Death and taxes are said to be life’s only certainties, but there are many other near absolutes. Whether looking after a college campus, industrial manufacturing site, large commercial facility, or something else, a facility manager is a safe bet to be heavy on workload and short on time. Another near certainty is that without significant change, energy prices will remain high for small and large facilities. Fortunately, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has an Onsite Energy Technical Assistance program, focused on supporting industrial end-users and other large energy consumers, which presents a time and cost-effective way for facility managers to adopt clean energy technologies it claims are not only more efficient but also more dependable and better for the environment.
The DOE’s Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnership program helps industrial facilities and other major energy consumers to explore their operation’s fit for onsite energy, which the department defines as the electric and thermal energy generation and storage technologies that provide clean energy services where they stand. The DOE says the technologies included in the program are fit to serve massive energy loads, including geothermal, battery storage, combined heat and power, district energy, fuel cells, renewable fuels, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, wind power, and more.
The Onsite Energy Program was launched in 2024, but was not started from scratch, as it builds off of its predecessor, the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) TAP program, to include a wider range of energy technologies. A network of Technical Assistance Partnerships, more commonly referred to as “TAPs”, has provided technical support for nearly 25 years and is split into 10 regions across the United States: New England, New York-New Jersey, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, Central, Southcentral, Upper-West, Northwest, and Western. Breaking the TAPs into regions is essential because each regional contact is an expert on the energy needs and capabilities of its area. That is important because the energy needs and available resources for a facility in Arizona may be different than one in Maine.
While the program is still relatively new, it has been around long enough to identify some trends. In the western region, the program has drawn a lot of interest in Hawaii, says Arthur Jen, who worked as an engineer in the sustainable facilities space before taking a job at Optony, where he works as the Program Coordinator for the Western Region Onsite Energy TAP. Hawaii presents an interesting situation because its isolation in the Pacific Ocean necessitates more imported fuel, resulting in higher energy costs. Additionally, Jen says the state is updating its infrastructure in order to provide reliable energy for the island, despite its unique power demand challenges. Elsewhere in the Western region, which also includes Arizona, California, and Nevada, the Onsite Energy program has drawn interest from school districts, those in hospitality, and the food manufacturing industry - especially breweries and packaging.
Onsite Energy TAPs collaborate and communicate often to share experiences and data across the regions. This network of support ensures that each of the region TAPs are up to date with technological advancements, policy changes, and trends, at the local, regional, and national level. These advancements have led to growing interest across the country, and the wide range of incentives and programs available have pushed organizations to bring manufacturing back to the states. Jen believes onsite clean energy technologies are especially a fit for industrial and manufacturing settings due to the high energy demands, but it really could be brought to a lot of facilities spanning various industries.
“We need to start making these advancements,” he says. “It’s very apparent these technologies not only reduce emissions but provide reliable and affordable energy. Some organizations have faced reliability issues as it pertains to energy, and I believe this program can really help get the ball rolling for organizations that are unclear about where to start.”
Jake Meister is a freelance writer based in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
DOE Program Powers Cost-Effective Clean Energy
