Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 183 / Wednesday, September 23, 2009 / Notices 48531 

Estuary includes important habitat for 

all Columbia Basin salmon and 

steelhead species, as well as a wide 

variety of other fish and wildlife 

species. The MOA is consistent with 

and will work in concert with the 2008 

Biological Opinion issued by the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration-Fisheries for the Federal 

Columbia River Power System for listed 

salmon and steelhead. The MOA also 

supports BPA’s implementation of the 

Northwest Power and Conservation 

Council’s Columbia Basin Fish and 

Wildlife Program. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD may be 

obtained by calling BPA’s toll-free 

document request line, 1–800–622– 

4520. The ROD is also available on the 

BPA Web site, http://www.bpa.gov/ 

corporate/pubs/rods/2008/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sandra Ackley, Bonneville Power 

Administration—KEC–4, P.O. Box 3621, 

Portland, Oregon, 97208–3621; toll-free 

telephone number 1–800–282–3713; fax 

number 503–230–5699; or e-mail 

sjackley@bpa.gov. 

Issued in Portland, Oregon, on September 

15, 2009. 

Stephen J. Wright, 

Administrator and Chief Executive Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–22926 Filed 9–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy 

Request for Information (RFI)— 

Photovoltaic (PV) Manufacturing 

Initiative 

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of 

Energy (DOE). 

ACTION: Request for Information (RFI)— 

Photovoltaic (PV) Manufacturing 

Initiative. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy 

(DOE) today gives notice of a Request 

for Information on the PV 

Manufacturing Initiative. The ‘‘PV 

Manufacturing Initiative’’ is intended to 

coordinate stakeholders and technology 

development efforts across the solar 

community to facilitate the 

development of a strong PV 

manufacturing industry in the United 

States. The primary goals of this 

initiative include supporting the 

creation of a robust United States-based 

PV manufacturing technology including 

infrastructure and supply chain base, 

developing a highly trained workforce 

with the critical skills required to meet 

the needs of a rapidly growing industry, 

and speeding the implementation of 

new cutting edge technologies. 

There are three separate models 

currently under consideration: 

University-Led Consortia, Collaborative 

Industry-Led Consortia, and 

Manufacturing Development Facilities, 

which are described in full detail in the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. 

This Request for Information (RFI) seeks 

comments on the general concept, 

potential benefits or obstacles, the 

overall merits of the idea, alternatives, 

and the relative priority of this activity. 

DOE will evaluate responses to this RFI 

to determine the best approach to move 

forward. 

DATES: Responses to this RFI must be 

submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 

September 30, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: All responses to this RFI 

must be delivered electronically in 

Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format as 

an attachment to an e-mail sent to the 

following e-mail address: 

PVManufInit@go.doe.gov. 

E-mails should have the subject line 

‘‘PV Manufacturing Initiative 

Response’’. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any 

questions about the content of this RFI 

must be sent to the following e-mail 

address: PVManufInit@go.doe.gov. Emails should have the subject line 

‘‘Question’’. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Program Manager/Area 

JoAnn Milliken, Acting Program 

Manager, Solar Energy Technologies 

Program, Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy. 

Background and Rationale 

The mission of the Department of 

Energy’s (DOE) Solar Energy 

Technologies Program (SETP) is to 

accelerate the wide-spread adoption of 

solar electric technologies across the 

United States through a program of 

applied research and development, 

demonstration, and market 

transformation activities. This mission 

aims to diversify the Nation’s electricity 

supply options, increase national 

security, and improve the environment. 

The SETP mission is consistent with the 

Energy Policy Act of 2005 and DOE’s 

Strategic Plan. 

During the past decade, worldwide 

demand for and production of PV 

energy systems has been growing at a 

compounded annual growth rate of 

more than 30%. This growth has taken 

place in response to government 

supported programs in Germany, Spain, 

and other countries outside the United 

States. This demand for PV products has 

the potential to also grow in the United 

States due to new and emerging Federal 

and State support programs and 

favorable solar conditions, as well as 

declining system costs. Currently, the 

United States, is not a major 

manufacturer of PV products and, 

therefore, not well-positioned to take 

advantage of this opportunity’s potential 

to create a strong domestic industry. 

The ‘‘PV Manufacturing Initiative’’ is 

intended to coordinate stakeholders and 

technology development efforts across 

the solar community to facilitate the 

development of a strong PV 

manufacturing industry in the United 

States. The primary goals of this 

initiative include supporting the 

creation of a robust United States-based 

PV manufacturing technology including 

infrastructure and supply chain base, 

developing a highly trained workforce 

with the critical skills required to meet 

the needs of a rapidly growing industry, 

and speeding the implementation of 

new cutting edge technologies. 

Three separate models are currently 

under consideration: (1) University-led 

consortia guided by industry that would 

conduct industry-relevant 

manufacturing research projects; (2) 

collaborative industry-led consortia that 

will develop and implement 

manufacturing research projects with 

shared intellectual property (IP); and (3) 

manufacturing development efforts, 

possibly implemented through common 

facilities, for equipment and process 

development with individual 

companies maintaining exclusive 

ownership of IP. 

Proposed Strategy 

If a Funding Opportunity 

Announcement (FOA) is developed 

from this RFI, it will enable DOE to 

launch a major PV Manufacturing 

Initiative that will accelerate 

development and provide a strong base 

for a domestic United States PV 

industry. DOE anticipates that up to 

$30M may be available to fund the PV 

Manufacturing Initiative in the first 

year. Of that, DOE anticipates that 

approximately $5M may be devoted to 

a single or multiple awards for 

University-Led Consortia. The 

remaining $25M may be used to fund 

single or multiple awards for 

Collaborative Industry-led Consortia 

and/or Manufacturing Development 

Facilities. 

All proposals to implement PV 

Manufacturing Initiative models would 

be evaluated according to a competitive 

award process. In all cases, successful 

proposals would be expected to 

maximize the number of alternative 

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48532 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 183 / Wednesday, September 23, 2009 / Notices 

funding sources, provide geographic 

diversity, incorporate a broad base of 

the PV industry, and have a detailed 

plan for the management of intellectual 

property, consortium membership (if a 

consortia is proposed), and other 

governance issues. All PV technologies 

(i.e., wafer, thin film, and concentrator) 

and combinations of technologies may 

be considered. The Industry-led models 

(the Collaborative Industry-led 

Consortia and Manufacturing 

Development Facilities) are intended to 

allow the integration of universities and 

workforce development; likewise, the 

University-Led Consortia model should 

have strong ties to industry. All model 

approaches are also intended to allow 

for the technical participation of 

national laboratories, as defined in 

section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 

2005. Regarding financial participation, 

each model encourages inclusion of 

state economic development or other 

funding organizations. 

Entities who apply for multiple 

awards should be able to demonstrate 

that they can complete all the work 

proposed. 

Below are characteristics of the three 

models being considered to implement 

the goals of the PV Manufacturing 

Initiative. 

University-Led Consortia 

DOE would maintain a constant level 

of funding over the first 5 years for each 

University-Led Consortium, with the 

option to extend for 5 years either 

through an extension of the existing 

award, or as a subsequent competitive 

opportunity. Additional sources of 

funding would be expected by industry 

participants and universities. The 

consortia would select projects 

proposed by the universities in 

consultation with industry. 

The specific problems to be addressed 

will be identified through rigorous 

planning and implementation of 

industry-relevant collaborative research 

plans. Based on the development 

opportunities identified, the consortia 

will fund development projects with the 

expectation of delivering new offerings 

to market within 2–5 years. 

Participation in standards or roadmap 

planning activities could be considered 

part of the scope of these consortia. 

Successful consortia will provide 

interested graduate-level and postdoctoral students with opportunities for 

direct experience in research and 

development (R&D) projects and handson training in industrially viable 

manufacturing processes. The consortia 

would also address how its relationship 

with the PV industry is expected to 

produce graduates from the university 

that have a thorough understanding of 

PVs from materials to systems, excellent 

proficiency in device, module and 

system aspects of PVs, and the technical 

communication skills that are highly 

valued by the industry. 

Collaborative Industry-Led Consortia 

DOE support for each Collaborative 

Industry-Led Consortium would fund 

initial projects in combination with 

other funding sources, with the DOE 

share of support gradually decreasing 

over 5 years and industry and other 

parties assuming a greater share over the 

same time span. Additionally, it is 

expected that all industry participants 

would equitably share in the intellectual 

property developed through each 

consortium. 

The specific problems to be addressed 

will be identified through rigorous 

planning and implementation of 

industry relevant collaborative research 

plans. Based on the development 

opportunities identified, the consortia 

will fund development projects with the 

expectation of delivering new offerings 

to market within 2–5 years. Because of 

the anticipated membership of diverse 

companies across the PV industry, it 

may be desirable for these consortia to 

serve as a major resource and leading 

contributors to industry-wide standards 

and roadmap development. 

Manufacturing Development Facilities 

DOE funding for Manufacturing 

Development Facilities would provide 

initial awards to set up the facilities, 

with additional funding for these 

facilities also expected to come through 

the organizing entity, user fees, 

equipment providers, as well as other 

participants. DOE funding would be 

gradually reduced over 1–3 years with 

other participants assuming a greater 

share. Manufacturing Development 

Facility awards could be executed with 

an organization with ties to the PV 

industry, industry-led consortium, or as 

an individual or non-related separate 

entity. Either new or retooled 

manufacturing development facilities 

could be established. These facilities 

will assist, potentially, a wide-range of 

PV companies in making the transition 

to commercial production. In contrast to 

the Collaborative Industry-Led 

Consortia, IP developed through these 

facilities will be owned by user 

companies. 

Manufacturing Development Facilities 

could be implemented with some or all 

of the following characteristics: provide 

tools with common uses to innovate and 

test processing parameters; facilitate 

matchmaking between process 

innovators and the development 

facilities of equipment manufacturers; 

enable users to access process 

development and characterization 

capabilities to aid benchmarking and 

troubleshooting manufacturing 

processes; and give users access to 

technical expertise and manufacturing 

equipment to speed development of full 

commercial manufacturing capability. 

Participation in standards or roadmap 

planning activities could be considered 

part of the scope of work for the 

Manufacturing Development Facility 

awardees. 

Anticipated Award and Financial 

Information, if a Funding Opportunity 

Results From This RFI 

Total Estimated Cost of the Project: 

$125,000,000–$200,000,000 (DOE and 

Cost share) depending on mix of models 

selected. 

Total DOE Funding Anticipated: 

$100,000,000. 

Initial Funding: $30,000,000. 

Anticipated Level of Required Cost 

Share: 

University Led Collaborative Consortia, 

20%. 

Collaborative Industry Led Consortia, 

50%. 

Manufacturing Development Facilities, 

50%. 

Fiscal Year of Initial Funding: FY10. 

Estimated Project Period of Awards: 

University-Led Consortia, 5 years. 

Collaborative Industry-Led Consortia, 5 

years. 

Manufacturing Development Facilities, 

1–3 years. 

Qualifications or Restricted Eligibility: 

The University-Led Consortia are 

restricted to domestic universities. 

Industry participants for the 

Collaborative Industry-Led Consortia 

must have United States-based PV 

research facilities and demonstrated 

intent for United States manufacturing 

within 3 years. All other participants 

must be United States-based 

organizations. 

DOE Laboratory Involvement: 

National laboratories may not apply 

as prime applicants, but may apply as 

team members. 

Request for Information Guidelines 

Respondents are asked to specifically 

comment on the questions below. 

Respondents are also encouraged to 

comment on the general concept, 

potential benefits or obstacles, the 

overall merits of this idea, alternatives, 

and the relative priority of this activity. 

DOE will evaluate responses to this RFI 

to determine the best approach to move 

forward. 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 183 / Wednesday, September 23, 2009 / Notices 48533 

Questions 

(1) Concept: 

• Please comment on the three 

models comprising the PV 

Manufacturing Initiative. How well is 

the problem framed, and are the models 

identified correct possible solutions? 

Will the models identified accomplish 

the goals of the Initiative? Are there 

other, more expedient approaches to 

achieving the goals? Should the models 

be modified? Do any of the models have 

higher priority? Are there other models 

that have not been discussed that 

should also be considered? 

• What PV technologies would most 

likely succeed using these or other 

models? 

• What are the most likely 

organizational barriers that may arise 

(e.g. IP sharing issues), and are there 

solutions DOE should consider? 

(2) Benefits: 

• What do you see as the greatest 

contributions the PV Manufacturing 

Initiative can make to establish a strong 

manufacturing base and supply chain 

for the United States PV industry? 

(3) Eligibility: 

• Do you agree with the eligibility 

criteria for the leads and participants for 

the University-Led Consortia? What 

about the Collaborative Industry-Led 

Consortia? Manufacturing Development 

Facilities? 

• Should ‘‘for profit’’ consortia be 

considered or only non-profit entities? 

• Should there be a minimum 

number of partners required by DOE for 

award or could a consortium be 

contained within one institution with 

far-reaching activity? 

(4) Funding: 

• Would it be better to fund more 

awards at lower levels or fewer awards 

at higher levels? 

• Does the level of funding seem 

appropriate given the amount and type 

of work anticipated? 

• Does the level of cost share seem 

appropriate? 

DOE will not pay for information 

provided under this Request for 

Information (RFI), and there is no 

guarantee that a project will be 

supported as a result of this RFI. This 

RFI is not accepting applications for 

financial assistance or financial 

incentives. 

A response to this RFI will not be 

viewed as a binding commitment to 

develop or pursue the project or ideas 

discussed. DOE may also decide at a 

later date to issue Funding Opportunity 

Announcements (FOAs), based on 

consideration of the input received from 

this RFI or to not issue this opportunity 

at all. 

Respondents are requested to provide 

the following information at the start of 

their response to this RFI: 

• Company/institutional name, 

• Company/institutional contact, 

• Type of Business or Institution, 

• Address, phone number, and e-mail 

address, 

• Brief description of the operations 

and mission of business or institution 

(several sentences will suffice). 

All responses to this RFI must be 

delivered electronically in Microsoft 

Word (.doc) format as an attachment to 

an e-mail sent to the following e-mail 

address: PVManufInit@go.doe.gov. Emails should have the subject line ‘‘PV 

Manufacturing Initiative Response’’. 

Any questions about the content of this 

RFI must be sent to the following e-mail 

address: PVManufInit@go.doe.gov. 

E-mails should have the subject line 

‘‘Question’’. 

Responses to this RFI must be 

submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time 

on September 30, 2009. Responses 

should be limited to 5 pages. However, 

more than one response is allowed per 

respondent. Please identify your 

answers by responding to a specific 

question if possible. 

We welcome other comments as well. 

Identifying the comment with the item 

to which it refers will facilitate 

aggregating all the responses. Any 

information obtained as a result of this 

RFI is intended to be used by the 

Government on a non-attribution basis 

for program planning and procurement 

strategy development. Information or 

data that is restricted in any way or 

limited for use by the Government is not 

solicited and will not be considered. 

Please do not respond with any 

information that you deem proprietary 

or confidential. Responses to this RFI 

are not confidential and may be 

published publically on a nonattribution basis. DOE has no obligation 

to respond to those who submit 

comments, and/or give any feedback on 

any decision made based on the 

comments received, as there is potential 

for a future Funding Opportunity 

relative to this subject. 

DOE thanks you for your assistance 

and comments in helping accomplish its 

mission. 

Issued in Golden, CO, on September 4, 

2009. 

Andrea K. Lucero, 

Contracting Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–22930 Filed 9–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. CP09–463–000] 

ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of 

Request Under Blanket Authorization 

September 16, 2009. 

Take notice that on September 10, 

2009, ANR Pipeline Company (ANR), 

717 Texas Street, Houston, Texas 77002, 

filed in Docket No. CP09–463–000, a 

prior notice request pursuant to sections 

157.205 and 157.216 of the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission’s 

regulations under the Natural Gas Act 

for authorization to abandon by sale to 

ATP Oil & Gas Corporation (ATP), 

approximately 9.67 miles of 6-inch 

diameter pipeline, located in offshore 

Louisiana, all as more fully set forth in 

the application, which is on file with 

the Commission and open to public 

inspection. The filing may also be 

viewed on the web at http:// 

www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. 

Enter the docket number excluding the 

last three digits in the docket number 

field to access the document. For 

assistance, contact FERC at 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call 

toll-free, (866) 208–3676 or TTY, (202) 

502–8659. 

Specifically, ANR proposes to 

abandon by sale to ATP, the El 30–34 

Facilities, which consist of 

approximately 9.67 miles of 6-inch 

diameter pipeline bearing Minerals 

Management Service Segment No. 8888, 

ANR Line No. 795, beginning at a point 

on ATP’s Eugene Island Area Block 30 

JA Platform and ending at the upstream 

side of a subsea 8-inch tap valve located 

on ANR’s 20-inch pipeline in Eugene 

Island Area Block 34 designated as Line 

No. 733, in Federal Waters, offshore 

Louisiana. ANR also proposes to 

abandon its interest in any 

appurtenances and facilities related to 

Line No. 795, including, and without 

limitation, the pipeline riser, metering 

facilities including Meter No. 512202 

(excluding any Electronic Gas 

Measurement Equipment (EGM)), and 

deck piping associated with the El 30– 

34 Facilities. ANR states that they will 

continue to operate the meter for ATP, 

and will continue to own, operate, and 

maintain ANR’s existing side valve 

assembly on ANR’s Line No. 733, EGM, 

and gas sampling equipment. 

Any questions regarding the 

application should be directed to Rene 

Staeb, Manager, Project Determinations 

& Regulatory Administration, ANR 

Pipeline Company, 717 Texas Street, 

Houston, Texas 77002, or call at (832) 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES