News

Seeking Partners to Expand Access to Community Solar

National Community Solar Partnership

Registration is open to join the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP), a coalition of stakeholders working to expand access to affordable community solar to every American household by 2025. NCSP plans to accomplish this goal through a network infrastructure, technical assistance, and collaboration. Through this partnership, DOE will work to equip partners with the tools and information needed to design and implement successful community solar models.

To learn more about and join NCSP, email community.solar@ee.doe.gov. View slides from the recent NCSP webinar on energy.gov and learn about upcoming webinars at the NSCP website.

Low-Income Energy Affordability Resources Now Available

Oak Ridge National Laboratory just released two resources on low-income energy burden:

This information is intended for state and local governments engaging in strategic planning and/or launching target programs to address low-income energy issues.

Download the LEAD Tool Fact Sheet

A logo for the Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool

DOE's recently published Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool fact sheet gives an overview of the tool to help support your organization’s energy goals.

The LEAD Tool is an online, interactive platform that helps stakeholders make data-driven decisions on their energy goals by improving understanding of household energy characteristics across the regions they serve. Users can create and save their own national, state, county, city, or census tract profile and download estimated energy data and visuals based on income, energy expenditures, fuel type, and housing type.

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Announced

On Earth Day, the U.S. Department of Education released the names of the 2020 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardee. Across the country, 39 schools, 11 districts, and five postsecondary institutions are being honored for their innovative efforts to address the three “Pillars” of the program: reducing environmental impact and utility costs, improving health and wellness, and ensuring effective sustainability education. The selectees include 28 public schools, with 45% of the 2020 honorees serving a disadvantaged student body and eight rural honorees.

To learn more, view these resources:

A New Way to Deliver Power Across Alaska

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is partnering with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Ocean Renewable Power Company, and TerraSond Limited on a DOE-funded Cook Inlet project in Alaska, building on earlier tidal studies these partners conducted with the University of Washington in Washington State’s Puget Sound and the Western Passage of Maine.

NREL researchers are working with industry, tribal, government, and national laboratory partners to more effectively harness Alaska’s vast marine energy resources. NREL-led assessments are helping the remote tribal village of Igiugig identify self-sustaining microgrid options, while the team’s resource characterization work in Cook Inlet has the potential to deliver power to the grid for distribution across the state. Read more about the project on NREL's website.

Virtual Events

Ask a PNNL Scientist Anything about the Blue Economy

Wednesday, May 20, 2020
3–5 p.m. EDT

PNNL coastal scientists and engineers will host a Reddit Ask Me Anything panel on the blue economy, featuring Angela Becker-DippmannSimon GeerlofsDavid HumeAndrea Copping, and Rob Cavagnaro.

During the two-hour event, the panel will cover science and technology that are advancing the future of the blue economy and answer questions from the online community. The panel will discuss how PNNL’s marine research and unique facilities support energy innovation across the blue economy, including for marine renewable energy, autonomous ocean vehicles, commercial vessels and ports, and other blue economy technology areas.

Scientists and engineers at PNNL’s Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, Washington, have expertise in exciting, high-growth marine technologies, including wave and tidal energy, offshore wind, environmental monitoring instruments, and sustainable hydrogen and biofuel production from the ocean.

2020 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit Transitioning to a Virtual Leadership Symposium

June 8–11, 2020

The 2020 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit has transitioned to a virtual event. The Summit will now be a series of timely webinars and peer exchanges throughout June 8–11. There will also be an Opening Plenary on Monday, June 8. All virtual meetings will be free to attend. View the schedule and register on the Better Buildings Solution Center.

Public-sector focused sessions include:

  • Education Sector Meetup (Monday, June 8; 1:00–2:30 p.m.)
  • Local Government Sector Meetup (Monday, June 8; 1:00–2:30 p.m.)
  • The Road to Resilience: Setting Energy Savings as a Strategic Priority for Wastewater Treatment Plants (Tuesday, June 9; 1:00–2:30 p.m.)
  • Measuring Up to the Equity Challenge: Energy Affordability and Equity Planning (Thursday, June 11; 3:00–4:30 p.m.) – Led by Krystal Laymon

​Other sessions and workshops of particular interest to the public sector include:

  • Building a Clean Energy Workforce (Tuesday, June 9; 11:00–12:30 p.m.)
  • Distributed Energy Resources for Cost Savings and Resilience (Tuesday, June 9; 1:00–2:30 p.m.)
  • What's New in Energy Efficiency Finance? (Tuesday, June 9; 3:00–4:30 p.m.)
  • Workshop: Solar RFP Solicitations: Best Practices from Local Governments and Higher Education Institutions (Wednesday, June 10; 11:00–12:30 p.m.)
  • Stump the Chumps: How to Optimize Critical Facilities (Wednesday, June 10; 3:30–4:30 p.m.)
  • Approaches for Achieving Zero Energy Ready: Maximizing Efficiency and Controlling Costs (Thursday, June 11; 11:00–12:30 p.m.)
  • The Secrets of Better Buildings Goal Achievers (Thursday, June 11; 1:00–2:30 p.m.)

Infrastructure in the News

First PACE Project in McLennan County, Texas Moves Forward: The $856,450 property assessed clean energy (PACE) assessment in Waco, Texas, will improve the property’s energy and water efficiency with upgraded HVAC, roof insulation, windows, and plumbing and generate power onsite with solar photovoltaic panels.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania MuseumLab Learning Center Earns LEED Gold Certification: MuseumLab achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions in areas including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

Colorado Springs, Colorado Utility Announces the Start of Its Largest Solar Project: Duke Energy Renewables and Colorado Springs Utilities announced the Palmer Solar project, a 60-megawatt solar array containing more than 220,000 solar panels on approximately 700 acres of land, that will be the first solar project to interconnect with their transmission system.