For example, the Miami County YMCA in Indiana will add solar PV and solar hot water systems, and Missouri's Central Missouri Community Action group will provide geothermal heating systems for low-income households. See the full list of awards (PDF 52 KB).
An additional $30 million from the program's annual budget will fund 16 recipients showcasing other innovative approaches to weatherizing low-income single and multifamily homes. Projects will test combining weatherization services with a comprehensive "green and healthy homes" approach that incorporates indoor air quality improvement and lead abatement services.
Grantees include organizations that have not historically been part of DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program, including private companies, NGOs, universities, city governments, and national partners. Nebraska's Energy Pioneer Solutions, for instance, will use funds to streamline weatherization services for low-income families and will offer loans for half the project's value, which can be repaid through local utility bills. See the full list of selected awardees (PDF 42 KB).
DOE Offers $15 Million Geothermal Heat Recovery Opportunity
DOE's Geothermal Technologies Program announced on August 20 a $15 million funding opportunity to research and develop innovative methods of extracting heat from geothermal resources.
The funding's purpose is to commercialize heat recovery technologies that have potentially lower environmental, technical, and financial risks than those available today.
The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) seeks applicants to expand geothermal generation into geologically diverse environments, such as permeable sedimentary formations that minimize the risk of rapid drawdown of a reservoir's heat. The FOA also calls for reducing the levelized electricity cost of new methods of geothermal production from $0.10 kWh to $0.06 kWh.
Applicants must submit an initial pre-application concept paper by October 1. Eligible full applications, which must address environmental risk factors associated with geothermal heat recovery, are due November 30, 2010.
Funding will be available on a competitive basis for two phases of work. Phase I will encompass feasibility studies of the applicant's proposed heat recovery method, including numerical analysis of the proposed reservoir, economic modeling, and unproven component technology engineering and validation plans. Phase II will include validation of unproven component technology. See the DOE progress alert, the FOA on the FedConnect Web site, and the Geothermal Technologies Program Web site.
DOE Extends Renewable Energy Loan Guarantee Solicitation
DOE announced on August 20 that it is extending the application deadline for the July 2009 energy efficiency, renewable energy, and advanced transmission and distribution technologies solicitation.
The Round 8, Part 1 application deadline is October 5, 2010. This gives companies an additional six weeks to apply for a loan guarantee under Section 1703, and if qualified, under Section 1705, provided by the Recovery Act. The goal is to get as many commercial renewable energy projects online as possible.
Round 8 is intended to give companies additional time to develop and submit Part I applications. The Round 8 Part II application deadline is December 31, 2010. See DOE press release and the Loan Guarantee Program Web site.
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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).
