[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 23, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17888-17889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-9947]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy-Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office
Energy-Efficient Product Commercialization Study
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, DOE.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating the potential
use of the purchasing power of the Federal government to promote the
commercialization of energy-efficient products that incorporate new,
value-added technologies for federal buyers. The Energy Policy Act
directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study to identify energy-
efficient, renewable energy, and water conserving products for which
there is a high potential for federal purchasing power to substantially
promote their development and commercialization, and to identify
barriers to federal procurement of such products. The principal product
focus of the study is on those which are beyond the prototype stage,
but are not commercially available or in widespread use. These products
must also be potentially cost-effective to federal and non-federal
buyers, with increased production and sales volume. DOE is soliciting
information from interested parties concerning products which offer
this potential, recommendations on how federal procurement actions
could facilitate product commercialization, and existing barriers to
such procurement actions.
DATES: Written information on products which meet the criteria listed
below, barriers to federal procurement of such products, and
recommended federal procurement actions and programs to promote
commercialization of such products (1 copy) must be received on or
before May 13, 1996, to be included for consideration in this study. A
public meeting will be held on June 5, 1996; requests to present
information at this public meeting on recommended federal actions and
programs must be received by May 13, 1996.
ADDRESSES: All written comments (1 copy), as well as requests to speak
at the public meeting, are to be submitted to: U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, EE-90,
Energy-Efficient Product Commercialization Study, 1000 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, 202-586-8287. FAXed comments may
be sent to 202-586-3000. The public meeting will be held at the U.S.
Department of Energy, Main Auditorium, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Klimkos, EE-90, U.S. Department
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121,
202-586-8287.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal government is the largest
customer in the world for many energy-related products. The Department
of Energy (DOE) is investigating the potential use of the purchasing
power of the Federal government to promote the development and
commercialization of energy-efficient products that incorporate new,
value-added technologies for federal buyers. The objective of this
study is to identify energy-efficient, renewable energy, and water
conserving products for which there is a high potential for federal
purchasing power to substantially
[[Page 17889]]
promote their commercialization, and to identify barriers to federal
procurement of such products. It is anticipated that Government
procurement of energy efficient products will stimulate industry to
introduce energy-efficient products which enhance national
competitiveness both domestically and internationally, to achieve a
production scale which improves the cost-effectiveness of new
technologies to government and non-government purchasers, and create
new job opportunities throughout these industries. This notice requests
information from interested parties on how the government can most
effectively use its buying power to create or expand the market for
energy-efficient products.
Section 152(h) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (Pub. L. 102-486)
amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA) by inserting
section 549, subsection (e). This section directs the Secretary of
Energy to conduct this study, which is the responsibility of the
Federal Energy Management Programs Office within the DOE Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. DOE is soliciting information
from interested parties to identify and recommend energy-saving,
renewable energy, and water-conserving products which offer high
potential for federal purchasing power to substantially promote their
commercialization.
The product component of this study is focused on products which
meet certain criteria for technical and commercial viability and which
are, or could be, purchased in significant quantities by federal
agencies. These criteria include products:
Which meet applicable performance, safety, and reliability
requirements;
For which the prototype development stage has been
completed or is near completion;
Which offer the potential for minimizing life-cycle cost
for the application;
For which commercial production is practical and
economically feasible;
For which initial market analysis has demonstrated a
sufficiently large potential market to warrant commercial production
and sales; and
Which are not yet in production at commercial levels or
which have just reached commercial availability.
These criteria do not include products at earlier stages of
development--ranging from concept development through engineering
prototype testing and field demonstrations--for which the technical and
economic feasibility of commercial production have not yet been
established. For products, technologies, or concepts in these earlier
stages, programs such as the DOE/National Institute for Standards and
Technology (NIST) Energy-Related Inventions Program (ERIP) and the DOE
Innovative Concepts Program (InnCon) are available. For information
concerning the ERIP program, contact the Office of Technology
Evaluation and Assessment, National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. For information concerning the
InnCon program contact Mr. E. Levine, U.S., Department of Energy,
Forrestal Building, EE-521, 1000 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC
20585-0121, 202-586-1605.
Interested parties are requested to submit information to DOE on
products which meet the above criteria for commercial viability and
relevance to the federal market, on federal procurement actions which
could promote commercialization of these products, and on potential
barriers to such procurement actions, including:
The product's energy efficiency and other performance
characteristics;
The product's current state of commercial development,
including manufacturing capacity and sales;
Results of market analyses which indicate the potential
market--both within the federal government and the non-federal market,
domestically and internationally;
The potential for energy and dollar savings, both per unit
and for potential total sales to federal and non-federal customers;
Assessment of the life-cycle cost of the product,
including projected capital cost and operating and maintenance costs,
based upon projected costs at commercially viable levels of production,
The total level of sales, including federal and non-
federal sectors, considered necessary to justify undertaking commercial
production;
Concepts for federal policies and programs which would
facilitate commercialization of energy-efficient products;
Concepts for federal procurement actions which, combined
with other market opportunities, could be used to implement these
policies and programs;
Barriers to the rapid penetration of products in federal,
other governmental, and commercial markets (e.g. sole-source, lowest
first-cost, no history of performance); and
Recommendations for actions which DOE, other federal
agencies, or Congress could take to reduce or eliminate these barriers.
An information packet which provides further definition of the
types of information desired, outlines preliminary concepts being
considered for such federal policies and programs, and provides
information on the March public meeting will be sent to those
responding to this Notice.
Only non-proprietary technical or market information should be
submitted in response to this request. DOE reserves the right to
publish or use any information submitted.
The Federal Energy Management Programs Office will conduct the
public meeting on June 5, 1996, to solicit public comment on how
federal procurement actions and related information programs,
technology demonstrations, or other actions could facilitate
commercialization of products meeting the criteria of this study.
Responses may be in written form and/or may be presented verbally at
the meeting. Verbal presentations must be limited to no more than five
minutes. Verbal presentations will be limited to comments on barriers,
opportunities, and recommended policies and programs; information on
specific products will not be accepted in verbal comments at the
hearings but should be submitted in writing.
Issued in Washington, DC on April 16, 1996.
Christine A. Ervin,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 96-9947 Filed 4-22-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P