NATIONAL NEWS
Secretaries Salazar and Chu Announce Major Offshore Wind Initiatives
U.S. Department of Energy
Unveiling a coordinated strategic plan to accelerate the development of
offshore wind energy, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of
Energy Steven Chu announced major steps forward in support of offshore wind
energy in the United States, including new funding opportunities for up to $50.5
million for projects that support offshore wind energy deployment and several
high priority Wind Energy Areas in the mid-Atlantic that will spur rapid,
responsible development of this abundant renewable resource.
DOE Pursues SunShot Initiative to Achieve Cost Competitive Solar Energy by 2020
U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced details of the "SunShot"
initiative to reduce the total costs of photovoltaic solar energy systems by
about 75% so that they are cost competitive at large scale with other forms of
energy without subsidies before the end of the decade. By reducing the cost for
utility scale installations by about 75% to roughly $1 a watt—which would
correspond to roughly 6 cents per kilowatt-hour—solar energy systems could be
broadly deployed across the country.
Senators Snowe (ME), Feinstein (CA) and Bingaman (NM) Welcome White House
Support for Efficient Commercial Buildings
United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
The Senators applauded President Obama’s support for provisions in S. 1637,
the Expanding Building Efficiency Incentives Act, legislation they sponsored
last Congress to encourage energy efficient technology and construction in the
existing home, new home, and commercial building markets. President Obama
endorsed these provisions during today’s announcement in support of modifying
the commercial building tax credit.
New EIA website
Energy Information Administration
The Energy Information Administration has launched its new website, which you
can now reach at www.eia.gov. The site
contains a Country Analysis Brief on Egypt featured on the main page that may be
of interest given the current political events in that country,
http://eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=EG.
REPORTS
NGA Center Report Provides Guidance for States on Clean Energy Financing
Programs
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center)
recently released the
State Clean
Energy Financing Guidebook to help states consider innovative clean energy
program financing options that maximize state resources. The Guidebook helps
states consider three important elements of a clean energy financing program:
sources of capital including bonds, state revenues and private capital and
provides case studies from five states – Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas
and Washington – that have successfully implemented innovative financing
programs.
APLU Report Urges EERE to Adopt Best Practices in R&D Management Processes
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)
On Tuesday, January 26, 2010, at the request of ), the U.S. Department of
Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), experts
from across the government and the private sector gathered in Washington, DC for
the EERE Peer Review Best Practices Workshop to discuss how their organizations
identify the most promising research and development projects and how they
expeditiously progress from concept to deployment. As a result of the
one-day conference, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)
released the report,
Best Practices
in Merit Review.
STATE NEWS
Indiana Schools Will Create “Energy Action Patrols” to Empower Students to Save
Energy
energy.IN.gov
An adult Energy Action Leader is trained in each school, and students can
join the Energy Action Patrols that will monitor energy usage in their building
and make recommendations for additional savings. Energy savings will be tracked
and audits will be conducted twice during the school year. Ten school
corporations will take part and a total of 49 buildings will have Energy Action
Patrols.
Tennessee Program Offers Three-Day Camps to Teach Children about Energy Use and
Conservation
TN.gov Newsroom
The Energy Camps will address required curriculum standards and help teachers
integrate energy activities into not only science, but math, language arts,
social studies and visual and performing arts lessons. The Camps will focus on
creating real-world situations in the classroom and collecting and analyzing
data, in order to evaluate and improve the school’s energy usage. The 2011
Energy Camps will also include a trip to a nearby energy facility, including a
coal mine, a fossil fuel power plant and a hydroelectric dam for hands-on
discussions.
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