Share
April 2020
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
 
NCTCOG Energy Management & Renewable Energy Newsletter
April 2020
 

Hello , featured in this issue:

News and Updates:
  • SECO Resource Highlight: Texas State Energy Conservation Office Texas Property Assessed Clean Energy Resources
  • Dallas in the Top 10 Energy Star Cities for the Year of 2019
  • Actions Cities Can Take to Support Energy Efficiency in Texas
  • State and Local Energy Datasets Now Available
  • 2020 Texas Environmental Excellence Awards Winners
  • ERCOT Expecting Record Electricity Use This Summer
  • Earthx2020 is Going Digital
  • Managing Large Scale Solar Development: American Planning Association March 2020 Issue
  • Public Fleets Able to Purchase Electric School Buses and Street Sweepers with the Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative
  • Variety of Funding Programs Available for Greener Fleet Vehicles
  • USDA RUS Assistance to High Energy Cost Communities - $10 million
  • DOE GFO Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 Funding Program - $125.5 million
  • DOI BOR WaterSMART Grants: Water and Energy Efficiency for FY21 - $1.5 million
Webinars and Online Courses:
  • The Spring 2020 Texas Energy Webinar - April 2
  • Efficiency and Renewables Finance for Small Business and Congregations - April - 7
  • Live Webinar: LEED Green Associate Training - April 7, 11, 18
  • SolarApp Online Permitting Webinar - April 14
  • Responding to Waves of Crises: Long-Term and Short-Term Sustainability and Resiliency - April - 15
  • Evidence Based Approaches to Electrification: Running a Data-Driven Utility - April - 16
  • EUCI Electric Vehicles (EVs) 101 Online Course - April 16 - 17
  • CHP and Commercial Buildings - Exploring Cooling and Heating Opportunities - April 21
  • Zero-Energy Schools: How Innovative Concrete Systems Are Making It Possible - April 22
  • Fundamentals of Battery Storage Online Course - April 27 - 28
  • Save-the-Date: NCTCOG Procuring Energy Efficiency Projects for Facilities and Services Webinar -  May 12
 
 
NCTCOG Energy Management and Renewable Energy Resources

News & Updates

SECO Resource Highlight: Texas State Energy Conservation Office Texas Property Assessed Clean Energy Resources
The Texas State Energy Conservation Office provides local governments links to several helpful resources related to the adoption of a Property Assessed Clean Energy program. The Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program provides low-cost, long-term financing for water and energy efficiency and conservation improvements to commercial and industrial properties. In 2013, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 385 (83R) allowing municipalities and counties to work with commercial lenders and property owners to pursue improvements using property assessments as a secure repayment mechanism.

Several cities and counties in the North Texas region have adopted PACE programs including:


Several PACE program resources are linked on SECO’s website including, but not limited to:


For more information on the Texas PACE program, visit https://comptroller.texas.gov/programs/seco/funding/pace.php.
Dallas in the Top 10 Energy Star Cities for the Year of 2019
The City of Dallas ranked number 4 in EPA's 2020 ENERGY STAR Top Cities. The annual Top Cities list shows which metro areas were home to the most ENERGY STAR certified buildings in the previous year.

Source: ENERGY STAR
Actions Cities Can Take to Support Energy Efficiency in Texas
The South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER) has recently produced a series of articles related to steps that cities in Texas can take to support energy efficiency.

You can explore each action cities can take to support energy efficiency in your community by visiting the articles below on the SPEER website:

State and Local Energy Datasets Now Available
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in collaboration with DOE, developed this suite of interactive datasets delivering detailed renewable procurement, energy consumption, commercial buildings, and vehicle information estimated for each U.S. city and county. These resources can help inform data-driven energy decision making at the state and local level.

  • Renewable procurement options: An aggregated dataset meant to help cities and counties and utility customers within those jurisdictions understand the options that may be available to them to procure renewable electricity or renewable energy credits and meet energy goals.
  • Energy consumption and expenditures: Modeled electricity and natural gas consumption and expenditures for each U.S. city and county.
  • Transportation data: Data on vehicle registration by fuel type and vintage, showing the changes in adoption of vehicles of different fuel types.
  • Commercial building stock: Modeled data on building type, vintage, and area for each U.S. city and county.
  • Residential building stock: Modeled data on housing type and housing energy expenditures for each U.S. census tract, city, county, and state.
2020 Texas Environmental Excellence Awards Winners
On March 3rd, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) revealed the winners of the prestigious Texas Environmental Excellence Awards (TEEA). The 28th annual edition of these awards includes efforts in water and energy conservation, public education about natural resources, and pollution reduction. Congratulations to the following winners from North Texas:

  • Andrew Brinker, who has been teaching AP Environmental Science and AP Biology at Paschal High School in Fort Worth for the past thirteen years, was selected as the 2020 Texas Environmental Excellence Awards winner (TEEA) of Environmental Educator of The Year.
  • City of Frisco - Household Chemical and Electronics Reuse and Disposal Center was awarded a TEEA in the category of Innovative Operations and Management.
  • University of Texas at Arlington - Pollution Prevention Innovative Community Partnership was the winner in the category of Pollution Prevention for their delivery of  "Lean & Green" technical training and assistance to 112 organizations in Texas, resulting in the identification of 62,100,000 annual kWh reductions, 36,000 MTCO2e reductions, 19.5 million gallons of water reductions, 16,500 tons of solid waste reductions, and $27.3 million in savings. To date, they have taught the benefits of value-stream mapping to more than 1,400 individuals.
ERCOT Expecting Record Electricity Use This Summer
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) expects record electric use this summer and grid conditions similar to summer 2019.

On March 5th, ERCOT released its final Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA) for the upcoming spring season (March – May) and its preliminary assessment for the summer season (June – September).
The SARA report is based on an assessment of generation availability and expected peak demand conditions at the time it was prepared. The assessment takes into account expected generation outages that typically occur during each season for maintenance, as well as a range of generation outage scenarios and weather conditions that could affect seasonal demand.

Source: ERCOT
EarthX2020 is Going Digital
In light of the rapidly developing news of COVID-19, CDC guidelines, and new City of Dallas requirements, EarthX will host its EarthX2020 Conferences and Film Festival virtually and cancel its Expo for the year. Most conferences will be presented virtually from April 23rd - 25th and into May. EarthxEnergy's Responsible Energy Acquisition conference and the EarthxLaw conference will be held live in the fall. The 50th Earth Day Celebration will be livestreamed on April 22nd. The virtual experience will be layered with EarthxFilm Festival programming of select 2020 films, which will then present its physical Film Festival in the fall along with the EarthxGlobalGala and the world premiere of The Way of the Rain – Hope For Earth, directed by Sibylle Szaggars Redford with a special narration – spoken word by Robert Redford.

For more information on how to view the virtual conferences visit: earthx.org
Managing Large Scale Solar Development: American Planning Association March 2020 Issue
The March 2020 Issue of Planning, the American Planning Associations monthly magazine, included an article entitled "Are You Solar Ready? Seven steps to successfully manage large-scale solar development." The article addresses the growing demand for electricity from low-cost, large-scale PV in the future and the challenges that states and communities will struggle with including fear and opposition to these land uses. Plans, zoning codes, and inspection processes may need to be revised to address these types of land uses, that are expected to increase to roughly eight times the current installed capacity by 2050. The article provides seven steps for communities can use to help them be prepared for these large-scale projects, but also leverage solar development opportunities to achieve many community benefits including economic development, clean energy, and habitat value. The seven steps expounded upon in the article include:

  1. Lay the Groundwork: Integrating solar development into community goals and objectives; addressing solar in planning processes and codes.
  2. Recognize Large-Scale PV as a Unique Land Use: Addressing PV as a unique land use and the challenges including PV under existing land use/zoning categories.
  3. Identify a Development Pathway: Identify clear processes and zoning requirements for solar development.
  4. Focus on Impacts: Best practice of define and apply standards to solar installations based on the area (e.g., square feet or acres) or impact of the installation rather than the capacity.
  5. Avoid Treating PV Like a Building: Addresses challenges with Maximum lot coverage allowances and stormwater benefits.
  6. Address Community Concerns: How can planners address common misconceptions related to PV like light reflection, property values, and noise.
  7. Avoid Overly Burdensome Decommissioning Requirements: Addresses considerations related to abandonment risk and decommissioning requirements.
Public Fleets Able to Purchase Electric School Buses and Street Sweepers with the Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative
The Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle (EV) Purchasing Collaborative (the Collaborative) is working hard to advance fleet electrification by expanding available vehicle technologies and provide technical assistance to fleets in need. The collaborative has recently added electric school buses and street sweepers to the list of available offerings. Read the full article from ACTNews about the recently added electric school buses and street sweepers and how public fleets can shop the Collaborative.  To browse available EVs and EV infrastructure offerings from the Collaborative, visit https://driveevfleets.org/offerings/!
Variety of Funding Programs Available for Greener Fleet Vehicles
A variety of grant programs are currently available to assist fleets with transitioning to alternative fuels.  Both fleets and individual consumers can also take advantage of a $2500 state rebate to purchase electric vehicles.  To see a current listing, visit www.nctcog.org/aqfunding.
USDA RUS Assistance to High Energy Cost Communities
- $10 million

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces the availability of up to $10 million in competitive grants to assist communities with extremely high energy costs. The grant funds may be used to acquire, construct, or improve energy generation, transmission, or distribution facilities serving communities where the average annual residential expenditure for home energy exceeds 275% of the national average. Eligible projects also include on-grid and off-grid renewable energy projects and the implementation of energy efficiency and energy conservation projects for eligible communities. Projects cannot be for the primary benefit of a single household or business. Grant funds may not be used for the preparation of the grant application, operating costs, or for the purchase of any equipment, structures, or real estate not directly associated with the provision of community energy services.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.
DOE GFO Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 Funding
- $125.5 million
   

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). SETO supports solar energy research and development (R&D) in three technology areas—photovoltaics (PV), concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), and systems integration—with the goal of improving the affordability, reliability, and performance of solar technologies on the grid. This section describes the overall goals of the Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 (SETO 2020) funding program and the types of projects being solicited for funding support through this FOA. The SETO 2020 funding program seeks to advance R&D of solar technologies that reduce the cost of solar, increase the competitiveness of American manufacturing and businesses, and improve the reliability of the grid. These projects will advance R&D in PV, CSP, and energy management technologies, while also working to improve cybersecurity, expand solar to new applications like agricultural solar, integrate solar and storage, and utilize artificial intelligence to address research challenges.

For more information, and to apply, click here.
Department of Interior WaterSMART Grants: Water and Energy Efficiency for FY21 – $1.5 million
The objective of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to invite states, Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with the Bureau of Reclamation on projects that seek to conserve and use water more efficiently; increase the production of hydropower; mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict; enable farmers to make additional on-farm improvements in the future, including improvements that may be eligible for Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding; and accomplish other benefits that contribute to water supply reliability in the western United States.

For more information,  and to apply, click here.

Featured Resources

Community Resilience Planning and Clean Energy
Energy efficiency and renewable energy can enhance community resilience in the face of shocks and stresses like extreme weather caused by climate change. Despite this, the review of 66 city resilience plans from all over the world finds that most fail to include comprehensive sets of efficiency and renewable energy strategies. In their research report, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), rated the plans for both types of initiatives, identified the most widespread strategies, and highlighted efforts to improve energy equity. The report also describes the clean energy opportunities that many cities have missed and that can add substantially to their resilience efforts.

To access this resource click here.
The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) has published a fact sheet on Non-Energy Benefits of Energy Efficiency. Non-Energy Benefits (NEBs) are the many and diverse benefits produced by energy efficiency in addition to energy and demand savings. Accounting for NEBs in state policy and utility planning allows for the full value of energy efficiency to be captured. NEBs accrue to the utility system, to energy efficiency project or program participants and to society at large.

To access this resource click here.

Upcoming Events

The Spring 2020 Texas Energy Webinar
In this webinar, energy speakers - from industry, utilities, and government, will share their experiences and lessons learned from hurricane Harvey, especially as they relate to industrial operations, resiliency, and energy efficiency. Hurricane Harvey ripped through the Greater Houston area in late August of 2017, leaving a trail of destruction with an estimated cost of $125 billion, and disrupting operations at oil refineries and chemical plants. Resiliency – stability of operation – is important not only for production and profitability, but also for the energy efficiency of industrial plants.

Date: Thursday, April 2, 2020
Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM CDT
Register online here
Efficiency and Renewables Finance for Small Business and Congregations
Financing energy efficiency and renewable energy equipment can be a challenge for small business owners and the decision-makers at worship facilities. While the saving per-square-foot can be comparable to that for larger organizations, a relatively smaller facility is often not attractive to product and service providers offering finance for higher volume jobs. This webinar will explain and answer questions about several practical, reliable and innovative finance solutions and strategies now available to small businesses and congregations.

Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT
Register online here

Live Webinar: LEED Green Associate Training
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) upcoming in-person LEED Green Associate Training is transitioned to live webinars through Zoom. On demand self-paced online workshop is also available.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building project types, from new construction to interior fit-outs and operation & maintenance, LEED provides a framework that project teams can apply to create healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement.
The LEED Green associate is the only professional designation to show employers and clients you have certified knowledge in the field. This course is instructed by a USGBC Faculty member and is the most effective way to pass the certification.

Date and Time: April 7 2020 – 5:00PM – 8:30PM CDT OR –
April 11 2020 – 12:00PM – 3:30PM CDT – OR –
April 18 2020 – 2:00PM – 5:30PM CDT – OR –

Register online here
SolarApp Online Permitting Webinar
The Solar Foundation, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have been collaborating with key code bodies, building officials, and industry members to standardize and automate the residential solar permitting process in the United States. The Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP) platform will provide automated code-compliance review and instant approval of certain qualifying residential systems—representing a new, standard permitting approach.

Join this webinar to:

  • See an early prototype of the SolarAPP platform
  • Review our draft permitting requirements
  • Learn about how you can help test and market the SolarAPP

Date: Tuesday, April 14
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT
Register online here  

Responding to Waves of Crises: Long-Term and Short-Term
Sustainability and Resiliency
This webinar will feature Christine Knapp of Philadelphia, PA and Peter Nierengarten of Fayetteville, AR.

Christine Knapp was appointed as the Director of the Office of Sustainability for the City of Philadelphia in January of 2016. She will share how Philadelphia is continuing to implement its long-term sustainability and climate action strategy, clean energy infrastructure, and addressing heat resiliency in light of potential shelter in place requirements this summer. She’ll also share how her office sees climate change as a multiplier of risks for vulnerable and low-income communities, but also a multiplier of opportunities to grow with equity.

Peter has been the City of Fayetteville Environmental/Sustainability Director since 2012, and he will share initial lessons learned from their COVID response and solutions being deployed in Fayetteville such as: drop off recycling centers (curb-side pickup has ceased operations), city compost sales and potential delivery to residents (compost sales have skyrocketed as residents start their own gardens and food supplies), connecting local agriculture to pop-up markets and buyers (shuttered restaurants are no longer demanding local food), food access and security for residents, sustaining lowered VMT and GHG emissions, adapting city streets for walking and bike access, and more. By April 15, there will be more lessons learned to report out.


Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT
Register online here

Evidence Based Approaches to Electrification: Running a Data-Driven Utility
Learn how to leverage knowledge from data your utility already collects—smart meter data and other data—throughout the grid as it becomes more widely available. Hear how data-driven decisions can inform your decision making and how to make the right decisions for your utility. Review simple financial statements to visualize the financial impact of increasing electrification.

  • Learn how to maximize business potential to better serve your customers while also improving reliability
  • Understand how to view data through the lenses of a CEO or COO
  • Hear why it is important to be creative and approach your utility like a business
  • Introduction to the power of margins

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2020
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT
Register online here

EUCI Electric Vehicles (EVs) 101 Online Course
Due to the astounding growth of the EV industry, consumers and policy makers are seeing EVs as a crucial component of sustainable transportation and emission reduction goals.
This online course will provide attendees an introduction to EVs with an emphasis on the impact of EV growth to utilities and the energy industry. The conference intends to unpack complex issues like vehicle to grid integration, technical and economic challenges that EVs impose on the grid and the relationship that renewable energy can foster with EVs.

Date: April 16 -17, 2020
Time: 9:00 AM CDT
Register online here

CHP and Commercial Buildings - Exploring Cooling and Heating Opportunities
Commercial office buildings are continually looking for ways to reduce operating costs through improved efficiencies, enhance tenant comfort and most importantly keep the lights on during and after major natural disaster events. These buildings can address these issues through the application of combined heat and power (CHP). Traditionally, CHP has been seen largely as an industrial and manufacturing application. However, now with improvements in the technology efficiency at smaller sizes and the growing diversity of applications for the waste heat, CHP is finding its way into the less traditional applications, such as office buildings. A fast growing opportunity to CHP applications is the use of absorption chillers. These chillers are quickly becoming a cost-effective and efficient solution for cooling all sizes and types of commercial buildings.

Online attendees will learn about:
  • Different CHP and absorption chiller technologies
  • Federally funded Technical Assistance
  • Free CHP screening of your facility
  • Free 3rd party reviews of vendor proposals
  • Case studies of operating CHP at commercial buildings
  • Current and future rebates, incentives and tax advantages available for customers that install CHP

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Time: 10:00 AM CDT
Register online here
Zero-Energy Schools: How Innovative Concrete Systems
Are Making It Possible
Zero-energy school construction is a growing trend across the country. A combination of advanced energy-efficiency strategies, affordable solar power and an innovative concrete building system called insulating concrete forms (ICFs) is making it possible. ICFs combine the strength and durability of reinforced concrete with the versatility and energy efficiency of rigid insulation.

Online attendees will learn:
  • Principles and strategies behind zero-energy school design and construction
  • How innovative concrete systems such as ICFs are being used to achieve zero-energy schools
  • How a combination of energy-efficiency strategies, high-performance envelopes and solar power are used to meet zero-energy criteria
  • About the contribution concrete makes to safe and productive schools by providing energy-efficient, quiet and resilient structures

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT
Register online here  

Fundamentals of Battery Storage
Battery storage is a technology whose time has finally arrived in many markets across the globe. Implementations are increasing, with storage addressing multiple problems and opportunities across the power grid, and use cases are abounding – both for utility-scale and behind-the-meter applications.

Online attendees will learn about:
  • Statistics on energy storage in today's market and future projections
  • The role of regulators at Canadian federal and provincial levels, as well as U.S. federal and state levels in promoting energy storage
  • The important relationship between battery storage and its interaction with other resources on the grid
  • How battery storage is providing services into wholesale power markets

Date: April 27 - 28, 2020
Register online here  
Save-the-Date: NCTCOG Procuring Energy Efficiency Projects for
Facilities and Services
Webinar
On May 12th, the North Central Council of Governments will be hosting the live webinar: Procuring Energy Efficiency Projects for Facilities and Services Webinar.

Date: May 12, 2020
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT
Registration available here

For questions or additional information on any of these items, please contact:
Tamara Cook
Senior Program Manager of Environment and Development

tcook@nctcog.org
817-695-9221

 
View additional events and training opportunities at www.nctcog.org/envir/events
Click here to update email preferences for _t.e.s.t_@example.com
Click here to unsubscribe
NCTCOG E&D
616 Six Flags Drive
Arlington, Tx 76011
United States

 
 
 
 
 
 

Email Marketing by ActiveCampaign