Financial Opportunities Help Advance New Technologies
From the Summer 2008 issue of Energy Matters
By Rolf Butters, Industrial Technologies Program Technology Manager
DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) leads national efforts to reduce U.S. industrial energy use and carbon emissions. A key component of this effort is to provide financial opportunities for research, development and deployment (RD&D) and promote commercialization of innovative, energy-saving technologies.
A company or research institution may have a great idea for a cutting edge, energy-saving technology, but lack the means to support it. This is where ITP and other federal agencies can help.
ITP Solicitations Offer Cost-Shared Funding for Technology RD&D
Each year, the Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) provides cost-shared funding to encourage RD&D of energy efficient technologies that enhance economic competitiveness of U.S. industry. This successful effort has produced more than 220 commercialized technologies, saving nearly 5 quadrillion Btus of energy, and reducing emissions by 86 million metric tons of carbon equivalent. For details on these technologies, read ITP's Energy Technology Solutions: Public-Private Partnerships Transforming Industry (PDF 3.7 MB) Download Adobe Reader.
ITP solicitations typically require collaborative partnerships, which may include manufacturers, universities, suppliers, national labs, and others. Industry partners are generally expected to provide matching funds. Visit the active solicitations page to see current funding opportunities. You can also register to be notified when new ITP solicitations are posted.
States Incentives Database Provides Information on Business Incentives and Resources
The ITP States Incentives and Resources Database is a repository of energy incentives, tools, and resources for commercial and industrial managers looking for assistance in making energy efficiency upgrades to their facilities. The database provides information on rebates, waived fees, tax credits, and loans offered by local and national government agencies as well as utilities, private companies, and non-profits.
For example, the incentives database listing for California includes the Thermal Energy Storage Incentive (PDF 115 KB) sponsored by Anaheim Public Utilities, whereby business customers can receive up to $21,000 for the purchase of a refrigerant-based thermal storage system. Download Adobe Reader. Learn about payback for this incentive.
This States Incentives and Resources Database also offers resources such as analysis tools, education and training programs, and energy audits.
The incentives database is an integral part of the Industrial Technologies Program State Activities Web site, which provides industry information, training events, energy assessments, and contacts for each state who can assist with resources to help reduce energy consumption.
Loan Guarantee Program Promotes Commercial Use of Innovative Technologies
Through the Loan Guarantee Program, which was established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, DOE issues loan guarantees to eligible projects that avoid or reduce greenhouse gases and employ new or significantly improved technologies. The program is geared toward commercial use of innovative technologies, and is therefore not targeted at RD&D projects. A commercialized technology is defined by DOE as one that has been installed in three or more commercial facilities in the United States and has been in service for at least 5 years.
In June 2008, DOE announced three solicitations for a total of up to $30.5 billion in federal loan guarantees for projects that employ advanced energy technologies and that avoid, reduce, or sequester anthropogenic emissions of air pollutants or greenhouse gases. The three solicitations are in the areas of: energy efficiency; renewable energy and advanced transmission and distribution technologies; advanced nuclear power facilities; and advanced nuclear facilities for the 'front-end' of the nuclear fuel cycle. This marks the second round of solicitations for DOE's Loan Guarantee Program. The third solicitation will be issued later in the summer for advanced fossil energy projects (up to $8 billion). Learn more and apply for DOE's Loan Guarantee Program solicitations.
Grants.gov: Easy Access to Information on Federal Grants
Grants.gov is a user-friendly resource for locating and applying for more than 1,000 annual federal grant programs available from 26 federal agencies. The site provides access to approximately $400 billion in awards each year. Users can search for opportunities by keyword, Funding Opportunity number, agency, or category. Grants.gov also offers helpful tools such as a user guide, tutorials, Webcasts, and newsletter to assist in locating and applying for grants, as well as an application tracking feature. Before submitting an application, you must first register on the Grants.gov Web site. You may also sign up to receive automatic email notifications of new grant postings and updates on the Grant Email Alerts Web page.
Additional Funding Opportunities
Through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, 11 federal agencies provide annual funding to U.S. small businesses to research, develop, and commercialize their technologies. The goal of these solicitations is to encourage private sector commercialization of technologies through R&D, and improve the return on investment from federally funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation.
To receive alerts on funding opportunities, subscribe to the SBIR/STTR Alerting Service. This free service provides bi-weekly notification of SBIR and STTR solicitation announcements, news, information, and Internet resources relevant to the programs.
The National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) is the primary industry organization for the energy services industry, working with trade groups, energy service companies (ESCOs), distributed generation companies, engineers, and finance companies to deliver cost-effective energy services to customers. Visit the NAESCO Web site to get tips on prioritizing and refining your strategies, read case studies and find out how to cost-effectively implement your energy projects. Also included are press releases on member companies’ programs, many of which include innovative technologies and financing opportunities.
| Financial Opportunity | Agency/Organization/Program | Web site |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial technology RD&D | ITP | www.eere.energy.gov/industry/ financial/solicitations.html |
| Energy efficiency incentives (rebates, waived fees, tax credits, loans) | ITP (together with ITP partners including states and utilities) | www.eere.energy.gov/industry/about/ state_activities/incentive_search.asp |
| Loan Guarantee Program for commercialized technologies | DOE | www.lgprogram.energy.gov |
| Funding from 11 federal agencies for U.S. small business technology R&D and commercialization | Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Program | www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/sbir |
| Federal grant programs available from 26 federal agencies | Grants.gov | www.grants.gov |
| Business development resources from National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) | NAESCO | www.naesco.org |
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