Green Sector job training grant: State AGA

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry is seeking applications for $4.6 million in grants from education and training providers interested in helping to create green, regionally-focused training opportunities for unemployed, underemployed, and dislocated workers including: individuals on public assistance; at-risk youth; ex-offenders; individuals with disabilities; veterans/ and individuals with limited English proficiency. The funding is provided through a competitive grant received by the commonwealth through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Applications are due by April 28.


Successful applicants’ proposals will complement the department’s current workforce training and economic recovery efforts in the green sector. They include apprenticeship programs; on-the-job training; advanced skills training for the current workforce; basic skill training; curriculum development; and customized training. For information on the Northwest PA Regional Green Team, contact Nick Hoffman of the Regional Center for Workforce Excellence at nhoffman@nwpawib.org or 814-333-1286 xt. 115.


Guidelines and more information about these grants are available at www.paworkforce.state.pa.us. Click “Recovery Act Workforce Information” in the left navigation area, then click “Workforce Development Grants.” Answers to frequently asked questions will be available at that site three business days after they are received. For more information about how the commonwealth is using federal Recovery Act funds to help Pennsylvania residents and businesses, visit: www.recovery.pa.gov.

Small biz and clean energy report

WASHINGTON – The Department of Energy today released a new report highlighting the benefits of the Recovery Act to small businesses throughout the clean, renewable energy industry and environmental management sector. The report found that as of early March 2010, small businesses have been selected to receive nearly $5.4 billion in funding across a number of Recovery Act and related programs, including loans, loan guarantees, grants, contracts and tax incentives, in partnership with the Department of Treasury. The report highlights 26 small businesses in a range of clean energy technologies, such as wind, solar, biofuels, along with critical new infrastructure, like Smart Grid, advanced batteries, energy storage, and energy efficiency tools. It also notes small businesses that are helping advance responsible environmental clean-up efforts.

Read the full report.

Energy Efficiency Finance Forum

THE 4th ANNUAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY FINANCE FORUM
"Financing, Capital, & Deal Sourcing for Energy Efficiency"
May 20-21, 2010 The Standard Club Chicago, IL

If you're looking for financing, new deal structuring ideas or brand-new investment opportunities in the EE landscape, this event is for you. This conference is presented by American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and Financial Research Associates. This is taking place May 20th - 21st, 2010 at The Standard Club, Chicago, IL.
For more information go to: http://www.aceee.org/conf/10finance/10financeindex.htm or contact Kathie Eberhard | Business Development Team Lead Financial Research Associates, LLC
704-341-2439(phone) 704-341-2641(fax) Email: keberhard@frallc.com

Green Jobs: Request for feedback

[From the U.S. Department of Labor] The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is responsible for developing and implementing the collection of new data on green jobs.

The information will assist policymakers in planning policy initiatives and understanding their impact on the labor market, and will facilitate the monitoring of labor market developments related to protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. BLS activities also will be useful to State labor market information offices in their efforts to meet the need for information for State policymakers, businesses, and job seekers.

In the March 16, 2010 FEDERAL REGISTER, BLS announced it is "currently soliciting comments on the definition BLS will use in measuring green jobs, the industry list, or any other aspect of the information provided in (the) Notice."

Written comments must be submitted to BLS by April 30, 2010.

Acres for America grants

[From Philanthropy News Digest] Acres for America, a partnership between Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, annually provides funding for projects that conserve large landscape-level areas that are important habitat for fish, wildlife, and plants through acquisition of interest in real property.

The goal of the Acres for America program is to offset the footprint of Wal-Mart's domestic facilities on at least an acre-by-acre basis through acquisitions of interest in real property. Endorsement of a proposed acquisition by appropriate federal, state, and local government agencies and by nonprofit organizations that the land is of high conservation value is a primary program consideration. Preference will be given to acquisitions that are part of published conservation plans, State Wildlife Action Plans, or Endangered Species Act Recovery Plans.

Approximately $2.5 million in total funding is available annually through 2014 for conservation investments. All grant awards require a minimum 1:1 match of cash or contributed goods and services. Visit the NFWF Web site for complete program guidelines.
Link to Complete RFP

Energy for Sustainability Program

The Energy for Sustainability program supports fundamental research and education in energy production, conversion, and storage and is focused on energy sources that are environmentally friendly and renewable. Most world energy needs are currently met through the combustion of fossil fuels. With projected increases in global energy needs, more sustainable methods for energy production will need to be developed, and production of greenhouse gases will need to be reduced.Sources of sustainable energy include: * Sunlight * Wind/Wave * Biomass * GeothermalHydrocarbons, alcohols and hydrogen are potential energy carriers that can be derived from renewable sources. Research that generates enabling science and technologies for more efficient hydrogen generation and storage is supported by the program. Potential sources of hydrogen include conversion from biomass and from electrolysis, photolysis or thermolysis of water. Biomass is available from agricultural crop residues, forest products, aquatic plants, and municipal wastes. In addition to hydrogen, biomass can be a source of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons and alcohols.In the long term, fuel cells have the potential to convert fuels such as hydrogen and alcohols to electricity at high efficiencies and should play an increasing role in energy conversion. Critical components of fuel cells requiring additional research include catalysts and electrolytes. Development of these components also requires fundamental research on the reaction and transport mechanisms at the catalyst and membrane electrolyte interface. Advances in these areas are needed to address key challenges in efficiency, durability, power density, and environmental impacts. The engineering aspects of fuel-cell design and operation also require further study in areas such as water and thermal management.Wind power is a growing source of electrical energy. Increased efficiency requires a fundamental knowledge of the interaction of wind with the blade structure. Understanding the fluid flow, and optimizing blade design are important aspects in developing more efficient wind generators. Photovoltaic devices have the potential to supply a significant fraction of electrical energy to the power grid. Although silicon-based materials have been most widely used, other semiconducting, quantum and organic materials also have potential. New materials and novel fabrication techniques for solar energy conversion are supported by the program.The duration of unsolicited awards is generally one to three years. The average annual award size for the program is $100,000. Small equipment proposals of less than $100,000 will also be considered and may be submitted during these windows.

PA Greenways grants listing

A comprehensive listing of Pennsylvania environmental-related grants can be found at http://www.pagreenways.org/funding-PA.htm

Also, see the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grants listed here: https://www.grants.dcnr.state.pa.us/index.aspx

EPA Brownfields RLF

EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) plans to make available approximately $8 million to supplementally fund Revolving Loan Fund capitalization grants. In order to be considered for supplemental funding, RLF recipients must have made at least one loan or subgrant prior to applying for this supplemental funding. Additionally, the RLF recipient must have significantly depleted existing available funds; demonstrated a need for supplemental
funding based on, among other factors, the number of sites that will be addressed; demonstrated the ability to administer and revolve the capitalization funding in the RLF grant; demonstrated an ability to use the RLF grant to address funding gaps for cleanup; and demonstrated that they
have provided a community benefit from past and potential loan(s) and/or subgrant(s). Full announcement available in the Federal Register.

Green Jobs webinar

The Welfare Peer TA Network is hosting a Webinar entitled, "Green Jobs: Reaching TANF and Low-Income Populations" on March 10, 2010 from 2:00 PM EST to 3:30 PM EST. The Webinar will include information on green jobs, job placement, workforce development, economic recovery, training, and job creation, specifically for low-income populations. Speakers will include Jennifer Cleary from the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, Elena Foshay from the Apollo Alliance, and Michele McGeoy, Founder and Executive Director, SolarRichmond.

Brent Orrell of ICF International, Inc, will serve as moderator for the Webinar.

Webinar Registration

The Department of Energy's Loan Programs

The U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program paves the way for federal support of clean energy projects that use innovative technologies, and spurs further investment in these advanced technologies. A principal purpose of the Loan Guarantee Program is to encourage early commercial use in the United States of new or significantly improved technologies in energy projects. DOE believes that accelerated commercial use of new or improved technologies will help to create jobs and sustain economic growth, yield environmental benefits, and produce a more stable and secure energy supply.

DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program provides loans to automobile and automobile part manufacturers for the cost of re-equipping, expanding, or establishing manufacturing facilities in the United States to produce advanced technology vehicles or qualified components, and for associated engineering integration costs.

To date, DOE has conditionally offered or closed 12 loans or loan guarantees. According to estimates from the companies, these projects will collectively create or save about 50,000 jobs. They will also lead to the capacity to produce more than 3 GW of clean power each year and will avoid more than 30 million tons of CO2 per year. The vehicle projects will save 270 million gallons of gasoline each year.

P3 Awards for Sustainability Designs

Program Name:

7th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet

Program URL:

http://epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2010/2010_p3.html

Program Year:

Program Description:

Please note that grants under this request for application may involve the collection of Geospatial Information.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as part of the P3 Award Program, is seeking applications proposing to research, develop, and design solutions to real world challenges involving the overall sustainability of human society. The P3 competition highlights the use of scientific principles in creating innovative projects focused on sustainability. The P3 Awards program was developed to foster progress toward sustainability by achieving the mutual goals of economic prosperity, protection of the planet, and improved quality of life for its people--people, prosperity, and the planet, which are the three pillars of sustainability. The EPA offers the P3 competition in order to respond to the technical needs of the world while moving towards the goal of sustainability.

There will be approximately 40 awards for Phase I and 6 awards for Phase II.

Approximately $850,000 total will be given for all awards. Those selected will receive up to $10,000 per Phase I grant for one year, including direct and indirect costs. Proposals for Phase I grants requesting an award of more than $10,000 will not be considered. Upon the successful completion of Phase I, Phase I grant recipients will have the opportunity to apply for Phase II funding of up to $75,000 for two additional years including direct and indirect costs

Translational Research in Energy Support Program

State College, PA - Research institutions and other non-profits engaged in research related to energy, alternative energy, or clean technologies are eligible to apply to Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA for a matching grant.

The purpose of this initiative, which is called the Translational Research in Energy Support Program (TRESP), is to fund and assist commercially applied research that will impact production, consumption, and conservation of energy in the Commonwealth. Partnering with commercial or industrial entities is strongly encouraged.

Awards will be made on a competitive basis depending on the funds available and the relative merits of the projects submitted for review. The grants, which require a matching component, typically run between $25,000 and $100,000. Last year, 28 applications were received and eight awards were made totaling nearly $600,000.

Due dates for this year’s project submissions are:

• Preliminary Applications (3 pages) – April 5, 2010
• Full Proposals - May 17, 2010

The inclusion of proprietary or confidential information, especially in the preliminary application, is discouraged.

Click here to download the application.

ARPA-E Energy Innovation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At the inaugural ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit on March 2, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced $100 million in Recovery Act funding will be made available to accelerate innovation in green technology, increase America’s competitiveness and create new jobs. The announcement comes as some of the nation’s top energy leaders and members of the scientific research community have gathered to ensure U.S. leadership in clean energy technologies.

“This is about unleashing the American innovation machine to solve the energy and climate challenge, while creating new jobs, new industries and new exports for America’s workers,” said Secretary Chu.

Today’s announcement, the ARPA-E’s third round of funding opportunity, is focused specifically on three technology areas:

Grid-Scale Rampable Intermittent Dispatchable Storage (GRIDS)

Agile Delivery of Electrical Power Technology (ADEPT)

Building Energy Efficiency Through Innovative Thermodevices (BEET-IT)

ARPA-E’s first solicitation, announced in early 2009, was highly competitive and resulted in funding 37 projects aimed at transformational innovations in energy storage, biofuels, carbon capture, renewable power, building efficiency, vehicles, and other areas. ARPA-E’s second solicitation announced in December, 2009 – which has yeilded nearly 500 concept papers – focused specifically on three areas of technology representing new approaches for biofuels, carbon capture, and batteries for electric vehicles.

Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is a new agency of the Department of Energy. ARPA-E was authorized by the America COMPETES Act (PL 110-69) and charged with the mission to fund projects that will develop transformational technologies that reduce Americas dependence on foreign energy imports; reduce U.S. energy related emissions, including greenhouse gases; improve energy efficiency across all sectors of the U.S. economy; and ensure that the United States maintains its leadership in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. Initially funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (PL 111-5), ARPA-E aims to support the development of high risk/high payoff applied science and technology innovations that will have a positive disruptive impact on the energy landscape.

Buildings consume 40 percent of the primary energy in the United States, and account for 72 percent of the nation's electricity use and 55 percent of the nation's natural gas use. The objective of this funding opportunity announcement is to develop energy efficient cooling technologies/air conditioners (AC) for buildings to reduce GHG emissions from: (a) primary energy consumption due to space cooling; and (b) refrigerants used vapor compression systems. ARPA-E seeks innovative research and development approaches to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions due to cooling of buildings by: (i) development of cooling systems that use refrigerants with low global warming potential of less than or equal to 1: (ii) development of energy efficient air conditioning (AC) systems for warm and humid climates to increase the coefficient of performance (COP) of ventilation load cooling by greater than or to 50 percent; and (iii) increased efficiency of hot climate vapor compress ion AC systems for re-circulating air loads by increasing the COP by greater than or equal to 50 percent. One or more combination of these technologies can be utilized in buildings, where many factors influence the cooling load, including but not limited to: (1) type of building, such as office space versus hospitals (which have very high ventilation loads - almost 100 fresh air); and (2) climate type - warm and humid versus hot and dry. More information on the grant is available here.