ASERTTI News
Energy Secretary Serves under a Microscope
 A
recent New York Times article described the
new Secretary of Energy's adjustment to life in the
public eye. In the article, Dr. Chu shares his
take on life in Washington and in his new role in
the Obama Administration. When asked what part
of his job he liked the least, Dr. Chu said: "The
fact that I'm constantly being told that I have to
be careful what I say to the press and in public. I
can't speculate out loud anymore. Everything I say
is taken with total seriousness." But this is
not slowing Dr. Chu down, "In a bureaucracy, if you
start something in motion, it either stops or gets
derailed," he said. "You have to keep applying
force." He intends to keep applying that
force, he said, because it could help solve the
world's energy and climate change problems.
Please
click here to read the full New York Times
article.
Recovery Act
Internet Resources
ACEEE and the Alliance to Save Energy have
collected clean energy and energy efficiency
information associated with the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act. The ACEEE website includes
legislative information, summary documents, and
recently issued guidance on major programs. The
Alliance to Save Energy website includes webinar
presentations on the stimulus, policy and program
details, and news about funding opportunities. For
more information click on the links below:
Smart Grid Demonstrations Funding Opportunity
 In support of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Department of Energy's
(DOE) Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy
Reliability will issue a Funding Opportunity
Announcement (FOA) entitled "Smart Grid
Demonstrations." The subject FOA will include three
topical areas of interest: Regional Smart Grid
Demonstrations, Utility-Scale Energy Storage
Demonstrations, and Regional Synchrophasor
Demonstrations. Please
click here for the
full announcement.
Energy Secretary Announces $1.2 Billion in
Funding for Science
Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced $1.2
billion in new science funding under the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act for major
construction, laboratory infrastructure, and
research efforts sponsored across the nation by the
DOE Office of Science.
Click here for more information.
TCbiomass2009 - September 15-18. 2009
TCbiomass2009, a global scientific forum focused
on the science of thermochemical conversion of
biomass to biofuels will take place at the Sheraton
Chicago Hotel & Towers in downtown Chicago September
15-18, 2009. Presenters will include the world's
leading researchers in gasification, pyrolysis, and
pyrolysis oil upgrading. For more information and
to register, please
click here.
Solar, Wind Industries Release White Paper on
Green Transmission Superhighway
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and
the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
released a white paper titled "Green Power
Superhighways: Building a Path to America's Clean
Energy Future," detailing current inadequacies of
the U.S. electric transmission infrastructure and
offering policy solutions to address them. Please
click here to view the full document.
 Winners Announced in New Next Generation
Luminaires Design Competition
Winners of the first annual Next Generation
Luminaires™ awards were announced on February 19,
2009, at the Strategies in Light Conference in Santa
Clara, California. Sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE), the Illuminating Engineering
Society of North America, and the International
Association of Lighting Designers, the competition
recognizes excellence in the design of
energy-efficient commercial lighting luminaires that
use light emitting diodes, or LEDs and attracted 68
entries from 29 lighting companies. More
information on all the winning entries is available
at the
Next Generation Luminaires Web site.
USDA Announces REAP Energy Technical Assistance
Funding
As reported by
www.farmenergy.org, the 2008 Farm Bill's Rural
Energy for America Program (REAP) includes a new
Energy Audit and Technical Assistance program.
Under the program, state, local and tribal
governments, universities, rural electric
cooperatives and public power entities can apply to
the USDA to receive grants to implement energy
technical assistance programs to benefit
agricultural producers and rural small businesses.
The program will cut energy waste, help farmers and
businesses produce their own renewable energy and
improve the bottom line of farm and rural business
operations. Please
click here for a summary of the new program.
Congress Boosts REAP Funding for 2009
As reported by
www.farmenergy.org, the Omnibus budget bill
signed into law on March 11th provides $60 million
in funding for 2009 for the Farm Bill's Rural Energy
for American Program (REAP). REAP offers grants and
loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural
small businesses to install renewable energy systems
or energy efficiency improvements. Although the
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 did not boost
funding for farm bill energy title programs, the
addition of this funding by Congress carries through
on commitments in the 2008 Farm Bill. Please
click here for a full summary of 2009 Farm Bill
Energy Title funding.
 DOE Hosts Webcast on Advanced Energy Design
Guide for K-12 Schools
The U.S. Department of Energy, through its
EnergySmart Schools initiative, is hosting a
no-cost, live webcast on Thursday, April 16, 2009:
Implementing Recommendations from the Advanced
Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings.
Presenters Paul Torcellini and Shanti Pless of the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory will present a
comprehensive overview of the Guide, which provides
recommendations based on climate zones to achieve
30% energy savings over baseline standard in both
new and renovation school building projects. Please
see the
EnergySmart Schools web site for more
information or to register for the webcast. |
