Federal

The Department of Energy, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, and the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have announced eight joint research awards totaling nearly $5 million to support the responsible siting and permitting of offshore wind energy facilities and ocean energy generated from waves, tides, currents and thermal gradients.

Siemens Government Services, Inc. has recently received a $38.5 million task order award from the General Services Administration (GSA) to implement energy efficiency improvements to 39 federal government facilities across the Greater Southwest Region.

In order to implement recommendations made in the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan, the Department of Energy released two reports last week on important policy issues raised by smart grid technologies that can promote innovation, cut costs for consumers and modernize our electrical grid.

As part of an ongoing commitment to rigorously enforce appliance efficiency requirements, the Department of Energy has announced 27 new proposed penalties against companies selling products in the United States without certifying that they comply with energy efficiency or water conservation standards