DOE Partners in $5 Million Boost for Ocean Renewable Energy Research
DOE, the U.S. Dept of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, and the U.S. Dept of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced on October 26 eight joint research awards totaling nearly $5 million to support siting and permitting of offshore wind facilities and ocean energy projects.
The research will address key information gaps regarding potential environmental effects of ocean energy, and will help lay the foundation for an offshore energy industry.
Research funded under each of the program's eight topic areas will help reduce environmental risks and regulatory uncertainties associated with offshore energy deployment. The interagency work multiplies the impact of all three agencies' research funding by eliminating redundancies and supporting complementary work.
Projects will examine a variety of topics. For example, University of Washington will evaluate the ability of three classes of active acoustic technologies to monitor animal densities and distributions at a proposed hydrokinetic site. And, University of Arkansas will develop the Visual Impact Evaluation System for Offshore Renewable Energy, which will allow a user to design the spatial layout and content of an offshore facility. See the DOE press release and the DOE Water Power Program Web site.
Green Power Leadership Awards Announced
DOE, EPA, and the Center for Resource Solutions recognized a variety of organizations and one individual on October 20 for promoting the voluntary purchase of electricity from renewable energy sources.
DOE honored six organizations as Green Power Leaders, including 3Degrees, which originates and markets renewable energy certificates from projects around the world; Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a non-profit green power supplier that re-invests the profits from their green power products in renewable energy development; SolarCity, one of the nation's largest solar and energy efficiency service providers; SunRun, which partners with solar installers to employ more than 2,500 local workers; La Plata Electric Association, a cooperative in southwest Colorado that's a leader in purchasing renewable energy certificates; and Portland General Electric, the utility that has the highest number of renewable power customers.
18 EPA Green Power Partners were recognized for using over 5 billion kWh of green energy annually, equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 700,000 vehicles.
Honorees include:
- Kohl's Department Stores: increased green power purchases by 60% last year;
- Motorola: increased renewable energy certificate purchases by 50%;
- TD Bank: used wind energy certificates to supply 100% of its electricity;
- Whole Foods Market: the first Fortune 500 company to purchase wind for 100% of its electricity across its US operations.
See the
EPA press release,
the EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Web site, and the
EPA Green Power Partnership Web site.
