generate the equivalent of 3,183 million cubic feet of natural gas — enough to heat more than 37,000 average homes that use about 85,000 cubic feet of gas per year. The projects will also reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by 237,000 tons of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent of taking more than 41,000 passenger vehicles off the roads.  Please click here for the full press release.