The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 Future Planning; Request for Information, 61622-61625 [2014-24328]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 2014 / Notices
of the Energy Policy and Conservation
Act (42 U.S.C. 6272(c)(1)(A)(i)) (EPCA),
the following notice of meetings is
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headquarters of the IEA, 9, rue de la
´ ´
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members of the IAB at a joint meeting
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headquarters on October 21,
commencing at 9:30 a.m., and a meeting
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agenda for this preparatory meeting is to
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IAB representatives are also invited to
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meeting on October 21 is under the
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expected that the SEQ and SOM will
adopt the following agenda:
1. Adoption of the Agenda
2. Approval of the Summary Record of
the June 26, 2014, Joint Session
3. Reports on Recent Oil Market and
Policy Developments in IEA
Countries
4. Update on OIM Projects and Priorities
5. The Current Oil Market Situation
6. Crises in Iraq and Libya:
Consequences for Supply
7. Mexico’s Energy Reform
8. The Outlook for Production in
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9. Key Messages from the Medium-term
Renewable Market Report
10. Update on the Ukraine-Russian
Standoff and the Natural Gas
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11. Other Business
—Tentative schedule of upcoming
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—February 24–26, 2015 (tentative)
—June 23–25, 2015
—October 13–15, 2015
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SEQ. It is expected that the SEQ will
adopt the following agenda:
1. Adoption of the Agenda
2. Approval of the Summary Record of
the 142nd Session
3. Status of Compliance with IEP
Stockholding Commitments
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4. Emergency Response Review Program
5. Australia Data Mission
6. Mid-term Emergency Response
Review Update on Australia
7. Emergency Response Exercise 7
Update
8. Emergency Response Review of New
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9. Gas Security
10. Saving Oil in a Hurry
11. Presentation on Tickets
12. Emergency Response Review of the
Czech Republic
13. Outreach
—ERE in China
—APSA/Colombian ERA/
Stockholding workshop in Chile
—Energy Community
14. Oral Reports by Administrations
15. Industry Advisory Board Update
16. Other Business
—Tentative schedule of next
meetings:
—November 17–18, 2014 (ERE 7)
—February 24–26, 2015 (tbc)
—June 23–25, 2015
—October 13–15, 2015
As provided in section 252(c)(1)(A)(ii)
of the Energy Policy and Conservation
Act (42 U.S.C. 6272(c)(1)(A)(ii)), the
meetings of the IAB are open to
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on Emergency Questions and the IEA’s
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representatives of the Departments of
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Trade Commission, the General
Accounting Office, Committees of
Congress, the IEA, and the European
Commission; and invitees of the IAB,
the SEQ, the SOM, or the IEA.
Issued in Washington, DC, October 8, 2014.
Diana D. Clark,
Assistant General Counsel for International
and National Security Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014–24333 Filed 10–10–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar
Decathlon 2017 Future Planning;
Request for Information
Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Request for Information (RFI).
AGENCY:
The U.S. Department of
Energy Solar Decathlon challenges
collegiate teams to design, build, and
operate solar-powered houses that are
SUMMARY:
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cost-effective, energy-efficient, and
attractive. The Solar Decathlon provides
participating students with hands-on
experience and unique training that
prepares them to enter the clean energy
workforce. Open to the public free of
charge, the Solar Decathlon gives
visitors the opportunity to tour solarpowered houses, gather ideas to use in
their own homes, and learn how energysaving features can help them save
money today. The first Solar Decathlon
was held in 2002; the competition then
occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, 2009,
and 2011 in Washington, DC In 2013,
the Solar Decathlon moved to the
Orange County Great Park in Irvine,
California. The next Solar Decathlon
will take place Oct. 8–18, 2015, at the
Orange County Great Park. This RFI
seeks information to inform designing,
planning and implementing the next
generation of the Solar Decathlon—2017
and beyond.
DATES: DOE will accept information on
this notice, but no later than November
28, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
encouraged to submit information
electronically. However, interested
persons may submit information by any
of the following methods:
• Email: SolarDecathlonRFI@
EE.Doe.Gov Include Solar Decathlon in
the subject line of the message. Submit
electronic comments in WordPerfect,
Microsoft Word, portable document
format (PDF), or American Standard
Code for Information Interchange
(ASCII) file format, and avoid the use of
special characters or any form of
encryption.
• Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S.
Department of Energy, Building
Technologies Office, Mailstop EE–5B,
1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20585–0121.
Telephone: (202) 586–2945. If possible,
please submit all items on a compact
disc (CD), in which case it is not
necessary to include printed copies.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda
Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy,
Building Technologies Office, 6th Floor,
950 L’Enfant Plaza SW., Washington,
DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 586–2945.
If possible, please submit all items on a
CD, in which case it is not necessary to
include printed copies.
Instructions: All submissions received
must reference the Solar Decathalon
2017 Planning RFI and include your
name and/or agency name along with.
No telefacsimilies (faxes) will be
accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Richard King, U.S. Department of
Energy, Building Technologies Office,
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1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
EE–5B, Washington, DC 20585; (202)
586–1693; Richard.king@ee.doe.gov.
For legal issues, please contact Kavita
Vaidyanathan; U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of the General Counsel,
1000 Independence Avenue SW., GC–
71, Washington, DC 20585; (202) 586–
0669; Kavita.Vaidyanathan@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Authority and Background
II. Disclaimer and Important Notes
III. Proprietary Information
IV. Evaluation and Administration by Federal
and Nonfederal Personnel
V. Discussion
VI. Public Participation
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I. Authority and Background
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar
Decathlon is an award-winning program
that challenges collegiate teams to
design, build, and operate solarpowered houses that are cost-effective,
energy-efficient, and attractive. The
winner of the competition is the team
that best blends affordability, consumer
appeal, and design excellence with
optimal energy production and
maximum efficiency. The winning team
receives a trophy and the honor of
victory. The competition is authorized
under section 3165 of the Department of
Energy Science Education Enhancement
Act, as amended, which authorizes the
Secretary of Energy to support
competitive events for students under
the supervision of teachers, designed to
encourage student interest and
knowledge in science and mathematics.
(42 U.S.C. 7381b(a)(14))
The first Solar Decathlon was held in
2002; the competition then occurred
biennially in 2005, 2007, 2009, and
2011 in Washington, DC. In 2013, the
Solar Decathlon moved to the Orange
County Great Park in Irvine, California.
The next Solar Decathlon will take place
Oct. 8–18, 2015, at the Orange County
Great Park.
Each Solar Decathlon team builds a
solar-powered house that showcases
energy-efficient amenities and smart
home systems that reduce carbon
emissions without sacrificing the
comfort of modern conveniences. The
Solar Decathlon invites visitors to tour
the houses, gather ideas to use in their
own homes, and learn how energysaving features can help them save
money today.
The purpose of the Solar Decathlon is
to accelerate the adoption of energyefficient products and solutions by:
• Educating students and the public
about the money-saving opportunities
and environmental benefits presented
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by clean energy products and design
solutions
• Demonstrating to the public the
comfort and affordability of gridconnected homes that combine
energy-efficient construction and
appliances with off-the-shelf
renewable-energy systems
• Providing participating students with
unique training that prepares them for
the clean energy workforce
The Solar Decathlon educates
collegiate students about the
opportunities presented by renewable
energy and energy efficiency and
challenges them to think in new ways
about incorporating practical, affordable
clean energy solutions into residential
applications. The Solar Decathlon uses
blended methods (including classroom
instruction and real-world application)
to teach science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
for building systems design and
operation. The Solar Decathlon
accelerates the development of wholehouse design and Zero Energy Ready
Home solutions that improve
performance and reduce costs for
homeowners. The Solar Decathlon
fosters collaboration among students
from different academic disciplines,
including engineering and architecture,
who otherwise might not work together
until they enter the workplace.
Since 2002 and through 2015, the
impacts of the Solar Decathlon have:
• Involved 130 collegiate teams, which
pursued a multidisciplinary approach
to study the requirements for
designing and building energyefficient, solar-powered houses
• Positively impacted nearly 20,000
collegiate participants
• Expanded to Europe, China, and Latin
America to involve an additional 78
teams and nearly 12,000 participants
through Solar Decathlon Europe 2010
(Madrid, Spain), Solar Decathlon
Europe 2012 (Madrid, Spain), Solar
Decathlon China 2013 (Datong,
China), Solar Decathlon Europe 2014
(Versailles, France), and Solar
Decathlon Latin America and
Caribbean 2015 (Santiago de Cali,
Colombia)
• Educated the public about the
benefits, affordability, and availability
of clean energy solutions by
generating widespread media
coverage and harnessing digital tools
to reach millions of people
Additional information is available at
www.solardecathlon.gov.
For each edition of the competition,
up to 20 collegiate teams are selected as
finalists through a competitive proposal
process. Each team has approximately
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two years to raise the resources needed
to design, build, transport, and present
its competition house at the Solar
Decathlon. All houses are transported to
a common site to compete against one
another in the Solar Decathlon’s 10
contests. The competition is composed
of juried evaluations (such as
architecture and market appeal) and
performance-based measurement (such
as heating water, space conditioning,
and powering an electric vehicle).
Additional information about the
contests and rules is available at
https://www.solardecathlon.gov/
rules.html.
In the first three editions of the Solar
Decathlon, the solar-powered houses
were independent of the electrical
utility grid and used battery systems.
Starting in 2009, the houses were gridtied to demonstrate net metering, better
represent the growing market for
distributed generation solar systems
across the country, and show the public
that solar was achievable within
existing lifestyles and households. Since
2011, the competition has incorporated
an Affordability Contest that encourages
teams to think not only about superior
design and performance but also costeffectiveness. Student teams must
balance performance and design
decisions with associated cost.
Also in 2011, Solar Decathlon
organizers decided to expand the
competition’s audience beyond
America’s capitol. After a national
solicitation in which cities across the
country competed to host this popular
event, the Energy Department selected
the Orange County Great Park in Irvine,
California, for the location of the Solar
Decathlon 2013. In 2015, the Solar
Decathlon will again be held at the
Orange County Great Park. The 2015
competition incorporates a commuting
contest that requires teams to drive an
electric vehicle charged by their house
energy system. The objective for this
change is to expand the scope of the
competition from a house to a
household.
DOE has continuously worked to
reduce the cost of implementing the
Solar Decathlon while improving the
program overall. For example, DOE tries
to hold the event in known locations
where DOE already has the materials
and knowledge to more cost effectively
provide the necessary power and
communication infrastructure. In 2015,
DOE will be reducing its financial
contribution to the Solar Decathlon
teams, which reduces our costs but
requires greater fund raising by each
participating organization. DOE even
considered holding the competition
where each home would remain in
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place, and not need to be moved to a
central location. This would reduce or
eliminate some costs for travel, security,
infrastructure, and other event logistics;
however this would result in a different
Solar Decathlon event and a departure
from past events.
Throughout the history of the Solar
Decathlon, the organizers have worked
to leverage government funding with
private support. Both the competition
itself and the student teams receive
significant contributions from industry
to ensure the event is successful.
Working with a range of partners from
utilities and Fortune 50 companies to
small homebuilders, the Solar
Decathlon builds on government
resources. Due to the collegiate team
success in leveraging Energy
Department funding nearly 8 to 1, the
amount of government resources for the
collegiate teams has been reduced to
half the previous level. Further
efficiencies have been implemented to
produce the Solar Decathlon
competition and public exhibit with
reduced resources. The Solar Decathlon
program costs DOE about $5M per each
2 year event cycle, which is a significant
investment for this effort. DOE is
continuously working to leverage
resources, however further reductions
risk reducing the event’s educational
outreach under the existing format.
One of the benefits of this program
has been to educate builders and the
future workforce regarding the design
and construction of highly efficient
homes whose energy use can be offset
cost effectively with solar power. DOE
has embarked on two new programs that
help scale the delivery of this outcome.
Formerly called the DOE’s Challenge
Home, Zero Energy Ready Homes is a
labeling program that highlights
builders who have built new homes that
are 40% to 50% more energy efficient
than homes built to the IECC 2006
model energy code—a significant
improvement beyond even the typical
ENERGY STAR home. The Zero Energy
Ready Homes Program provides an
avenue for builders to promote their
high performing homes through DOE
recognition, and demonstrating the
value of zero energy ready homes to
homeowners. Over 250 Zero Energy
Ready Homes have been completed to
date with 8,000 additional Certified
Homes committed to being built over
the coming year.
The DOE ‘‘Race to Zero’’ Student
Design Competition provides an annual
opportunity for schools and their
students to compete against each other
on designing marketable energy efficient
new homes. 28 college and university
teams from the U.S. and Canada
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participated in the first event, where
students and advisors competed to
create zero-energy ready home designs
that were market-ready, efficient,
durable, and incorporated the best
practices from the DOE Building
America Program. The desired longterm outcome is to inform schools on
the value of integrating building science
into design courses in all major
architecture, engineering, and
construction management courses.
The Solar Decathlon program
represents over a decade of work to
show the U.S. public the opportunities
and benefits of solar powered highly
energy efficient homes, while also
helping to educate our future workforce.
It is now time to take a fresh look at the
appropriate outcomes that DOE should
deliver over the next decade, and the
associated program format and
implementation to optimize that
outcome with the appropriate cost/
benefit for the U.S.
For more information about the
history of the Solar Decathlon, visit
https://www.solardecathlon.gov/
history.html.
The purpose of this RFI is to solicit
feedback from past and present
participants in the Solar Decathlon,
broader academic circles, industry,
sponsors, and other stakeholders on
issues related to future Solar Decathlon
competitions. The objective is to
improve the outcomes aligned with the
Solar Decathlon in the long-term. DOE
is specifically interested in feedback
about additional U.S. benefits that
should be the focus of future solar
powered home programs funded by
DOE, the format of a competition to
achieve those benefits, and whether
other formats or options can deliver
higher value to the U.S. In the format
discussion, if the current format is
proposed to continue, information is
requested on how DOE should identify
future locations for the Solar Decathlon.
II. Disclaimer and Important Notes
This RFI is not a Funding
Opportunity Announcement (FOA);
therefore, DOE is not accepting
applications at this time. EERE may
issue a FOA in the future based on or
related to the content and responses to
this RFI; however, EERE may also elect
not to issue a FOA. There is no
guarantee that a FOA will be issued as
a result of this RFI. Responding to this
RFI does not provide any advantage or
disadvantage to potential applicants if
EERE chooses to issue a FOA regarding
the subject matter. Final details,
including the anticipated award size,
quantity, and timing of EERE funded
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awards, will be subject to Congressional
appropriations and direction.
Any information obtained as a result
of this RFI is intended to be used by the
Government on a non-attribution basis
for planning and strategy development;
this RFI does not constitute a formal
solicitation for proposals or abstracts.
Your response to this notice will be
treated as information only. EERE will
review and consider all responses in its
formulation of program strategies for the
identified materials of interest that are
the subject of this request. EERE will not
provide reimbursement for costs
incurred in responding to this RFI.
Respondents are advised that EERE is
under no obligation to acknowledge
receipt of the information received or
provide feedback to respondents with
respect to any information submitted
under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do
not bind EERE to any further actions
related to this topic.
III. Proprietary Information
Because information received in
response to this RFI may be used to
structure future programs and FOAs
and/or otherwise be made available to
the public, respondents are strongly
advised to NOT include any information
in their responses that might be
considered business sensitive,
proprietary, or otherwise confidential.
If, however, a respondent chooses to
submit business sensitive, proprietary,
or otherwise confidential information, it
must be clearly and conspicuously
marked as such in the response.
Responses containing confidential,
proprietary, or privileged information
must be conspicuously marked as
described below. Failure to comply with
these marking requirements may result
in the disclosure of the unmarked
information under the Freedom of
Information Act or otherwise. The U.S.
Federal Government is not liable for the
disclosure or use of unmarked
information, and may use or disclose
such information for any purpose.
If your response contains confidential,
proprietary, or privileged information,
you must include a cover sheet marked
as follows identifying the specific pages
containing confidential, proprietary, or
privileged information:
Notice of Restriction on Disclosure and
Use of Data
Pages [list applicable pages] of this
response may contain confidential,
proprietary, or privileged information
that is exempt from public disclosure.
Such information shall be used or
disclosed only for the purposes
described in this RFI. The Government
may use or disclose any information
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that is not appropriately marked or
otherwise restricted, regardless of
source.
In addition, (1) the header and footer
of every page that contains confidential,
proprietary, or privileged information
must be marked as follows: ‘‘Contains
Confidential, Proprietary, or Privileged
Information Exempt from Public
Disclosure’’ and (2) every line and
paragraph containing proprietary,
privileged, or trade secret information
must be clearly marked with double
brackets or highlighting.
IV. Evaluation and Administration by
Federal and Non-Federal Personnel
Federal employees are subject to the
non-disclosure requirements of a
criminal statute, the Trade Secrets Act,
18 U.S.C. 1905. The Government may
seek the advice of qualified non-Federal
personnel. The Government may also
use non-Federal personnel to conduct
routine, nondiscretionary administrative
activities. The respondents, by
submitting their response, consent to
EERE providing their response to nonFederal parties. Non-Federal parties
given access to responses must be
subject to an appropriate obligation of
confidentiality prior to being given the
access. Submissions may be reviewed
by support contractors and private
consultants.
V. Discussion
DOE seeks a variety of different types
of information to help inform its
decision regarding how future Solar
Decathlon competitions will be
organized. To this end, DOE seeks
detailed information regarding the
following aspects related to the Solar
Decathlon competitions:
Question 1
How could the goals of the Solar
Decathlon evolve to create a larger
impact on the market needs of the
following industry sectors?
a. Buildings
b. Solar
c. Utility
d. Transportation
e. Education
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Question 2
What additional outcomes of the Solar
Decathlon could increase the scale of
that impact, and improve its cost
effectiveness for the U.S.?
Question 3
What is the appropriate role for DOE
with respect to delivering on this
potential impact?
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Question 4
What changes could be made to the
Solar Decathlon rules, format, location
and logistics to achieve those outcomes?
Question 5
How could the public and private
roles and funding sources be developed
to achieve those outcomes?
Question 6
What should the Solar Decathlon look
like in 10 years?
VI. Public Participation
DOE invites all interested parties to
submit in writing by the date specified
previously in the DATES section of this
RFI, comments and information on
matters addressed in this notice and on
other matters relevant to DOE’s
designing, planning and implementing
the next generation of the Solar
Decathlon 2017 and beyond.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 6,
2014.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy.
[FR Doc. 2014–24328 Filed 10–10–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 2146–169]
Alabama Power Company; Notice of
Application Accepted for Filing and
Soliciting Comments, Motions To
Intervene, and Protests
Take notice that the following
hydroelectric application has been filed
with the Commission and is available
for public inspection:
a. Application Type: Non-project use
of project lands and waters.
b. Project No: 2146–169.
c. Date Filed: August 21, 2014.
d. Applicant: Alabama Power
Company.
e. Name of Project: Coosa River
Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: Neely Henry Lake in
Etowah County, Alabama.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a–825r.
h. Applicant Contact: Matthew Akin,
Alabama Power Company, 600 18th
Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203–
8180, (205) 257–1314, mjakin@
southernco.com.
i. FERC Contact: Krista Sakallaris,
(202) 502–6302, krista.sakallaris@
ferc.gov.
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j. Deadline for filing comments,
motions to intervene, and protests:
November 10, 2014.
All documents may be filed
electronically via the Internet. See, 18
CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the
instructions on the Commission’s Web
site at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
efiling.asp. Commenters can submit
brief comments up to 6,000 characters,
without prior registration, using the
eComment system at https://www.ferc.
gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You
must include your name and contact
information at the end of your
comments. For assistance, please
contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll
free at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY,
(202) 502–8659. Although the
Commission strongly encourages
electronic filing, documents may also be
paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an
original and seven copies to: Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426. Please include the project
number (P–2146–169) on any comments
or motions filed.
The Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedure require all intervenors
filing documents with the Commission
to serve a copy of that document on
each person whose name appears on the
official service list for the project.
Further, if an intervenor files comments
or documents with the Commission
relating to the merits of an issue that
may affect the responsibilities of a
particular resource agency, they must
also serve a copy of the document on
that resource agency.
k. Description of Application:
Alabama Power Company requests
Commission approval to grant the City
of Gadsden, Alabama (applicant) a
permit to use project lands and waters
to develop a community park. The
proposed park would be located on or
adjacent to Neely Henry Lake in Etowah
County, Alabama and total 15.43 acres,
half of the proposed park will be located
on Alabama Power Company land
within the project boundary. The
applicant proposes to build the
following facilities on project land: A 20
slip floating dock, a 12 slip boat dock,
a pedestrian bridge, two picnic
pavilions, three octagonal observation
platforms, two overlooks, approximately
3,500 feet (roughly half of which will be
within the project boundary) of
combined boardwalk and pedestrian
paths, pedestrian lighting, and 400 feet
of rip rap to prevent shoreline erosion.
l. Locations of the Application: A
copy of the application is available for
inspection and reproduction at the
Commission’s Public Reference Room,
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 198 (Tuesday, October 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61622-61625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24328]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 Future
Planning; Request for Information
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Request for Information (RFI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges
collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses
that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The Solar
Decathlon provides participating students with hands-on experience and
unique training that prepares them to enter the clean energy workforce.
Open to the public free of charge, the Solar Decathlon gives visitors
the opportunity to tour solar-powered houses, gather ideas to use in
their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them
save money today. The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the
competition then occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011 in
Washington, DC In 2013, the Solar Decathlon moved to the Orange County
Great Park in Irvine, California. The next Solar Decathlon will take
place Oct. 8-18, 2015, at the Orange County Great Park. This RFI seeks
information to inform designing, planning and implementing the next
generation of the Solar Decathlon--2017 and beyond.
DATES: DOE will accept information on this notice, but no later than
November 28, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are encouraged to submit information
electronically. However, interested persons may submit information by
any of the following methods:
Email: SolarDecathlonRFI@EE.Doe.Gov Include Solar
Decathlon in the subject line of the message. Submit electronic
comments in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, portable document format
(PDF), or American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
file format, and avoid the use of special characters or any form of
encryption.
Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy,
Building Technologies Office, Mailstop EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. If possible,
please submit all items on a compact disc (CD), in which case it is not
necessary to include printed copies.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department
of Energy, Building Technologies Office, 6th Floor, 950 L'Enfant Plaza
SW., Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. If possible,
please submit all items on a CD, in which case it is not necessary to
include printed copies.
Instructions: All submissions received must reference the Solar
Decathalon 2017 Planning RFI and include your name and/or agency name
along with. No telefacsimilies (faxes) will be accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard King, U.S. Department of
Energy, Building Technologies Office,
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1000 Independence Avenue SW., EE-5B, Washington, DC 20585; (202) 586-
1693; Richard.king@ee.doe.gov.
For legal issues, please contact Kavita Vaidyanathan; U.S.
Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, 1000 Independence
Avenue SW., GC-71, Washington, DC 20585; (202) 586-0669;
Kavita.Vaidyanathan@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Authority and Background
II. Disclaimer and Important Notes
III. Proprietary Information
IV. Evaluation and Administration by Federal and Nonfederal
Personnel
V. Discussion
VI. Public Participation
I. Authority and Background
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an award-winning
program that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate
solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and
attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends
affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal
energy production and maximum efficiency. The winning team receives a
trophy and the honor of victory. The competition is authorized under
section 3165 of the Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement
Act, as amended, which authorizes the Secretary of Energy to support
competitive events for students under the supervision of teachers,
designed to encourage student interest and knowledge in science and
mathematics. (42 U.S.C. 7381b(a)(14))
The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition then
occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011 in Washington, DC. In
2013, the Solar Decathlon moved to the Orange County Great Park in
Irvine, California. The next Solar Decathlon will take place Oct. 8-18,
2015, at the Orange County Great Park.
Each Solar Decathlon team builds a solar-powered house that
showcases energy-efficient amenities and smart home systems that reduce
carbon emissions without sacrificing the comfort of modern
conveniences. The Solar Decathlon invites visitors to tour the houses,
gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving
features can help them save money today.
The purpose of the Solar Decathlon is to accelerate the adoption of
energy-efficient products and solutions by:
Educating students and the public about the money-saving
opportunities and environmental benefits presented by clean energy
products and design solutions
Demonstrating to the public the comfort and affordability of
grid-connected homes that combine energy-efficient construction and
appliances with off-the-shelf renewable-energy systems
Providing participating students with unique training that
prepares them for the clean energy workforce
The Solar Decathlon educates collegiate students about the
opportunities presented by renewable energy and energy efficiency and
challenges them to think in new ways about incorporating practical,
affordable clean energy solutions into residential applications. The
Solar Decathlon uses blended methods (including classroom instruction
and real-world application) to teach science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) for building systems design and operation. The
Solar Decathlon accelerates the development of whole-house design and
Zero Energy Ready Home solutions that improve performance and reduce
costs for homeowners. The Solar Decathlon fosters collaboration among
students from different academic disciplines, including engineering and
architecture, who otherwise might not work together until they enter
the workplace.
Since 2002 and through 2015, the impacts of the Solar Decathlon
have:
Involved 130 collegiate teams, which pursued a
multidisciplinary approach to study the requirements for designing and
building energy-efficient, solar-powered houses
Positively impacted nearly 20,000 collegiate participants
Expanded to Europe, China, and Latin America to involve an
additional 78 teams and nearly 12,000 participants through Solar
Decathlon Europe 2010 (Madrid, Spain), Solar Decathlon Europe 2012
(Madrid, Spain), Solar Decathlon China 2013 (Datong, China), Solar
Decathlon Europe 2014 (Versailles, France), and Solar Decathlon Latin
America and Caribbean 2015 (Santiago de Cali, Colombia)
Educated the public about the benefits, affordability, and
availability of clean energy solutions by generating widespread media
coverage and harnessing digital tools to reach millions of people
Additional information is available at www.solardecathlon.gov.
For each edition of the competition, up to 20 collegiate teams are
selected as finalists through a competitive proposal process. Each team
has approximately two years to raise the resources needed to design,
build, transport, and present its competition house at the Solar
Decathlon. All houses are transported to a common site to compete
against one another in the Solar Decathlon's 10 contests. The
competition is composed of juried evaluations (such as architecture and
market appeal) and performance-based measurement (such as heating
water, space conditioning, and powering an electric vehicle).
Additional information about the contests and rules is available at
https://www.solardecathlon.gov/rules.html.
In the first three editions of the Solar Decathlon, the solar-
powered houses were independent of the electrical utility grid and used
battery systems. Starting in 2009, the houses were grid-tied to
demonstrate net metering, better represent the growing market for
distributed generation solar systems across the country, and show the
public that solar was achievable within existing lifestyles and
households. Since 2011, the competition has incorporated an
Affordability Contest that encourages teams to think not only about
superior design and performance but also cost-effectiveness. Student
teams must balance performance and design decisions with associated
cost.
Also in 2011, Solar Decathlon organizers decided to expand the
competition's audience beyond America's capitol. After a national
solicitation in which cities across the country competed to host this
popular event, the Energy Department selected the Orange County Great
Park in Irvine, California, for the location of the Solar Decathlon
2013. In 2015, the Solar Decathlon will again be held at the Orange
County Great Park. The 2015 competition incorporates a commuting
contest that requires teams to drive an electric vehicle charged by
their house energy system. The objective for this change is to expand
the scope of the competition from a house to a household.
DOE has continuously worked to reduce the cost of implementing the
Solar Decathlon while improving the program overall. For example, DOE
tries to hold the event in known locations where DOE already has the
materials and knowledge to more cost effectively provide the necessary
power and communication infrastructure. In 2015, DOE will be reducing
its financial contribution to the Solar Decathlon teams, which reduces
our costs but requires greater fund raising by each participating
organization. DOE even considered holding the competition where each
home would remain in
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place, and not need to be moved to a central location. This would
reduce or eliminate some costs for travel, security, infrastructure,
and other event logistics; however this would result in a different
Solar Decathlon event and a departure from past events.
Throughout the history of the Solar Decathlon, the organizers have
worked to leverage government funding with private support. Both the
competition itself and the student teams receive significant
contributions from industry to ensure the event is successful. Working
with a range of partners from utilities and Fortune 50 companies to
small homebuilders, the Solar Decathlon builds on government resources.
Due to the collegiate team success in leveraging Energy Department
funding nearly 8 to 1, the amount of government resources for the
collegiate teams has been reduced to half the previous level. Further
efficiencies have been implemented to produce the Solar Decathlon
competition and public exhibit with reduced resources. The Solar
Decathlon program costs DOE about $5M per each 2 year event cycle,
which is a significant investment for this effort. DOE is continuously
working to leverage resources, however further reductions risk reducing
the event's educational outreach under the existing format.
One of the benefits of this program has been to educate builders
and the future workforce regarding the design and construction of
highly efficient homes whose energy use can be offset cost effectively
with solar power. DOE has embarked on two new programs that help scale
the delivery of this outcome.
Formerly called the DOE's Challenge Home, Zero Energy Ready Homes
is a labeling program that highlights builders who have built new homes
that are 40% to 50% more energy efficient than homes built to the IECC
2006 model energy code--a significant improvement beyond even the
typical ENERGY STAR home. The Zero Energy Ready Homes Program provides
an avenue for builders to promote their high performing homes through
DOE recognition, and demonstrating the value of zero energy ready homes
to homeowners. Over 250 Zero Energy Ready Homes have been completed to
date with 8,000 additional Certified Homes committed to being built
over the coming year.
The DOE ``Race to Zero'' Student Design Competition provides an
annual opportunity for schools and their students to compete against
each other on designing marketable energy efficient new homes. 28
college and university teams from the U.S. and Canada participated in
the first event, where students and advisors competed to create zero-
energy ready home designs that were market-ready, efficient, durable,
and incorporated the best practices from the DOE Building America
Program. The desired long-term outcome is to inform schools on the
value of integrating building science into design courses in all major
architecture, engineering, and construction management courses.
The Solar Decathlon program represents over a decade of work to
show the U.S. public the opportunities and benefits of solar powered
highly energy efficient homes, while also helping to educate our future
workforce. It is now time to take a fresh look at the appropriate
outcomes that DOE should deliver over the next decade, and the
associated program format and implementation to optimize that outcome
with the appropriate cost/benefit for the U.S.
For more information about the history of the Solar Decathlon,
visit https://www.solardecathlon.gov/history.html.
The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from past and
present participants in the Solar Decathlon, broader academic circles,
industry, sponsors, and other stakeholders on issues related to future
Solar Decathlon competitions. The objective is to improve the outcomes
aligned with the Solar Decathlon in the long-term. DOE is specifically
interested in feedback about additional U.S. benefits that should be
the focus of future solar powered home programs funded by DOE, the
format of a competition to achieve those benefits, and whether other
formats or options can deliver higher value to the U.S. In the format
discussion, if the current format is proposed to continue, information
is requested on how DOE should identify future locations for the Solar
Decathlon.
II. Disclaimer and Important Notes
This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA);
therefore, DOE is not accepting applications at this time. EERE may
issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and
responses to this RFI; however, EERE may also elect not to issue a FOA.
There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this
RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or
disadvantage to potential applicants if EERE chooses to issue a FOA
regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the anticipated
award size, quantity, and timing of EERE funded awards, will be subject
to Congressional appropriations and direction.
Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be
used by the Government on a non-attribution basis for planning and
strategy development; this RFI does not constitute a formal
solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice
will be treated as information only. EERE will review and consider all
responses in its formulation of program strategies for the identified
materials of interest that are the subject of this request. EERE will
not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI.
Respondents are advised that EERE is under no obligation to acknowledge
receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents
with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to
this RFI do not bind EERE to any further actions related to this topic.
III. Proprietary Information
Because information received in response to this RFI may be used to
structure future programs and FOAs and/or otherwise be made available
to the public, respondents are strongly advised to NOT include any
information in their responses that might be considered business
sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential. If, however, a
respondent chooses to submit business sensitive, proprietary, or
otherwise confidential information, it must be clearly and
conspicuously marked as such in the response.
Responses containing confidential, proprietary, or privileged
information must be conspicuously marked as described below. Failure to
comply with these marking requirements may result in the disclosure of
the unmarked information under the Freedom of Information Act or
otherwise. The U.S. Federal Government is not liable for the disclosure
or use of unmarked information, and may use or disclose such
information for any purpose.
If your response contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged
information, you must include a cover sheet marked as follows
identifying the specific pages containing confidential, proprietary, or
privileged information:
Notice of Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data
Pages [list applicable pages] of this response may contain
confidential, proprietary, or privileged information that is exempt
from public disclosure. Such information shall be used or disclosed
only for the purposes described in this RFI. The Government may use or
disclose any information
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that is not appropriately marked or otherwise restricted, regardless of
source.
In addition, (1) the header and footer of every page that contains
confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be marked as
follows: ``Contains Confidential, Proprietary, or Privileged
Information Exempt from Public Disclosure'' and (2) every line and
paragraph containing proprietary, privileged, or trade secret
information must be clearly marked with double brackets or
highlighting.
IV. Evaluation and Administration by Federal and Non-Federal Personnel
Federal employees are subject to the non-disclosure requirements of
a criminal statute, the Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. 1905. The
Government may seek the advice of qualified non-Federal personnel. The
Government may also use non-Federal personnel to conduct routine,
nondiscretionary administrative activities. The respondents, by
submitting their response, consent to EERE providing their response to
non-Federal parties. Non-Federal parties given access to responses must
be subject to an appropriate obligation of confidentiality prior to
being given the access. Submissions may be reviewed by support
contractors and private consultants.
V. Discussion
DOE seeks a variety of different types of information to help
inform its decision regarding how future Solar Decathlon competitions
will be organized. To this end, DOE seeks detailed information
regarding the following aspects related to the Solar Decathlon
competitions:
Question 1
How could the goals of the Solar Decathlon evolve to create a
larger impact on the market needs of the following industry sectors?
a. Buildings
b. Solar
c. Utility
d. Transportation
e. Education
Question 2
What additional outcomes of the Solar Decathlon could increase the
scale of that impact, and improve its cost effectiveness for the U.S.?
Question 3
What is the appropriate role for DOE with respect to delivering on
this potential impact?
Question 4
What changes could be made to the Solar Decathlon rules, format,
location and logistics to achieve those outcomes?
Question 5
How could the public and private roles and funding sources be
developed to achieve those outcomes?
Question 6
What should the Solar Decathlon look like in 10 years?
VI. Public Participation
DOE invites all interested parties to submit in writing by the date
specified previously in the DATES section of this RFI, comments and
information on matters addressed in this notice and on other matters
relevant to DOE's designing, planning and implementing the next
generation of the Solar Decathlon 2017 and beyond.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 6, 2014.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2014-24328 Filed 10-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
