News and Events
Energy Department to Make $59 Million Investment in Solar Energy
The Energy Department on January 29 announced more than $59 million in funding to support solar energy innovation. The Department is making $45 million in funding available to quickly move innovative solar manufacturing technologies to market and is also awarding more than $14 million to 15 new projects that will help communities develop multi-year solar deployment plans to install solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity in homes, businesses, and communities.
The $45 million Technology to Market funding opportunity is part of the Department’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative, aimed at boosting U.S. competitiveness and supporting a strong, domestic, manufacturing sector for clean energy. This funding opportunity combines three historically separate SunShot Initiative funding programs—Incubator, Solar Manufacturing Technology, and Scaling Up Nascent PV at Home—into one that will support projects with the potential to significantly reduce the costs for solar energy systems across a variety of technology areas. Concept papers are due on February 24, 2015. See the funding opportunity announcement.
The 15 Solar Market Pathways projects pursue various approaches to developing actionable solar deployment plans and strategies to promote deployment at residential, community, and commercial scales. The awardees include nonprofits, utilities, industry associations, universities, and state and local jurisdictions in California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as Washington, D.C. See the Energy Department news release.  
Twenty New Partners Join the Better Buildings Challenge
The Energy Department on January 29 announced that more than 20 new partners in the Department's Better Buildings Challenge have committed to improving energy efficiency across their respective building portfolios by 20% over the next ten years.
These new partners span 70 million square feet of fast-food, restaurant, manufacturing, university, and government facilities. The new partners will work with the Energy Department to share their successful efficiency strategies and help pave the way for other organizations to follow. Among the new partners are:
Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia, which is committing more than 2.5 million square feet
Bank of America, San Francisco, California, which is committing $1.5 billion dollars, and
Celanese Corporation, Irving, Texas, which is committing eight manufacturing plants.
Also, on January 27, the Energy Department recognized the City of Roanoke, Virginia for its leadership in the Better Buildings Challenge. Roanoke has committed to 20% savings by 2020 across more than 25 buildings, covering one million square feet. Roanoke has already achieved 16% savings since 2009, and its Better Buildings Challenge showcase project, a retrofit of the Berglund Center, is expected to result in 30% energy savings, totaling $180,000 annually. See the Energy Department news release and the Department's Roanoke news release.
DOI Leases Area Offshore Massachusetts for Wind Energy Development
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on January 29 held the nation’s fourth competitive lease sale for renewable energy in federal waters offshore Massachusetts for potential wind energy development. Offshore MW LLC and RES America Developments, Inc. were named the provisional winners, with bids totaling $448,000 for more 350,000 acres. The leases are in the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area, which starts about 12 nautical miles offshore Massachusetts. Each lease will have a preliminary term of one year, during which the companies will submit a Site Assessment Plan for approval.
According to an analysis prepared by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, if fully developed, the area leased could support approximately two gigawatts of commercial wind generation, enough electricity to power more than 700,000 homes.
Prior to this lease sale, DOI's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has awarded five competitive wind energy leases off the Atlantic coast: two offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island, two offshore Maryland, and another offshore Virginia. See the DOI news release.
Super Bowl Draws on Renewable Energy to Light the Field with LEDs
The wind on the field seemed to play an insignificant role in Sunday's Super Bowl XLIX, but wind outside of the field was playing a major role, providing much of the electrical power needed for the annual event. Arizona utility Salt River Project (SRP), on behalf of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, partnered with the National Football League (NFL) Environmental Program to provide 100% renewable power for the Super Bowl, drawing on wind, solar, and geothermal power to offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the event. See the SRP news release.
The University of Phoenix Stadium used that green power efficiently, because for the first time ever, the Super Bowl field was illuminated by high-performance LED stadium lights. Earlier this season, the stadium became the first NFL venue to light its playing field with LED lighting, replacing 780 metal halide fixtures with just 312 LED fixtures and cutting power consumption for field lighting by 75%. According to manufacturer Ephesus Lighting, Inc., the LED lights provide brighter and more uniform light that allows more accurate color reproduction during broadcasting. See the Ephesus news release .
Interestingly, the home fields of both of Sunday's teams feature large solar power systems. But just like the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots again edged out the Seattle Seahawks for the win: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, sports 1,000 kilowatts of solar power, whereas CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington, includes a still-impressive 800 kilowatts of solar power. See the Solar Energy Industries Association's rundown on solar in sports. |
U.S. Solar Manufacturing Rising on the Horizon
It has been a great year for the solar energy industry.
By the end of 2014, solar deployment is slated to be up nearly 40% over 2013. Today, the booming demand for solar energy supports more than 173,000 jobs, and the United States has become the third largest solar market in the world. You can find solar energy atop your neighborhood big box store, powering a Las Vegas casino, in the middle of the desert, or on your own roof.
The latest good news comes from the solar manufacturing sector. In the past nine months, U.S. solar manufacturing has shown unmistakable signs of growth. Strong market demand in the United States has attracted some solar manufacturers stateside and as market demand grows, the Energy Department’s investments in this sector have begun to bear fruit. For the complete story, see the EERE Blog. |
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기