Applicants can use the newly launched, user-friendly online application portal. The solicitation consists of a two-step process with rolling deadlines. First Part I deadline: August 31, 2010; First Part II deadline: October 31, 2010. Final Part I applications are due November 30, 2010, and final Part II applications are due January 31, 2011. See the DOE press release and the Loan Guarantee Program Web site.
Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center Launches
DOE announced on August 3 that it's awarded $250,000 to the Center for Ocean Energy Technology at Florida Atlantic University to launch the Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center.
The center, which focuses on ocean energy research and development joins centers in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. The university's location near the Florida Straits and Gulf Stream, and its proximity to the ocean, puts it in an ideal position to research renewable energy technologies capable of generating energy from ocean currents and ocean thermal energy.
The research facility will collaborate with industry partners to investigate next-generation water power technologies. Researchers have already begun deploying ocean current observation systems to establish environmental baselines. The center will ultimately perform full-scale field testing of prototype devices. See the DOE Progress Alert, the Florida Atlantic University press release, and the DOE Wind and Water Power Program Web site.
Meanwhile, Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) announced on August 4 that it signed an agreement with 11 federal and state agencies, and three non-government stakeholders, for a utility-scale wave power project in Reedsport, Oregon. A 1.5 MW wave energy station will be phased in, designed to provide electricity for 1000 homes. See the OPT press release.
U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Emissions to Increase 3.4% in 2010
Carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are projected to increase by 3.4% in 2010 over the previous year, according to a report by DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA).
EIA's "Short-Term Energy Outlook" (STEO), released on August 10, projects carbon emissions from burning coal to increase by 6% due to increased coal use at electric power plants. Natural gas emissions are projected to increase 3.9% because of greater use in industrial and electric power sectors, while petroleum emissions are expected to increase by only about 1%.
The STEO projects relatively low growth in all three fuels in 2011, leading to a projected growth in energy-related carbon emissions of 0.8%. Energy-related carbon emissions are the biggest contributor to U.S. greenhouse gases and are generally a good indicator of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions trends. See the STEO, the accompanying chart of projected energy-related carbon emissions, and the STEO archive.
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
