### 61622 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 2014 / Notices

of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6272(c)(1)(A)(i)) (EPCA), the following notice of meetings is provided:

Meetings of the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) to the International Energy Agency (IEA) will be held at the headquarters of the IEA, 9, rue de la

Fe

 ́ de

 ́ration, Paris, France, on October 21, 2014, commencing at 9:30 a.m. and at 9:30 a.m. on October 22. The purpose of this notice is to permit attendance by representatives of U.S. company members of the IAB at a joint meeting of the SEQ and the SOM which is
scheduled to be held at IEA headquarters on October 21, commencing at 9:30 a.m., and a meeting of the SEQ which is scheduled to be
held at the same location on October 22 commencing at 9:30 a.m. The IAB will also hold a preparatory meeting among company representatives at the same
location at 8:30 a.m. on October 22. The agenda for this preparatory meeting is to review the agenda for the SEQ meeting. IAB representatives are also invited to participate in a meeting of the Emergency Response Exercise design group at 5:30 p.m. on October 22.

The agenda of the joint SOM and SEQ meeting on October 21 is under the control of the SEQ and the SOM. It is expected that the SEQ and SOM will adopt the following agenda: 1. Adoption of the Agenda 2. Approval of the Summary Record of the June 26, 2014, Joint Session 3. Reports on Recent Oil Market and Policy Developments in IEA

Countries 4. Update on OIM Projects and Priorities
5. The Current Oil Market Situation 6. Crises in Iraq and Libya: Consequences for Supply 7. Mexico’s Energy Reform
8. The Outlook for Production in
Venezuela 9. Key Messages from the Medium-term Renewable Market Report 10. Update on the Ukraine-Russian
Standoff and the Natural Gas
Market
11. Other Business

—Tentative schedule of upcoming

SEQ and SOM meetings: —February 24–26, 2015 (tentative) —June 23–25, 2015 —October 13–15, 2015 The agenda of the meeting of the SEQ
on October 22 is under the control of the SEQ. It is expected that the SEQ will adopt the following agenda: 1. Adoption of the Agenda 2. Approval of the Summary Record of
the 142nd Session 3. Status of Compliance with IEP Stockholding Commitments 4. Emergency Response Review Program 5. Australia Data Mission 6. Mid-term Emergency Response Review Update on Australia 7. Emergency Response Exercise 7 Update 8. Emergency Response Review of New
Zealand 9. Gas Security 10. Saving Oil in a Hurry
11. Presentation on Tickets 12. Emergency Response Review of the Czech Republic
13. Outreach

—ERE in China
—APSA/Colombian ERA/

Stockholding workshop in Chile —Energy Community 14. Oral Reports by Administrations 15. Industry Advisory Board Update
16. Other Business

—Tentative schedule of next

meetings: —November 17–18, 2014 (ERE 7) —February 24–26, 2015 (tbc) —June 23–25, 2015 —October 13–15, 2015 As provided in section 252(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6272(c)(1)(A)(ii)), the meetings of the IAB are open to representatives of members of the IAB and their counsel; representatives of members of the IEA’s Standing Group on Emergency Questions and the IEA’s Standing Group on the Oil Markets; representatives of the Departments of Energy, Justice, and State, the Federal Trade Commission, the General Accounting Office, Committees of Congress, the IEA, and the European Commission; and invitees of the IAB, the SEQ, the SOM, or the IEA.

Issued in Washington, DC, October 8, 2014.

Diana D. Clark, Assistant General Counsel for International and National Security Programs.

[FR Doc. 2014–24333 Filed 10–10–14; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6450–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY**

**Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy** 

**The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 Future Planning;**  **Request for Information**

**AGENCY :**  Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy (DOE).

**ACTION :**  Request for Information (RFI).

**SUMMARY :**  The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The Solar Decathlon provides participating students with hands-on experience and unique training that prepares them to enter the clean energy workforce. Open to the public free of charge, the Solar Decathlon givesvisitors the opportunity to tour solarpowered houses, gather ideas to use intheir own homes, and learn how energysaving features can help them save money today. The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition then occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011 in Washington, DC In 2013,
the Solar Decathlon moved to the Orange County Great Park in Irvine,
California. The next Solar Decathlon will take place Oct. 8–18, 2015, at the Orange County Great Park. This RFI seeks information to inform designing, planning and implementing the next generation of the Solar Decathlon—2017 and beyond.

**DATES :**  DOE will accept information on this notice, but no later than November

28, 2014.

**ADDRESSES :**  Interested persons are encouraged to submit information electronically. However, interested persons may submit information by any of the following methods:

• Email: SolarDecathlonRFI@

EE.Doe.Gov Include Solar Decathlon in the subject line of the message. Submit electronic comments in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, portable document format (PDF), or American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) file format, and avoid the use of special characters or any form of encryption.

• Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, Mailstop EE–5B, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121. Telephone: (202) 586–2945. If possible, please submit all items on a compact disc (CD), in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies.

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, 6th Floor, 950 L’Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 586–2945. If possible, please submit all items on a CD, in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies.

Instructions: All submissions received
must reference the Solar Decathalon 2017 Planning RFI and include your name and/or agency name along with. No telefacsimilies (faxes) will be accepted.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Mr. Richard King, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office,


### 61623 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 2014 / Notices

1000 Independence Avenue SW., EE–5B, Washington, DC 20585; (202)

586–1693; Richard.king@ee.doe.gov.

For legal issues, please contact Kavita Vaidyanathan; U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., GC– 71, Washington, DC 20585; (202) 586–

0669; Kavita.Vaidyanathan@hq.doe.gov.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 

Table of Contents

I. Authority and Background II. Disclaimer and Important Notes III. Proprietary Information IV. Evaluation and Administration by Federal
and Nonfederal Personnel

V. Discussion VI. Public Participation

I. Authority and Background

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program that challenges collegiate teams todesign, build, and operate solarpowered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. The winning team receives a trophy and the honor of victory. The competition is authorized under section 3165 of the Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act, as amended, which authorizes the Secretary of Energy to support competitive events for students under the supervision of teachers, designed to encourage student interest and knowledge in science and mathematics. (42 U.S.C. 7381b(a)(14))

The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition then occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011 in Washington, DC. In 2013, the Solar Decathlon moved to the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. The next Solar Decathlon will take place Oct. 8–18, 2015, at the Orange County
Great Park.

Each Solar Decathlon team builds a solar-powered house that showcases energy-efficient amenities and smart home systems that reduce carbon emissions without sacrificing the
comfort of modern conveniences. The
Solar Decathlon invites visitors to tour the houses, gather ideas to use in theirown homes, and learn how energysaving features can help them save money today.

The purpose of the Solar Decathlon isto accelerate the adoption of energyefficient products and solutions by:

• Educating students and the public

about the money-saving opportunities and environmental benefits presented by clean energy products and design
solutions

• Demonstrating to the public the

comfort and affordability of gridconnected homes that combine energy-efficient construction and appliances with off-the-shelf renewable-energy systems

• Providing participating students with

unique training that prepares them for the clean energy workforce

The Solar Decathlon educates collegiate students about the opportunities presented by renewable energy and energy efficiency and challenges them to think in new ways about incorporating practical, affordable clean energy solutions into residential applications. The Solar Decathlon uses blended methods (including classroom instruction and real-world application) to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for building systems design and operation. The Solar Decathlonaccelerates the development of wholehouse design and Zero Energy Ready Home solutions that improve performance and reduce costs for
homeowners. The Solar Decathlon fosters collaboration among students from different academic disciplines, including engineering and architecture, who otherwise might not work together until they enter the workplace.

Since 2002 and through 2015, the impacts of the Solar Decathlon have:

• Involved 130 collegiate teams, which

pursued a multidisciplinary approach to study the requirements fordesigning and building energyefficient, solar-powered houses

• Positively impacted nearly 20,000

collegiate participants

• Expanded to Europe, China, and Latin

America to involve an additional 78 teams and nearly 12,000 participants through Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 (Madrid, Spain), Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 (Madrid, Spain), Solar Decathlon China 2013 (Datong, China), Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 (Versailles, France), and Solar
Decathlon Latin America and Caribbean 2015 (Santiago de Cali, Colombia)

• Educated the public about the

benefits, affordability, and availability of clean energy solutions by generating widespread media coverage and harnessing digital tools to reach millions of people

Additional information is available at www.solardecathlon.gov.

For each edition of the competition, up to 20 collegiate teams are selected as finalists through a competitive proposal process. Each team has approximately two years to raise the resources needed to design, build, transport, and present its competition house at the Solar Decathlon. All houses are transported to a common site to compete against one
another in the Solar Decathlon’s 10 contests. The competition is composed of juried evaluations (such as architecture and market appeal) and performance-based measurement (such as heating water, space conditioning, and powering an electric vehicle).
Additional information about the
contests and rules is available at http://www.solardecathlon.gov/
rules.html.

In the first three editions of the Solar Decathlon, the solar-powered houses were independent of the electrical utility grid and used battery systems.Starting in 2009, the houses were gridtied to demonstrate net metering, better represent the growing market for distributed generation solar systems across the country, and show the public
that solar was achievable within existing lifestyles and households. Since 2011, the competition has incorporated an Affordability Contest that encourages teams to think not only about superiordesign and performance but also costeffectiveness. Student teams must balance performance and design
decisions with associated cost.

Also in 2011, Solar Decathlon organizers decided to expand the competition’s audience beyond America’s capitol. After a national
solicitation in which cities across the country competed to host this popular event, the Energy Department selected the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California, for the location of the Solar Decathlon 2013. In 2015, the Solar Decathlon will again be held at the Orange County Great Park. The 2015 competition incorporates a commuting contest that requires teams to drive an electric vehicle charged by their house energy system. The objective for this change is to expand the scope of the competition from a house to a
household.

DOE has continuously worked to reduce the cost of implementing the Solar Decathlon while improving the program overall. For example, DOE tries
to hold the event in known locations where DOE already has the materials and knowledge to more cost effectively provide the necessary power and communication infrastructure. In 2015, DOE will be reducing its financial
contribution to the Solar Decathlon teams, which reduces our costs but requires greater fund raising by each participating organization. DOE even considered holding the competition
where each home would remain in


### 61624 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 2014 / Notices

place, and not need to be moved to a
central location. This would reduce or eliminate some costs for travel, security, infrastructure, and other event logistics;
however this would result in a different Solar Decathlon event and a departure from past events.

Throughout the history of the Solar Decathlon, the organizers have worked to leverage government funding with private support. Both the competition
itself and the student teams receive significant contributions from industry
to ensure the event is successful. Working with a range of partners from utilities and Fortune 50 companies to small homebuilders, the Solar Decathlon builds on government resources. Due to the collegiate team success in leveraging Energy Department funding nearly 8 to 1, the amount of government resources for the collegiate teams has been reduced to half the previous level. Further efficiencies have been implemented to produce the Solar Decathlon competition and public exhibit with
reduced resources. The Solar Decathlon program costs DOE about $5M per each 2 year event cycle, which is a significant
investment for this effort. DOE is continuously working to leverage resources, however further reductions risk reducing the event’s educational outreach under the existing format.

One of the benefits of this program
has been to educate builders and the future workforce regarding the design and construction of highly efficient homes whose energy use can be offset cost effectively with solar power. DOE has embarked on two new programs that help scale the delivery of this outcome.

Formerly called the DOE’s Challenge Home, Zero Energy Ready Homes is a labeling program that highlights
builders who have built new homes that are 40% to 50% more energy efficient
than homes built to the IECC 2006 model energy code—a significant improvement beyond even the typical ENERGY STAR home. The Zero Energy Ready Homes Program provides an avenue for builders to promote their high performing homes through DOE recognition, and demonstrating the value of zero energy ready homes to homeowners. Over 250 Zero Energy Ready Homes have been completed to date with 8,000 additional Certified Homes committed to being built over the coming year.

The DOE ‘‘Race to Zero’’ Student Design Competition provides an annual opportunity for schools and their students to compete against each other on designing marketable energy efficient new homes. 28 college and university
teams from the U.S. and Canada participated in the first event, where students and advisors competed to create zero-energy ready home designs that were market-ready, efficient, durable, and incorporated the best practices from the DOE BuildingAmerica Program. The desired longterm outcome is to inform schools on the value of integrating building science into design courses in all major architecture, engineering, and construction management courses.

The Solar Decathlon program represents over a decade of work to show the U.S. public the opportunities and benefits of solar powered highly energy efficient homes, while also helping to educate our future workforce.
It is now time to take a fresh look at the appropriate outcomes that DOE should deliver over the next decade, and the associated program format and implementation to optimize that outcome with the appropriate cost/
benefit for the U.S.

For more information about the history of the Solar Decathlon, visit http://www.solardecathlon.gov/ history.html.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from past and present participants in the Solar Decathlon, broader academic circles, industry, sponsors, and other stakeholders on
issues related to future Solar Decathlon competitions. The objective is to improve the outcomes aligned with the Solar Decathlon in the long-term. DOE is specifically interested in feedback
about additional U.S. benefits that
should be the focus of future solar powered home programs funded by DOE, the format of a competition to achieve those benefits, and whether other formats or options can deliver higher value to the U.S. In the format discussion, if the current format is proposed to continue, information is requested on how DOE should identify
future locations for the Solar Decathlon.

II. Disclaimer and Important Notes

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, DOE is not accepting applications at this time. EERE may
issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, EERE may also elect
not to issue a FOA. There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants if EERE chooses to issue a FOA regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the anticipated award size, quantity, and timing of EERE funded awards, will be subject to Congressional appropriations and direction.

Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the
Government on a non-attribution basis for planning and strategy development;
this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as information only. EERE will review and consider all responses in its formulation of program strategies for the
identified materials of interest that are the subject of this request. EERE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that EERE is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind EERE to any further actions related to this topic.

III. Proprietary Information

Because information received in response to this RFI may be used to structure future programs and FOAs
and/or otherwise be made available to the public, respondents are strongly advised to NOT include any information in their responses that might be considered business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential. If, however, a respondent chooses to submit business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential information, it must be clearly and conspicuously marked as such in the response.

Responses containing confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be conspicuously marked as described below. Failure to comply with these marking requirements may result
in the disclosure of the unmarked
information under the Freedom of
Information Act or otherwise. The U.S.
Federal Government is not liable for the
disclosure or use of unmarked information, and may use or disclose such information for any purpose.

If your response contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information, you must include a cover sheet marked as follows identifying the specific pages containing confidential, proprietary, or privileged information:

Notice of Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data

Pages [list applicable pages] of this response may contain confidential, proprietary, or privileged information that is exempt from public disclosure.
Such information shall be used or disclosed only for the purposes
described in this RFI. The Government may use or disclose any information


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that is not appropriately marked or otherwise restricted, regardless of

source.

In addition, (1) the header and footer of every page that contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information
must be marked as follows: ‘‘Contains Confidential, Proprietary, or Privileged Information Exempt from Public Disclosure’’ and (2) every line and paragraph containing proprietary, privileged, or trade secret information must be clearly marked with double brackets or highlighting.

IV. Evaluation and Administration by
Federal and Non-Federal Personnel

Federal employees are subject to the non-disclosure requirements of a criminal statute, the Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. 1905. The Government may seek the advice of qualified non-Federal personnel. The Government may also use non-Federal personnel to conduct routine, nondiscretionary administrative activities. The respondents, by submitting their response, consent toEERE providing their response to nonFederal parties. Non-Federal parties given access to responses must be subject to an appropriate obligation of confidentiality prior to being given the access. Submissions may be reviewed by support contractors and private
consultants.

V. Discussion

DOE seeks a variety of different types of information to help inform its decision regarding how future Solar Decathlon competitions will be organized. To this end, DOE seeks detailed information regarding the following aspects related to the Solar Decathlon competitions:

Question 1

How could the goals of the Solar Decathlon evolve to create a larger impact on the market needs of the following industry sectors?
a. Buildings

b. Solar c. Utility d. Transportation

e. Education

Question 2

What additional outcomes of the Solar
Decathlon could increase the scale of that impact, and improve its cost
effectiveness for the U.S.?

Question 3

What is the appropriate role for DOE with respect to delivering on this potential impact? Question 4
What changes could be made to the Solar Decathlon rules, format, location and logistics to achieve those outcomes?

Question 5

How could the public and private roles and funding sources be developed
to achieve those outcomes?

Question 6

What should the Solar Decathlon look like in 10 years?

VI. Public Participation

DOE invites all interested parties to submit in writing by the date specified previously in the **DATES** section of this RFI, comments and information on
matters addressed in this notice and on
other matters relevant to DOE’s designing, planning and implementing the next generation of the Solar Decathlon 2017 and beyond.

Issued in Washington, DC, on October 6,

2014. Kathleen B. Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

[FR Doc. 2014–24328 Filed 10–10–14; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6450–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY**

**Federal Energy Regulatory**
**Commission**

**[Project No. 2146–169]**

**Alabama Power Company; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing and**  **Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Protests** 

Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed
with the Commission and is available for public inspection:

a. Application Type: Non-project use of project lands and waters.

b. Project No: 2146–169.

c. Date Filed: August 21, 2014. d. Applicant: Alabama Power Company.

e. Name of Project: Coosa River Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: Neely Henry Lake in Etowah County, Alabama.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a–825r.

h. Applicant Contact: Matthew Akin, Alabama Power Company, 600 18th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203– 8180, (205) 257–1314, mjakin@
southernco.com.

i. FERC Contact: Krista Sakallaris, (202) 502–6302, krista.sakallaris@ ferc.gov. j. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, and protests: November 10, 2014.

All documents may be filed electronically via the Internet. See, 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the
instructions on the Commission’s Web

site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at http://www.ferc. gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY, (202) 502–8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and seven copies to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. Please include the project number (P–2146–169) on any comments
or motions filed.

The Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person whose name appears on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments
or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.

k. Description of Application: Alabama Power Company requests Commission approval to grant the City of Gadsden, Alabama (applicant) a permit to use project lands and waters to develop a community park. The proposed park would be located on or adjacent to Neely Henry Lake in Etowah County, Alabama and total 15.43 acres, half of the proposed park will be located on Alabama Power Company land within the project boundary. The applicant proposes to build the following facilities on project land: A 20 slip floating dock, a 12 slip boat dock, a pedestrian bridge, two picnic pavilions, three octagonal observation platforms, two overlooks, approximately 3,500 feet (roughly half of which will be within the project boundary) of combined boardwalk and pedestrian paths, pedestrian lighting, and 400 feet of rip rap to prevent shoreline erosion.

l. Locations of the Application: A copy of the application is available for inspection and reproduction at the Commission’s Public Reference Room,