New life for plastic waste, funding for building optimization, and more.

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Funding Updates 

Funding Opportunity to Optimize Decarbonization of Building Systems

EERE announced a $30 million Building Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) funding opportunity (FOA), which covers nine topic areas to advance building decarbonization. Equitable decarbonization of the U.S. building stock is central to each of the nine topics—emphasizing cost-effective, easy-to-deploy technology solutions and community-oriented partnerships. To apply to this FOA, applicants must register with, and submit application materials through EERE eXCHANGE. Concept papers are due Dec. 18.

Applications Open for Communities Local Energy Action Program Round 2

The Communities LEAP program seeks to facilitate sustained community-wide economic empowerment through clean energy and improve local environmental conditions. Eligible applicants are low- income, energy-burdened communities that are also either disadvantaged or experiencing direct economic impacts from a shift away from historical reliance on fossil fuels. Multi-stakeholder applicant teams must include at least one community-based organization and one local government or tribal entity. 

Communities are invited to attend open office hours to get more information and ask questions:

November 16, 2 p.m. ET- REGISTER

November 21, 3 p.m. ET- REGISTER

Request for Feedback

DOE Seeks Information on Coexistence of Wind Turbines and Radar

As wind development grows, some wind turbines may be located within the line of sight of radar systems, causing electromagnetic interference. EERE's Wind Energy Technologies Office is requesting information to better understand the challenges wind developers face regarding turbine-radar interference, including the mitigation technologies that currently exist or are in development. Responses are due Jan. 12, 2024

Spotlight on Bioenergy Technologies Office

A New Life for Nylon

Nylon-based plastic waste, such as textiles, carpets, tires, and fishing nets, may have untapped recycling and reuse potential. With support from EERE's Bioenergy Technologies Office, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratories developed a technology that breaks down nylon waste with enzymes, turning old products into eco-friendly solutions without releasing harmful gases.

Reducing Carbon Emissions with Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Dr. Reyhaneh Shenassa, Chief Engineer at EERE's Bioenergy Technologies Office, explains how sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are reducing aviation carbon emissions. Initiatives such as the SAF Grand Challenge, which has a goal of generating at least 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030, and the Clean Fuels & Products Shot™ support the development of sustainable feedstocks and conversion technologies.

Deadline Extended for Information on Building Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply Chains

To improve SAF supply chains, EERE's Bioenergy Technology Office is requesting information from stakeholders, as part of the SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap. The goal is to identify opportunities and challenges that will meet the rising SAF demand. Responses are due Nov. 17.

NREL Analysis Shows Midwestern Electrofuels Could Become Energy Superheroes

Every hour, a 90-million-gallon ethanol plant produces around 27 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Discover how EERE's Bioenergy Technologies Office's CO2RUe Consortium is revolutionizing the way CO₂ emissions from ethanol plants are converted into valuable chemicals and additional fuel through electrolyzers.

Building and Industry

Leading the Charge—Solar Decathlon Teams Tackle Zero Energy Building Designs

Learn about the 105 teams from 93 collegiate institutions that are tackling climate change by designing high-performance, zero energy buildings. As part of DOE's Solar Decathlon® 2024 Design Challenge, these student teams created highly efficient, low-carbon building designs that address issues related to climate resilience, embodied carbon, existing building retrofits, and community impact.

Renewable News

Mirror This—Concentrating Solar Power Harnesses Sun 

Check out a new video from EERE's Solar Energy Technologies Office that details how concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) works. It also shows how staffers with diverse career backgrounds came together to advance CSP's trajectory in meeting our decarbonization goals.

Enter WPTO's Photo and Video Contest by Nov. 17

The Make a Splash Photo and Video Contest offers winners up to $2,000. Judges will choose the best photos and videos depicting water power technologies, research and development, and infrastructure, along with people and communities contributing to or benefiting from water power. Entries are due Nov. 17.

DOE's National Labs

Borrowing Semiconductor Industry Know-How to Make Better Batteries

A coating technique long used in the manufacturing of computer chips can potentially enable a battery to charge many more times over its lifetime and make it much easier to manufacture. In a study funded in part by the EERE's Vehicle Technologies Office, Argonne National Laboratory successfully adapted the technique for use with solid-state batteries, which are batteries made of all solid materials.

Prizes and Competitions

DOE Announces Winners of L-Prize Prototype Phase

In Phase Two of the DOE Lighting Prize (L-Prize®) competition, DOE selected six winners. The $12 million lighting competition is designed to spur ground-breaking innovation for next-generation lighting in commercial buildings. Prior participation is not required in the third and final phase: Manufacturing and Installation.
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Events and Webinars 

• Residential Storage – An Essential Piece of the Climate Puzzle
  Nov. 9 | 1 p.m. ET
  REGISTER
  
  
• Spatial Environmental Assessment Tool - Connecting Marine Energy and the Environment
  Nov. 9 | 1 p.m. ET
  REGISTER
  
  
• WPTO Semiannual Stakeholder Webinar
  Nov. 13 | 1:30 p.m. ET
  REGISTER
  
  
• Waste to Advanced Resources Matter Workshop, Raliegh, N.C.
  Nov. 15-16 | 8:30 am – 4:30 p.m. ET
  REGISTER
  
  
• What You Need to Know about the New Energy Standard for Commercial Buildings: ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2022
  Nov. 16 | 1 p.m. ET
  REGISTER
  
  
• Executive-Led Clean EDGE & Environmental Technologies Business Development Mission to India
  March 2024
  REGISTRATION ENDS ON NOV. 17