Latest News From ASERTTI
Posted: February 8, 2010

Record Attendance for the State Energy Technology and Policy Outlook Conference in Washington, DC

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions (ASERTTI) co-hosted the State Energy Policy and Technology Outlook Conference in Washington, DC from February 1-4, 2010, with nearly 300 state officials and energy experts in attendance.

Over the course of four days, attendees heard the latest on state and federal efforts to create green jobs, increase the nation’s energy efficiency and use of renewable energy, and American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA)-related progress and expectation issues as well as updates on vehicle electrification, the Net Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium, ARPA-E, and more. The conference agenda also included an offsite meeting with Secretary Chu for the state energy offices, a presentation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, and a special keynote address from Congressman Paul Tonko. The core conference agenda was complimented by pre-meeting ARRA and committee sessions and an important post-conference ARRA-related building codes workshop.

Keynote speakers from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) including Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Jacques Beaudry-Losique, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy, provided an update on DOE activities and discussed how conference attendees can assist in meeting shared federal public policy goals and Scott Blake Harris, DOE General Counsel, provided the most recent guidance on the Davis-Bacon Act, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Buy American provisions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Director, Dan E. Arvizu, provided an overview of the NREL activities and discussed the potential for collaborative approaches with State Energy Offices and State Energy Technology Institutions aimed at speeding technology transfer and deployment and Arun Majumdar, Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), discussed what the new program model offers energy innovators, and how states can assist DOE in advancing clean energy innovation. For access to the full agenda and online links to speaker presentations, please click here.

The platinum sponsor of the 2010 NASEO/ASERTTI State Energy Policy and Technology Outlook Conference was Eaton Corporation. Silver sponsors included Chevron Energy Solutions, 4tell Solutions, LLC, Johnson Controls, and Sentech, Inc. ICF International was a bronze sponsor.

DOE Announces Closing of $465 Million Loan to Tesla Motors

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced the Department of Energy has closed its $465 million loan with Tesla Motors, Inc. for construction of a manufacturing facility in southern California on the Model S electric sedan and a power-train manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California. The Palo Alto facility will assemble electric vehicle battery packs, electric motors, and related electric vehicle control equipment, both for Tesla's own electric vehicles and for sale to other automobile manufacturers. The agreement was negotiated and signed by the Department's Loan Programs Office, which supports the development of innovative, advanced vehicle technologies to create thousands of clean energy jobs while helping reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil. Tesla's planned Model S will consume no gasoline and will not produce any tailpipe emissions. It is being designed to offer a variety of range options depending on the battery pack used, from 160 to 300 miles on a single charge. Volume production of the Model S is planned to begin in 2012 with a target production capacity of 20,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2013. According to Tesla, the Model S project and power-train manufacturing facility are expected to create over 1,600 jobs. Please click here for the full story.

DOE Releases Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory released a major study of the technical, operational, and economic issues facing the integration of large amounts of wind energy into the power system. The Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study (EWITS), the largest study of its kind conducted in the United States to date, evaluates the future operational and integration impacts of up to 30% wind energy penetration into the power system in the study year 2024. The study encompasses the majority of the utilities in the Eastern Interconnection. The study also includes a high-level analysis of transmission needed to deliver the wind energy to load centers and a cursory analysis of carbon pricing impacts. The study consists of three main parts: a wind resource assessment and wind plant siting study, a transmission study, and a wind integration study. Please click here for the story as well as a link to the Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program's Renewable Systems Interconnection page where you will find a link to the study.

California Adopts Nation's First Statewide Green Building Standard

The California Building Standards Commission unanimously adopted the first-in-the-nation mandatory Green Building Standards Code, called CALGreen, on January 12. The program, which takes effect on January 1, 2011, will require all new buildings in the state to be more energy efficient and environmentally responsible. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the action lays the foundation for the move to greener buildings constructed with environmentally advanced building practices that reduce energy use, decrease waste, and conserve resources. The California Air Resources Board estimates that the mandatory provisions will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2020. Please click here for the full story.

California Energy Commission Competitive Grant Solicitation - Solar

The California Energy Commission is seeking proposals from private entities, including non-profit organizations and private universities, to help reduce the environmental impacts of solar energy projects in California, particularly with respect to biological impacts in the California desert. This competitive grant solicitation is sponsored by the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Energy-Related Environmental Program to investigate one or more of the following:

Innovative mitigation strategies other than land acquisition that would effectively offset the negative impacts of California solar energy development on special-status species and sensitive plant communities; and/or rigorous validation of and/or improvements to frequently recommended mitigation measures (for example, habitat restoration, fencing).
New or enhanced habitat suitability models that help to: predict the distribution of special-status plants and animals and sensitive plant communities within the Mojave and Colorado Desert regions; evaluate the impact of solar energy technologies, plant designs, and/or solar project site selection on special-status plants and animals and sensitive plant communities; and provide planning tools to assist in the siting, design, permitting, and mitigation of solar energy projects.
An improved impact assessment on species abundance and viability of relocating desert tortoise and/or other special-status plants and animals away from solar energy sites using currently established protocols; and/or develop improved protocols for relocation.
Numerical thresholds for viability of listed species populations (i.e., minimum viable population size) in regions within the Mojave and Colorado Desert regions targeted for utility scale solar energy development.
New or improved framework for conducting cumulative impacts analysis of solar energy development on sensitive biological resources.

For more information on this grant solicitation and how to apply, visit http://www.energy.ca.gov/contracts/pier.html#PON-09-007.

Stage 1 proposals are due March 3, 2010, and a pre-proposal workshop will be held on January 28, 2010.

Compressed Air Challenge - Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems WE (web-edition)

The Compressed Air Challenge (CAC) is pleased to announce the launch of Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems WE (web-edition) on February 22, 2010. This web-based version of the popular Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems training uses an interactive format that enables the instructor to diagram examples, give pop quizzes and answer students' questions in real time. The course will launch on February 22, 2010 with subsequent classes on March 1, March 8 and March 15. The classes will begin at 11 AM eastern and will last approximately 2 hours each. Please click here for additional information and to register online.

For past news stories visit our News Archive.