Energy Department to Help Tribes Advance Clean Energy Projects and Increase Resiliency WASHINGTON – As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to help tribal communities nationwide enhance their energy security and build a sustainable energy future, the U.S. Department of Energy today announced the third round of Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Renewable Energy Project Development Assistance, which provides federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal entities with on-the-ground support to accelerate clean energy project deployment. Through the START Program, the Energy Department Office of Indian Energy and Energy Department National Laboratory experts provide technical assistance for tribal clean energy development by supporting community- and commercial-scale renewable energy projects across the country. Since its launch in December 2011, the START Program has helped 21 tribal communities advance their clean energy technology and infrastructure projects — from solar and wind to biofuels and energy efficiency. "Today’s announcement signals the Department’s ongoing...

Last week, the Energy Department's SunShot Initiative launched the largest-of-its-kind, 60-day online hackathon to quickly build prototype solutions and products that address barriers to greater solar energy deployment and drive down the costs of solar energy. Approximately 700,000 coders, developers, and data scientists are expected to participate in this series of contests to build promising software prototypes to help more American families and businesses go solar. The SunShot Catalyst Prize program was launched in 2014 to create connections and opportunities for collaboration among solar experts, business innovators, software developers, and entrepreneurs and introduce them to a vast array of software tools, capabilities, data sets, and application program interfaces (APIs) developed by the Energy Department and its national laboratories. Collectively, these innovators are now working via an online crowdsourcing platform to address near-term challenges to greater solar deployment and reduce soft costs that can quickly be tackled with data, apps, and automation....

Steve Dunn with the Energy Department’s Building Technologies Office , Better Buildings Residential Program gives us the “411” on a new loan program – available through May 4 – that helps homeowners finance energy efficiency upgrades. What are the benefits of financing and making energy efficiency upgrades? DUNN: For starters, increasing your home’s energy efficiency can improve indoor comfort and lower electricity costs. A visit by a certified energy auditor, through programs such as Home Performance with ENERGY STAR , the Building Performance Institute , or Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET)  is a preferred method to diagnose air leaks and evaluate how well a room is insulated. This analysis can help determine why one part of your house seems hot, while another part seems cold. Several factors affect a room’s ability to maintain a comfortable room temperature.  Fixing these problematic areas can also improve indoor air quality. The key to saving...

Installing small, distributed wind energy systems can help homeowners and businesses save money on their energy bills.  Now that tax filing season is here, there are even more ways to financially benefit from this sustainable source of energy. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently published a notice establishing certification requirements that small wind turbine owners must meet to qualify for the 30% investment tax credit (ITC). For wind turbine owners to qualify for this tax credit under the new ITC performance and quality guidance, wind turbines rated at 100 kilowatts of capacity or less must meet certain certification standards, which are defined by the American Wind Energy Association or the International Electrotechnical Commission. The IRS certification guidance applies to qualifying small wind energy systems that are purchased or operational after January 26, 2015. These product certification and quality assurance requirements establish a high set of standards for the distributed wind...

EERE offers webinars to the public on a range of subjects, from adopting the latest energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, to training for the clean energy workforce. Webinars are free; however, advanced registration is typically required. You can also watch archived webinars and browse previously aired videos, slides, and transcripts. Upcoming Webinars February 25: Live Webinar on Models for Tribal Energy Development Organizations Webinar Sponsors: Office of Indian Energy , Western Area Power Administration The Energy Department's Office of Indian Energy and the Western Area Power Administration will present a live webinar titled "Models for Tribal Energy Development Organizations" on Wednesday, February 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.  The webinar is part of the Energy Department's Tribal Renewable Energy Webinar Series. Presenters will discuss the benefits of developing new organizations to support energy project development, including organizations with the ability to effectively manage and implement projects...

The Energy Department today announced the twelve collegiate teams that have been selected to participate in the Department's second Collegiate Wind Competition . The Collegiate Wind Competition challenges teams of undergraduate students to design and build a model wind turbine based on market research and siting considerations, develop a business plan to market their products, and test their turbines against a set of rigorous performance criteria. Bringing together the next generation of wind energy pioneers with today's industry leaders, the 2016 Collegiate Wind Competition will take place at the annual American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana, from May 23 to 26, 2016. The Collegiate Wind Competition combines the expertise of students from a variety of engineering, business, communications, and social science programs, and challenges them to utilize their individual skills to develop state-of-the-art wind energy solutions as a team. Intertwining academic coursework with tangible,...

Three Military Bases Partner with Energy Department to Train Veterans for Solar Jobs WASHINGTON -- Today, the first class of Marine trainees at Camp Pendleton will graduate from the Energy Department’s solar job training pilot program, which is aimed at preparing service members for careers in the solar industry as solar photovoltaic system installers, sales representatives, system inspectors, and other solar-related opportunities. Camp Pendleton is one of three military bases partnering with the Department’s SunShot Initiative to train 200 transitioning military service members during the pilot period for employment opportunities in the rapidly growing U.S. solar energy industry. Training courses will also begin at Fort Carson and Naval Station Norfolk this spring. “As more homes and businesses across America choose solar power for their electricity needs, the solar industry is growing rapidly, and demand for highly skilled solar workers is on the rise,” said Minh Le, director, SunShot Initiative. “This new...

EERE offers webinars to the public on a range of subjects, from adopting the latest energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, to training for the clean energy workforce. Webinars are free; however, advanced registration is typically required. You can also watch archived webinars and browse previously aired videos, slides, and transcripts. Upcoming Webinars February 17: Live Webinar on Material Handling Fuel Cells for Building Electric Peak Shaving Applications Webinar Sponsor: Fuel Cell Technologies Office The Energy Department will present a live webinar titled “Material Handling Fuel Cells for Building Electric Peak Shaving Applications” on Tuesday, February 17, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This webinar will explore the synergy between a facility’s use of hydrogen fuel cell forklifts and its reduction of electric grid time of use energy charges. Electric fuel cell forklifts use electricity generated from hydrogen fuel. As such, they allow a versatile application of the...

The Energy Department today announced $2.5 million in available funding for the Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP), which aims to inspire the next generation of clean energy entrepreneurs. This funding opportunity will support the commercialization of promising technologies for sectors such as solar and wind that reduce carbon pollution and grow the clean energy economy. The Cleantech UP will create a strong national infrastructure focused on collegiate high-tech entrepreneurship that accelerates the rate of clean energy innovation in the United States, establishing a national Cleantech UP Hub and supporting up to eight Cleantech UP Collegiate Competitions. The Cleantech UP Hub will create a national prize, train student entrepreneurs, and serve as a coordinating body for energy entrepreneurship training, while the Cleantech UP Collegiate Competitions will provide prizes for eight individual university-focused competitions that will equip students with business skills to move clean energy technologies from the discovery phase to the marketplace....

Love is in the air, and whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day with your significant other, family, or friends, you can also show some love to your home! While my Valentine's Day will most likely be spent cuddling on the couch with my dog, I also plan to make some energy efficient updates that will keep me comfortable as I lounge around the house. First on my list is investing in some energy efficient window treatments. Dressing Up the Windows Window treatments do more than make your windows look good; they can also greatly increase the comfort of your home by reducing winter heat loss. My first step to making my windows more energy efficient and beautiful will be to add some drapes. Right now I have zero draperies in my town home. This means that I wake up whenever the sunlight starts streaming through the blinds—even if my alarm hasn't...