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Technical Assistance Opportunities for Tribes
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offers many forms of technical assistance for Tribes to support local clean energy priorities and challenges. With broad support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and local partners, NREL provides technical expertise to enable data-driven, informed clean energy decision making. Technical assistance may address energy strategy, project financing, policy design and development, data analysis, economic development, infrastructure planning, energy justice, climate change, resilience, or other energy priorities. NREL has a long history of partnering with Tribes and Tribal organizations, including in Alaska Native Villages where the extreme Arctic climate poses unique energy challenges. NREL works directly with Tribes to find solutions that address their self-defined energy priorities, challenges, and goals.
Working in Partnership for a Resilient and Innovative Energy Future (Progress Report 2020)
This annual report from the Better Buildings Initiative contains information about partner projects, energy and cost savings, and new program initiatives. The 2020 Progress Report also recognizes the latest group of Better Buildings Goal Achievers - organizations who have met their energy, water, and/or financing commitments under the Better Buildings or Better Plants Challenge.
Partnering for the Future: Leadership, Innovation, and Proven Solutions (Progress Report 2021)
This annual report from the Better Buildings Initiative contains information about partner projects, energy and cost savings, and new program initiatives. The 2021 Progress Report also recognizes the latest group of Better Buildings Goal Achievers - organizations who have met their energy, water, and/or financing commitments under the Better Buildings or Better Plants Challenge.
Stepping Up to the Challenge Together (Progress Report, 2022)
This annual report from the Better Buildings Initiative contains information about partner projects, energy and cost savings, and new program initiatives. The 2022 Progress Report also recognizes the latest group of Better Buildings Goal Achievers - organizations who have met their energy, water, and/or financing commitments under the Better Buildings or Better Plants Challenge.
Real-World Demonstration of a New, American Low-Head Hydropower Turbine (Final Technical Report)
Hydro Green Energy (HGE) has designed and model tested a Modular Bulb Turbine (MBT) with a simplified civil structure which shows potential to provide an economical alternative for undeveloped low-head projects in the United States, such as at existing locks and dams and constructed waterways. The primary objective of this project was to fabricate, install and operate a full scale interchangeable Modular Bulb Turbine (MBT), which will be inserted in a Large Frame Module (LFM) and supporting civil infrastructure designed by Hydro Green Energy at Braddock Locks and Dam, a low-head hydropower project site at an existing lock and dam currently in federal licensing by Hydro Green Energy. HGE would finance and install the remaining six turbines, which would have completed the larger 5.2 MW head hydropower project.
Commercial PACE Project Origination: Leverage Points for Growing the Project Pipeline
Greater use of Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing within communities where it is enabled will increase energy savings, drive economic development, and result in additional public benefits. Some states with active C-PACE programs have ramped up activity significantly while others have not achieved and sustained a high volume of transactions. This brief details C-PACE project origination trends, barriers, and market practices for state and local government C-PACE program sponsors looking to grow their C-PACE project pipeline.
Establishment of an Intertribal Technical Energy Providers Network (Final Technical Report)
The Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association (MTERA) embarked on a 5-year (extended to 7-year) initiative aimed at advancing Tribal energy resilience and sustainability through intertribal collaboration. By bringing together Tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan (EPA Region 5 Tribes), the project's scope encompassed organizational growth, governance and management formalization and enhancement, and the planning and deployment of energy-related services to Member Tribes. MTERA strategically pursued four key objectives to fulfill its mission: 1. Clearinghouse Development: Creation of a centralized hub offering valuable information, education, and outreach for Tribal communities and their neighbors. 2. Policy Liaison: Serving as a vital link between federal and state agencies to contribute to the formulation of inclusive energy policies that ensure both Tribal and regional energy success. 3. Energy Planning and Research: Providing essential support for energy planning, researching financing opportunities, and exploring effective procurement strategies. 4. Training Support: Facilitating training and apprenticeship initiatives to empower the Tribal workforce and enhance community capabilities.
Transforming Public Housing with Deep Energy Retrofits
Open Market ESCO’s (OME) Transforming Public Housing through Deep Energy Retrofits project demonstrated new design and financing solutions for implementing deep energy retrofits (DERs) in occupied low-income multifamily housing. The Project performed an integrated project delivery process, including designing low-carbon retrofit solution packages, construction pricing, and financing. The Project developed a constructible and financeable DER scope for a 102-unit extremely low-income multifamily property in Boston. This Project demonstrated a replicable approach for streamlining and implementing DER projects in occupied housing, including real solutions for overcoming design complexities and cost barriers.
Montana Community-Scale Solar Strategy Project (Final Technical Report)
Grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) development began gradually in Montana, initially taking root in the early 2000s, largely in the form of small residential systems, rarely larger than two kilowatts. Utility support for solar technology through public benefit funding triggered the installation of the state’s first solar PV installations on community-owned facilities including schools, libraries, fire stations and local government buildings in the mid-2000s. By 2016, solar PV installations totaled approximately 28 megawatts of installed capacity, generating less than 0.05% of electricity sold in Montana. Montana’s solar fleet in 2016 included 17 megawatts of utility-scale solar farms, and three shared solar projects developed by rural electric cooperatives that ranged from 25 to 50 kilowatts in size. However, with only 3,000 households utilizing solar PV, either through an on-site installation or participation in a shared solar project, the potential benefits and reach of solar technology was limited. The Montana Solar Community Project (MSCP) was developed by the Montana Energy Office (MEO) at the Department of Environmental Quality in order to implement a “community-scale” solar energy strategy for the state that would cost-effectively expand Montanans’ access to solar PV. This project defines three types of community-scale solar projects: shared solar, community-sited solar, and group purchasing programs. The MSCP project conducted research and stakeholder engagement that helped to inform and develop model community-scale initiatives and an overarching community-scale solar strategy for Montana. Specifically, the project included a solar market assessment, stakeholder meetings across Montana, development of a menu of community-scale solar options, a study of solar potential on schools, community solar market research, and community-scale project implementation support. MSCP activities were successful in implementing solar projects and supporting solar development in communities across Montana. Project activities realized 280 kW of newly installed solar from two solarize programs, a shared solar array at a rural electric cooperative, and a solar array atop a Bozeman high school. The community-scale project implementation support and Solar on Schools components of the project resulted directly in the analysis and design of nearly 2 MW of distributed solar systems across the state. The Solar on Schools analysis alone produced solar designs for 25 schools, representing 920.8 kW of solar potential. Many of the deliverables from this project provide guidance on future development of community-scale solar in Montana, and resulted in a number of important conclusions about community-scale solar in Montana. There is strong interest in community-scale solar in Montana, as noted during stakeholder meetings, in response to solar market research surveys, and as seen by applications for implementation support grants provided by MEO. Project activities also suggest that Montanans demonstrated a desire and need for more information about solar energy technology, solar financing options, and the state’s policy and regulatory framework. Additionally, the project found that schools will be key partners for future community-scale solar programs. In addition to being excellent hosts for solar arrays, schools have the opportunity to use the installation of a solar array to develop educational materials and curricula to educate Montana’s future leaders about these technologies, which can be shared and replicated across the state. Project activities laid a clear path forward for solar energy in Montana. Certain activities have concrete next steps. For example, numerous solar arrays were designed for schools and other public buildings around the state. Many of those designs will be used as soon as funding becomes available. Other activities have less developed next steps, though lay the foundation for future work. The solar market assessment, solar market research, and community stakeholder meetings are good examples. These documents can be used as stepping stones to increase renewable energy education, increase stakeholder outreach, and support communities as they seek to develop community-scale solar projects.
Five grand challenges of offshore wind financing in the United States
Offshore wind energy has the potential to play a critical role in fostering a renewable energy transformation in the United States. This owes to its massive technical potential, strategic location near densely populated coastlines, and - relative to onshore wind and solar - high capacity factors and consistent production. The Biden Administration's target to build 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 (from 0.04 GW today) requires the creation and swift development of a new industry that interlinks the wind and power industries with the maritime sector. Critical to its success is financing. While financial capital is abundant, deploying it for offshore wind faces major challenges. We identify and describe five grand challenges affecting offshore wind finance in the U.S. Failing to address these challenges may put deployment targets at risk. The challenges include (1) Early years financing: navigating the complexities, timing mismatches, and high costs of projects in the development phase; (2) Policy support for project financial solvency: addressing the uncertainty and systematic transfers of tax credits away from offshore wind, characteristic of the U.S. Investment Tax Credit; (3) Workforce development: building a skilled workforce for an emerging market; (4) Transmission and integration barriers: upgrading the power grid to reliably support large scale offshore wind integration; and (5) Floating wind development: financing the development and scale-up of floating offshore wind technologies. The second challenge has already been solved to a large extent by the Inflation Reduction Act.
High-Temperature Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (HT-ATES) Projects in Germany and the Netherlands—Review and Lessons Learned
Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is a concept that can help to address heating and cooling needs through the use of the subsurface as a seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) system. Over 2800 ATES systems have been deployed with storage temperatures typically below 25 °C and only a few with higher temperatures (>40 °C), which would increase the energy density and utility of the stored thermal fluids. Until now, only a few high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) projects have been initiated and are still in operation. These HT-ATES projects have encountered a range of technical and non-technical challenges. This study reviews ten such projects: four in Germany and six in the Netherlands. The non-technical issues include public acceptance, a lack of regulatory framework for these systems, managing overlapping uses of the subsurface, managing changes with the providers and off-takers of thermal energy, and obtaining financing to implement these projects. Common technical issues include geological factors such as incomplete characterization of the subsurface and reservoir heterogeneity; geochemical issues such as mineral scaling, corrosion, and biofouling; lower than expected thermal recovery; and issues with system design and reliability. This review highlights benefits and challenges faced by HT-ATES projects with the goal to use the lessons learned to improve the siting, design, development, and operation of such systems. Recommendations include improved initial subsurface site characterization, use of coupled process models to optimize system design and predict system performance, cascaded uses of stored thermal energy to better utilize the stored heat, monitoring networks to provide feedback on system performance, and expanded system scale to allow for continued operation even when maintenance of some system components is required. Techno-economic modeling and risk analysis could be used to optimize such HT-ATES project design and identify key factors that will affect sustained economic viability. In addition, design flexibility is important for these systems to allow for changing conditions regarding the supply and demand of thermal energy. Adopting these findings should improve the performance and reduce the risks for future HT-ATES projects worldwide.
Procurement Options for Low Temperature Geothermal Technologies at Federal Facilities
Federal agencies are moving towards more efficient and resilient facilities by increasingly implementing energy projects in an effort to meet federally mandated goals, agency needs, and administration priorities. Low temperature geothermal technologies, which include geothermal heat pumps (GHP) and district heating systems, can contribute to meeting these goals. These technologies provide facilities with heating and cooling while reducing facility energy use and improving resilience. However, in order to implement these solutions, federal facilities must identify and execute a strategy for the procurement of these technologies. Federal facilities have successfully completed energy efficiency projects using a variety of procurement options. The purpose of this document is to provide federal agencies with a comprehensive overview of the procurement options available for low temperature geothermal technologies and other energy efficiency projects. The procurement options discussed include third-party financing mechanisms such as energy saving performance contracts (ESPCs), ESPC energy sales agreements (ESPC ESAs), and utility energy service contracts (UESCs), as well as dedicated funds in the form of federal grants and appropriated funds.
Clean Energy Revolving Loan Funds: International Experience [Slides]
Tunisia’s Energy Transition Fund (FTE), created in 2013, was established to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the public and private sectors. To overcome financing challenges related to the energy transition, Tunisia’s National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) seeks both to strengthen available financial resources and to develop innovative financing structures. Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) are one such innovative financing structure, used by countries around the world to foster the development of distributed clean energy projects. This report aims to inform policy makers and various stakeholders on the opportunity to design an RLF by drawing on successful experiences from other countries. Specifically, this report provides analytical support for discussions with ANME and its partners to develop an RLF in the context of Tunisia. It outlines the 12 essential steps for establishing a RLF and includes detailed case studies demonstrating successful RLF implementation across various contexts.
Guidance and Recommendations for Streamlining Reporting for Federal Energy and Water Efficiency Projects
Federal agencies are required to report on their progress in meeting various energy and water management requirements. These reporting requirements encompass energy and water projects at federal facilities, including projects that are alternatively financed, e.g., conducted through energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) or utility energy service contracts (UESCs). The purpose of this guidance is to provide recommendations to streamline federal agency reporting. The guidance recommends the use of eProject Builder (ePB), a project development and archiving tool for energy projects. ePB carries additional value in its simplification of federal agency reporting by dovetailing with the Federal Energy Management Program’s (FEMP’s) EISA 432 Compliance Tracking System (CTS).
Achieving Energy Savings in Small- and Medium-Sized Public Facilities: A Strategic Approach to Prioritizing and Financing
This resource is for state, local government, and K-12 school staff managing small- and medium-sized facilities. Readers will learn to address the unique challenges of smaller energy-saving projects and make informed decisions about financing. Section 1 provides tools for obtaining the information required to prioritize potential energy upgrades. Section 2 presents financing options for energy upgrades, as well as insights that will help decision makers select the right financing model for their project and jurisdiction. Section 3 summarizes key takeaways and highlights additional resources for small- and medium-sized public facilities.
An overview of wind-energy-production prediction bias, losses, and uncertainties
Abstract. The financing of a wind farm directly relates to the preconstruction energy yield assessments which estimate the annual energy production for the farm. The accuracy and the precision of the preconstruction energy estimates can dictate the profitability of the wind project. Historically, the wind industry tended to overpredict the annual energy production of wind farms. Experts have been dedicated to eliminating such prediction errors in the past decade, and recently the reported average energy prediction bias is declining. Herein, we present a literature review of the energy yield assessment errors across the global wind energy industry. We identify a long-term trend of reduction in the overprediction bias, whereas the uncertainty associated with the prediction error is prominent. We also summarize the recent advancements of the wind resource assessment process that justify the bias reduction, including improvements in modeling and measurement techniques. Additionally, because the energy losses and uncertainties substantially influence the prediction error, we document and examine the estimated and observed loss and uncertainty values from the literature, according to the proposed framework in the International Electrotechnical Commission 61400-15 wind resource assessment standard. From our findings, we highlight opportunities for the industry to move forward, such as the validation and reduction of prediction uncertainty and the prevention of energy losses caused by wake effect and environmental events. Overall, this study provides a summary of how the wind energy industry has been quantifying and reducing prediction errors, energy losses, and production uncertainties. Finally, for this work to be as reproducible as possible, we include all of the data used in the analysis in appendices to the article.
Tokamak Energy’s pre-concept design for a fusion power plant: an overview of ST-E1
Climate change and rapidly rising energy demand, driven in part by artificial intelligence and data-centre growth, create an urgent need for stable, low-carbon, and abundant power. Fusion is a promising long-term solution, yet its commercialisation faces a fundamental paradox in today’s investment environment: pilot plants are essential to de-risk physics, engineering, and operations, but their limited lifetime energy output and high upfront costs make them difficult to finance. This paper presents Tokamak Energy’s response: ST-E1, a pre-concept design for a low-aspect-ratio tokamak power plant engineered specifically to overcome this challenge. ST-E1 is designed from the outset for phased operation—pilot and commercial phases, with an upgrade phase in between—with emphasis on commercial viability, maintainability, nuclear engineering, modularity, and upgradability. A key design principle is the deliberate separation of long-lived assets, such as the magnet cage and vacuum vessel, from replaceable in-vessel systems. This provides an attractive and credible investment approach to generate operational data and de-risk key technologies while preserving most capital-intensive assets for later commercial phases. The architecture supports continuous optimisation toward high net electric power (targeting 800–1000 MW net electric), a normalised capital expenditure of $\$$ 12–14k/kW of net electric power, and high availability (targeting > 80%). A tokamak core with a 5 m major radius, aspect ratio of 2.3, and on-plasma axis toroidal field of 5.25 T was selected to meet these objectives. This paper summarises the ST-E1 design philosophy, principal features, and development methodology. It introduces a Focus Collection of 11 papers detailing the pre-concept design of the entire tokamak and corresponding plant.