Today, the Energy Department launched the $2 million Technologist in Residence (TIR) pilot to strengthen U.S. clean energy manufacturing competitiveness and enhance the commercial impact of its national laboratories . TIR will catalyze strong laboratory-industry relationships that will lead to high-impact collaborative research and development (R&D) and will develop mechanisms to help interested companies more easily connect and form relationships with the Department's national labs moving forward.  With the launch of TIR, the Energy Department has released a competitive solicitation to invite the national labs to partner with industry and apply for TIR in "technologist" pairs. The competitively selected technologist pairs will comprise one senior technical staff member from a national lab and another from a manufacturing company or consortium of companies. Over the two-year TIR pilot, each technologist pair will work together to first identify the technical challenges of interest to the participating company or consortium and the resources and...

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As part of the Administration’s effort to cut energy waste in the nation’s buildings, the Energy Department will recognize San Antonio area partners today for their leadership in advancing energy efficiency. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) and Macy’s have committed to reducing their energy use by 20 percent across their entire respective building portfolios by 2020. By making energy efficiency upgrades to facilities across the city and demonstrating practices that can be replicated in the future, these partners are helping to save money and energy while also making San Antonio more sustainable for future generations. “Better Buildings Challenge partners are improving their communities by cutting energy waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dr. David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Through their leadership and ingenuity, these partners are moving American businesses and communities forward, saving money by saving energy while also...

The Energy Department today announced more than $1.75 million for five projects that will develop and demonstrate technologies to reduce the potential impacts of wind farms on sensitive bat species. A current challenge facing wind energy developers in the United States is how to protect wildlife while responsibly deploying and operating this reliable source of clean energy. As wind energy continues to grow as a major supplier of renewable electricity in communities throughout America, new mitigation techniques and technologies could help minimize its environmental impacts to bats and other sensitive wildlife. This funding will support projects in two research categories. Projects in the first category will focus on innovative early-stage technology development—advancing proof-of-concept designs, and developing and testing technology prototypes. Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas— Texas Christian University will develop and test coatings that alter the surface texture of wind turbine towers to potentially deter bats from approaching them.Frontier Wind,...

As part of the Administration’s effort to cut energy waste in the nation’s buildings, the Energy Department will acknowledge the city of Fort Worth today for its leadership in advancing energy efficiency. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, Fort Worth has achieved eight percent energy savings across 19 million square feet of public and private sector buildings since 2009. The city is on-track to meet a ten year goal to improve energy use by 20 percent by 2020. “Better Buildings Challenge partners are improving their communities by cutting energy waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dr. David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Through their leadership and ingenuity, these partners are moving American businesses and communities forward, saving money by saving energy while also demonstrating environmental responsibility.” Fort Worth launched its own citywide Better Buildings Challenge, which encourages city businesses and communities to save energy in their buildings....

Sustainability at home relates to all things in and around your home.  The things you do to prevent waste, such as turning out the lights when you leave a room, taking advantage of a local recycling program, or taking a shorter shower , help you achieve sustainability in your home. Lately, however, I’ve been thinking a lot about sustainability around my home.  Especially after the last of the snow melted away and revealed the amount of yard work that needs to be done. So I went in search of ways to fix up my lawn in the most sustainable way possible. Did you know that on average, well-designed landscaping saves enough energy to pay for itself in less than eight years?  Choosing the right landscaping for your climate will lower maintenance costs, cut your heating and cooling bill, protect your home from cold wind and hot sun, lower noise and air...

The Energy Department today announced $7 million in funding for the research and development of innovative technologies for low-impact hydropower systems. This funding will help advance hydropower drivetrains, which transfer rotational energy from turbines to generators, and structural foundations that will minimize environmental impacts and reduce the lifetime costs associated with operating and maintaining new hydropower projects. While hydropower already supplies roughly 7% of America’s electricity and is the leading source of renewable power, the nation still has significant untapped resources across the country where new hydropower generating capabilities could boost our supply of carbon-free energy. Recent Energy Department reports show that the United States has an additional 65 gigawatts of hydropower potential in undeveloped rivers and streams and more than 12 gigawatts of hydropower potential—if fully developed—at our nation’s non-powered dams. New and advanced hydropower technologies will help harness these major opportunities for clean, renewable energy that can help address...

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 April 9:  Live Webinar on the ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community Online Webinar Sponsor: Building Technologies Office The Energy Department and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will present a live webinar titled "Getting the Most Benefit from Participating in the ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community Online" on Thursday, April 9, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.  This webinar will explain the vision for the ORNL buildings crowdsourcing website and how it's designed to serve as a centralized location—storing, referencing, and highlighting the increased support and adoption of energy-efficient building technologies.  Presenters will elaborate on the website's current...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 128 businesses and organizations in 33 states with the Energy Star’s Partner of the Year award for their commitment to saving energy and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements.  Awardees are helping families save money by saving energy in innovative ways including working with utilities to offer rebates to customers, creating more efficient products, and launching efficiency projects. In 2014 alone, Energy Star partners, including the 128 Partners of the Year awardees, prevented more than 300 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and reduced utility bills for Americans by $34 billion.   “Our Energy Star Partner of the Year award winners demonstrate that energy efficiency is a smart business decision that supports their bottom line, and helps their customers save money and energy,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “I congratulate our Energy Star...

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 April 7:  Live Webinar on Zero Energy Buildings: What Are They and How Do We Build Them? Webinar Sponsor: Better Buildings The Energy Department will present a live webinar titled "Zero Energy Buildings: What Are They and How Do We Build them?" on Tuesday, April 7, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.  Achieving zero energy is an ambitious yet increasingly achievable goal that is gaining momentum across geographic regions and markets. During this webinar, speakers from Better Buildings' partner Walgreens, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and the National Institute of Building Sciences will share details of...