[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 210 (Monday, November 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58825-58827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28525]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


Notice of Competitive Financial Assistance

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Competitive Financial Assistance Solicitation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces a competitive 
solicitation for applications for grants and cooperative agreements for 
information dissemination, public outreach, training, and related 
technical analysis and technical assistance activities involving 
renewable energy and energy efficiency. It is estimated that funding of 
approximately $4 to $6 million will be available under renewable energy 
programs, and $3.5 to $4.5 million will be available under energy 
efficiency programs for awards under this solicitation in fiscal year 
2000. Areas of interest involving renewable energy include wind, 
photovoltaic, hydrogen, and bioenergy technologies. Energy efficiency 
areas of interest include energy efficiency in the transportation, 
buildings, and industrial sectors. The awards may be for a period of 
six months to three years. Proposals will be subject to the objective 
merit review procedures for the Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy (EERE). Eligible applicants for this solicitation are 
profit organizations, non-profit institutions and organizations, state 
and local governments, universities, individuals, Native American 
organizations, and Alaskan Native Corporations.

ADDRESSES: The formal solicitation document, which will include greater 
detail about specific program areas of interest, application 
instructions, and evaluation criteria, is expected to be issued mid-
November 1999. The solicitation will include specific funding totals 
for each program area of interest. Application due dates for the 
various program areas will be staggered throughout January 2000, and 
applications will be processed by three DOE procurement offices to 
expedite awards. Prospective applicants under Program Area 6A, 
Technology and Systems Integration: Information Dissemination, 
Outreach, and Related Analysis, will be encouraged to submit a pre-
application, not longer than two pages, on or around December 10th, 
1999. A response to the pre-application encouraging or discouraging a 
formal application will be communicated to the applicant.
    The formal solicitation document will be disseminated 
electronically as solicitation number DE-PS01-00EE10722 through the 
Department's Current Business Opportunities of the Headquarters 
Procurement Services Homepage located at www.pr.doe.gov/solicit.html 
and the Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) Homepage located 
at http://doe-iips.pr.doe.gov. Effective October 1st, 1999, the IIPS 
system will become the primary way for the Office of Headquarters 
Procurement Services to conduct competitive acquisitions and financial 
assistance transactions. IIPS provides the medium for disseminating 
solicitations, receiving financial assistance applications and 
proposals, evaluating, and awarding various instruments in a paperless 
environment.
    To get more information about IIPS and to register your 
organization, go to http://doe-iips.pr.doe.gov. Follow the link on the 
IIPS home page to the Secure Services page. Registration is a 
prerequisite to the submission of an application, and applicants are 
encouraged to register as soon as possible. A help document, which 
describes how IIPS works, can be found at the bottom of the Secure 
Services page.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact the U.S. Department of Energy, Office 
of Headquarters Procurement Services, Attention MA-542 (Demer, EERE-
2000), 1000 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20585, telephone 
number 800-683-0751, or e-mail at: [email protected]. Questions or 
comments should be categorized as administrative or financial 
assistance related. Administrative questions or comments relate only to 
the operation of IIPS. All questions or comments should be directed to 
the attention of Mr. Nickolas A. Demer. The preferred method of 
submitting questions and/or comments is through e-mail. Only questions 
and comments submitted to Mr. Demer will be considered. Questions and/
or comments requiring coordination with EERE program officials will be 
directed by DOE personnel to the cognizant offices internally through 
IIPS.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of EERE supports DOE's strategic 
objectives of increasing the efficiency and productivity of energy use, 
while

[[Page 58826]]

limiting environmental impacts; reducing the vulnerability of the U.S. 
economy to disruptions in energy supplies; ensuring that a competitive 
electric utility industry is in place that can deliver adequate and 
affordable supplies with reduced environmental impacts; supporting U.S. 
energy, environmental, and economic interests in global markets; and 
delivering leading-edge technologies. A key component of this program 
is the support of information dissemination, public outreach, training 
and related technical analysis and technical assistance activities to: 
(1) stimulate increased energy efficiency in transportation, buildings, 
and industry and increased use of renewable energy; and (2) accelerate 
the adoption of new technologies to increase energy efficiency and the 
use of renewable energy. The purpose of this solicitation is to further 
these objectives through financial assistance in the following areas:
    Office of Power Technologies (OPT)--The primary mission of this 
Office is to lead the national effort to develop solar and other 
renewable energy technologies and to accelerate their acceptance and 
use on a national and international level. Also, OPT develops advanced 
high temperature superconducting power equipment and energy storage 
systems, addresses advanced technology needs for transmission and 
distribution systems, and provides information and technical assistance 
on electric utility restructuring issues. Financial assistance 
applications will be requested for information dissemination, public 
outreach, and related technical analysis activities involving several 
specific renewable technologies such as wind, photovoltaic, and 
hydrogen technologies. Also, proposals will be requested to perform the 
following activities: information dissemination, technical assistance, 
and outreach relating to electric utility restructuring; export market 
analysis, development, promotion, education, communication, and 
outreach for U.S. energy efficiency technologies; co-sponsorship of 
conferences involving the power technologies sector; the development of 
interdisciplinary undergraduate course curriculum on renewable energy; 
and Internet-based dissemination of information on Federal, State, and 
Local government incentives for renewable energy technologies. In 
addition, a draft request for proposals will be included for the 
development of energy project proposals for submission to the U.S. 
Initiative on Joint Implementation. This draft will be finalized early 
in calendar year 2000 following the completion of the United Nations 
Fifth Conference of the Parties and subsequent interagency negotiations 
in the United States.
    Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT)--The mission of this Office 
is to improve the energy efficiency and pollution prevention 
performance of U.S. industry. The Office has a particular focus on nine 
industries, including the aluminum, steel, metal casting, glass, forest 
and paper products, chemicals, petroleum refining, agriculture, and 
mining industries. At the national level, the Office has successfully 
facilitated the development of industry visions and technology roadmaps 
with these nine industries. Financial assistance applications will be 
requested to support information dissemination and outreach to 
facilitate multi-States implementation of the Industries of the Future 
program.
    Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT)--The mission of this 
Office is to support the development and use of advanced transportation 
vehicles and alternative fuel technologies which will reduce energy 
demand, particularly for petroleum; reduce criteria pollutant emissions 
and greenhouse gas emissions; and enable the U.S. transportation 
industry to sustain a strong competitive position in domestic and world 
markets. Financial assistance applications will be requested to support 
training for local Clean Cities Coalitions; workshops and conferences 
related to the Clean Cities Program; and technical assistance and 
outreach to Western Hemispheric countries to promote the adoption of 
Clean Cities Programs or similar volunteer programs to expand the use 
of alternative fuels and alternative fuel technologies.
    Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs (BTS)--
The mission of this Office is to develop, promote, and integrate energy 
technologies and practices to make buildings more efficient and 
affordable and communities more livable. Financial assistance 
applications will be requested to support information dissemination, 
public outreach, and related technical analysis activities for the 
following BTS priorities: addressing the efficient and renewable energy 
technology information deficit among commercial building constructors, 
owners, and managers; promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy 
utilization as a public value for residential builders and home buyers; 
increasing the availability of energy efficient school design, retrofit 
and technical resource information for school board members and school 
administrators; preparing the building trades, building operators, and 
building managers for the new generation of efficient and renewable 
energy technologies; promoting the widespread installation of dedicated 
compact fluorescent lamp fixtures; and strengthening the Rebuild 
America Program through outreach activities with stakeholder 
organizations representing facility managers, business officials, and 
policy makers at colleges and universities, State and Local 
governments, elementary and secondary schools, and public and other 
low-income housing.
    Bioenergy Initiative--The purpose of the Bioenergy Initiative is to 
assure coordination and integration of biomass related activities. A 
major goal of the Initiative is to triple U.S. use of bioenergy and 
biobased products by 2010. Applications will be requested for projects 
involving outreach about the benefits and useful applications of 
bioenergy and biobased products to one or more of the following types 
of entities: national environmental organizations, national 
agricultural organizations, State environmental and community 
development agencies, and other State policy makers.
    The Office of the Assistant Secretary for EERE has the overall 
management responsibility for the entire Office of EERE, including the 
OPT, OTT, OIT, BTS, and the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). 
Financial assistance applications will be requested to support 
information dissemination, outreach, and related analysis activities 
under Program Area 6A, Technology and Systems Integration: Information 
Dissemination, Outreach, and Related Analysis, for projects which have 
the objectives to:

    (1) encourage the design, development, and adoption of energy 
efficiency and/or renewable energy systems that incorporate two or 
more technologies, or incorporate technology(ies) supported by at 
least two DOE program offices (including at least one from EERE), 
and that have identified potential for multiple applications across 
sectors;
    (2) stimulate greater technology integration and systems 
integration activities, including multi-application product 
development (a) within the energy efficiency and renewable energy 
sector (e.g., multi-feedstock/multi-product biorefineries; 
distributed power generation technologies, applications, and grid 
interface issues; combined heat-and-power systems; industrial, 
commercial, and district-energy concepts; on-site clean fuel 
production and automotive fueling systems; and active/passive 
commercial building energy management systems); and (b) between EERE 
and the fossil energy sector (e.g., coal/biomass co-firing; higher 
efficiency

[[Page 58827]]

natural gas technologies; multi-fuel micro-turbines; carbon 
extraction and sequestration technologies);
    (3) encourage the design, development, and adoption of EERE 
technology-based strategies for accomplishing environmental and 
human health objectives under the Clean Air Act and other 
environmental laws and policies, particularly at the State and Local 
government level;
    (4) encourage the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) 
and other computer-assisted analytical, planning, and decision-
support tools to assist communities to evaluate the energy, 
environmental, and economic impacts and costs of various options for 
energy generation, distribution, and use; and
    (5) develop financial risk and liability models for investments 
in EERE technologies and systems in order to assist investors and 
other stakeholders to evaluate financial risk exposure resulting 
from energy investment choices.

    In addition, financial assistance applications will be requested to 
support region-wide technical assistance activities in developing 
countries and countries in transition to support the development of 
human and institutional capabilities related to EERE by governmental 
entities, not-for-profit organizations, and industry organizations. The 
region-wide activities must encompass one of the following regions: 
Latin America, Africa, South Asia, or Eastern Europe, and encompass 
several countries within that region.
    Million Solar Roofs Initiative (MSRI)--The purpose of the MSRI is 
to spur the installation of solar energy systems on one million U.S. 
buildings by 2010. The initiative seeks to catalyze market demand 
through the elimination of barriers to the use of solar energy systems 
on buildings and the establishment of State and Community Partnerships. 
Applications will be requested under this solicitation to develop 
information, training, and workshops to assist in the elimination of 
specific barriers. A separate solicitation providing direct support to 
Million Solar Roofs State and Community Partnerships will be issued by 
the Golden Field Office not later than January 2000. Additional 
information about the programs of the Office of EERE can be obtained at 
the Office's Internet site at http://www.eren.doe.gov/ee.html.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on October 26th, 1999.
Arnold A. Gjerstad,
Acting Director, Program Services Division, Office of Headquarters 
Procurement Services.
[FR Doc. 99-28525 Filed 10-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P