Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Energy (DOE) today gives notice of a Request for Information on the PV Manufacturing Initiative. The ``PV Manufacturing Initiative'' is intended to coordinate stakeholders and technology development efforts across the solar community to facilitate the development of a strong PV manufacturing industry in the United States. The primary goals of this initiative include supporting the creation of a robust United States-based PV manufacturing technology including infrastructure and supply chain base, developing a highly trained workforce with the critical skills required to meet the needs of a rapidly growing industry, and speeding the implementation of new cutting edge technologies.

This notice announces an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee under Section 9008(d) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 2-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that agencies publish these notices in the Federal Register to allow for public participation. This notice announces the meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee.

This notice announces receipt of and publishes the Electrolux Home Products, Inc. (Electrolux) Petition for Waiver (hereafter, ``Petition'') from parts of the Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure for determining the energy consumption of electric refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers. The waiver request pertains to Electrolux's specified French door bottom-mount residential refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers, a product line that utilizes a control logic that changes the wattage of the anti-sweat heaters based upon the ambient relative humidity conditions in order to prevent condensation. The existing test procedure does not take humidity or adaptive control technology into account. Therefore, Electrolux has suggested an alternate test procedure that takes adaptive control technology into account when measuring energy consumption. DOE is soliciting comments, data, and information concerning Electrolux's Petition and the suggested alternate test procedure. DOE is also publishing notice of its March 3, 2009 grant of an interim waiver to Electrolux. Subsequently, DOE received a request from Electrolux to expand the scope of its interim waiver to four additional products. DOE has decided to grant this request.

This notice announces an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee under Section 9008(d) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that agencies publish these notices in the Federal Register to allow for public participation. This notice announces the meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee.

This notice announces receipt of and publishes a Petition for Waiver from LG Electronics, Inc. (LG). The Petition for Waiver (hereafter ``LG Petition'') requests a waiver from the Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure applicable to commercial package air-cooled central air conditioners and heat pumps. The waiver request is specific to the LG variable capacity Multi V (commercial) multi-split central air conditioners. Through this document, DOE is: (1) Soliciting comments, data, and information with respect to the LG Petition; and (2) announcing our determination to grant an Interim Waiver to LG from the applicable DOE test procedure for the subject commercial air- cooled, multi-split air conditioners and heat pumps.

The Department of Energy (DOE) today gives Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance (NOTA). The purpose of this NOTA is to support the goal of DOE's Solar America Initiative (SAI) to reduce the cost of solar photovoltaic technologies so that they become cost-competitive with grid electricity by 2015. The SAI represents a significant enhancement of DOE's business strategy of partnering with key stakeholders to accelerate commercialization of photovoltaic (PV) system research and development (R&D) to meet aggressive cost and installed capacity goals. DOE's Solar Energy Technologies Program uses research and development (R&D), testing and evaluation, and market transformation (MT) approaches to meet its SAI goal. MT efforts aim to reduce market barriers and promote market expansion of solar energy technologies through non-R&D activities. There are several aspects to SAI MT that should be kept in mind by Applicants to this NOTA: DOE is looking to identify and remove market barriers. DOE is seeking to identify and minimize or remove barriers to solar technology commercialization as quickly and efficiently as possible. DOE is looking for significant market changing activities. DOE is seeking to make large and significant changes in the marketplace through its market transformation activities. DOE is focused on near- and mid-term results. Accordingly, emphasis will be on projects and activities with the greatest potential to assist the DOE in reaching its SAI goal by 2015 (for more information, see SAI Web site at https://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/ solaramerica/). DOE is looking for performers and partners who are committed to the SAI mission. In order to achieve the SAI mission of 2015, DOE is inclined to partner and work with highly motivated entities. The DOE will provide Technical Assistance to large-scale, high- visibility solar installation projects that have the ability to impact the market for solar technologies through large project size, use of a novel solar technology, and/or use of a novel application for a solar technology. In addition, it is desired that the project be replicable or have replicable components. Large-scale installations may include photovoltaic, concentrating solar power, solar water heating, and solar space heating applications. Technical assistance will not be provided for research, development, or early-stage testing and evaluation of any technology or product. Solar America Showcases focus on providing support to projects in which a commercially-ready technology is to be installed in a large- scale application with full financial project commitment already in place. Support for research, product development or early stage testing and evaluation of solar products or technologies may be available under other Solar America Initiative opportunities. DOE will not purchase hardware or otherwise provide direct funding to organizations selected from this Notice. For further detail, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document, and the full Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance (NOTA) at the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) Web site: https://e-center.doe.gov/.

The Department of Energy (DOE) will hold an informal public meeting to discuss and receive comments on the product classes that DOE plans to analyze for purposes of amending energy conservation standards for certain residential heating products; the analytical framework, models, and tools that DOE is using to evaluate standards for these products; the results of preliminary analyses performed by DOE for these products; and potential energy conservation standard levels derived from these analyses that DOE could consider for these products. DOE also encourages written comments on these subjects. To inform stakeholders and facilitate this process, DOE has prepared an agenda, a preliminary Technical Support Document (preliminary-TSD), and briefing materials, all of which are available at: https://www.eere.energy.gov/ buildings/appliance_standards/residential/heating products.html.