Notice of Request for Information on Photovoltaic Systems, 57195-57197 [2022-20138]
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 180 / Monday, September 19, 2022 / Notices
during the maintenance, service, repair,
or disposal of air-conditioning and
refrigeration appliances. Section 608
also prohibits knowingly venting or
releasing ozone-depleting and substitute
refrigerants in the course of
maintaining, servicing, repairing, or
disposing of appliances or industrial
process refrigeration except for de
minimis releases associated with good
faith attempts to recycle or recover
refrigerants. The regulations require
persons servicing refrigeration and airconditioning appliances to follow
certain service practices that reduce
emissions of refrigerants. The
regulations also establish certification
programs for technicians, recovery/
recycling equipment, and refrigerant
reclamation. In addition, EPA requires
that refrigerants contained in appliances
be removed prior to disposal of the
appliances and that all refrigeration and
air-conditioning appliances be provided
with a servicing aperture that facilitates
recovery of the refrigerant. The Agency
requires that substantial refrigerant
leaks in appliances containing ozonedepleting refrigerant be repaired when
they are discovered.
Form Numbers: 5900–404, 5900–405,
5900–407.
Respondents/affected entities: Entities
required to comply with reporting and
recordkeeping requirements include
technicians; technician certification
programs; refrigerant wholesalers;
refrigerant reclaimers; refrigerant
recovery equipment certification
programs; certain refrigeration and airconditioning equipment owners and/or
operators; and other establishments that
perform refrigerant removal, service, or
disposal.
Respondent’s obligation to respond:
Mandatory (40 CFR part 82, subpart F).
Estimated number of respondents:
572,727.
Frequency of response: The frequency
of responses varies from once a year to
daily.
Total estimated burden: 425,514
hours (per year). Burden is defined at 5
CFR 1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: $31,432,946 (per
year), There are no estimated
annualized capital or operation and
maintenance costs associated with the
reporting or recordkeeping
requirements.
Changes in Estimates: There is a
decrease of 47,837 hours in the total
estimated respondent burden compared
with the ICR currently approved by
OMB. This decrease is due to adjusted
respondent estimates for appliance leak
repair and retrofit or retirement plan
extension requests based on recently
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:37 Sep 16, 2022
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available industry data and reported
activity.
Cynthia A. Newberg,
Director, Stratospheric Protection Division.
[FR Doc. 2022–20172 Filed 9–16–22; 8:45 am]
57195
By the direction of the Commission.
Shelita R. Aldrich,
Director, Operations Services Division.
[FR Doc. 2022–20140 Filed 9–16–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6570–01–P
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
COMMISSION
[Notice MVAC–2022–01; Docket No. 2022–
0002; Sequence No. 23]
Performance Review Board—
Appointment of Members
Notice of Request for Information on
Photovoltaic Systems
U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
ACTION: Notice of performance review
board appointments.
AGENCY:
AGENCY:
This notice announces the
appointment of those individuals who
have been selected to serve as members
of the Performance Review Board (PRB).
The PRB is comprised of a Chairperson
and career senior executives that meet
annually to review and evaluate
performance appraisal documents. The
PRB provides a written recommendation
to the appointing authority for final
approval of each SES and SL
performance rating, performance-based
pay adjustment, and performance
award. The PRB is advised by the Office
of the Chief Human Capital Officer,
Office of Legal Counsel, and Office for
Civil Rights, Diversity and Inclusion to
ensure compliance with laws and
regulations. Designated members will
serve a 12-month term.
DATES: The board membership is
applicable beginning on November 1,
2022.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cynthia G. Pierre, Chief Operating
Officer, EEOC, 131 M Street NE,
Washington, DC 20507, (202) 291–3260.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 4314(c)(4), the
names and position of the EEOC PRB
members are set forth below:
Mr. Kevin Richardson, Chair, Chief
Human Capital Officer, EEOC
Mr. Thomas Colclough, Director, Field
Management Programs, EEOC
Mr. Carlton Hadden, Director, Office of
Federal Operations, EEOC
Ms. Elisa Krobot, Chief Financial
Officer, EEOC
Mr. Christopher Lage, Deputy General
Counsel, EEOC
Ms. Pierrette McIntire, Deputy Chief
Information Officer, EEOC
Mr. Richard Toscano, Director, Equal
Employment Opportunity Staff, U.S.
Department of Justice
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Office of Acquisition Policy,
General Services Administration (GSA).
ACTION: Notice; request for information
(RFI).
The General Services
Administration (GSA) is seeking
information from industry on the
availability of domestically
manufactured solar photovoltaic (PV)
panels and components and feasibility
of requiring the use of such PV panels
and components for future projects.
DATES: Interested parties should submit
comments to the address shown below
on or before November 18, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Comments to the RFI must
be provided in writing. Interested
parties are to submit their written
comments electronically to https://
www.regulations.gov. Submit comments
via the Federal eRulemaking portal by
searching for ‘‘RFI Photovoltaic
Systems’’. Select the link ‘‘Comment
Now’’ that corresponds with the RFI and
follow the instructions provided on the
screen. Please include your name,
company name (if any), and ‘‘RFI
Photovoltaic Systems’’ on your attached
document. If your comment cannot be
submitted using https://
www.regulations.gov, call or email the
points of contact in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
document for alternate instructions.
You are not required to answer all of
the questions in the RFI, but the more
information we receive, the better GSA’s
understanding of the domestically
manufactured solar panel and/or
components market.
Comments received generally will be
posted without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal and/or business confidential
information provided. To confirm
receipt of your comment(s), please
check https://www.regulations.gov
approximately two-to-three days after
submission to verify posting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Adina Torberntsson, Procurement
Analyst, at gsarpolicy@gsa.gov, for
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\19SEN1.SGM
19SEN1
57196
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 180 / Monday, September 19, 2022 / Notices
clarification of content. For information
pertaining to status or publication
schedules, contact the Regulatory
Secretariat at 202–501–4755 or
gsaregsec@gsa.gov. Please cite RFI
Photovoltaic Systems.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose
To obtain relevant information from
domestic commercial PV panel and
system component manufacturers and
resellers, PV panel purchasers and
installers, and renewable electricity
providers, including small businesses.
The information received will help
GSA develop a procurement strategy, to
potentially include a procurement
standard for use in future solicitations
where the use of PV panels and
components are required.
GSA intends to use the information
generated from this Request for
Information (RFI) in support of the goals
expressed in section 203 of Executive
Order (E.O.) 14057, Catalyzing Clean
Energy Industries and Jobs Through
Federal Sustainability (December 8,
2021), as well as the White House Fact
Sheet, titled President Biden Takes Bold
Executive Action to Spur Domestic
Clean Energy Manufacturing (June 6,
2022).
GSA seeks to learn more from
industry regarding the use of
domestically manufactured PV panels
and components in contract types
including: Power Purchase Agreements
(PPA), Energy Savings Performance
Contracts (ESPC), Utility Energy Service
Contracts (UESC), solar array
development contracts, and other
acquisition vehicles depending on
future need. This RFI is also being
issued in anticipation of future projects
that may be funded by the Inflation
Reduction Act (IRA) (Pub. L. 117–169).
GSA is particularly interested in the
impacts of this initiative on underserved
or disadvantaged communities.
This RFI is for general fact-gathering
purposes. Interested parties will not be
reimbursed for any costs related to
providing information in response to
this RFI. The Government does not
intend to award a contract on the basis
of this RFI.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Requested Information From Industry
In submitting your response, please
number your answers with which
question you are answering, for
example: Requested Information
Specific to Manufacturing 2(a)(i).
For purposes of organizing the data
received, please provide the following
information in your response:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:37 Sep 16, 2022
Jkt 256001
• What is your company or
organization name, point of contact,
telephone number, and email address?
• What is the nature of your company
or organization?
Æ Are you a solar panel or component
provider, manufacturer, re-seller, or
retailer (for residential, commercial, or
utility scale); developer, utility
company, or other (specify)?
Æ Describe your business in a few
sentences, to include how long your
company or organization has provided
these services.
• What is your company or
organization’s primary North American
Industry Classification System (NAICS)
code?
Æ The NAICS code for photovoltaic
cell manufacturing is 334413,
Semiconductor and Related Device
Manufacturing. If you operate under a
different NAICS code for other elements
of this RFI please provide your primary
NAICS code.
• With your primary NAICS code in
mind, what is your company’s size
status, is your company a large or small
business?
Æ As defined by the Small Business
Administration, the size standard to
qualify as a small business for NAICS
code 334413 is fewer than 1,250
employees.
Æ What, if any, small business socioeconomic categories apply to your
business, such as Small Disadvantaged
Business, Woman-Owned Small
Business, Veteran-Owned Small
Business, Service-Disabled VeteranOwned, or Historically Underutilized
Business Zone?
Requested Information Specific to
Manufacturing
1. Is your company an established PV
panel or component manufacturer
(defined for the purposes of the RFI as
the panel or component being in
commercial production for 2 or more
years)?
2. Does your company or organization
manufacture PV panels or system
components for the arrays domestically?
a. If yes, please provide a brief
description to include the place of
manufacture and where in the supply
chain your product falls, i.e., do you
manufacture a component or assemble
the final panel system or components?
i. What is your company’s production
capacity of domestically manufactured
solar panels?
ii. Are you anticipating an increase or
decrease in production capacity in the
next 10-year timeframe? Why or why
not?
b. From which countries do you or
your suppliers source the majority of the
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
raw materials for the PV panels or
components?
i. Please provide the countries of
origin for each major component if
purchased outside of the U.S.
ii. Please describe current traceability
tools and how effective they are.
iii. Has your due diligence in
monitoring your supply chain changed
as a direct result of the Uyghur Forced
Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)? Is
implementation of the UFLPA a help or
hindrance to domestic manufacturing?
iv. Do you have capacity to trace and
certify that your products meet the
component test for manufactured goods
of 55% called out in the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (IJA) and 55%,
incrementally increasing to 75% over
time, for federal procurements?
v. With recent legislative changes, are
there now more mechanisms to trace the
country of origin for the components?
Please describe.
3. Has your company experienced
availability, quality, workability, or
durability challenges with PV panels
and/or components?
a. Have you seen any differences in
the availability, quality, workability, or
durability between PV panels
manufactured foreignly or domestically?
b. Are there good examples of quality
assurance and quality control
procedures/programs for PV panels or
components that you trust?
4. If your company has been in panel/
component commercial production for
fewer than two years, please disclose
which part of the domestic PV supply
chain your company will support.
5. It is our understanding that there
are primarily two types of panels
commercially available: crystalline
silicon and tellurium. Is your firm
developing or close to commercializing
new panel technology outside of these
two types?
6. Please provide as many details as
you can in response to the questions
listed below:
a. What is the rated wattage of your
PV panels?
b. What is the efficiency rating of your
PV panels?
c. What is the weight of your PV
panels?
d. What type of warranty do you offer
for your PV panels?
e. What is the product warranty
period for your PV panels?
f. What is the power warranty after 25
years of operation?
g. Do you have embodied carbon
product declarations (EPDs) for the
panels that you produce or sell? If yes,
how is this calculated and are shipping
logistics included?
h. Do you perceive a difference in
efficiency expectations between
E:\FR\FM\19SEN1.SGM
19SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 180 / Monday, September 19, 2022 / Notices
residential, commercial, and utilityscale PV panels, and if yes what is the
difference?
7. What steps would be needed to
increase circularity (or recyclability) in
the PV manufacturing sector?
a. What are roadblocks to circularity/
recyclability in the PV industry and are
those barriers alleviated with federal
subsidies?
b. Describe your recycling process for
PV panels or its components (if any).
What technology is needed in order to
improve on recycling?
Requested Information Specific to
Installers
8. Is your company or organization
taking action to source domestically
manufactured PV panels and/or
components?
a. If yes, what actions are you taking
and why are you taking those actions?
9. Other than the price, are there other
obstacles to sourcing domestically made
PV panels and/or components?
a. Are there obstacles to identifying
skilled labor to complete the
installations?
10. Has your company or organization
experienced availability, quality,
workability, or durability challenges
with PV panels and/or components?
a. Have you seen any differences
between foreign and domestic products
for PV panels and system components?
Requested Information Specific to
Developers
11. If you are a developer who
anticipates construction of new solar
generation facilities in the next five
years, what barriers can you identify to
using domestically manufactured PV
panels and/or components?
a. Are there state laws or regulations
preventing energy providers from
requiring domestically made PV panels
and components?
12. What opportunities, if present,
would encourage use of domestically
manufactured PV panels and/or
components for such generation
facilities?
a. Is your company aware of any
disruptive technologies that could
render current PV panels and/or
components, or system designs outdated
or incompatible with existing systems?
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Requested Information on Market
Availability
13. What are the technical, economic,
logistical, or regulatory obstacles that
exist to domestically manufacturing PV
panels or purchasing renewable energy
as a commodity? Does the IRA resolve
any of these obstacles for your
company?
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17:37 Sep 16, 2022
Jkt 256001
14. How will the IRA and potentially
more federal opportunities for use of
domestically manufactured PV panels or
components help you expand or
increase your rate of growth? Are there
other initiatives or factors that impede
or spur growth in this area? How will
the IRA impact the purchase of power
versus the PV systems themselves?
15. If you are not a manufacturer, to
what extent do you acquire PV panels
systems or components from domestic
sources? Do you expect your purchasing
behavior will change as a result of
federal subsidies?
Requested Information on Acquisition
Practices
16. What would be the likely impacts
of the Government requiring in its
procurements that solar energy under
such contracts be generated using
domestically manufactured PV panels or
components?
a. What are the risks/downsides?
b. What are the opportunities/
upsides?
c. If you are a developer, would such
a requirement change your willingness
to participate in future federal
opportunities?
17. Other than establishing a
requirement, what steps could the
Government take to use federal
acquisition to leverage domestic PV
panel or component manufacturing?
18. If the Government were to pursue
developing a procurement standard for
domestically manufactured PV panels or
components, what key elements should
be contained in that standard to
encourage domestic manufacturing?
19. What components in PV panels
would be difficult to source
domestically?
a. Do different components in PV
panels need different timeframes for
being domestically sourced without
difficulty?
20. There is an Electronic Product
Environmental Assessment Tool
(EPEAT) ecolabel for PV panels and
inverters. Please share your company’s
plan/timeline to get your PV panels
EPEAT registered.
a. What percentage of the components
of your EPEAT registered solar panels
do you anticipate would be
domestically sourced?
b. How does your company ensure
that your solar supply chain does not
utilize forced labor? Will your
company’s supply chain be impacted by
the recently passed Uyghur Forced
Labor Prevention Act?
c. What steps can the Government
take to further protect your supply chain
from forced labor concerns?
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
57197
d. If the EPEAT criteria for PV panels
and/or components were updated to
address forced labor within the supply
chain, what approach would you
recommend be taken in the new
criteria?
21. If there is anything else that you
want the Government to consider in
encouraging domestic manufacturing of
PV panels and components, please
address.
Jeffrey A. Koses,
Senior Procurement Executive, Office of
Acquisition Policy, Office of Governmentwide Policy, General Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022–20138 Filed 9–16–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820–61–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
Single Source Notice of Funding
Opportunity: Comprehensive Patient
Reported Survey for Mental and
Behavioral Health
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity.
AGENCY:
This notice announces the
issuance of the August 26, 2022 single
source funding opportunity titled
‘‘Comprehensive Patient Reported
Survey for Mental and Behavioral
Health’’ available solely to Virginia
Commonwealth University (as host
institution to The Larry A. Green
Center) to support research and
development of a patient-provider-payer
survey tool that will assist in facilitating
the integration of patient care delivery
and enable CMS in improving the
patient experience, decrease patient and
provider burden and improve healthcare
operational and administrative
efficiencies.
SUMMARY:
The budget and project period of
the award will be 36 months from the
date of award. The tentative award date
is September 26, 2022.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rena McClain, (410) 786–3975.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:
I. Background
CMS, through the Office of Burden
Reduction and Health Informatics
(OBRHI), seeks to partner with VCU in
the development of a collaborative
survey tool that will bring together the
perspectives of patients, providers, and
payors to understand their experiences
E:\FR\FM\19SEN1.SGM
19SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 180 (Monday, September 19, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57195-57197]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20138]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
[Notice MVAC-2022-01; Docket No. 2022-0002; Sequence No. 23]
Notice of Request for Information on Photovoltaic Systems
AGENCY: Office of Acquisition Policy, General Services Administration
(GSA).
ACTION: Notice; request for information (RFI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The General Services Administration (GSA) is seeking
information from industry on the availability of domestically
manufactured solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and components and
feasibility of requiring the use of such PV panels and components for
future projects.
DATES: Interested parties should submit comments to the address shown
below on or before November 18, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Comments to the RFI must be provided in writing. Interested
parties are to submit their written comments electronically to https://www.regulations.gov. Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking portal
by searching for ``RFI Photovoltaic Systems''. Select the link
``Comment Now'' that corresponds with the RFI and follow the
instructions provided on the screen. Please include your name, company
name (if any), and ``RFI Photovoltaic Systems'' on your attached
document. If your comment cannot be submitted using https://www.regulations.gov, call or email the points of contact in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate
instructions.
You are not required to answer all of the questions in the RFI, but
the more information we receive, the better GSA's understanding of the
domestically manufactured solar panel and/or components market.
Comments received generally will be posted without change to
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal and/or business
confidential information provided. To confirm receipt of your
comment(s), please check https://www.regulations.gov approximately two-
to-three days after submission to verify posting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Adina Torberntsson, Procurement
Analyst, at [email protected], for
[[Page 57196]]
clarification of content. For information pertaining to status or
publication schedules, contact the Regulatory Secretariat at 202-501-
4755 or [email protected]. Please cite RFI Photovoltaic Systems.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose
To obtain relevant information from domestic commercial PV panel
and system component manufacturers and resellers, PV panel purchasers
and installers, and renewable electricity providers, including small
businesses.
The information received will help GSA develop a procurement
strategy, to potentially include a procurement standard for use in
future solicitations where the use of PV panels and components are
required.
GSA intends to use the information generated from this Request for
Information (RFI) in support of the goals expressed in section 203 of
Executive Order (E.O.) 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and
Jobs Through Federal Sustainability (December 8, 2021), as well as the
White House Fact Sheet, titled President Biden Takes Bold Executive
Action to Spur Domestic Clean Energy Manufacturing (June 6, 2022).
GSA seeks to learn more from industry regarding the use of
domestically manufactured PV panels and components in contract types
including: Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), Energy Savings Performance
Contracts (ESPC), Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESC), solar array
development contracts, and other acquisition vehicles depending on
future need. This RFI is also being issued in anticipation of future
projects that may be funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) (Pub.
L. 117-169). GSA is particularly interested in the impacts of this
initiative on underserved or disadvantaged communities.
This RFI is for general fact-gathering purposes. Interested parties
will not be reimbursed for any costs related to providing information
in response to this RFI. The Government does not intend to award a
contract on the basis of this RFI.
Requested Information From Industry
In submitting your response, please number your answers with which
question you are answering, for example: Requested Information Specific
to Manufacturing 2(a)(i).
For purposes of organizing the data received, please provide the
following information in your response:
What is your company or organization name, point of
contact, telephone number, and email address?
What is the nature of your company or organization?
[cir] Are you a solar panel or component provider, manufacturer,
re-seller, or retailer (for residential, commercial, or utility scale);
developer, utility company, or other (specify)?
[cir] Describe your business in a few sentences, to include how
long your company or organization has provided these services.
What is your company or organization's primary North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code?
[cir] The NAICS code for photovoltaic cell manufacturing is 334413,
Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing. If you operate under a
different NAICS code for other elements of this RFI please provide your
primary NAICS code.
With your primary NAICS code in mind, what is your
company's size status, is your company a large or small business?
[cir] As defined by the Small Business Administration, the size
standard to qualify as a small business for NAICS code 334413 is fewer
than 1,250 employees.
[cir] What, if any, small business socio-economic categories apply
to your business, such as Small Disadvantaged Business, Woman-Owned
Small Business, Veteran-Owned Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-
Owned, or Historically Underutilized Business Zone?
Requested Information Specific to Manufacturing
1. Is your company an established PV panel or component
manufacturer (defined for the purposes of the RFI as the panel or
component being in commercial production for 2 or more years)?
2. Does your company or organization manufacture PV panels or
system components for the arrays domestically?
a. If yes, please provide a brief description to include the place
of manufacture and where in the supply chain your product falls, i.e.,
do you manufacture a component or assemble the final panel system or
components?
i. What is your company's production capacity of domestically
manufactured solar panels?
ii. Are you anticipating an increase or decrease in production
capacity in the next 10-year timeframe? Why or why not?
b. From which countries do you or your suppliers source the
majority of the raw materials for the PV panels or components?
i. Please provide the countries of origin for each major component
if purchased outside of the U.S.
ii. Please describe current traceability tools and how effective
they are.
iii. Has your due diligence in monitoring your supply chain changed
as a direct result of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)?
Is implementation of the UFLPA a help or hindrance to domestic
manufacturing?
iv. Do you have capacity to trace and certify that your products
meet the component test for manufactured goods of 55% called out in the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IJA) and 55%, incrementally
increasing to 75% over time, for federal procurements?
v. With recent legislative changes, are there now more mechanisms
to trace the country of origin for the components? Please describe.
3. Has your company experienced availability, quality, workability,
or durability challenges with PV panels and/or components?
a. Have you seen any differences in the availability, quality,
workability, or durability between PV panels manufactured foreignly or
domestically?
b. Are there good examples of quality assurance and quality control
procedures/programs for PV panels or components that you trust?
4. If your company has been in panel/component commercial
production for fewer than two years, please disclose which part of the
domestic PV supply chain your company will support.
5. It is our understanding that there are primarily two types of
panels commercially available: crystalline silicon and tellurium. Is
your firm developing or close to commercializing new panel technology
outside of these two types?
6. Please provide as many details as you can in response to the
questions listed below:
a. What is the rated wattage of your PV panels?
b. What is the efficiency rating of your PV panels?
c. What is the weight of your PV panels?
d. What type of warranty do you offer for your PV panels?
e. What is the product warranty period for your PV panels?
f. What is the power warranty after 25 years of operation?
g. Do you have embodied carbon product declarations (EPDs) for the
panels that you produce or sell? If yes, how is this calculated and are
shipping logistics included?
h. Do you perceive a difference in efficiency expectations between
[[Page 57197]]
residential, commercial, and utility-scale PV panels, and if yes what
is the difference?
7. What steps would be needed to increase circularity (or
recyclability) in the PV manufacturing sector?
a. What are roadblocks to circularity/recyclability in the PV
industry and are those barriers alleviated with federal subsidies?
b. Describe your recycling process for PV panels or its components
(if any). What technology is needed in order to improve on recycling?
Requested Information Specific to Installers
8. Is your company or organization taking action to source
domestically manufactured PV panels and/or components?
a. If yes, what actions are you taking and why are you taking those
actions?
9. Other than the price, are there other obstacles to sourcing
domestically made PV panels and/or components?
a. Are there obstacles to identifying skilled labor to complete the
installations?
10. Has your company or organization experienced availability,
quality, workability, or durability challenges with PV panels and/or
components?
a. Have you seen any differences between foreign and domestic
products for PV panels and system components?
Requested Information Specific to Developers
11. If you are a developer who anticipates construction of new
solar generation facilities in the next five years, what barriers can
you identify to using domestically manufactured PV panels and/or
components?
a. Are there state laws or regulations preventing energy providers
from requiring domestically made PV panels and components?
12. What opportunities, if present, would encourage use of
domestically manufactured PV panels and/or components for such
generation facilities?
a. Is your company aware of any disruptive technologies that could
render current PV panels and/or components, or system designs outdated
or incompatible with existing systems?
Requested Information on Market Availability
13. What are the technical, economic, logistical, or regulatory
obstacles that exist to domestically manufacturing PV panels or
purchasing renewable energy as a commodity? Does the IRA resolve any of
these obstacles for your company?
14. How will the IRA and potentially more federal opportunities for
use of domestically manufactured PV panels or components help you
expand or increase your rate of growth? Are there other initiatives or
factors that impede or spur growth in this area? How will the IRA
impact the purchase of power versus the PV systems themselves?
15. If you are not a manufacturer, to what extent do you acquire PV
panels systems or components from domestic sources? Do you expect your
purchasing behavior will change as a result of federal subsidies?
Requested Information on Acquisition Practices
16. What would be the likely impacts of the Government requiring in
its procurements that solar energy under such contracts be generated
using domestically manufactured PV panels or components?
a. What are the risks/downsides?
b. What are the opportunities/upsides?
c. If you are a developer, would such a requirement change your
willingness to participate in future federal opportunities?
17. Other than establishing a requirement, what steps could the
Government take to use federal acquisition to leverage domestic PV
panel or component manufacturing?
18. If the Government were to pursue developing a procurement
standard for domestically manufactured PV panels or components, what
key elements should be contained in that standard to encourage domestic
manufacturing?
19. What components in PV panels would be difficult to source
domestically?
a. Do different components in PV panels need different timeframes
for being domestically sourced without difficulty?
20. There is an Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool
(EPEAT) ecolabel for PV panels and inverters. Please share your
company's plan/timeline to get your PV panels EPEAT registered.
a. What percentage of the components of your EPEAT registered solar
panels do you anticipate would be domestically sourced?
b. How does your company ensure that your solar supply chain does
not utilize forced labor? Will your company's supply chain be impacted
by the recently passed Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act?
c. What steps can the Government take to further protect your
supply chain from forced labor concerns?
d. If the EPEAT criteria for PV panels and/or components were
updated to address forced labor within the supply chain, what approach
would you recommend be taken in the new criteria?
21. If there is anything else that you want the Government to
consider in encouraging domestic manufacturing of PV panels and
components, please address.
Jeffrey A. Koses,
Senior Procurement Executive, Office of Acquisition Policy, Office of
Government-wide Policy, General Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-20138 Filed 9-16-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-61-P
