[Federal Register: February 1, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 22)]
[Notices]
[Page 6172-6173]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01fe08-57]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance (NOTA)--DE-PS36-
08GO98011, Solar America Initiative (SAI) Market Transformation: Solar
America Showcases, FY 2008
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy (DOE).
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) is accepting requests for
Technical Assistance for 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. It is not expected that all projects will meet
all of these parameters, but projects would ideally reflect some or
most of these qualities. 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, product 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.
Any legal entity, to include private sector for-profit and non-
profit organizations, State and local governments, and trade and other
associations may request DOE Technical Assistance under this Notice, so
long as the installation proposed by the organization, and for which
the Technical Assistance will be provided, is located in the United
States. Federal agencies are not permitted to request Technical
Assistance under this Notice. Federally Funded Research and Development
Center (FFRDC) Contractors may not submit a request for Technical
Assistance, may not participate as a team partner with any entity
requesting Technical Assistance, and may not assist any entity with
their submission of a request for Technical Assistance under this
Notice. Nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after
December 31, 1995 are not permitted to submit a request for Technical
Assistance under this Notice.
Technical Assistance described under this Notice will be provided
via a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DOE, the organization
selected to receive the Technical Assistance, and the Technical
Assistance Team Leader responsible for providing the Technical
Assistance. A MOA is a collaborative agreement between the Federal
Government and other parties to work together on a mutually beneficial
activity. The MOA will detail the scope of the Technical Assistance
activities, the forms of collaboration, the responsibilities of the
partners to the Agreement, and the treatment of any potential
intellectual property. Federal funding will not be provided to a
partner under a MOA.
DATES: Requests for Technical Assistance must be submitted via the DOE
Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) Web site at http://e-center.doe.gov/
by 03/12/2008 and 06/12/2008.
ADDRESSES: Note that this posting in the Federal Register is not the
full announcement. Interested parties must download and follow the
instructions in the full announcement which is available on the DOE
Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) website. To locate the
full Announcement, go to http://e-center.doe.gov/, click on ``Browse
Opportunities'', scroll down to view DOE Financial Assistance
Opportunities (Viewing ``Opportunities by Contracting Activity'' is
[[Page 6173]]
recommended.) Click on the ``Browse Financial Asst.'' button. Click on
the folder (or blue arrow depending on your server) next to the
``Golden Field Office''. Locate and click on Announcement No. DE-PS36-
08GO98011, Solar America Initiative (SAI) Market Transformation: Solar
America Showcases, FY2008. IMPORTANT: Scroll to the bottom of the page,
where you will find the ``Full Announcement & Other Files.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding the content of the
full announcement must be submitted through the ``Submit Question''
feature in the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) at
http://e-center.doe.gov. Locate the full announcement (as identified
under ``Addresses'') and then click on the ``Submit Question'' button.
Enter required information. You will receive an electronic notification
that your question has been answered. DOE will try to respond to a
question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer
have already been posted on the website. All questions must be
submitted no later than one week prior to the closing date. Please
contact the IIPS Help Desk at 1-800-683-0751 (select Option 1) or at
helpdesk@pr.doe.gov for questions regarding the operation of IIPS.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To provide more guidance as to the types of
installations DOE is looking to support, additional information is
provided below on the parameters for (and examples of) projects for
which DOE anticipates receiving requests for Technical Assistance under
this Notice.
Regarding the scale of the project, DOE is looking for projects
with total capacity in excess of 100 kW. Projects may include multiple
sites, and do not have to be co-located. In addition to the initial
installation, the kW total may also include planned follow-on
activities (direct replication efforts). Examples include installations
in residential subdivisions, shopping centers, office buildings or
parks, big box retail locations, factories, and utility solar
production.
Regarding the visibility of the project, DOE anticipates projects
that are centrally located in towns, are sited near highly trafficked
vehicle or pedestrian areas, house hundreds of residents or workers,
are a part of an area frequented by tourists, are part of a popular
public destination (e.g. shopping centers, courthouses, etc.) or have
some other high visibility component. The project would also have an
outreach component that provides information about the installation.
Regarding the novel solar technology, DOE proposes to support
projects that introduce new solar technologies that hold the promise of
reducing initial costs, simplifying installation, and boosting consumer
confidence, but which have little testing to date that demonstrates
such improvements. Examples include new cell or module technology, new
materials, or innovative installation and mounting techniques. By
offering Technical Assistance, DOE envisions helping these new solar
technologies develop a performance record in the marketplace, identify
technical problems early in mass product releases, and devise solutions
and alternatives that move specific solar technologies to cost-
competitiveness by 2015.
Regarding the novel solar application, DOE expects to support
projects that utilize solar technology in new ways. One example would
be to include new methods of building integration beyond traditional
roof-mounted modules. DOE also supports innovative designs and methods
that open up previously untapped markets or end uses to solar
technology adoption. Acceptable Solar Applications could also include
those that are currently in use in other geographic areas, but not in
the vicinity (State, region) of the proposed site.
Regarding replicability, DOE expects to support projects that can
either be replicated by the entity requesting the Technical Assistance
or by others. The entire project should be replicable, or have
replicable components, unless installations are of an extremely large
size that justifies DOE support without replicability. Replication of
projects is a critical component to advance solar commercialization.
To improve the overall impact of the project, teaming by the
entities requesting the Technical Assistance under this Notice with
other relevant stakeholders is encouraged. DOE also encourages
incorporating energy efficiency measures with solar technologies in all
building/facility applications as part of the projects supported by
this Technical Assistance. Technical assistance will not be provided
for research, product development, or early stage testing and
evaluation of any technology or product.
DOE will provide tailored hands-on Technical Assistance to the
selected organization(s) through the use of specifically assembled
Technical Assistance Teams. Members of these Teams will be subject
matter and technical experts in areas such as, architecture, finance,
planning, project management, etc. Significant participants of these
Teams will be the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia
National Laboratories (SNL), and the Southwest and Southeast Regional
Experiment Stations (RESs), which are housed at New Mexico State
University and Florida Solar Energy Center respectively. Other entities
may be added to the teams as necessary. DOE may choose to contract for
non-lab Technical Assistance Team members, mainly to provide the non-
solar-specific Technical Assistance, through a separate procurement
instrument.
Technical Assistance provided under this Notice is designed to help
entities make informed decisions. Technical Assistance Teams will
provide information and options to enable policy, planning, and
purchasing decisions. DOE and the Technical Assistance Teams will not
direct behavior or decisions, or require entities to take any
particular course of action. The role of DOE stops short of the actual
decision-making.
To learn more about the Solar America Initiative (SAI): http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america/index.html
.
Issued in Golden, CO on January 15, 2008.
Mary Foreman,
Procurement Director, Golden Field Office.
[FR Doc. E8-1919 Filed 1-31-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P