Energy Management Newsletter

News and Updates:

International Energy Conservation Code Amendments
Solar District Cup Class of 2021-2022 Announced
Summary on Solar Energy Technologies Office Equitable Community Solar Request for Information Released
The Energy Storage for Social Equity Initiative (ES4SE) – Call for Applications and Upcoming Webinar
Department of Energy Communities Local Energy Action Program (LEAP) Pilot
A Look at Proposed Power Plants Points to a Clean-Energy Future
Department of Energy (DOE) Surpasses Initial Goal and Sets Ambitious New Target for Communities to Increase Solar Access in Six Months
Rivian R1T and R1S Reach Over 300 Miles in EPA Ratings
Solar Power in Trucking’s Forecast as Fleets Find Energy

2021 Energy Efficiency Jobs in America Report Released

In October, E4TheFuture released their annual Energy Efficiency Jobs in America report. This report details out the status of energy efficiency jobs for each state in the U.S. along with providing a national summary. Included in the report for each state are: energy sector size comparisons, energy efficiency businesses per state, two ways to see energy efficiency jobs recovery from pandemic losses, three quick ways to view energy efficiency’s potential and much more. Also addressed in the report are workforce development and career paths as well as state fact sheets with statistics on efficiency jobs by metropolitan area, county, and legislative and congressional districts. Of note for the state of Texas, 99% of counties have energy efficiency workers and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area boasts 37,617 energy efficiency related jobs.

Learn more: View the full report, a national summary, or the Texas resources page on the report’s website.

International Energy Conservation Code Amendments

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Executive Board, upon recommendation of the Regional Codes Coordinating Committee (RCCC) and its Advisory Boards, endorsed the most recent regional amendments to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) on October 28, 2021. The Executive Board encourages your jurisdiction to adopt all the 2021 International Codes and Regional Amendments, available on the NCTCOG Codes website.

Learn more: Nctcog.org

Solar District Cup Class of 2021-2022 Announced

The Solar District Cup has announced its 65 student-led teams as its class of 2021-2022. This competition has student teams design and model renewable energy solutions for a campus or urban district. By solving real-world challenges, students gain valuable industry experience and prepare for careers in solar energy. These teams are representing 65 different colleges, 8 of which are from Texas, including:

San Antonio College
Northeast Lakeview College
San Jacinto College (South Campus)
Texas A&M University
Texas Southern University
Texas Tech University
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at San Antonio

Learn more: Energy.gov

The Energy Storage for Social Equity Initiative (ES4SE) – Call for Applications and Upcoming Webinar

The U.S. Department of Energy is calling for communities to be apart of their Energy Storage for Social Equity (ES4SE) initiative. This initiative offers direct technical assistance to communities affected by unreliable and expensive energy systems and supply, and is designed to empower communities to consider energy storage technology as a path towards community prosperity. Applications for the program are due by December 3, 2021 at 5 P.M. Pacific Time.

Learn more: PNNL.gov

Department of Energy Communities Local Energy Action Program (LEAP) Pilot

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has created an initiative called Communities: Local Energy Action Program (Communities LEAP) that aims to partner with communities across the nation and build community-driven action plans to create clean energy-related economic development. With top experts in clean energy and economic development available, the DOE is offering technical assistance, not funding, to low-income, energy-burdened communities through this program. Community applications for this program are open until December 17, 2021, at 5:00 pm (EST).

Learn more: Energy.gov

Department of Energy (DOE) Surpasses Initial Goal and Sets Ambitious New Target for Communities to Increase Solar Access in Six Months

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) challenged at least 125 local governments over the summer to sign up for the SolarAPP+ automated permitting platform and succeeded. As a result of the success, the DOE is inviting more communities to join the SolSmart program to make it faster, easier, and more affordable to go solar. There are more than 400 communities in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands that have achieved SolSmart designation. The new goal would be to add at least 60 more communities by March 2022.
Communities who choose to adopt and utilize the DOE’s SolarAPP+ tool automatically meet on of the requirement to become SolSmart designated! Both SolarAPP+ and SolSmart designation go together as they help communities tear down barriers to clean energy and unlock the health and economic benefits of solar.
Solar energy is one way a community can meet sustainability goals and spark new economic development and jobs. SolSmart offers no-cost technical assistance to any municipality, county, or regional organization interested in pursuing designation. For more information visit, https://solsmart.org/.

Learn more: S olSmart.org

Webinar: Solar+Storage for Clean Energy and Cost Savings at Albuquerque Public Schools

This webinar will feature a breakdown of the new solar+storage for clean energy system for Atrisco Heritage Academy High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This system offers an 850 kW solar array combined with a 721 kW Tesla Megapack 2 battery storage system, and is set to reduce the energy costs of the school by $3.5 million over a span of 25 years. Join in on this webinar to find more information on the project.

Date: November 5, 2021
Time: 12 PM - 1 PM CST
Registration: Link Here

2021 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Virtual Conference

Since 2007, the Behavior Energy and Climate Change conference has brought together social scientists, practitioners, utilities, academics, governments, businesses, and non-profits to share and disseminate best practices and research to encourage behavior change for energy and carbon reduction. Join this conference to learn from others about innovative methods, practices and technologies, how to evaluate these programs, understand why individuals and groups change, and make these transitions in fair and equitable ways. Author, Journalist, and Professor Michael Pollan will be this year’s Keynote Speaker!

Date: November 8-10, 2021
Registration: B eccconference.org

Texas Water and Power Resilience Workshop

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) will conduct a virtual Texas Water and Power Resilience Workshop. The workshop will focus on power outages and how they affect both water and electric utilities. The target audience is drinking water, wastewater and electric utilities. The workshop will include morning presentations by regulatory agencies and water, wastewater, and electric utilities and an afternoon table top exercise designed to foster ideas about how to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from power outages. The exercise will enable all participants to better evaluate their preparedness for power outages, identify challenges, and learn from the experiences of others.

Date: November 10, 2021
Time: 9:00 AM CST
Registration: Link Here

2021 Texas Energy Summit Preview

The Texas Energy Summit is a yearly conference focused on the intersection of air quality and energy in the state of Texas. The Summit offers sessions on energy management, zero emission fleets, sustainability, and more. The 2021 Texas Energy Summit will be held in Austin, Texas from March 2, 2022 to March 4, 2022. Prior to this, the Summit will also be holding a virtual preview on November 16 and 17, which will be free for all participants.

Date: November 16-17, 2021

Solar Power and Wildlife/Natural Resources Symposium

Solar power is estimated to grow up to eight-fold in the next decade. Solar developers and others working to advance renewable energy recognize that, along with successful commercialization, sustainable development requires investment into understanding and minimizing risk from the interactions between solar energy facilities, wildlife, and natural resources.
The Solar Symposium will convene experts and stakeholders from academia, industry, conservation, consultants, and public agencies to review the state of the science, and identify research gaps and priority questions.

Date: December 1-3, 2021
Registration: www.AWWI.org/Solar-Symposium/

Introduction to Energy Technology & Policy Short Course

This online course is being offered through the University of Texas at Austin Cockrell School of Engineering. Dr. Michael Webber and his team of senior researchers will give a big-picture overview throughout this course of global energy trends mixed in with historical snippets, anecdotes, and unexpected examples that will give a surprising look into the past, present, and future of energy. These interactive lectures will cover the nexus of energy, technology, and policy with findings from recent research and projections into the future. While attendees will gain an overview of the technical and engineering fundamentals of energy— including the benefits and impacts of different fuels and the capabilities of different technologies- they will also gain insights into the role of energy in the economy, international affairs, and American culture.

Taught through 16 synchronous one-hour lectures and supplemental materials, this course will give a broad overview of energy’s critical role in society, emphasizing the economic, environmental, and security trade-offs for various fuels and technology.

Who should take the course?

Rising managers or mid-level executives in the energy industry who want to deepen and broaden their knowledge,
Professionals in coal, oil, or gas who wish to expand into clean energy topics,
Professionals in other sectors such as finance, consulting, human resources, etc. (or anyone else) who want to break into the energy sector

While this course will introduce some engineering concepts, it is designed for engineers and non-engineers alike.

Dates: Tuesdays & Wednesdays 10 am to 12 pm (CST) starting January 2022

Certificate and Credentials: Students who complete the course and pass the Energy101: Technology and Policy interactive e-course will earn a certificate in “Energy, Environment, and Sustainability.” Upon completion, students are also awarded 1.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Course information: https://executive.engr.utexas.edu/prof-dev/courses/71-energy-tech-policy

Cost: $600 (Discounted price for Government and Foundations is $450 apiece – Please email Dr. Michael Webber for instructions, webber@mail.utexas.edu)