Research and analysis Avian influenza in wild birds Report on weekly findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds in Great Britain. From: Animal and Plant Health Agency Published 30 December 2016 Last updated 20 September 2022 — See all updates Get emails about this page Documents Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022 View online Download CSV 24 KB Avian influenza in wild birds: 2021 View online Download CSV 14.3 KB Avian influenza in wild birds: 2020 View online Download CSV 7.56 KB Avian influenza in wild birds: 2019 View online Download CSV 2.38 KB Avian influenza in wild birds: 2018 View online Download CSV 2.92 KB Avian influenza in wild birds: winter 2016 to 2017 View online Download CSV 3.14 KB Details This report is produced by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). It is updated regularly with findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) – often referred to as bird flu – in wild birds in Great Britain. Updates are recorded in calendar weeks (for example, week 1 is the first week in January). These are findings of avian influenza from our ongoing routine surveillance for avian influenza in wild birds. This surveillance is made up of patrols by wild bird reserve wardens and collections of found-dead wild birds reported to us by members of the public. This data only represents cases where birds have tested positive for avian influenza. Read the avian influenza (bird flu) detailed guidance for the latest information. Published 30 December 2016 Last updated 20 September 2022 + show all updates 20 September 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' CSV file with data from week 37. 13 September 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' CSV file with data from week 36. 5 September 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' CSV file with data from week 35. 31 August 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' CSV file with data from week 34. 23 August 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' CSV file with data from week 33. 15 August 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' CSV file with data from week 32. 8 August 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' CSV file with data from week 31. 1 August 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' CSV file with data from week 30. 25 July 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' CSV file with data from week 29. 18 July 2022 Updated the 'Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022' document with data from week 28. 11 July 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from week 27. 4 July 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from week 26. 27 June 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from week 25. 21 June 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from week 24. 13 June 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from week 23. 7 June 2022 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2022 - figures updated with week 22 data 30 May 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from week 21. 23 May 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from week 20. 17 May 2022 Uploaded latest CSV file with data for week 19. 10 May 2022 Uploaded latest CSV file with data for week 18. 6 May 2022 Uploaded latest CSV file with data for week 17. 25 April 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from week 16. 19 April 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from week 15. 11 April 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 with data from weeks 13 and 14. 1 April 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 - week 12. 25 March 2022 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 - weeks 10 and 11. 14 March 2022 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 - week 8 and 9. 1 March 2022 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 - week 6 and 7. 11 February 2022 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 - week 5. 3 February 2022 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 - week 4. 28 January 2022 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 - week 3. 24 January 2022 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 - week 2. 13 January 2022 Added the avian influenza in wild birds for 2022 list. It shows findings for week 1. 6 January 2022 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 52. 30 December 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 51. 21 December 2021 Updated the AI in wild birds for 2021 - weeks 49 and 50. 10 December 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 48. 8 December 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 47. 29 November 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 46. 17 November 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 45 9 November 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 44, 17 positive birds. 2 November 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 43, 10 positive birds. 26 October 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 42, no positive birds. 19 October 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 41 no positive birds. 11 October 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 40 no positive birds. 4 October 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 - week 39 no positive birds. 28 September 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 21 September 2021 Updated with week 37 data - no positive birds 13 September 2021 Updated with week 36 data - no positive birds 7 September 2021 Updated with week 35 data - no positive birds 1 September 2021 Updated with week 34 data - no positive birds 25 August 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 16 August 2021 We have updated the avian influenza in wild birds data report for 2021 to include week 32 data. 9 August 2021 We have updated the avian influenza in wild birds data report for 2021 to include week 31 data. 3 August 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 26 July 2021 Updated Avian Influenza in wild birds statistics 2021 with data for week 29 19 July 2021 Added report on weekly findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds in Great Britain for week 28 of 2021 12 July 2021 Updated Avian influenza in wild birds 2021 data spreadsheet 5 July 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 29 June 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds 2021. 21 June 2021 Updated weekly report for 2021 on Avian influenza numbers in wild birds. 14 June 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 7 June 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 1 June 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds 2021. 25 May 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 17 May 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 10 May 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 4 May 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 26 April 2021 Updated 2021 data to include week 16 numbers. 21 April 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 19 April 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds 2021 report. 6 April 2021 Updated Avian Influenza in Wild birds 2021 report. 29 March 2021 Updated Avian influenza in wild birds 2021 csv file. 22 March 2021 Updated Avian influenza in wild birds 2021 csv file. 15 March 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 8 March 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds 2021 list 1 March 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 22 February 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021 16 February 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 4 February 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 28 January 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 19 January 2021 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2021. 13 January 2021 Added the avian influenza in wild birds report for 2021. 5 January 2021 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 29 December 2020 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 21 December 2020 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 18 December 2020 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 11 December 2020 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 9 December 2020 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 4 December 2020 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 27 November 2020 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2020 19 November 2020 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 10 November 2020 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 28 September 2020 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 17 July 2020 Updated avian influenza in wild birds for 2020. 13 May 2020 Updated the AI in wild birds report for 2020. 20 April 2020 Updated AI in wild birds report for 2020 30 March 2020 Update avian influenza in wild birds 2020 report 27 January 2020 Updated avian influenza in wild birds 2020 14 January 2020 Added avian influenza in wild birds: 2020 27 December 2019 Updated the avian influenza in wild birds 2019 document 10 October 2019 Updated avian influenza in wild birds: 2019 28 August 2019 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2019 updated 22 August 2019 Avian influenza in wild birds updated 5 August 2019 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2019 updated 30 July 2019 AI Findings updated 14 June 2019 Avian influenza in wild birds 2019 updated 21 May 2019 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2019 updated 9 May 2019 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2019 updated 4 April 2019 AI findings for 2019 updated 5 March 2019 Avian influenza in wild birds 2019 updated 1 February 2019 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2019 - new document added 31 January 2019 Avian Influenza in wild birds: 2018 updated 12 November 2018 AI in wild birds 2018 updated 11 October 2018 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2018 updated 6 September 2018 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2018 updated 31 August 2018 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2018 updated 24 August 2018 Updated 2018 list 16 August 2018 2018 document updated 9 August 2018 Updated 2018 list 2 August 2018 Updated 2018 list 25 July 2018 Updated 2018 list 12 July 2018 Document updated 28 June 2018 Updated 2018 list 22 June 2018 Avian influenza in wild birds: 2018 document updated 4 June 2018 Updated 2018 list 18 May 2018 Updated 2018 list 10 May 2018 Updated 2018 list 4 May 2018 Updated 2018 list 27 April 2018 Updated 2018 list 20 April 2018 Updated 2018 list 16 April 2018 Updated 2018 list 13 April 2018 Updated 2018 list 9 April 2018 Updated 2018 list 3 April 2018 Updated 2018 list 26 March 2018 Updated 2018 list 8 March 2018 Updated 2018 list 2 March 2018 Updated 2018 list 26 February 2018 Updated 2018 list 15 February 2018 Updated 2018 list 8 February 2018 Updated 2018 list 1 February 2018 Updated 2018 list 25 January 2018 Updated 2018 list 18 January 2018 Published 2018 list - week 3 18 January 2018 2018 results (week 1 and 2) published. 30 December 2016 First published. Get emails about this page Related content Avian influenza (bird flu) in Europe, Russia and the UK Avian influenza (bird flu): epidemiology reports Apply for an exemption from avian influenza disease control restrictions APHA animal disease alert subscription service Mitigation strategy for avian influenza in wild birds in England and Wales Explore the topic Animal and plant health

The electricity sector is in the midst of unprecedented change, driven by rapidly evolving technology, changing customers demands, and new business opportunities. A new white paper entitled Energizing Policy Evolution for the Grid Revolution examines the landscape of new technologies that may disrupt electric sector markets, operations, and planning over the next 20 to 25 years, and highlights the potential laws, rules, and regulations that may need reexamination in light of these changes. The white paper, which was sponsored by the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability and produced by ICF International, is available HERE for downloading.

The electricity sector is in the midst of unprecedented change, driven by rapidly evolving technology, changing customers demands, and new business opportunities. A new white paper entitled Energizing Policy Evolution for the Grid Revolution examines the landscape of new technologies that may disrupt electric sector markets, operations, and planning over the next 20 to 25 years, and highlights the potential laws, rules, and regulations that may need reexamination in light of these changes. The white paper, which was sponsored by the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability and produced by ICF International, is available HERE for downloading.

I'm closing out my first year here at the Renewable Fuels Association and couldn't be more proud of the work we have done this year in championing ethanol--the cleanest and lowest-cost high-octane fuel in the marketplace. With the holiday season upon us and New Years' right around the corner, it's a good time to take stock of 2016. So what happened this year in the world of ethanol? Quite a lot, actually. --The RFS. We were pleased not only because EPA issued its annual renewable volume obligation for 2017 on time (before its Nov. 30 deadline), but because the agency got the RFS back on track by raising the conventional biofuels RVO to its statutory requirement of 15 billion gallons. The move will stimulate new interest in cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels, while driving investment in infrastructure to accommodate E15 and higher ethanol blends. With the final rule issued the day before Thanksgiving, EPA gave us lots of reasons to be thankful. --A new U.S. president. After a contentious campaign, Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election and will become our 45th U.S. president on January 20. Both he and Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton were on record in support of ethanol and the renewable fuel standard because they both understood its myriad economic, environmental and energy security benefits. "The RFS... is an important tool in the mission to achieve energy independence to the United States," said Trump on the campaign trail, in January. "I will do all that is in my power as president to achieve that goal ... As President, I will encourage Congress to be cautious in attempting to change any part of the RFS," he said. Since being elected, Trump's spokespeople have reiterated continued support for ethanol and we expect that to continue once he takes office. --Retailer expansion of higher level ethanol blends. Boosted by USDA's Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership funding and the industry-funded Prime the Pump programs, there were numerous retailers this year which expanded their offerings to include higher level ethanol blends, including Kum & Go, Thorntons, Sheetz, RaceTrac, Power Energy Corporation and Indiana-based Family Express. Additionally, Wayne Fueling Systems announced that all of its North American standard retail fuel dispensers were being supplied as compatible and UL-Listed to all blends of ethanol up to 25 percent, becoming the first manufacturer to do so. HWRT Oil Company became the first company in the U.S. to offer pre-blended E15 at the terminal. Meantime, www.E85prices.com, a website maintained by RFA that helps consumers track down nearby E85 stations, also began tracking E15 locations. --DDG Exports This fall, RFA and the U.S. Grains Council hosted the Export Exchange, which offered attendees a unique opportunity to meet and build relationships with domestic suppliers of corn, DDGS, sorghum, barley and other commodities. More than 200 international buyers and end-users of coarse grains and co-products from more than 35 countries attended the event. The conference resulted in reported sales of approximately 2.6 million metric tons of grains and co-products worth $460 million. The top grain traded during the two-day conference was corn, with 924,500 metric tons collectively exchanged, followed by DDGS, with 875,000 metric tons exchanged. --Ethanol exports. An important and growing market for the U.S. ethanol industry continued to be exports. Some of the largest markets in 2016 were Brazil, Canada, Mexico and India. With more countries around the world recognizing the numerous benefits of ethanol, we expect U.S. ethanol exports to expand further next year. Meantime, in June the EU General Court annulled the European Union's countrywide 9.5% antidumping duty on all ethanol imported from the U.S. The duty had been in place since February 2013. The European Commission has since filed an appeal to the ruling, but we are hopeful to see that market open again soon. --What Blendwall? RFA analyzed recent data from DOE that showed the fuel supply consumed in 25 states and the District of Columbia contained more than 10% ethanol on average in 2015, demonstrating that the so-called E10 blendwall continues to crumble. The 2015 data was the latest available and published by DOE's Energy Information Administration in December. The data completely undermines legislation proposed by Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) that would limit blends to no more than 9.7% ethanol content. --All Smoke, No Fire There were repeated efforts by our opponents this year to repeal or reform the RFS, but we fought back at each and every attempt. In June, RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen testified at a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on the RFS, telling the panel the program is helping to drive investment in renewables and encourage competition at the pump—exactly what was intended when Congress passed the program. All the congressional bloviating by RFS critics just amounted to a bunch of hot air. Facts beat rhetoric every time. --All Aboard! In an effort to educate boaters, conservation enthusiasts and consumers about ethanol's benefits and its use in marine applications, RFA announced in October it would be a co-title sponsor of the Crappie Masters Tournament Trail this year with Bass Pro Shops. The sponsorship includes print and TV advertising, as well as a presentation on an episode of Crappie Masters TV. There's a lot of misinformation perpetuated by biofuel opponents surrounding boating and ethanol, but for nearly 30 years, 10% ethanol has been used in all types of marine engines. --Education. RFA held four, 20-hour courses conducted across the Corn Belt to help facilities meet the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act. Meantime, the Renewable Fuels Foundation, the education and research arm of RFA, hosted five webinars focused on ethanol's unique octane properties, and RFA also hosted a slew of ethanol safety seminars on proper training techniques that emergency responders and hazmat personnel needed to respond to an ethanol-related emergency. --New Members. Perhaps not surprisingly because of all we did this year, RFA continued to grow its outreach, adding several new members, including Western Plains Energy, KAAPA Ethanol Ravenna, Fox River Valley Ethanol Co., Siouxland Ethanol and Valero Renewable Fuels Co., the third-largest U.S. ethanol producer. Meantime, in October, we elected Mick Henderson, general manager at Commonwealth Agri-Energy as our chairman of the board, with Vice Chairman Neil Koehler of Pacific Ethanol and Treasurer Jim Seurer of Glacial Lakes Energy. We are proud to represent our diverse members and look forward to more membership growth next year. So what's in store for 2017? If this year was any indication, 2017 will be another busy year for the ethanol industry, and we at RFA look forward to continuing to offer consumers with the cleanest and lowest-cost, high-octane fuel in the world.

WASHINGTON – Today, the Energy Department (DOE) announced $18 million in support of five projects for research, development, and demonstration of innovative plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) and direct injection propane engine technologies, as well as community-based projects to accelerate the adoption of light, medium and heavy duty vehicles that operate on fuels such as biodiesel, electricity, E85, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane. Public investment in advanced, energy efficient transportation technologies and systems will improve our nation’s energy security, support energy independence, reduce transportation emissions, and strengthen U.S. economic competiveness. The projects selected today will accelerate the development and adoption of alternative fuel technologies, and support pioneering deployments of market-ready vehicles and alternative fuels. Odyne Systems, LLC (Pewaukee, WI) will receive $2.9 million to develop and demonstrate plug-in hybrid work trucks (class 7) that reduce fuel consumption by more than 50 percent and eliminate fuel consumption during stationary operations. Blue Bird Body Company (Fort Valley, GA) will receive $4.9 million to develop and demonstrate a battery-powered electric school bus that improves propulsion energy efficiency by 20-30 percent and that can connect to the electric grid (vehicle-to-grid). Blossman Services (Swannanoa, NC) will receive $2 million to develop a 4.3L propane direct injection engine and emission control system that will be demonstrated on a package delivery vehicle. Direct injection engine technology offers improved performance and saves fuel. PacifiCorp (Portland, OR) will receive $3.9 million to accelerate PEV adoption by developing electric highway corridors along I-15, I-80, I-70, and I-84 in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. Gas Technology Institute (Des Plaines, IL) will receive $4.9 million to deploy multi-fuel stations (including electric vehicle charging stations, compressed natural gas, biofuels, and propane stations) and alternative fuel vehicles (including electric drive) along I-94 from Port Huron, Michigan to the North Dakota border. The Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accelerates development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, economic vitality, and quality of life.

Article: Finally, a Major Update from OpenStudio Photos 1/3 The kernel of OpenStudio 2.0 is OpenStudio Command Line Interface (CLI), a self-contained 150 MB package that executes single-model workflows. CLI should make it easier for developers to integrate the parts of OpenStudio they want without having to carry the parts they don’t. Credit: NREL. Photo courtesy of 2/3 OpenStudio CLI and Meta-CLI form the basis of the new OpenStudio Server, a more elastic, more portable, and more programmatically accessible version of the original. Credit: NREL. Photo courtesy of 3/3 The user-visible piece of OpenStudio 2.0 is the re-engineered Parametric Analysis Tool (PAT). In addition to using the new OpenStudio Server, the new PAT interface is implemented as a browser application, demonstrating how OpenStudio can be used to develop portable web-based tools. Credit: NREL. Photo courtesy of OpenStudio 1.0.0 was released in March of 2013. Since then, there have been 13 quarterly releases numbered 1.1.0, 1.2.0, and so on. After more than three years, OpenStudio 2.0.0 is finally here. What does this change in numbering mean? Like a lot of other software, OpenStudio uses a semantic versioning number scheme—from left to right, the numbers are called major version, minor version, and iteration or maintenance. For the past three years, OpenStudio has released minor version updates, which have new features that retain compatibility with older versions of the product. OpenStudio 1.13.0 strictly adds features to OpenStudio 1.12.0 and can still operate on files created by OpenStudio 1.12.0. OpenStudio 2.0.0 is a major version update; it has new functionality that breaks backwards compatibility—its changes are so significant that it will not be able to open some files created by older OpenStudio versions. Iteration changes correspond to bug fixes and other updates that don’t add new features. Although not publicized, OpenStudio iteration updates are released every two weeks and are available on GitHub. So, what is so different in OpenStudio 2.0.0? Engineers and modelers that use the graphical OpenStudio Application may not notice much. But OpenStudio is first and foremost a development platform, and developers will see a completely new software architecture. The monolithic, nearly 1 GB (gigabyte) OpenStudio package, which contained the Software Development Kit (SDK), SketchUp plug-in, graphical Application, and Parametric Analysis Tool (PAT), has been broken up allowing users and developers to install only the pieces they are interested in. The new architecture has fewer parts with cleaner, more consistent interfaces, and fewer inter-dependencies. It should be easier to maintain, extend, and integrate into third-party products. The kernel of the new architecture is OpenStudio Command Line Interface (CLI), a self-contained 150 MB (megabyte) package contains the SDK, a Ruby interpreter, and a small selection of Measures and Resources including the Standards Gem. OpenStudio CLI operates on OpenStudio Workflow (OSW) files, which completely describe a single-model workflow—seed model, a list of Model Measures that operate on the seed model, and a list of Reporting Measures that act on the results of the simulation. Because CLI is small and has no graphics, it loads and runs quickly. OpenStudio CLI is complemented by OpenStudio Meta-CLI, a self-contained executable that reads OpenStudio Analysis (OSA) files that describe large scale analyses—like building-stock analysis, design optimization, uncertainty quantification, and calibration—and creates the corresponding OSW files. Together, CLI and Meta-CLI form the basis for the new OpenStudio Server, which has been repackaged to support greater elasticity—i.e., the ability to add and remove processing resources on the fly—and to run on multiple cloud platforms as well as local resources. Large-scale analysis capabilities have been available for a while from the OpenStudio Analysis Spreadsheet, but now it’s much easier to use them from within applications. One thing end-users will notice is the new Parametric Analysis Tool (PAT). The PAT engine has been completely rewritten to make use of the CLI and meta-CLI, and to better align with OpenStudio’s preferred approach to large-scale analysis, which flexibly runs on the user’s machine, local clusters, or the cloud. PAT’s interface was also rebuilt using a web software stack, which is more portable across platforms and devices than window software stacks. The new PAT interface can run locally or on the web and serves as an example of portable OpenStudio application development. As for backward compatibility? The use of OSW and OSA files is new and will require revisions to some large-scale modeling workflows, but OpenStudio Model (OSM) files have not changed—OpenStudio 2.0.0 will be able to open individual models created in older OpenStudio versions. “The development team was fortunate to be able to take time this past year to clean up the OpenStudio codebase and put it on the weight loss plan it has needed for a while,” says NREL’s Larry Brackney, OpenStudio’s project lead. “We also spent time creating new software development patterns that better reflect the state of web-based development in 2016. This is important as companies look increasingly to the cloud and software-as-a-service business models as a means of driving energy efficiency. The team is excited to see what third-party developers do with 2.0.0 and beyond—that’s the coolest part of working on OpenStudio!” Dr. Amir Roth Amir Roth is the Technology Manager for BTO’s Building Energy Modeling (BEM) sub-program. He has served in that role since 2010. more by this author

Today, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced up to $35 million in available funding to support early-stage, innovative technologies and solutions in advanced manufacturing that are not significantly represented in EERE’s current portfolio. EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) works with universities, national laboratories, and for-profit and nonprofit partners to identify and solve technology challenges in manufacturing. This new funding opportunity and its resulting projects will allow EERE to perform early-stage research and development of new technologies not currently covered in AMO’s technology portfolio and will encourage contributions from new partners. Successful projects will reduce the technical uncertainty and develop new knowledge associated with potential breakthrough materials, processes and tools for U.S. manufacturers that could improve their competitiveness and enhance their energy efficiency. This funding opportunity addresses three topic areas that consist of multiple subtopics. Topic Area 1: Advanced Materials – This topic area focuses on advancing innovative materials and the devices and systems that incorporate them for energy-saving opportunities and improved functionality. Topic Area 2: Advanced Processes – This topic area focuses on advancing transformational, next-generation process technologies with the potential to significantly exceed the current state of the art. Topic Area 3: Modeling and Analysis Tools for Materials and Manufacturing – This topic area focuses on optimizing how manufacturers use energy and materials across the lifecycle of their products through information technology and knowledge systems. AMO anticipates making approximately 24 to 40 awards to fund projects for up to 36 months. Individual awards may vary from $250,000 to $2.5 million. View the full funding opportunity announcement. Read the 2015 DOE Quadrennial Technology Review (QTR) to learn more about the Energy Department’s technology strategy to effectively address the nation's energy needs. Specifically, Chapter 6 of the 2015 QTR, entitled “Innovating Clean Energy Technologies in Advanced Manufacturing,” focuses on technology opportunities in advanced manufacturing relevant to the Department of Energy. The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accelerates development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality. Learn more about EERE’s efforts supported by our Advanced Manufacturing Office to support early-stage, innovative technologies and solutions in advanced manufacturing.

Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center will support innovation in wave energy technologies WASHINGTON –The Energy Department today announced the award of up to $40 million, subject to appropriations, to design, permit, and construct an open-water, grid-connected national wave energy testing facility. The facility will be constructed in Newport, Oregon, by the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center at Oregon State University and will support innovations in wave energy technologies capable of harnessing the significant wave energy resources along United States coastlines. More than 50 percent of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of coastlines, offering America the potential to develop a domestic wave energy industry that could help provide reliable power to coastal regions. The Department’s investments in marine and hydrokinetic energy technology will encourage domestic manufacturing, create jobs, and advance a new technology that uses an untapped renewable resource to help achieve the nation’s energy goals. “Testing innovative wave energy devices at full scale in open water is an important step toward harnessing one day a reliable energy resource. Anyone who has swum or surfed in moderate ocean waves knows something of the power they represent,” said Franklin Orr, Under Secretary for Science and Energy at the Energy Department. “This new facility will help us to advance the science and technology of wave energy devices, and to identify the challenges we will ultimately need to overcome in order to achieve commercial deployment.” The new test facility, called the Pacific Marine Energy Center South Energy Test Site, will be constructed with a combination of federal and non-federal funds. The planned facility, to be completed by early 2020, includes four grid-connected berths where researchers can test full-scale wave energy conversion device concepts. Prototype testing is essential to gather critical performance data to address technical risks, lower costs, and inform future designs to accelerate the commercialization and deployment of mass-produced wave energy technologies. The pre-permitted site was designed to meet the Department’s specifications as well as industry and community needs, letting researchers focus on the technological challenges inherent in testing—instead of permitting and regulatory matters. The site is expected to be a flagship test facility for wave energy converters globally, playing a critical role in advancing wave energy technology into commercial viability. Recent studies estimate that America's technically recoverable wave energy resource ranges between approximately 900–1,230 terawatt hours (TWh) per year, distributed across the coast of Alaska, the West Coast, the East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. For context, approximately 90,000 homes can be powered by 1 TWh per year. This means that even if only a few percent of the potential is recovered, millions of homes could be powered by wave energy as the technology progresses. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accelerates development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality. To learn more about our Water Power Technologies Office’s funding opportunities and efforts to develop innovative wave energy technologies, visit Energy.gov.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy today offered a conditional commitment to guarantee loans of up to $2 billion to Lake Charles Methanol, LLC to construct the world’s first methanol production facility to employ carbon capture technology in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The captured carbon would be utilized for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in Texas. This project would represent the first loan guarantee made under the Advanced Fossil Energy Project solicitation issued by the Department’s Loan Programs Office (LPO). If constructed, the project would also be the first petroleum coke (petcoke) to methanol facility in the U.S. Petcoke is a byproduct from oil refining. Methanol is one of the world’s most widely-used industrial chemicals in applications from paints and plastics, furniture and carpeting, to automotive parts, windshield washer fluid and fuel blending. By using petcoke as the feedstock and employing carbon capture at the project, the proposed project will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released. “This conditional commitment represents a major milestone in the Department’s efforts to scale up carbon capture utilization and sequestration and continue American leadership in advanced fossil energy technologies,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. “The Department’s Loan Programs Office has received more than 70 applications to its current solicitations for almost $50 billion in loans and loan guarantees, which can allow projects to leverage additional private dollars for major infrastructure projects that will create thousands of good-paying American jobs and generate cleaner energy in the future.” Overall, Lake Charles Methanol anticipates a $3.8 billion infrastructure investment for the project that will help to support the Gulf Coast economy by creating an expected 1,000 construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs in Louisiana. The project will also create roughly 300 jobs in Texas for EOR activities. Gov. John Bel Edwards of the State of Louisiana said, “DOE’s decision to issue a conditional commitment of up to $2 billion to Lake Charles Methanol proves that Louisiana is a great place to do business and that Louisiana has a promising future in clean energy projects. This project demonstrates how government and private enterprise can work together to support energy technologies that improve the environment while creating new jobs and economic development.” The proposed plant will produce methanol, hydrogen, and other industrial gases and chemical products. The carbon dioxide captured from the petcoke gasification plant will be compressed for commercial pipeline transport. The captured carbon dioxide will be transported to oil fields in Texas for EOR, resulting in sequestration of 4.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. The project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 36 percent compared to typical methanol facilities. Overall, the project captures 77 percent of all carbon dioxide produced by the facility. Today’s offer of a conditional commitment is an important step towards issuing a loan guarantee to support construction of the project. The Department will continue to monitor the project’s development and work to reach final agreement before closing the loan guarantee. The Department’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) supports a large, diverse portfolio of more than $30 billion in loans, loan guarantees, and commitments, supporting more than 30 closed and committed projects. The projects that LPO has supported include one of the world’s largest wind farms; several of the world’s largest solar generation and thermal energy storage systems; and more than a dozen new or retooled auto manufacturing plants across the country.

Seismic sensors ready to deploy in northern Nevada, to help identify new geothermal plays. Photo Courtesy | Optim Software The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office reported completion last week of seismic data acquisition at two key geothermal sites in northern Nevada. Supported as part of a $1.5 million federal share project launched via last summer’s Subsurface Science, Technology, and Engineering Research, Development, and Demonstration (SubTER) funding opportunity announcement, the data was acquired by U.S. Geothermal in the vicinity of existing geothermal operations at San Emidio and Crescent Valley. San Emidio has been engaged in previous DOE-funded efforts, and Crescent Valley is a key region in the ongoing Nevada Play Fairway Analysis, which seeks to expand geothermal operations in the state. The resulting imagery, produced using MicroSeismic passive seismic emission tomography, should indicate the presence of permeability fairways that will aid in targeting new geothermal wells for production. Optim Software (Reno, NV) and Berkeley Lab (Berkeley, CA) will provide support during the data interpretation stages. These new tomographic images have high expectations due to the order-of-magnitude increase in the number of sensors deployed. Rather than using a conventional array of dozens or even 100 acoustic sensors, this acquisition project deployed 1,300 sensors at San Emidio and 900 at Crescent Valley, yielding a density of approximately 150 sensors per square mile. This saturation of source data, coupled with advancements in multi-terabyte data processing and high-resolution imaging, will result in subsurface imagery that exceeds previous surveys in terms of accuracy and clarity. One of the SubTER initiative’s key objectives is to stimulate improvements in seismic image quality. Geothermal systems can occur in widely diverse geologic settings, sometimes without clear surface evidence of the underlying resources, making seismic interpretation an invaluable exploration tool. Once discovered, these systems can be brought online swiftly using current drilling technologies. Furthermore, geothermal exploration mirrors techniques deployed in the oil and gas industry, and in some regions can potentially enhance production of hydrocarbons. About SubTER The SubTER crosscut is a DOE initiative that unites five key DOE offices in a collaborative effort to improve the nation’s energy security and availability. Adaptive control of the subsurface is a key objective in advancing domestic energy technology. Availability of natural resources is made more abundant and affordable via enhanced knowledge of subsurface conditions and dynamics. To learn more, visit www.energy.gov/subter