[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 8, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66976-66978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-28628]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office


Notice of Competitive Financial Assistance for the Office of 
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

AGENCY: EERE, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of competitive financial assistance solicitation.

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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 FY2001 $2 to $3 million will be available under renewable 
energy programs, and FY2001 $3 to $4 million will be available under 
energy efficiency programs for awards under this solicitation in fiscal 
year 2001. Areas of interest involving renewable energy include wind, 
hydrogen, and geothermal 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

[[Page 66977]]

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 2000. 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 2001, and 
applications will be processed by three DOE procurement offices to 
expedite awards. Prospective applicants under the following Program 
Areas of Interest will be encouraged to submit a pre-application not 
longer than two pages, no later than 11:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time 
on Friday, December 1, 2000: Program Area 1D, Office of Power 
Technologies--Electric Utility Restructuring: Information 
Dissemination, Technical Analysis and Outreach Activities; Program Area 
4, Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs--
Information Dissemination, Outreach and Related Technical Analysis; 
Program Area 6A, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy--Technology and Systems Integration: 
Information Dissemination, Outreach and Related Analysis; and Program 
Area 6B, Office of the Assistance Secretary for Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy--International Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: 
Technical Assistance to Support Clean Energy Development. Those 
submitting pre-applications will be notified within approximately 14 
days whether all or part of their project is encouraged or discouraged 
for further consideration.
    The formal solicitation document will be disseminated 
electronically as solicitation number DEPS01-01EE10781 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. The IIPS system have 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: Contact the U.S. Department of Energy, 
Office of Headquarters Procurement Services, Attention MA-542 (Barry 
Page, EERE-2001), 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. Barry Page. The preferred method of 
submitting questions and/or comments is through e-mail. Only questions 
and comments submitted to Mr. Page 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 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, hydrogen and geothermal 
technologies. Also, proposals will be requested to perform the 
following activities: information dissemination, technical assistance, 
and outreach relating to electric utility restructuring; and co-
sponsorship of conferences involving the power technologies sector.
    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 conduct 
workshops and conferences related to the Clean Cities Program and to 
provide technical assistance and outreach to Western Hemispheric

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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.
    Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)--The mission of this 
Program is to assist agencies in achieving the federal energy 
management goals and to disseminate information to states, local 
governments and the public on innovative approaches to the use of 
energy. Financial assistance will be requested to support several 
specific program areas such as a national lighting certification 
program for lighting professionals.
    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 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 2001.
    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, DC on November 2, 2000.
Arnold A. Gjerstad,
Director, Program Services Division, Office of Headquarters Procurement 
Services.
[FR Doc. 00-28628 Filed 11-7-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P