| The Energy Department on December 2 announced more than $9 million for breakthrough research and development projects that will advance the reliability and durability of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies. This funding opportunity will support projects aimed at improving product testing and increasing module quality and performance. Eligible projects will examine the performance of PV modules and develop accelerated tests to better understand how solar modules change over time and achieve improved lifetime performance of the modules. Key focus areas will include using physics and chemistry and advanced data analysis to gain a better understanding of why solar modules fail, developing improved product tests and new rapid testing techniques or instruments that evaluate module reliability, and improving data models to predict performance over time. See the Energy Department news release.   The Energy Department on December 1 announced $4.4 million for two projects in Michigan and Pennsylvania to support the use of advanced materials and manufacturing techniques in the development of new “low-head” hydropower technologies. The United States has major opportunities across the country to add new hydropower generating capabilities at low-head sites, which operate with a change in elevation between 2 meters (6.5 feet) and 20 meters (65 feet). These sites include waterways at existing non-powered dams, canals, and water conduits. In support of the Energy Department’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative, the funding will advance research and development of new technologies that can be quickly manufactured at low cost and rapidly deployed without the need for expensive powerhouses. This list of awardees includes: -
The Eaton Corporation of Southfield, Michigan, will develop a turbine and generator system that uses lightweight advanced materials and advanced manufacturing techniques. The turbine will be designed to deliver a constant source of energy despite changes in water flow by using a system that operates efficiently across a range of ebbs and flows. -
Pennsylvania State University will develop and demonstrate a low-head hydropower turbine and generator system prototype that combines lightweight, corrosion-resistant metallic components that can be produced through an additive manufacturing process. According to Energy Department assessments, there is a technical resource potential of more than 50 gigawatts of potential capacity at low-head sites. See the Energy Department news release. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on November 19 announced its annual Green Power Leadership Awards, recognizing 19 Green Power Partners and four suppliers across the country. The EPA cited awardees' in California, Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin for achievements in advancing the U.S. renewable energy market and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Green Power Partner of the Year award winners included Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California; BD of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey; Google Inc. of Mountain View, California; and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The award-winning partners were chosen for their exemplary use of green power from the more than 1,300 partner organizations that comprise EPA’s Green Power Partnership. Green power is electricity generated from renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact hydroelectric sources. Green power does not produce fossil fuel-based greenhouse gas emissions. The award winners are being recognized for their efforts in expanding the domestic renewable energy market. See the EPA news release. The first existing multifamily housing properties to receive ENERGY STAR certification were announced on November 13 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA recognized 17 apartment and condo buildings across the country for leading the industry in reducing energy use, increasing affordability, protecting public health, and combating climate change. ENERGY STAR-certified buildings use an average of 35% less energy and are responsible for 35% fewer carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings. The certifications went to multifamily structures in Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C. Current estimates show multifamily properties can become 30% more efficient by 2020, unlocking $9 billion in energy savings and preventing annual greenhouse gas emissions roughly equal to those from four million homes. See the EPA news release. |
| A resource in central Alaska is showing promise for geothermal development—the renewable energy that draws on Earth’s natural heat for electricity and other uses. The myriad benefits of this clean, domestic power source make geothermal exploration an attractive proposition for this state, where off-grid demand means that Alaskans often use expensive, polluting diesel power. Today, progress at an Energy Department investment on Native American lands is generating a lot of excitement for geothermal power, turning up enough heat resource to meet the electricity needs of surrounding communities and industries. At Pilgrim Hot Springs, 50 miles northeast of Nome, the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) has found a sufficient geothermal resource from exploration drilling to tap geothermal energy for a spectrum of uses, including on-site power generation. In fact, experts consider the resource at Pilgrim to be the largest identified geothermal resource on the Seward Peninsula. To conduct this exploration work, ACEP partnered with the Energy Department’s Geothermal Technologies Office. For the complete story, see the EERE Blog. |
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