Team will help industrial facilities increase the adoption of onsite energy technologies

(RALEIGH, NC – (July 18, 2023) The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) has announced the selection of nine organizations that will establish a network of Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs) to help industrial facilities and other large energy users increase the adoption of onsite energy technologies. As one of the awardees, the NC Clean Energy Technology Center at NC State University will lead this proposed team for a DOE Southeast Onsite Energy TAP, in collaboration with team members from the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM) and Tennessee Tech.  The award is for $1.5 million over three years, and will support technical assistance on a wide variety on technologies, including battery storage, combined heat and power (CHP), district energy, fuel cells, geothermal, industrial heat pumps, renewable fuels, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, thermal storage, and wind power.

“This award represents for UPRM and for the people of Puerto Rico a unique opportunity to help transform the energy generation system. Our partnership with NC State University on this DoE TAP will be pivotal for the future of the island, “ said Pedro Quintero, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.

With industry representing 30 percent of U.S. primary energy-related CO2 emissions, the Department of Energy has committed to lead decarbonization efforts for the nation’s industrial sector. The team led by the NCCETC will support the decarbonization efforts of industrial facilities and other large energy users through assistance with adoption of onsite energy technologies.  The team will also support regional policymakers, utilities and other energy sector stakeholders to advance the integration of onsite generation into policies and plans for energy supply and infrastructure.

The NCCETC, currently home to the Southeast Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership (CHP TAP), began working with DOE in 2009 to support CHP deployment in the Southeast United States. Furthermore, since 1995, the NCCETC has operated the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), an unrivaled source of information on incentives and policies that support renewable energy and energy efficiency in the United States.

Isaac Panzarella, an Associate Director at the NCCETC, and principal investigator for the project said “this funding will allow our Center to provide manufacturers with needed support to meet their commitments to achieving net-zero emissions, while also facilitating partnerships with utilities, state governments and other stakeholders that share these principles.”

The NCCETC team and partners will advance the project’s goals under the TAP model through engagements that will address several challenges that hold back the development of onsite energy in the Southeast region.  Several key  activities of this project will be:

1. Development of a Southeast Onsite Energy Collaborative composed of end users, utilities, stakeholders and policymakers to engage with and provide valued input to the project.
2. Semi-annual convenings on onsite energy in collaboration with state stakeholders, rotating through different states each time and continually evolving to stay relevant.
3. An annual report on decarbonization goals in the industrial & institutional sectors, and state policy/regulatory actions related to decarbonization.

These engagements will have an impact by encouraging the exchange of knowledge and ideas between normally disconnected groups to stimulate onsite energy policies and growth in a way that is sustainable and progress oriented.

The eight regional organizations selected each represent a multi-state region and will serve as the primary technical, market, and policy point of contact for end-users and other state and local stakeholders.  The organizations will receive up to $23 million in federal funding for multi-year technical assistance activities to accelerate the integration and deployment of clean energy technologies to drive U.S. industrial decarbonization, productivity, and competitiveness.

The Onsite Energy TAPs selectees will help facilities across the nation integrate the latest onsite energy technologies by providing specialized technical assistance, including initial site screenings, identifying onsite energy opportunities, offering more advanced analysis to support project installations, and more. The TAPs will have expertise to advise on a wide variety of technologies, including battery storage, combined heat and power (CHP), district energy, fuel cells, geothermal, industrial heat pumps, renewable fuels, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, thermal storage, and wind power.

Learn more about the 9 selectees.

The Onsite Energy TAPs are led by IEDO. IEDO’s efforts in this area are part of DOE’s new Technologies for Industrial Emissions Reduction Development (TIEReD) Program which leverages resources across DOE’s applied research offices to invest in fundamental science, research, development, initial pilot-scale demonstrations projects, and technical assistance and workforce development.

About the NC Clean Energy Technology Center

The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center, as part of the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University, advances a sustainable energy economy by educating, demonstrating and providing support for clean energy technologies, practices and policies. It serves as a resource for innovative, sustainable energy technologies through technology demonstration, technical assistance, outreach and training. For more information about the  Center, visit: http://www.nccleantech.ncsu.edu. Twitter: @NCCleanTech

Media Contact: Shannon Helm, shannon_helm@ncsu.edu