Energy Management and Renewable Energy Newsletter

News and Updates:

North Central Texas Council of Governments Receives Regional SolSmart Designation
Texas Public Utility Commission Extends the State’s Electricity Relief Program
TCEQ Announces New Round of Grants for Emission Reduction Efforts
State Energy Conservation Office Announces Request for Information
Texas PACE Authority Investments Reach $110 million
Hybrid Solar Farm and Utility-Scale Battery Storage Project in Scurry, Texas
Houston/Harris County to Hold Largest Single-Day, Community-Led Heat Mapping Effort in U.S. History
Powered For Good Partnership
SolarAPP Team Seeks Authorities Having Jurisdiction as Pilot Partners
Common Mistakes Homeowners Make When Going Solar
First Global Assessment of Solar Module Recycling Efforts
DOE Funding Opportunity: Building Technologies Proving Ground – Public Sector Field Validation - $10 million
DOE Funding Opportunity: Research and Development for Advanced Water Resource Recovery Systems - $20 million

Webinars and Online Courses:

Succeed with Submetering: How to Make the Business Case - August 4
Adopt the SolarAPP: The Emerging Solar Permitting Solution - August 5
How Local Governments Can Buy Renewable Energy and Support Market Development - August 6
North Texas Renewable Energy Group Meeting - August 8
USGBC Virtual Town Hall Executive Meeting: Texas - August 11
City Efficiency Leadership Council Summer 2020 Roundtable - North Central Texas - August 12
GridNEXT 2020 - August 19
Virtual Conference: 2020 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings - August 17 - 21
Hospitals Weathering the Storm with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) - August 20
Irving's Virtual Home Energy Fair - August 25 - 27
ENERGY STAR and Green Building Rating Systems - August 25
CELC Webinar: Financing Energy Efficiency for Public Buildings - August 27

Texas Public Utility Commission Extends the State’s Electricity Relief Program

On July 16th, the Texas Public Utility Commission voted to extend the state’s Electricity Relief Program (ERP) through August 31, 2020. This program, which came into effect on March 26th in response to the COVID-19 crisis, offers disconnection protection to low-income and unemployed Texans in the state’s competitive retail areas. The ERP is specific to people living in deregulated areas who are able to choose their electric company (also called a Retail Electric Provider or "REP").

Source: TEPRI

TCEQ Announces New Round of Grants for Emission Reduction Efforts

On July 7th, The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced that approximately $4.6 million in grants will be made available for projects that implement new technologies to reduce emissions of stationary sources in Texas, with at least $1 million made available for electricity storage projects related to renewable energy.

The New Technology Implementation Grant (NTIG) program is part of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP). Eligible entities must own and operate, or intend to build, own, and operate stationary sources in Texas.

Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m., October 7, 2020. For more information on the grant program and to access up-to-date information on the application process, and copies of all application forms, visit www.terpgrants.org or contact TERP at 800-919-TERP (8377) or TERP@tceq.texas.gov.

State Energy Conservation Office Announces RFI

The State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) has published a request for information (RFI), "High Performance Building Evaluation System Using the 2018 International Green Construction Code (IgCC) for State Agencies and Institutions of Higher Education," intended to gather information regarding establishing a high-performance building evaluation system for state agency building design projects.

SECO is seeking input from qualified individuals and related building design stakeholder organizations to assist the office in determining:

Whether the 2018 edition of the IgCC meets the requirements in Texas Government Code Section 447.004 for a high-performance building evaluation system and
How the IgCC-2018 can be used in conjunction with existing energy efficiency and water conservation minimum code standards to achieve higher levels of performance.

Review and download details on the RFI on the Comptroller’s Electronic State Business Daily website. SECO will accept comments, data and information regarding the RFI until Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, 2 p.m. (CDT).

Houston/Harris County to Hold Largest Single-Day, Community-Led Heat Mapping Effort in U.S. History

On August 7th, right around when temperatures tend to hit their peak in Houston and Harris County, roughly 80 community scientists will take to the streets with specially-designed thermal sensors attached to their cars or bicycles. They will embark on a 300-square-mile effort to measure and map urban heat in the region. This community science endeavor is led by the Houston Harris Heat Action Team (H3AT), a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy of Texas (TNC), Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), the City of Houston, and Harris County Public Health (HCPH), and in partnership with Lowe’s and Shell.

Source: HARC

SolarAPP Team Seeks Authorities Having Jurisdiction as Pilot Partners

The Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP) team is seeking local governments and other "authorities having jurisdiction" (AHJs) to pilot the platform at no cost to them. The SolarAPP team can work with most AHJs to develop a testing plan.

If your community is interested, join the testing queue before SolarAPP’s formal launch in September by completing the AHJ SolarAPP Interest Questionnaire. The SolarAPP team will evaluate your situation and contact you about next steps.

Common Mistakes Homeowners Make When Going Solar

In the recent Houston Chronicle blog post, RisingSun Solar president Keith Murphy provides common mistakes homeowners make when going solar. He compares the experience of going solar to buying a car for the first time. In order to have the best experience possible, homeowners are recommended to start with a better understanding of what going solar means and how to head down that road. That way customers can arm themselves with knowledge and have a positive experience when going solar, even on their first purchase.

Here are a few common mistakes homeowners make:

Not getting multiple bids
Being unaware of exactly what you are getting
Feeling frightened to ask questions
Having unrealistic expectations
Settling for subpar customer service

Source: Houston Chronicle

First Global Assessment of Solar Module Recycling Efforts

For the first time ever, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has assessed worldwide efforts to recycle solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, particularly pure crystalline silicon, to identify the best ways to manage their disposal after they stop working. The researchers called for research and development in several areas, including silicon purification processes, methods to avoid waste from the start, and lowering recycling costs. Check out their findings.

DOE Funding Opportunity: Building Technologies Proving Ground – Public Sector Field Validation - $10 million

The Building Technologies Proving Ground – Public Sector Field Validation funding opportunity will invest up to $10 million to allow state, local, and tribal government entities to compete for funding designed to meet U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) goals via field validation of high impact commercial building technologies. Projects funded through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will have the potential to significantly reduce energy use in U.S. commercial buildings, develop new value streams for commercial building owners, and provide the end use flexibility required to dynamically balance the distribution grid.

Applications Due: September 28, 2020

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

DOE Funding Opportunity: Research and Development for Advanced Water Resource Recovery Systems - $20 million

The goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to conduct research, development, and deployment on technology innovations that enable advanced water resource recovery systems. Topic Area 1 of this FOA seeks to advance the development of transformative technologies beyond early stage research and development (R&D) to become pilot ready (TRL 4-6). Whereas, Topic Area 2 of this FOA seeks to test currently developed, pilot ready technologies (TRL 6-7) though design, build, and operations in industrially relevant conditions to enable commercialization.

Applications Due: October 06, 2020

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

Updated Tool Finder for Local Government Clean Energy Initiatives

Tool Finder for Local Government Clean Energy Initiatives is an incredible resource that helps navigate the many freely-available tools and resources for measuring emissions, energy, and economic impacts of energy efficiency, renewable energy, transportation, and waste programs at both the government operations and community-wide scales. Based on the input parameters, the Tool Finder provides a tailored list of tools and resources that may be appropriate for achieving specific energy goals.

To check out the tool follow this link.

Succeed with Submetering: How to Make the Business Case

Organizations of all shapes and sizes can benefit from a more detailed understanding of their energy usage. In this Better Buildings webinar, partners from both the public and private sectors will discuss how to make a compelling business case for the value of submetering to decision makers. They will also share the link between submetering to benchmarking and other data management efforts.

Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT

Adopt the SolarAPP: The Emerging Solar Permitting Solution

Join the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the SolarAPP Team to learn more about how you can adopt the Solar Automated Permit Processing Platform in your area! During this webinar you will:

See improvements made to the SolarAPP
Understand how SolarAPP can integrate with your existing software or stand alone
Learn about how SolarAPP has benefited partner communities
And, how you can adopt SolarAPP today.

Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT

How Local Governments Can Buy Renewable Energy and Support Market Development

Join the SolSmart program, national experts, and community leaders to discuss renewable energy procurement strategies for local governments and regional organizations. This webinar will cover strategies local governments can consider to procure renewable energy and support renewable energy market development, including power purchase agreements (PPAs), virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs), community solar, and more. This webinar will also cover how the regulatory landscape impacts the RE purchasing options available to a particular community and highlight case studies from local governments across the U.S. that have successfully implemented these strategies, including Arlington, Virginia and Denver, Colorado. This webinar provides one AICP CM continuing education credit.

Date: Thursday, August 6, 2020
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT

North Texas Renewable Energy Group Meeting

August 8th online meeting will feature two presentations:

Topic 1: "Climate Reality Project Overview"

The Climate Reality Project is a non-profit organization involved in education and advocacy related to climate change.

Topic 2: "Artificial Intelligence & Energy Sustainability in Buildings"

"Artificial Intelligence" is demonstrated by computers and machines where programming allows the device to sense its environment and take actions (or make adjustments to pre-determined actions) to maximize the opportunity of successfully achieving a particular goal.

Date: Saturday, August 8, 2020
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT

USGBC Virtual Town Hall Executive Meeting: Texas

Join U.S. Green Building Council‎ (USGBC) on August 11th, for an engaging event featuring an address from USGBC's President & CEO, Mahesh Ramanujam. This Executive Meeting is an opportunity to hear about Mahesh's vision for the future of USGBC. Learn about the latest version of LEED, the power of performance data and recertification, LEED Zero, USGBC’s Living Standard campaign, and participate with other leaders. The event will engage attendees through a presentation and then Q&A, emphasizing an open dialogue between Mahesh and the local attendees.

Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM CDT

City Efficiency Leadership Council Summer 2020 Roundtable - North Central Texas

The South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER), in collaboration with the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) and Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), invites you to become part of the City Efficiency Leadership Council (CELC). The Council supports public sector energy efficiency initiatives through peer-to-peer resource sharing and ideas generation. Whether you are just getting started with efficiency or have recently completed a project, CELC's bi-annual regional roundtables are an opportunity to grow your professional network, gain technical expertise, and find inspiration for your next energy efficiency project!

Date: Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM CDT

GridNEXT 2020

GridNEXT will be held Virtually this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. GridNEXT will feature panels, discussions and interactive sessions highlighting clean technology advances and advancements in renewable energy.

Discussions and Interactive Segments include:

Industry Briefing: An executive summary of the renewable energy industry from Peter Kelly-Detwiler
Interactive Video Tour: Voltabox of Texas, a provider for e-mobility in industrial applications

Sessions for this year’s GridNEXT will include:

Austin Energy REACH Plan: Sustainability, Affordability, and Reliability
Current ERCOT Situation: West Texas Deliverability and Constraints
Reaching our Renewable Energy Integration Goals: Grid Scale Storage in ERCOT
Electrified Texas: The Future of Transport

Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM CDT

2020 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings Virtual Conference

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is taking the 2020 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings virtual this year! The theme for the 2020 Summer Study is "Efficiency: The Core of a Clean Energy Future" in recognition of the rapidly evolving ecosystem of the energy industry. From resilience to health, distributed energy resources to renewables to grid integration and virtual batteries, energy efficiency remains critical to our success. Whatever the surrounding goals for expansion of clean energy systems and services, the ability to design and operate efficient buildings is an essential foundational requirement.

Early bird registration is now open and the "Schedule at a Glance" is up ! Register now at less than half the in-person fee.

Who Should Attend:
Policymakers; utility staff; architects; builders; financial and insurance professionals involved with buildings; clean-tech investors; building products, equipment, and appliance manufacturers; building owners and operators; engineers; local, state, and federal agency personnel; energy researchers; NGOs; consultants; behavioral scientists; and energy efficiency professionals.

Date: August 17 - 21, 2020
Register online here

Hospitals Weathering the Storm with Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

With COVID-19, the last thing hospitals can afford is to lose power. With an increase in power outages due to natural disasters and growing number and intensity of severe weather events, it is vital that hospitals take the appropriate steps to keep the lights on. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is a proven onsite electric power system that can increase the resilience of a hospital’s operation, while also providing vital, low cost thermal and cooling services. Join the US DOE’s Southcentral CHP Technical Assistance Partnership for this timely and important discussion on how hospitals can bring peace of mind to their operations with CHP.

Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020
Time: 11:00 AM
Register online here