Congress Passes Bill to Create Network of DOE Advanced Energy Tech Transfer Centers

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 2739, a component of which directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide grants and seek partnerships for the creation of a nationwide network of advanced energy technology transfer centers. These partnerships can include entities such as state agencies and local governments, utilities, colleges and universities, national laboratories, and other nonprofits providing energy technology expertise. The bill is now awaiting the president's signature.

Designed to cover a wide array of energy-efficient technologies, grants for the centers could be used to:

• Develop and distribute information material;
• Perform demonstrations of advanced energy methodologies in topics such as biofuels, solar and wind energy, clean coal, and hydrogen among others;
• Conduct seminars, workshops, and long-distance learning sessions to distribute information on advanced energy technologies;
• Provide or coordinate on-site evaluations of energy use;
• Examine energy-efficiency needs to identify future research projects; and,
• Hire employees to perform the tasks above.

The bill also outlines the duration of the grants, which initially would be for a five-year period. All awardees would be evaluated in their third year, and if positive evaluations are received, the grant can be extended. Successive rounds of evaluation could be used to extend grants for no more than an 11-year period. The grants could not be used to construct buildings where the tech transfer center would be operated.
 
S.B. 2739 also is known as the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, as it clustered 62 separate bills for programs and activities with the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and DOE. Section 601 of the bill outlines the provisions above.
 
Details of S.B. 2739 can be found at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02739: