- Author: Kathleen P Nolan
Dear Colleagues,
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is soliciting draft research proposals from California public universities and colleges to implement the development of the Fiscal Year 2017/18 Annual Research Plan.
Priority research topics for the plan are as follows:
- Geofencing as a strategy to lower emissions in disadvantaged communities - to evaluate strategies in the heavy-duty sector that could lower emissions through the use of geofencing in disadvantaged communities, during certain times, or in areas of poor air quality.
- Activity data of off-road engines in construction - to characterize the activity profiles (e.g. operation duration on an average working day, load factor variation during operation, and exhaust temperature) for heavy-duty off-road diesel vehicles and engines used for construction purposes.
- Policy, planning and program frameworks for zero-net carbon communities - to leverage an existing zero net energy (ZNE) project that will fund the planning, permitting, and design of low-income ZNE housing to create a benchmarking framework for zero net carbon (ZNC) communities.
- Small commercial stationary refrigeration equipment inventory and f-gas emissions estimates - To develop an equipment inventory and estimates of the current fluorinated gas (F-gas) emissions in California from non-residential, commercial or industrial stationary refrigeration equipment using less than 50 pounds of refrigerant; and to research and assess the cost, feasibility, and energy efficiency of using low-GWP alternative refrigerants for these smaller refrigeration systems.
- Vehicle brake and tire wear emissions - to measure and analyze brake wear data to update emission factors in EMFAC, to support generation of speed-dependent emission factors, and to support source apportionment and health impact studies.
- Emissions impact of connected and automated vehicle deployment in California – seeks to determine the range of projected impacts of varying penetration levels of light-duty connected and automated vehicles (CAV) on energy usage, vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria pollutant emissions at the transportation system-level in California through 2050.
- Strategies to reduce methane emissions from enteric and lagoon sources - to determine the economic and logistical feasibility of strategies to inhibit methane (CH4) production from enteric fermentation and anaerobic manure storage lagoon sources at California dairy and beef operations.
If you are interested in submitting a draft proposal to address any of the research topics described in this solicitation, please send an email to Sarah Pittiglio (sarah.pittiglio@arb.ca.gov) indicating your intent to submit by May 30, 2017.
Draft proposals will then be due no later than June 21, 2017. Please submit your draft proposal through the ARB solicitation website (after review and approval to submit is received from your OCG analyst).
ARB expects to select a proposal by July 14, 2017. A final proposal incorporating comments by ARB staff will be needed by July 26, 2017 for further review and refinement by the Board's Research Screening Committee in August. Final proposals would be needed by early September for a final decision by the Board and our target of executed contracts by December 2017.
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)