DOE | The Green Economy Post: Green Careers, Green Business, Sustainability

Geothermal Heat Pumps: Good for the Bottom Line, Good for the Nation and Good for the Earth

By Chris de Morsella on June 1, 2009 17 Comments air conditioning, American Physical Society, and Actions to Overcome Barriers, Asia, Barriers to Adoption, Department of Energy, desuperheater, DOE, energy efficiency, energy saving, Energy Star, Europe, Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency, Geothermal (Ground-Source) Heat Pumps: Market Status, geothermal heat pump, geothermal units, GHP, GHP infrastructure, ground-source heat pump, heat pump, heating, hot water, How America can look within to achieve energy security and reduce global warming, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, peak demand, renewable energy, solar energy, tax credit, thermal mass, US, wind energy

Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), also known as ground-source heat pumps, are similar to ordinary heat pumps, but use the thermally stable mass of the earth below the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and, in most cases hot water as well. Because these systems use the earth’s natural reservoir of stable temperatures, they are among the most efficient and comfortable heating and cooling technologies around. GHPs can save substantial amounts of energy and significantly reduce peak demand in buildings that incorporate them.

U.S. To Establish Clean Energy Investment Agency

By Tracey de Morsella on May 11, 2009 Comments Off on U.S. To Establish Clean Energy Investment Agency 21st Century Energy Technology Deployment Act, affordable energy, CEDA, Clean Energy Deployment Administration, Clean Energy Investment Fund, Clean Energy Technologies, clean energy-backed bonds, climate security, credit enhancements, Department of Energy, deployment, DOE, Energy Secretary ch, energy security, energy technologies, equity financing, Investments, Jeff Bingaman, Lisa Murkowski, loan guarantee program, loan guarantees, loans, secondary market support, sustainable energy, technology deployment

Last week, Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the “21st Century Energy Technology Deployment Act.” This bipartisan bill, S. 949, is co-sponsored by Sens. Dorgan (D-ND), Voinovich (R-OH), Stabenow (D-MI), Lugar (R-IN), Shaheen (D-NH) and Burr (R-NC). The legislation seeks to improve the loan guarantee program at the Department of Energy (DOE) and to provide additional options for deploying energy technologies. The basis of the bill is to shore up the existing program at DOE, then transition to a new financially-focused agency to perform and expand upon the duties of the program.

Department of Energy Announces Grants To Establish 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers

By Chris de Morsella on May 6, 2009 2 Comments Actinides, Adaptive Materials, advanced catalysis, advanced energy storage, advanced nuclear energy systems, advanced nuclear systems, Albuquerque, Alex Zunger, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Amherst, Ann Arbor, ANSER, Argonne IL, Argonne National Laboratory, Arizona, Arizona State University, Armstrong Neal, atomic scale, Atomic Scale Design, Atomic-Level Synthesis, Austin, Bartosz Grzybowski, Baton Rouge, Berend Smit, Berkeley, Berkeley CA, bio-polymers, biofuels, biomass, Brent Gunnoe, brookhaven National Laboratory, C3Bio, California, California Institute of Technology, Cambridge, carbon capture, carbon sequestration, carbon-neutral energy, Carnegie Institute of Washington, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, Chas, Christopher Marshall, CIS:HSEM, CITFAM, Clare P. Grey, Clean Energy Technologies, coal, College Park, Colorado, Columbia, Columbia University, combustion Science, Computational Catalysis, Cornell University, Danforth Plant Science Center, Daniel Cosgrove, David Wesolowski, Deleware, Department of Energy, Dieter Wolf, Dionisios Vlachos, DOE, Donald DePaolo, Donald Morelli, East Lansing, efficient combustion, EFRC, Efree, electrical energy storage, electricity storage, electrode components, emergent Superconductivity, Emerging Materials, Energy Conversion, energy economy, energy efficiency, Energy Frontier Research Center, Evsnston, excitonics, fossil fuels, Fritz Prinz, Gang Chen, Gary A. Pope, Gary Rubloff, Gas Separations, General Electric Global Research, Geologic CO2, geological storage of carbon dioxide, Golden CO, greenhouse gases, Grigorii Soloveichik, Gust J. Devens, Harry Atwater, Hector Abruna, Ho-Kwang Mao, hung K. Law, hybrid inorganic-organic materials, Hybrid Solar-Electric Materials, hydrocarbon gases, hydrogen, IACT, Idaho, Idaho Falls ID, Idaho National Laboratory, Illanois, Indiana, Ithaca, J.C. Davis, James Spivey, James Yardley, Jerry Simmons, John Bowers, Kenneth Reifsnider, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Light-Material Interactions, lignocellulose Pennsylvania State University, Los Alamos, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Angeles, Louisiana State University, Malcolm Stocks, Marc Baldo, Maryland., Massachusets, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, materials sciences, Maureen McCann, Michael Nastasi, Michael Thackeray, Michael Wasielewski, Michigan, Michigan State University, Missouri, MIT, molecular catalysts, Molecularly Assembly, Morris Bullock, nanoparticles, Nanoscale, nanoscale architectures, nanoscale material architectures, Nanostructuring, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, natural photosynthesis, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Newark DE, Niskayuna, NOCESC, North Carolina, Northwestern University Evanston IL, Nuclear Fuel, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Science, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Pasadena, Paul Barbara, Paul Daniel Dapkus, Peter C. Burns, Peter Green, Photovoltaics, plutonium, predictive combustion, predictive computational models, president obama, Princeton, Princeton University, Purdue University, renewable energy, Richard Sayre, Richland, Robert Blankenship, S3TEC CENTER, Sandia National Laboratories, Santa Barbara, Seamus, SECCM, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, self-assembled polymer materials, solar energy, Solar Fuel, solid state lighting, SOuth Carolina, St. Louis, Stanford CA, Stanford University, State University of New York, Steven Chu, Stony Brook, superconductivity, Tempe AZ, Tennessee, Texas, thin films, Thomas Meyer, Tuscon, UCLA, UCSB, United States, University of Arizona, University of California, University of Delaware, University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California, University of Texas, University of Virginia, Upton NY, uranium, USC, Victor Klimov, Vidvuds Ozolins, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., Washington University, West Lafayette, White House

The White House announced that the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science will invest $777 million in Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) over the next five years. In a national effort to accelerate scientific advances in critical areas of the new energy economy the United States Department of Energy (DOE) will establish 46 new multi-million dollar Energy Frontier Research Centers (or EFRCs) across the nation.

Department of Energy Announces $800 Million in Funding to Biofuels

By Chris de Morsella on May 6, 2009 Comments Off on Department of Energy Announces $800 Million in Funding to Biofuels advanced biofuels, algal biofuel, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, biofuel, biofuel catalyst, biofuel production, biofuel research, bioproducts, biorefineries, Brooke Coleman, combined heat and power systems, Corn Ethanol, DOE, DOE biomass program, E85, Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Energy Secretary Chu, ERoEI, ethanol, ethanol research, flex-fuel vehicles, fossil fuels, fuel-producing microbes, Funding Opportunity Announcement, global warming, green energy economy, Integrated Biorefinery Technologies, New Fuels Alliance, Office of Science Bioenergy Research Center, Renewable Fuel Standards, Steven Chu, US Department of Energy

US Department of Energy Secretary Chu announced plans to provide nearly $800 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act targeted towards advancing biofuels research and development and for commercial-scale biorefinery demonstration projects. The $786.5 million in Recovery Act funding a mix of new funding opportunities and additional funding for existing projects, will be allocated over four main areas. Integrated pilot- and demonstration-scale biorefineries projects are to receive the bulk of the funding with the remainder going to commercial-scale biorefinery projects, fundamental research in key areas to advance cutting-edge conversion technologies, including generating more desirable catalysts, fuel-producing microbes, and feedstocks and to ethanol research.

Green Jobs Spotlight: Manager, SmartGrid Technologies – ICF International, Fairfax, VA

By Tracey de Morsella on May 4, 2009 Comments Off on Green Jobs Spotlight: Manager, SmartGrid Technologies – ICF International, Fairfax, VA air emissions markets, Climate Change, cyber security, defense, DOE, economists, electric power generation facility, emergency management markets, energy, engineers, environment, EPA, FERC, health, ICF International, ICFI, industrial boiler facilities, innovative analytics, integrated market analysis, integrated market modeling, natural gas, North American electric power, oil and gas reservoirs, power producers, program life cycle, regulatory support, SmartGrid, social programs, technology solutions, transmission analysis, transmission facilities, transportation, utilities, utility

To support our client’s needs, we seek individuals with expertise in the understanding of SmartGrid technologies, as well as implementation and policy issues. In this role you will build and manage a group of engineers, economists and other professionals to support utility and government clients that seek to evaluate and install SmartGrid technologies. You will work directly with internal ICF staff, our customers and partners for the purpose of providing advanced business solutions that address the SmartGrid challenges of the utility industry.

Housing Secretary Donovan and Energy Secretary Chu Announce a Major Partnership to Use Stimulus Funds to Create Green Jobs

By Tracey de Morsella on March 6, 2009 Comments Off on Housing Secretary Donovan and Energy Secretary Chu Announce a Major Partnership to Use Stimulus Funds to Create Green Jobs DOE, green jobs, House Task Force on Middle Class Families, HUD, nergy and Environment Block Grant, Steven Chu

Last week, Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced a major partnership between their departments that will use $16 billion in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help create green jobs and to make it easier for families to weatherize their homes. The program is also designed to spur a new home energy efficiency industry that could create tens of thousands of jobs.