| The Energy Department, Navy, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on September 19 announced that three companies have been awarded contracts to construct and commission biorefineries capable of producing “drop-in” biofuels to meet the transportation needs of the military and private sector. In total, these projects in Nevada, Oregon, and the Gulf Coast will produce more than 100 million gallons of military-grade fuel beginning in 2016 and 2017 at a price competitive with their petroleum counterparts. The drop-in alternative fuels can be blended at a 50/50 ratio with traditional fossil fuels. See the Energy Department news release.   The Energy Department on September 22 announced $5 million for nine projects that will advance the development of combined heat and power (CHP) and renewable energy technologies at facilities across the federal government and help meet energy efficiency, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Funding for the Energy Department's Federal Energy Management Program’s (FEMP) inaugural Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) initiative will support two main technology areas: CHP and renewable energy. The funding includes nearly $2 million for three projects to increase the use of CHP to generate electric and thermal energy from a single source and more than $3 million for six renewable energy projects to install photovoltaic (PV) systems. Cost shared with industry, the total investment is nearly $120 million. Among the CHP projects is a 13.7-megawatt (MW) installation at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, which is expected to net more than $29 million in energy savings over its lifetime. In addition, the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Edgewood, Maryland, will feature a 7.9-MW CHP system, executed under an Energy Savings Performance Contract, that will replace a steam generation plant planned for decommissioning in 2016. The National Science Foundation's Arctic Program at Thule Air Base in Greenland will add a 30-kilowatt CHP system that will assist agencies in evaluating the replacement of diesel generators at any remote, isolated government site. See the Energy Department news release. The Energy Department on September 17 announced expansions of its Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative in support of the U.S. manufacturing sector. The Department also announced a partnership with the Council on Competitiveness and the Alliance to Save Energy to launch Accelerate Energy Productivity 2030, which will create a national roadmap to grow the U.S. economy while reducing energy costs. The Department announced nearly $23 million for 12 Innovative Manufacturing Initiative projects across the country to advance technologies aimed at helping American manufacturers dramatically increase the energy efficiency of their manufacturing facilities, lower costs, and develop new manufacturing technologies. These project selections leverage federal investments with additional cost share from the private sector to develop leading-edge materials, tools, and techniques that will save U.S. companies money by reducing the energy or materials needed to make their products. The Department is also welcoming the 23 newest partners to the Better Plants Program from all across the country, including industry leaders such as General Mills, Comau Inc., General Sheet Metal Works, and Novelis. All together, the Better Plants Partnership has grown to encompass more than 140 industrial companies, representing about 2,300 facilities and almost 11% percent of the total U.S. manufacturing energy footprint. See the Energy Department news release. The Energy Department on September 18 announced $2 million for two organizations that will advance technologies to harness stronger winds available at higher heights, potentially increasing the amount of clean, renewable electricity the nation produces. Through innovative construction processes that will cost-effectively manufacture taller wind turbine towers, these projects in Iowa and Massachusetts will help reduce the cost of wind energy and expand the geographic areas where wind turbines can successfully be deployed in the United States. Keystone Towers of Boston, Massachusetts, will implement an on-site spiral welding system that will enable turbine towers to be produced directly at or near the installation site, freeing projects of transportation constraints that often limit turbine height. Adapted from an in-field welding process used by the pipe manufacturing industry, Keystone’s spiral welding technique can be scaled up to produce large diameter steel towers that they report will be 40% lighter than standard turbine towers, which could lower the cost of energy by 10%. Iowa State University will develop a hexagonal-shaped tower that combines high-strength concrete with pre-stressed steel reinforcements to assemble individual tower modules and wall segments that can be easily transported and joined together on-site. Due to the modular design, thicker towers capable of supporting turbines at increased heights can be produced at a reduced cost. See the Energy Department news release. | 
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