News and Event by CCRES May 03, 2012

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources News and Event May 03, 2012

Energy Department Boosts Initiative for Women in Clean Energy The Energy Department announced on April 26 a three-part plan to help implement the Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Women's Initiative aimed at attracting more women to clean energy careers and advancing their leadership positions. The new program, in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Energy Initiative, is designed to translate the goals of C3E into action in the United States. The new components of the U.S. C3E action plan were announced at the Clean Energy Ministerial, a global forum of the energy ministers and leaders promoting clean energy technology and the transition to a global clean energy economy. Australia, Denmark, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States each committed to undertake meaningful activities to advance women in clean energy. The U.S. C3E plan includes drawing together ambassadors, a cohort of distinguished senior professionals sharing an interest in broadening the recruitment, retention, and advancement of highly qualified women in the field of clean energy. Also, the DOE C3E Awards program will recognize mid-career individuals who advance the leadership and accomplishments of women in clean energy by offering six awards, including a cash prize of $10,000. Finally, an invitation-only symposium will be held on September 28, 2012, bringing together women and men to help build a strong national and international community of professionals who support women in clean energy. The MIT Energy Initiative, in partnership with the Energy Department, will sponsor this event. See the Energy Department press release and the inaugural C3E Ambassadors.   Online Energy Department Tool Helps Consumers Cut Bills The Energy Department announced on April 30 that it has launched the Utility Data Access Map tool, an interactive Web platform that enables electric utilities across the country to show customers, in a simple way, the data they can access on their electricity use. DOE has already received responses from more than 500 participating utilities. Many consumers do not have enough data or they are not aware of the data they can access to make informed decisions about energy efficiency measures that could save them money. Among those who do have access to their data, some lack the ability to share it with service providers who might help them identify energy savings opportunities and verify savings once improvements have been made. The Utility Data Access Map tool provides "crowd-sourced" maps in user-friendly formats based on information gathered from electricity providers nationwide. It highlights local access to electricity data and allows consumers to compare their electricity data access to others in their state and across the country. The data access maps display different features of consumer electricity data, including the time period and timeliness of data—informing consumers, for example, whether their utility supplies same-day electricity use information—and the extent to which the data can be shared. By helping consumers better understand their energy use and providing new ways to compare, local utilities are adopting "smart grid" technologies. See the DOE Progress Alert, the Utility Data Access Map, and the DOE OpenEI website, a collaborative system managed by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.   Limited Global Progress on Renewable Energy: IEA Report The International Energy Agency (IEA) on April 25 released an annual progress report highlighting the rapid progress made in some renewable energy technologies. The report, Tracking Clean Energy Progress, noted the gains are due to solar photovoltaic (PV) panels being easily installed by households and businesses as well as gains in onshore wind technologies. IEA said that onshore wind has seen 27% average annual growth over the past decade, and solar PV has grown at 42%, albeit from a small base. Even more impressive is the 75% reduction in system costs for solar PV in as little as three years in some countries. Photovoltaic and onshore wind were leaders among global renewable energy technologies, according to a new IEA report. Credit: LBNL According to the IEA, estimated energy use and carbon dioxide emissions would increase by a third by 2020 and almost double by 2050. The report notes that many technologies with great potential for energy and emissions savings are making halting progress at best. Vehicle fuel-efficiency improvement is slow, and significant untapped energy-efficiency potential remains in the building and industry sectors. The IEA is an autonomous organization that works to ensure reliable, affordable, and clean energy for its 28 member countries and beyond. See the IEA press release and the complete report.   University of Pennsylvania and Pac-12 Win Green Power Challenge The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that the University of Pennsylvania won the 2012 College and University Green Power Challenge for the fifth consecutive year. The winner beat out 72 other schools across the country by purchasing more than 200 million kilowatt-hours of green power, which is 48% of its total power purchases. And at the conference level, the Pac-12 conference topped the list with more than 228 million kilowatt-hours, the largest total purchase among all conferences, and earned EPA recognition as the 2011-2012 Collective Conference Champion. Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydropower. Penn's green power purchases represent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 27,000 passenger vehicles each year. See the EPA press release, the list of winners, and the Green Power Partnership website.   EPA Awards $1 Million to Colleges for Environmental Solutions The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on April 25 that it has awarded more than $1 million in grants to 15 university and college teams. The awards went to teams from across the country that participated in the eighth Annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for their innovative environmental solutions. EPA's People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) award competition was held at the expo and featured more than 300 college innovators showcasing their sustainable projects designed to protect the environment, encourage economic growth, and use natural resources more efficiently. The P3 team projects include a new process that uses spinach to capture and convert the sun's energy to electricity, as well as a partnership with a local landfill to design a process that uses waste heat and drainage to grow algae for biodiesel production. Following an initial peer review process, this year's winners were selected from 45 competing teams after two days of judging by a panel of national experts convened to provide recommendations to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Each P3 award-winning team will receive a grant of up to $90,000 to further develop its design, apply it to real-world applications or move it to the marketplace. Previous P3 award winners have started successful businesses, and they are marketing technologies in the United States and around the world. See the EPA press release and the list of P3 award winners.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)   special thanks to U.S. Department of Energy | USA.gov

HVAC Efficiency Controls Could Mean Significant Savings According to a new report from the Energy Department's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), commercial building owners could save an average of 38% on their heating and cooling bills just by installing a few new controls onto their HVAC systems. These findings mean significant potential savings for building owners who use commercial rooftop systems, but there's just one problem: the controls aren't currently commercially available. Srinivas Katipamula, the PNNL engineer leading the study, says the report makes "a convincing case for manufacturers to produce more advanced HVAC controllers and for building owners to adopt these energy-saving methods." The PNNL team hopes the report will encourage manufacturers to begin producing the four different control methods. Three companies currently manufacture HVAC controllers, but only one company offers a product with all the control options that resemble the team's simulations. To help the manufacturers better understand their market, PNNL's report examines potential pricing options for the controllers and how long it would take building owners to recoup that cost. Since packaged HVACs regulate more than 60% of the commercial building floor space in the United States, the potential savings from retrofitting advanced controls on these systems is enormous. See the complete story on the DOE Energy Blog. Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources(CCRES)

News and Events by CCRES March 14, 2012

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES News and Events March 14, 2012

President Launches DOE's 'EV-Everywhere Challenge' The Obama Administration launched a new program aimed at helping increase acceptance of EVs, such as the Chevy Volt shown with a replica lithium-ion battery. Credit: GM Corp President Obama on March 7 launched DOE's EV-Everywhere Challenge, allowing scientists, engineers, and businesses to collaborate to make electric vehicles (EV) more affordable than gasoline-powered vehicles in 10 years. The challenge is part of a strategy to help reduce dependence on foreign oil. The DOE initiative, which will bring together DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program, its Office of Science, and its Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E), will aim to make electric vehicles affordable. The team will target dramatic technological and cost improvements in batteries, electric motors, power electronics, lightweight structures, and fast-charging technology. The goal is to enable U.S. companies to be the first to produce a 5-passenger affordable EV with a payback time of fewer than 5 years. The challenge will involve working with industry, universities, national laboratories, and government partners to set technical goals for cutting costs for the batteries and electric drivetrain systems, reducing the vehicle weights while maintaining safety, and increasing fast-charge rates. As part of the initiative, DOE will organize a series of EV-Everywhere Challenge workshops across the country over the next few months. And, DOE will announce over the next few months a series of additional "Grand Challenges," each focused on technical innovations and reductions in cost that will enable clean energy technologies to compete directly, without subsidies, with the energy technologies currently in wide use. See the DOE press release and the President's remarks. DOE Launches Next Phase of Competition to Create Efficient Lighting DOE on March 8 launched the next phase of the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize) competition, which challenges the lighting industry to develop high-performance, energy-saving replacements for conventional light bulbs. The latest competition will spur leading-edge companies to build innovative LED replacements for conventional parabolic aluminized reflector (PAR 38) lamps, commonly known as spot or flood lamps. Approximately 90 million PAR 38 light bulbs are installed in the United States, and DOE estimates that replacing them with bulbs efficient enough to win the L Prize would save the country 11 terawatt-hours of electricity per year, approximately as much electricity Washington, D.C., consumes each year. The rigorous performance testing needed to win the L Prize ensures that the performance, quality, lifetime, costs, and availability of winning products meet expectations for mass manufacturing and widespread adoption. For the PAR 38 category, at least 50% of the LEDs must be produced in the United States, and all of the assembly must be done here. See the DOE press release and the L Prize website. DOE Offers $5.2 Million for Building Efficiency Technologies DOE announced on March 9 the availability of up to $5.2 million in fiscal year 2012 to develop improved building efficiency technologies. This funding opportunity includes advanced heating and cooling systems and high efficiency insulation, windows, and roofs. The funding will advance the research and development, demonstration, and manufacture of innovative building technologies to speed the commercialization of affordable, high-performance products. Homes and commercial buildings consume approximately 40% of the energy used in the United States, costing American consumers more than $400 billion annually. Nearly a third of that energy is used for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). Advancing HVAC building technologies and improving the design and materials that make up a building's "envelope" or air seal will significantly reduce the cost of heating and cooling residential and commercial buildings. DOE seeks applicants for funding to support breakthroughs in energy-saving HVAC systems and building envelope solutions. Mechanical HVAC system projects should aim to increase the efficiency of cost-effective systems and components suitable for both existing buildings and new construction, while building envelope projects will focus on advancing high-performance cost-effective ways to minimize energy loss in homes and commercial buildings, particularly existing buildings. Applications will be accepted through April 17, 2012. See the DOE Progress Alert and DOE's Funding Opportunity Exchange website. Four Major Firms Join National Clean Fleets Partnership DOE announced on March 5 that four new corporate partners—Best Buy, Johnson Controls, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Veolia—are joining DOE's National Clean Fleets Partnership, a broad public-private partnership that helps the largest fleet operators reduce how much gasoline and diesel they use. The new partners join 14 other major national companies in committing to improve the fuel economy of the commercial fleets and integrate alternative technology vehicles such as natural gas trucks and electric vehicles into their fleets. National Clean Fleets Partners operate more than a million commercial vehicles nationwide, accounting for more than 12% of all commercial vehicles on U.S. roads. Under the partnership, DOE experts provide each company with specialized resources, technical expertise, and support in developing a comprehensive strategy to reduce fuel use and achieve greater efficiency and cost-savings. DOE also helps connect partners with clean fuel providers and equipment manufacturers where their fleets operate. The new partners have already begun taking action to develop and implement fuel-efficiency projects in their fleets. For example, Best Buy reduced its 5,000-vehicle fleet's carbon emissions by 21%, by taking steps including using the smallest, most fuel-efficient vehicles for the job. And Johnson Controls has committed to designing and delivering increasingly sustainable products, as well introducing more than 500 hybrids and all-electric vehicles to its 19,000 vehicles worldwide. See the DOE press release and the National Clean Fleets Partnership Web page.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)   special thanks to U.S. Department of Energy | USA.gov

Energy 101 Video: Lumens On March 8, DOE launched the next phase of the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize), a competition that pushes for accelerated innovation and drives industry to create more energy-saving lighting options. And, with more high-performance, high-efficiency lighting options set to appear on store shelves, it's time to change the way we shop for light. Think about it: For decades, we have been buying light bulbs based on watts or how much energy they consume. But with new lighting options designed to use significantly less energy, buying bulbs based on watts is no longer a reliable way to gauge the right level of brightness. That instead takes lumens, which measure how much light you get from a bulb. More lumens means it's a brighter light; fewer lumens means it's a dimmer light. Read the complete story in the DOE Energy Blog. Not a Long Time Ago in an Energy Efficient Galaxy Not Very Far Away A manufacturer of crystalline solar cells has opened a new manufacturing facility for the assembly of solar panels by plant staff and robots in Milwaukee as a result of American Recovery and Recovery Act funds from the DOE's State Energy Program (SEP). Helios USA, LLC, is Wisconsin's first manufacturer of high-performance solar modules for deployment in residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-based solar electric systems. The company will supply solar panels to a number of customers. With a $1.4 million loan from SEP, Helios assembles solar panels in the newly opened facility, located in what was previously an abandoned manufacturing plant in the Menomonee Valley area of Milwaukee, with the help of staff and assistance from robots when “superhuman” precision and sensitivity is needed. As of December 2011, the Helios manufacturing plant has supported 26 jobs, and it is projected to create a total of 50 permanent jobs in the state. Read the complete story in DOE's Energy Blog. CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)

News and Events by CCRES February 08, 2012

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources  News and Events February 08, 2012

DOE to Launch New Advanced Battery Energy Innovation Hub DOE announced on February 7 its plans to launch a new energy innovation hub for advanced research on batteries and energy storage, with an investment of up to $120 million over five years. The Batteries and Energy Storage Hub will focus on accelerating research and development of electrochemical energy storage for transportation and the electric grid. The hub will be funded at up to $20 million in Fiscal Year 2012 and managed by the Basic Energy Sciences program of DOE's Office of Science. Universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and private firms are eligible to compete and are encouraged to form partnerships when submitting their proposals. Interdisciplinary research and development conducted through the new Energy Innovation Hub will help advance cutting-edge energy storage and battery technologies. These technologies can be used to improve the reliability and the efficiency of the electrical grid; better integrate renewable energy technologies as part of the electrical system; and reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil using electric and hybrid vehicles. Energy innovation hubs are designed to bring together teams of scientists and engineers across intellectual disciplines to rapidly accelerate scientific discoveries and shorten the path from laboratory innovation to technological development and commercial deployment of critical energy technologies. Letters of Intent to apply are due March 1, 2012, with full applications due May 31, 2012. The award selection is expected this summer. See the DOE press release, the funding opportunity announcement and the energy innovation hubs website. DOE, Volvo Partner to Build Trucks that are more Efficient DOE highlighted on January 27 its partnership with the Volvo Group to commercialize and deploy cutting-edge trucking technologies that will help boost the competitiveness of the U.S. auto and manufacturing industries. Through DOE's SuperTruck program, the Volvo Group was awarded $19 million to improve the efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles like the Mack and Volvo Trucks. The company is matching the Super Truck program award dollar for dollar. The Volvo Group participating in one of the four SuperTruck development projects that focus on increasing the fuel efficiency of Class 8 trucks, known as 18-wheelers, by 50%. To achieve this goal, companies are developing and improving vehicle technologies in engine efficiency, aerodynamics, waste heat recovery, and hybridization, for example. DOE expects fuel economy increases from 6.5 miles per gallon (mpg) to 9.75 mpg. The Volvo Group has also embraced manufacturing efficiency as part of the DOE's Better Buildings, Better Plants program, pledging to reduce the energy intensity of its manufacturing plants with assistance and guidance from DOE. At the company's River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia, it has implemented a range of measures that reduced its energy intensity by almost 30% in just one year. See the DOE press release and a DOE brochure about the Volvo Group success. Houston Joins DOE's Better Buildings Challenge DOE announced on January 26 that Houston, Texas, is joining DOE's Better Buildings Challenge. Houston is the latest community to join the challenge, a public-private partnership that seeks to improve energy efficiency by 20% in commercial, government, and school buildings across the country by 2020. The City of Houston is committing to improving energy efficiency across 30 million square feet of public and private buildings throughout the city. Through its participation in the Better Buildings Challenge, Houston will work with local partners to implement initiatives that reduce emissions, protect air quality, and save taxpayers money. The Better Buildings Challenge is a national leadership initiative that calls on corporate chief executive officers, university presidents, and state and local leaders to make a significant commitment to energy efficiency. To date, more than 60 companies, cities, universities, hospitals, and other partners throughout the United States have committed to upgrading more than 1.6 billion square feet of building space nationwide. See the DOE press release and the Better Buildings Challenge website. DOE Report Shows Shift to Energy-Saving Lighting Products DOE released on January 24 a report showing that the adoption of energy-efficient lighting products in the United States has increased over the last decade. The 2010 U.S. Lighting Market Characterization report examines the current conditions and broad trends in the U.S. lighting market, broken down by technology and sector. The study shows that in 2010, lighting used approximately 700 terawatt-hours (TWh), or nearly 19% of the electricity produced in the United States. Of the total energy used for lighting, the commercial sector consumed nearly half, or 349 TWh, primarily with fluorescent lighting products. While nearly 6 billion light bulbs are installed in the residential sector compared to approximately 2 billion lamps in the commercial buildings sector, the mostly incandescent residential lamps were not used nearly as much per day, on average, as lights in the commercial sector were used. Also, the average system efficacy (a measure of the amount of light provided per watt of power consumed) of installed lighting increased from 45 lumens per watt in 2001 to 58 lumens per watt in 2010, due mainly to a move from incandescent to compact fluorescent lamps in the residential sector, and from T12 to more-efficient T8 and T5 fluorescent lamps in the commercial and industrial sectors. The new report updates a similar DOE model of the 2001 U.S. lighting market inventory. During the intervening decade, two trends emerged. First, there is push toward energy-saving lighting. Second, there is a continued increase in the demand for lighting, with most of the growth occurring in the residential sector, primarily because of an increase in the number of households, which increased from under 107 million in 2001 to more than 113 million in 2010. See the DOE Progress Alert and the technical reports listed on the Solid-State Lighting website. Interior Department Takes Key Step in Offshore Wind Leasing Offshore wind turbines like these may be closer to reality off the Atlantic Coast. Credit: Siemens The Department of the Interior (DOI) on February 2 marked a major milestone for offshore wind energy along the Atlantic Coast. DOE and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that the department's initiative has passed a key environmental review. This approval will allow the process for wind energy lease sales off Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia to move forward. BOEM's National Environmental Policy Act assessment found that there would be no significant environmental or socioeconomic impacts from issuing wind energy leases in designated areas off the mid-Atlantic Coast. The bureau also published calls for information and nominations for Maryland and Virginia to solicit lease nominations from industry and to request public comments regarding site conditions, resources, and multiple uses of the wind energy areas. The bureau also announced the finalization of a first-of-its-kind lease form that will help streamline the issuance of offshore renewable energy leases. Financial and other terms, as well as any site-specific mitigation measures, will be added to each individual lease before it is executed. The lease form is available now and will be effective 15 days following publication in the Federal Register. See the DOI press release and the lease information in the Federal Register .

Hawaii Gets 'EV Ready' Hawaii is the most oil-dependent state in the nation, with more than 95% of its energy supplied by imported fossil fuels. Gas and electricity prices in Hawaii are also far above the national average. To increase its energy independence, Hawaii is revving up its state electric vehicle program, "EV Ready," thanks to $4.5 million in funding from the DOE's State Energy Program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As part of the program administered by Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, residents and businesses can apply for rebates and grants to purchase electric vehicles and construct charging stations. In 2011, rebates were approved for 237 electric vehicles and 168 chargers. Last July, Governor Neil Abercrombie unveiled the first public charging station installed in the state capitol's underground parking garage. Since then, five additional charging stations have been installed at state-owned buildings in Honolulu, and another eight chargers have been installed at the motor pool for the state's new fleet of electric vehicles. The state awarded another $2.6 million in Recovery Act funds to six organizations charged with promoting, installing, and deploying charging stations and electric vehicles across the state. By April 2012, charging stations will be installed across all counties, as part of the EV Ready grant program. Read the complete story on the DOE Energy Blog. Tapping Top University Draft Picks to Engineer Solar Championships By Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Director, SunShot Initiative and Solar Energy Technologies Program As football fans buzzed February 1 about national signing day for college football prospects, excitement also builds for picks from a different higher education talent pool. On January 20, DOE announced two university research opportunities to advance the SunShot Initiative, a program that aims to dramatically decrease the total costs of U.S. solar energy. Like football, research is a team sport, no matter how high-powered any individual player may be. In that spirit, DOE is offering up to $10 million to partners in university-based projects to develop and demonstrate heat transfer fluids. The Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative: High Operating Temperature Fluids solicitation seeks applicants to develop innovative fluids that are more stable than current technologies at temperatures greater than 800°C. The goal is to improve the efficiency of concentrating solar power technologies and cut solar power costs. The second opportunity is a second round for the SunShot Initiative postdoctoral research awards. The awards, administered by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, provide an annual stipend as well as other benefits. Read the complete story on DOE's Energy Blog. Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

News and Events by CCRES February 01, 2012

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources  February 01, 2012

News and Events President Obama's State of the Union Address Touts Clean Energy President Obama called for clean energy tax credits and a clean energy standard in his annual State of the Union address on January 24. Credit: Pete Souza, White House President Obama called for clean energy tax credits and a clean energy standard in his annual State of the Union address on January 24. Saying, "I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy," the president framed the issue in terms of international competition, pledging not to "cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here." He also announced two initiatives to advance the deployment of clean energy technologies. "I'm directing my administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power 3 million homes," said President Obama. "And I'm proud to announce that the Department of Defense, working with us, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history—with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year." President Obama also emphasized the need for greater energy efficiency, proposing to help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and to give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings, potentially cutting their energy bills by $100 billion over the next decade. In addition, the president referenced a number of tax incentives that would aid domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies, including an extension of the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit. See the president's State of the Union address on the White House website, as well as the White House fact sheets on the president's proposals for energy and manufacturing. DOE Solar Decathlon 2013 Moves to California Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced on January 26 that the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 will be held at a new location in Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. For first time since the competition began in 2002, the event has moved from the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Chu also named the 20 teams from colleges and universities across the United States and from around the world that will compete in the biennial event. The participants will now begin a two-year process to build solar-powered, highly energy-efficient homes that combine affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence. Throughout the two-year process, the teams will design, construct and test their homes before reassembling them at the Solar Decathlon 2013 competition site. Teams compete in ten categories ranging from best architecture and engineering to energy production for heating and cooling. Students gain real-world experience in a growing global industry. Teams selected include Arizona State University and the University of New Mexico; Czech Technical University (Czech Republic); Hampton University and Old Dominion University; Middlebury College; Missouri University of Science and Technology; Norwich University; Queens University, Carleton University, and Algonquin College, (Canada); Santa Clara University; Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology; Stanford University; Stevens Institute of Technology; The Catholic University of America, George Washington University, and American University; The University of North Carolina at Charlotte; The University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College; University of Calgary, Canada; University of Louisville, Ball State University, and University of Kentucky; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of Southern California; Vienna University of Technology (Vienna, Austria); and West Virginia University. See the DOE press release and the Solar Decathlon website. Vote Now For America's Next Top Energy Innovator Voting is underway online in the "America's Next Top Energy Innovator" challenge, a DOE-sponsored quest to identify the most innovative and promising start-up companies. Voting will end at 8:59 a.m. EST on February 6. The top start-up companies out of the 14 participating in the challenge, based on the public vote and an expert review, will be invited to be featured at the 2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, a gathering of clean energy investors and innovators, at the end of February. Companies in the challenge are pioneering a variety of technologies, ranging from reducing HVAC energy to using composite materials to build low cost lithium-ion batteries. The participants in the challenge have signed option agreements allowing them to license valuable, cutting-edge technologies developed and patented by DOE's national laboratories and the agency's Y-12 National Security Complex. See the DOE press release and profiles of participants. DOE Launches New Round of America's Top Energy Innovator DOE announced the February 1 launch of the second year for its "America's Next Top Energy Innovator," a program that allows startup companies to license groundbreaking technologies developed by DOE's national laboratories. Under the initiative, an entrepreneur can pay $1,000 for a technology and use it to build a business. As part of the project, DOE reduces both the cost and paperwork requirements for startup companies to obtain an option agreement to license some of the 15,000 patents and patent applications held by the national laboratories. During the first round, 36 companies signed option agreements with the national laboratories. In the new round, entrepreneurs and start-ups must identify the technology of interest and submit a business plan to be considered for the program. Participants will have until December 10, 2012 to submit their plans to a laboratory. From February 1 to December 10, the department will reduce the total upfront cost of licensing DOE patents in a specific technology for portfolios of up to three patents from a single laboratory. This represents an average savings of $10,000 to $50,000 in upfront fees. Other license terms, such as equity and royalties, will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will typically be due once the company grows and achieves commercial sales. See the DOE press release. Defense Department Studies Solar Energy Potential at Desert Bases The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) could generate 7,000 megawatts (MW) of solar energy on four military bases located in the California desert, according to a DOD study. The yearlong study, released on January 13, looked at seven military bases in California and two in Nevada. It found that while most of the surface area is unsuited for solar development because of military use and other factors, the suitable sites are large enough to generate more than 30 times the electricity consumed by the California bases. That would equal about 25% of the renewable energy that California requires utilities to use by 2015. The study concludes that 25,000 acres are suitable for solar development, and another 100,000 acres are "likely" or "questionably" suitable for solar. According to the study, the most economically viable acreage is found at Edwards Air Force Base (24,327 acres), followed by Fort Irwin (18,728 acres), China Lake (6,777 acres), and Twentynine Palms (553 acres). Finally, the study finds that private developers can tap the solar potential on these installations with no capital investment requirement from DOD, and that the development could yield the federal government up to $100 million a year in revenue or other benefits such as discounted power. DOD is seeking to develop solar, wind, geothermal, and other distributed energy sources on its bases to reduce both their $4 billion-a-year energy bill and their dependency on the commercial electricity grid. Such on-site energy generation, together with energy storage and so-called smart-microgrid technology, would allow a military base to maintain its critical operations "off-grid" for weeks or months if the grid were disrupted. See the DOD press release.

Announcing the Clean Energy Trust Semifinalists On January 6, the Clean Energy Trust announced the semifinalists for its inaugural student clean energy challenge. Semifinalists were chosen from more than 40 innovative clean energy business plans submitted from eight Midwestern states. The 16 semifinalist teams represent five states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio) and 11 universities, with the most teams coming from Purdue University (four teams) and Northwestern University (three teams). Within the submissions, Clean Energy Trust reviewers saw a broad assortment of undergraduate and graduate students, male and female students, engineers and social science majors, as well as those who have gone to school to focus on entrepreneurship and those who recently learned of the business plan competition opportunity. Many teams developed business plans around technologies straight from their university labs while some teams chose technologies from DOE national labs or other technology sources from across the country. Read the full story on DOE's Energy Blog. Why Did the LED Light Bulb Cross the Road? By Roland Risser, program manager, Building Technologies Program Everyone knows that laughter is good for you. Studies suggest it can buffer stress and increase your resistance to disease. Also, it just feels great to laugh. Advertisers have long used the allure of laughter to sell their products, and many Americans tune in to the Super Bowl just to chuckle at the funny commercials. However, when it comes to selling people on smart energy solutions, it could be hard to find a punch line. Could using humor as a marketing strategy make energy efficiency a bit more digestible? Energy Impact Illinois, a grant recipient of DOE's Better Buildings Neighborhood Program, is trying to find the funny in energy efficiency. The goal? Communicate the benefits of home energy upgrades and motivate local residents to take action in improving their buildings. The program has enlisted two comedians from The Second City—a comedy theatre whose alumni include Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Bill Murray—to play "The Energy Bills," friends who visit Chicago-area homes distributing energy saving tips. "Little Bill" knows all the tricks to make your home more energy efficient and your bills, well, little. "Big Bill's" actions show how everything from overuse or misuse of appliances to not understanding heating and cooling can result in energy waste—costing you money. The contrast of the Bills is quite amusing, but jokes aside, Energy Impact Illinois is spreading an important message. You have a choice between two bills. Instructions on how to learn more or participate in Energy Impact Illinois' program are on their website, Facebook page, and Twitter account. The website also offers a tool called MyHomeEQ, which lets Chicago-area residents calculate about how much energy they could save with energy upgrades and helps them come up with customized plans to get rid of their Big Bill, all while connecting them with local contractors. Read the full story on DOE's Energy Blog.   Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

News and Events by CCRES January 25, 2012

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy sources (CCRES) January 25, 2012

News and Events Obama Administration Highlights Tools to Manage Electricity Use The Obama Administration announced on January 18  the launch of new online tools that will allow consumers to download household energy use data. These tools, packaged as a website feature called "Green Button," are designed to help households save energy and money. Two of California's largest utilities—Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) and San Diego Gas & Electric Company—have taken the lead in launching the Green Button as a new feature on their websites, allowing nearly six million households to download their own detailed energy use data. Additional utilities that collectively serve another 11.3 million households plan to make the feature available later this year. See the Green Button page on the PG&E website. Because Green Button is designed around an open-data standard, it is spurring innovation among website and software  developers interested in using that standard to provide novel energy-saving services. The North American Energy Standards Board also plans to make a “startup kit” available to help app developers, students, and others take full advantage of Green Button. Green Button is expected to support interactive thermostats and audits that recommend  energy-efficiency retrofit improvements for homes and businesses. DOE also plans to highlight Green Button apps on its "Energy Savers" energy information portal. See the White House press release. DOE Reports Potential for Wave and Tidal Energy Production DOE released on January 18 two resource assessments showing that waves and tidal coastal currents could contribute significantly to U.S. electricity production. The West Coast,  including Alaska and Hawaii, has especially high potential for wave energy development, while significant opportunities for wave energy also  exist along the East Coast. Additionally, parts of both coasts have strong tides that could be tapped to produce energy. Combined with other  analyses, these assessments show that water power, including conventional hydropower, could provide 15% of U.S. electricity by 2030. The United States uses about 4,000 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per year. DOE estimates that the maximum theoretical electric generation that could be produced from waves and tidal currents is approximately 1,420 TWh per year, about one-third of the nation's total annual electricity use. Though not all of the resource potential identified in these assessments can realistically be developed, the results still represent major opportunities for new water  power development, highlighting specific opportunities to expand on the  6% of the nation's electricity already generated from hydropower resources. In addition to the wave and tidal resource assessments, DOE plans to release additional resource assessments for ocean current, ocean thermal gradients, and new hydropower resources in 2012. To support the development of technologies that can tap into these  vast resources, DOE's Water Power Program is undertaking a detailed technical and economic assessment of a wide range of water power technologies in order to more accurately predict the opportunities and costs of developing and deploying these innovative technologies. The program is sponsoring more than 40 demonstration projects that will advance the commercial readiness of these systems; provide first-of-a-kind, in-water performance data that will validate cost-of-energy predictions; and identify pathways for large cost reductions. See the DOE Progress Alert and the Water Power Program website. DOE Offers Universities Opportunities to Advance SunShot Solar Goals DOE will support university research teams as they seek ways to improve heat-transfer fluids for concentrating solar power systems. Credit: U.S. Department of the Interior DOE announced on January 20 two opportunities for university researchers to advance the department's SunShot Initiative, a program that aims to dramatically decrease the total costs  of U.S. solar energy. DOE will make up to $10 million available to support the development of heat-transfer fluids that are more efficient,  thus reducing the cost of energy from concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. The department also opened the second round of SunShot Initiative postdoctoral research awards for applied research at universities, national laboratories, and other research facilities. Under the solicitation for heat-transfer fluids,  DOE will support university-based CSP research projects to develop and demonstrate fluids that are more stable than current technologies at temperatures greater than 800°C. CSP plants use mirrors to focus sunlight to heat a working fluid, which generates steam that spins a turbine or powers a heat engine that produces electricity. Higher-temperature working fluids could enable CSP systems to couple with heat engines that are capable of converting more than 50% of the heat in the working fluid into electricity. This funding will be awarded as part of the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, a program designed to advance research, accelerate technology transfer into the marketplace, and prepare a new generation of scientists and engineers. DOE anticipates funding one or two projects over five years through this opportunity. For more information, see the Funding Opportunity Announcement on DOE's Funding Opportunity Exchange website. In addition, DOE opened the next round of SunShot Initiative postdoctoral research awards, which will provide students the chance to work on advanced clean energy technologies. Recipients will conduct applied research at universities, national laboratories, and other research facilities. This program includes an opportunity for recipients to participate in a research exchange program  with Australia under the United States-Australia Solar Energy Collaboration. See the DOE Progress Alert, the SunShot Postdoctoral Researchers Web page, and the SunShot Initiative website. DOE Seeks an Administrator for the Superior Energy Performance Program DOE issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on January 19, offering up to $3 million in funding to administer its Superior Energy Performance (SEP) program, which will help U.S. manufacturers continually increase the energy efficiency of their domestic facilities. The funding will support at least one organization to launch, operate, and promote the SEP program. When launched later this year, the voluntary program will provide a transparent, step-by-step certification process to help industrial and commercial facilities implement and validate improvements in their energy performance and reduce their energy costs. The SEP program will be a key component of DOE's  efforts to improve energy efficiency throughout the nation's manufacturing sector. The program administrator will be responsible for launching and overseeing the program during its initial stages and for developing and executing a sustainable business model, enabling SEP to become a fee-based, self-sufficient program within three years of the award. Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity include U.S. domestic entities or consortia composed of academic institutions, non-profits [except 501(c)(4) non-profits], and for-profit private entities. Letters of intent in connection with this opportunity are due February 21, and awards are expected by June. See the DOE Progress Alert, the FOA on DOE's Funding Opportunity Exchange website, and the SEP Web page.

Austin Using Green Innovation to Beat the Utility Blues Sewage treatment has always been a dirty business, dating back to the frontier days when "waste management" meant  the guy who followed after the horses with a bucket and shovel. However, thanks to modern technology, there are ways to turn some of the  treatment processes into clean energy that can power public infrastructure facilities. The Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant in Austin, Texas, located on 1,200 acres of land along the Colorado River, is a national model for innovative approaches to improve the environment, such as reducing waste, producing compost, and protecting ecosystems. Each year, thousands of tons of biosolids, the nutrient-rich  organic materials resulting from the treatment of sewage sludge, are anaerobically digested and composted with Austin's yard trimmings into an EPA-certified soil conditioner called "Dillo Dirt" (as in armadillo).  This popular product is sold to commercial vendors for sale and use in public landscaping projects across the city. Demand for "Dillo Dirt" often exceeds available supply. During the 1980s, an initial effort to improve energy efficiency at the plant started when two 400-kW converted diesel generators were installed. The generators were fueled by a mixture of digester biogas from the site and diesel fuel. This worked fairly well, but after 20+ years the old generators are no longer serviceable or repairable, and in recent years the gas has had to be flared. Austin decided to use $1.2 million of its Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to replace the old equipment with modern "biogas-rated" generation equipment. Read the full story on DOE's Energy Blog. New Thermal Window Technology Lessens Menace of Jack Frost By Roland Risser, program manager, Building Technologies Program Say what you want about the joys of Jack Frost nipping at your nose, but when it comes to winter wonderlands, I like mine outdoors. Etching icy messages on the insides of my windows is not exactly cozy. Therefore, I'm thankful for technology that provides an efficient and effective barrier from inclement weather. Traco, a division of Kawneer and window manufacturer since the early 1940s, recently partnered with the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to utilize funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to develop new window  technology. These OptiQ™ Ultra Thermal Windows can reduce energy loss by up to 40% compared to the efficient, commercially available double-pane low-emissivity windows that are already on the market. Each year, windows account for an estimated 4 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) of energy lost in U.S. buildings, totaling over $35 billion in heating and air conditioning costs. Future window systems like the OptiQ™ Ultra Thermal Windows will eventually outperform the best-insulated walls or roofs in terms of annual energy performance, peak demand reduction, and costs. This new innovation holds promise to boost both savings and comfort. Read the full story on DOE's Energy Blog.  Croatian Center of Renewable Energy sources (CCRES)