Energy Management and Renewable Energy Newsletter

News and Updates:

The North Central Texas Water and Wastewater Utility Energy Management Survey Deadline Extended
2020 DFW Clean Cities Annual Fleet Survey
Regional International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Cohort Call
Diesel Emissions Reduction Calls for Projects
Department Of Energy's Presentation in NCTCOG's Water Resource Council Meeting
Texas Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Program (TxVEMP) Level 2 Charging Funding
DERA National Grants Now Accepting Applications
Help Easing State Restrictions to Aid in Transitioning to Electric Vehicles
The SolSmart Program Has Been Extended To 2022!
How Buildings Standards Can Adapt to Weather Changes
Department of Energy Releases Energy Storage Grand Challenge Roadmap
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule Interactive Fact Sheet for State and Tribal Lands
ARPA-E's Funding Opportunity

Events:

Foundations of Energy Savings Performance Contracting:
Training Course offered by the National Association of State Energy Officials and the Energy Services Coalition
CELC Webinar: DOE's Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure of the Future (SWIFt) Initiative
Leveling the SLOPE: Helping State and Local Governments Reach Their Energy Goals
Shining a Light on Solar: A Tour of Cutting-Edge Solar Research with the U.S. Department of Energy
NCTCOG Regional ICLEI Cohort Informational Webinar
Energy Independence Summit 2021
Save the Date: Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit

The 2020 North Central Texas Holiday Grease Roundup Results Are In!

With 33 North Central Texas entities participating in the 2020 Holiday Grease Roundup, over 6,400 gallons of grease were collected! When fats, oils, and grease are washed down the drain, they stick to the inside of pipes, hardening and building up until they cause clogs and sewer backups. This can cause sewage to overflow into homes, streets, and local waterways. Whether the repairs are in your home or in the street, it can be costly and inconvenient. The Regional Holiday Grease Roundup Program collects used cooking oil to prevent these costly repairs. In the 2020 Holiday Grease Roundup 20 of the 33 participants utilized American BioSource. American BioSource recycles the collected cooking oil into biodiesel or biogas, which reduces landfill waste and produces an alternative fuel that is clean and green. The North Central Texas 2020 Holiday Grease Roundup collected 6,400 gallons. The 1,513 gallons that were collected are the equivalent of 23.2 pounds of NOx emissions that were reduced.

Click Here to Learn More About the Holiday Grease Roundup: Website

Dallas Morning News Article featuring the Holiday Grease Roundup: Southlake rounds up 146 gallons of cooking oil and grease in holiday collection

Winter Storm Uri and Texas Power Grid

Last month, Texans experienced extreme freezing temperatures. Winter Storm Uri led to many busted pipes and loss of electricity to millions of Texas residents. The South-central Partnership for an Energy Efficiency as Resource (SPEER) has published a comprehensive list of articles and resources in their City Efficiency Leadership Council February 2021 Newsletter. SPEER’s newsletter can be viewed here.

As part of NCTCOG’s Energy Management efforts, emergency preparedness and integration of energy management concepts into preparedness planning will become a high priority and focused effort to identify best practices that could be implemented in the region through a variety of preparedness planning activities.
NCTCOG will be following the information provided through the State Legislature and other sources to understand how the North Central Texas region can further activities in our region to support grid resiliency, preparedness, and reduced emissions.

Click Below to Read More

No, frozen wind turbines aren’t to blame for Texas’ power outages | The Texas Tribune

The North Central Texas Water and Wastewater Utility Energy Management Survey Deadline Extended

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is under contract by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) to advance energy management initiatives in North Central Texas. A recent survey was sent to water and wastewater treatment facilities in order to provide NCTCOG a better understanding of energy efficiency and consumption related to public water and wastewater utilities usage in the North Central Texas region. From the results, NCTCOG is hoping to find opportunities to assist water and wastewater utilities as it relates to energy consumption, energy data management, technology integration, project financing, and energy goals in water and wastewater treatment.

To fill out a survey, click on one of the applicable links below.

The deadline to submit a survey has been extended to March 19, 2021!

2020 DFW Clean Cities Annual Fleet Survey

The DFW Clean Cities Annual Fleet Survey is here! North Texas Fleets are recognized by filling out the DFW Clean Cities Annual Survey to showcase their accomplishments over the past year. Fleets who fill out the survey can indicate what goals they would like to accomplish in the future and how DFW Clean Cities can help.

Your fleet information is important in helping DFW Clean Cities reach a regional transportation energy reduction goal by beating last year’s reduction of 26 million gasoline gallons equivalents and help get North Texas recognized on a national level!

The online survey and instructions can be found at Annual Report | dfwcleancities! Don’t know if your fleet has been recognized in the past? Check out the DFW Clean Cities Fleet Recognition webpage.

Please forward this information on to any fleet staff within your organization.
Deadline to submit a survey is March 12, 2021.

Email us at cleancities@nctcog.org with any questions.

Regional International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Cohort Call

NCTCOG received requests from local governments for assistance in coordinating and quantifying detailed Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission profiles for the region and local municipalities. NCTCOG’s Transportation and Environment & Development departments have been collaborating in the organization of a regional GHG inventory, and are happy to announce the official rollout for NCTCOG member cities to sign up to participate in this effort. As a participant, your city will be able to develop a GHG emissions profile with the same level of accuracy, precision, and consistency as other inventories in the region. Additionally, the inventory would allow for quantifiable source apportionment per local government, and the sources aggregated to determine this amount, as well as that of the collective region.

Through partnership with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and utilization of their ClearPath software, we are able to have a maximum participating capacity of around twenty cities to initially take part. The Call for Interested Cities will start on March 1st and is open until April 16th of 2021. Participating cities need to be a NCTCOG member, commit to attendance of ICLEI and Cohort trainings/meeting/check-ins and collaborate with NCTCOG to provide necessary tool inputs. More information and the application can be found here: North Central Texas Council of Governments - Local and Regional Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory (nctcog.org). NCTCOG will be providing cities an opportunity to ask questions about the cohort, greenhouse gas inventories, and provide a demonstration of the ICLEI ClearPath Software during a March 24, 2021, 11:00 - 12:00 p.m. webinar. RSVP is requested.

Diesel Emissions Reduction Calls for Projects

The North Central Texas Council of Governments has opened three calls for projects (CFPs) that are offering approximately $4 million total in grant funding for diesel emissions reduction projects! Projects to apply to are:

Eligible Applicants
North Texas Freight Terminal Electrification (NTFTE) 2020 CFP: Private freight terminals or distribution centers primarily receiving heavy-duty truck TRUs and trailer TRUs and located in the ten-county ozone nonattainment area.
North Texas Emissions Reduction Project (NTERP) 2020 CFP: Private sector fleets for high-use diesel vehicles and equipment operating in the ten-county ozone nonattainment area as well as Hood and Navarro counties.
Clean Fleets North Texas (CFNT) 2020 CFP: Local governments, or private companies that contract with local governments, that own heavy-duty diesel vehicles or equipment operating in the ten-county ozone nonattainment area.

Eligible Projects
NTFTE: Construction and installation of Electrified Parking Spaces for heavy-duty TRUs and trailer TRUs, electric power monitoring equipment and electric power connection kits.
NTERP: Replacement of an older diesel on-road vehicle and non-road equipment with a newer model year on-road vehicle or non-road equipment; additionally, this includes Shore power installation for rail and switch yards.
CFNT: Replacement of older diesel on-road vehicle and non-road equipment with newer model year on-road vehicle or non-road equipment.

Funding Details and Levels
NTFTE: Rebate grants, approximately $1 million available

Up to 30% of the project cost

NTERP: Rebate grants, approximately $2.3 million available

45% if New Vehicle/Equipment is Electric
35% if New Vehicle/Equipment is Powered by Engine Certified to California Air Resource Board Optional Low-NOx Standards
25% Cost for All Others

CFNT: Grants, approximately $660,000 available

45% if New Vehicle/Equipment is Electric
35% if New Vehicle/Equipment is Powered by Engine Certified to California Air Resource Board Optional Low-NOx Standards
25% Cost for All Others

More information and application details for each program available on the NCTCOG website.

Click Here to Read More: NCTCOG.org

Department Of Energy's Presentation in NCTCOG's Water Resource Council Meeting

On January 13, 2021, Shannon Zaret, from the Department of Energy, presented at NTCCOG’s Water Resources Council meeting. The presentation provided a brief overview of what the DOE’s Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure of the Future (SWIFt) Initiative webinar is and how utilities can become involved in the technical assistance program. To view the presentation slides, click here. The SWIFt program is a voluntary, no-cost (other than staff time), no obligation technical assistance program offered by DOE and DOE’s National Laboratories serving as the consultants to identify energy efficiency measures to advance deployment of energy savings practices and projects at wastewater and water treatment plant facilities.

NCTCOG has coordinated with the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) and the South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER) to schedule a webinar for Texas to assist in distributing the information to a wider audience of water/wastewater professionals and organizations and hopefully have several organizations interested in moving forward as a participant in the DOE program.

Join speakers from the Department of Energy on March 11, 2021 at 9:00 am
to learn about the types of technical assistance available through SWIFt 2.0, including energy data management, technology integration, and project financing and about the target goals for participants. See details in the event section of the newsletter.

NCTCOG is interested in learning if there are water or wastewater treatment providers that would be interested in participating in this effort from our North Central Texas region specifically. If your organization is interested in exploring a concept of a regional cohort to collaboratively work through participation in the DOE technical assistance program, please contact Tamara Cook at tcook@nctcog.org.

Texas Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Program (TxVEMP) Level 2 Charging Funding

Texas Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Program (TxVEMP) is now accepting applications for the purchase and installation of Level 2 charging equipment for light-duty zero emission vehicles in the State of Texas. $10.4 million was made available on a first-come, first-served basis, with a final deadline of September 9, 2021. Public charging can receive up to 70% funding, and workplace or multifamily charging can get 60%. All reimbursements are capped at $2500 per installation. For application information and links, visit www.nctcog.org/aqfunding. For outreach and awareness resources and information on the benefits of charging stations at workplaces and multi-family properties, see the DFW Clean Cities site, at www.dfwcleancities.org, or direct links at DFWCC Multifamily Charging or DFWCC Workplace Charging. Thus far, over $130,000 has been awarded through this grant, with another $530,000 requested of the $10 million of funding. North Texas is currently the largest region of requested funds thus far, at $157,000. The red dots in the map below illustrate where Level 2 charging stations have already been in place, according to the Alternative Fuels Data Center. Blue indicates the counties in which new stations have been requested thus far; the darker the shade, the more stations have been requested.

DERA National Grants Now Accepting Applications

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting applications for the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant funds! With funding available, the goal is to reduce emissions from older diesel engines through replacement and retrofits. For more information go here.

Eligible Applicants:

Regional, state, local or tribal agencies
Nonprofit organizations

Eligible diesel vehicles, engines and equipment include:

School buses
Class 5 – Class 8 heavy-duty highway vehicles
Locomotive engines
Marine engines
Nonroad engines, equipment or vehicles used in construction, handling of cargo (including at ports or airports), agriculture, mining, or energy production (including stationary generators and pumps).

Grant funds may be used for diesel emission reduction projects including:

EPA verified technologies or certified engine configurations
Idle-reduction technologies that are EPA verified
Aerodynamic technologies and low rolling resistance tires that are EPA verified
Early engine, vehicle, or equipment replacements with certified engine configurations

Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 10:59pm CST

Help Easing State Restrictions to Aid in Transitioning to Electric Vehicles

Transportation is the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. While many states are attempting to help their residents and businesses convert to electric vehicles, there is still a struggle in other states, as proved in a report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. In the report, Texas is represented as one of the states in the top 30 (#27) of states who are enforcing incentive for use of electrical vehicles (The scorecard was based on information collected from centralized databases/information sources, additional internet research, and feedback from subject matter experts and state contacts during an external review process). As Texas is a state that is in the “earlier stages of policy development, the report calls for offering incentives for purchase of EVs, codifying targets for vehicle and charger deployment, allowing utilities to make charging infrastructure investments, establishing clean energy targets for the electric industry, and setting overall greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals for the transportation sector.” For more information on the press release by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, click here.

The SolSmart Program Has Been Extended To 2022!

SolSmart, a national, no-cost technical assistance program designed to drive greater solar deployment, has received an extension to March 2022 from the U.S. Department of Energy! The program launched in 2016, and since then has helped about 400 local governments achieve the SolSmart designation. Over the next year, SolSmart is looking forward to extending the program to new communities and doing even more to encourage solar energy growth at the local level.

The SolSmart team has been proud to work with municipalities, counties, and regional organizations in 41 states and DC to reduce barriers to solar energy development. These communities have reduced solar permitting times, adopted zoning codes to encourage solar energy, installed solar on municipal facilities, and taken many other steps to make solar energy more affordable and accessible for residents and businesses. You can find a few examples in the case studies posted on the SolSmart website.

Despite the challenges the pandemic has brought over the past year, solar energy is growing faster than ever. Solar offers a host of benefits to communities, from reduced electricity bills to tax revenue benefits for local governments, and it is a key part of meeting local sustainability goals. SolSmart is ready to help local governments achieve their clean energy priorities and gain well-deserved recognition through SolSmart designation.

Communities can contact SolSmart for more information at solsmart@solarfound.org.

How Buildings Standards Can Adapt to Weather Changes

The United States relies on historic data to assess the risk of weather-related hazards to buildings. An adjusted goal when creating building codes, is to create an improved building code that incorporates changing climate sciences. Judy Zakreski, a member of The Code Council, writes about the goals of the Global Resiliency Dialogue, an open discussion that focuses on creating guidelines that are a starting point for countries around the world to consider changes to building codes and standards that will lead to more resilient communities. The work of the Global Resiliency Dialogue is expected to continue through the end of 2021.

Click Here to Read More: www.iccsafe.org

Department of Energy Releases Energy Storage Grand Challenge Roadmap

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released the Energy Storage Grand Challenge Roadmap which is the department’s first comprehensive energy storage strategy. The Roadmap includes an aggressive but achievable goal: to develop and domestically manufacture energy storage technologies that can meet all U.S. market demands by 2030. For more information and to read the announcement by the DOE, click here. Or download the Energy Storage Grand Challenge Roadmap here.

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule Interactive Fact Sheet for State and Tribal Lands

EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) has published an interactive fact sheet that allow users to view and explore data from states, EPA Regions and/or Tribal lands. You can access the fact sheet here. A summary of the data, including a file that contains each facility’s total reported emissions across all years, is also available on EPA's GHGRP data downloads page. You can access the summary of data here.

ARPA-E's Funding Opportunity

The White House has announced a “new $100 million funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy to support transformational low-carbon energy technologies. The announcements kickstart the Administration’s undertaking to spur the creation of new jobs, technology, and tools that empower the United States to innovate and lead the world in addressing the climate crisis.”.

The Department of Energy's ARPA-E announcement invites experts across the country to submit proposals for funding to support early-stage research into potentially disruptive energy technologies, specifically encouraging inter-disciplinary approaches and collaboration across sectors. This FOA marks the fifth open solicitation in the history of ARPA-E. Previous open solicitations were conducted at the inception of the agency in 2009 and again in 2012, 2015, and 2018. Open FOAs provide the agency with a broad sampling of new and emerging opportunities across the complete spectrum of energy applications and allow the agency to “take the pulse” of the energy R&D community. To find the FOA, click here.

Foundations of Energy Savings Performance Contracting:
Training Course offered by the National Association of State Energy Officials and the Energy Services Coalition

Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) offers states, localities, public infrastructure, and institutional facilities an opportunity to finance energy efficiency investments by leveraging the energy, water and operational cost savings that projects achieve over time. While ESPC projects have financed over $50 billion in energy-saving investments over the last three decades, estimates by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory show there could be over $300 billion in additional cost-effective ESPC projects nationally. Facilities such as state and municipal buildings, universities, K-12 schools, and hospitals, as well as highway, street, and parking lot lighting are particularly well suited to these investments.

This foundational training course will cover the basics of ESPC financing for energy efficiency. The focus of this training is to show how state governments can facilitate these investments, and how facility managers can begin the process of enhancing their facility’s energy performance through ESPC. For additional details, contact Dylan Tucker at dtucker@naseo.org.

Date: Thursday, March 4, 2021
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 p.m. CST
Registration: Here

CELC Webinar: DOE's Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure of the Future (SWIFt) Initiative

Building off of the Better Buildings Accelerator, Phase II of the Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure of the Future (SWIFt) Initiative is intended to have wastewater facilities work with the Department of Energy experts. The goal is to create short-term and long-term energy savings. Attendees will learn about the types of technical assistance available through SWIFt 2.0, including energy data management, technology integration, and project financing and about the target goals for participants.

Date: March 11, 2021
Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am CST
Speaker: Shannon Zaret, Energy Technology Program Specialist, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
Registration: Here

Leveling the SLOPE: Helping State and Local Governments Reach Their Energy Goals

For many state and local governments establishing energy and environmental goals, the ability to make data-driven decisions about cost-effective opportunities is hindered by the data itself. Dispersed, unintegrated, and sometimes inaccessible data makes data-driven energy planning too expensive or time-intensive to pursue, preventing them from achieving their goals. To address this issue, DOE developed the State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Platform, an online tool that integrates dozens of distinct sources of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation data and analysis into an easy-to-access platform. This webinar will demonstrate SLOPE’s functionality and provide examples of SLOPE’s application in assisting state and local energy planning.

Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Time: 2:00 pm CST
Registration: Here

Shining a Light on Solar: A Tour of Cutting-Edge Solar Research with the U.S. Department of Energy

DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) will highlight some of DOE’s research that will shape the future of solar—from enabling farms to harvest energy together with crops, to super-powered solar plants using molten salt, and community microgrids that can keep the lights on during man-made or natural disasters.

Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Time: 12:00 pm CST
Registration: Here

NCTCOG Regional ICLEI Cohort Informational Webinar

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is currently accepting applications from cities in the North Central Texas 12-county Metropolitan Planning Area* to participate in a regional cohort to produce city-wide greenhouse gas emission (GHG) inventories. NCTCOG will be providing cities an opportunity to ask questions about the cohort, greenhouse gas inventories, and provide a demonstration of the ICLEI ClearPath Software during a March 24, 2021, 11:00 - 12:00 p.m. webinar.

Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Time: 11:00 am CST
Registration: Here

Energy Independence Summit 2021

This year the Transportation Energy Partners (TEP) will host the Energy Independence Summit virtually! The annual event does much to support clean transportation at the federal level, including funding for the national Clean Cities program. This summit will focus on important topics such as:

Enacting longer-term tax incentives for clean fuels, vehicles, and infrastructure.
Strengthening the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
Exploring innovative ideas like a national low-carbon fuel standard to advance markets for cleaner fuels and vehicles.

Week One: March 17 - 19, 2021
Focus: This round will feature virtual discussions with leaders of the Biden Administration’s clean transportation team, key Congressional committees, federal agencies, and the electric vehicle, natural gas, propane, biofuels, and hydrogen industries.

Week Two: March 22 - 26, 2021
Focus: This will be Capitol Hill Week, where TEP will organize more than 300 virtual meetings with House and Senate offices. This will be a great opportunity to showcase how your fuels, technologies, and projects are reducing emissions and creating thousands of clean energy jobs in communities across America

Registration: Here; if you are a Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities stakeholder and plan to attend, please notify Lori Clark at lclark@nctcog.org.