The
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is an office within the
United States Department of Energy that invests in high-risk, high-value research and development in the fields of
energy efficiency and
renewable energy technologies. The Office of EERE is led by the Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, who manages several internal EERE offices and ten programs that support research, development, and outreach efforts.
Management and organization
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's mission, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Web site, is to strengthen America's energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality in public-private partnerships that enhance energy efficiency and productivity; bring clean, reliable and affordable energy technologies to the marketplace; and make a difference in the everyday lives of Americans by enhancing their energy choices and their quality of life.
The Office of EERE is led by the Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The Office manages ten major programs, each of which is responsible for research, development, and outreach in a particular field of renewable energy or energy efficiency.
Assistant Secretary
The Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is Dr. Henry Kelly.
Offices
EERE is divided internally into several different offices that are responsible for different aspects of its operations.
Business Administration
Commercialization and Deployment
Golden Field Office
Technology Advancement and Outreach
Technology Development
Budget
The Office of EERE's annual budget is determined by annual
congressional appropriations. The Office of EERE received $1,457,241,000 in fiscal year 2007, $1,722,407,000 in fiscal year 2008, and requested $1,255,393,000 for fiscal year 2009. These funds are divided among the ten EERE programs and internal costs such as program direction, program support, and facilities and infrastructure.
2007
These values are taken from the EERE 2007
budget documents.
style="width:47%;" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | (values in thousands) |
style="width:1%;" rowspan="19" | |
! |
|
Request
|
|
Change
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
!width=10% |
Energy Supply and Conservation
|
|
|
| | |
| Biomass and Biorefinery Systems R&D; |
89,776 | | 149,687 |
179,263 |
+29,576
|
|
Building Technologies|| | 68,190 |
77,329 |
86,456 |
+9,127
|
|
Federal Energy Management Program || | 18,974 |
16,906 |
16,791 |
-115
|
|
Geothermal Technology || | 22,762 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
|
Hydrogen Technology || | 153,451 |
195,801 |
213,000 |
+17,199
|
|
Hydropower || | 495 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
|
Industrial Technologies || | 55,856 |
45,563 |
45,998 |
+435
|
|
Solar Energy || | 81,791 |
148,372 |
148,304 |
-68
|
|
Vehicle Technologies || | 178,351 |
166,024 |
176,138 |
+10,114
|
|
Weatherization and Intergovernmental Activities || | 316,866 |
225,031 |
204,904 |
-20,127
|
|
Wind Energy || | 38,333 |
43,819 |
40,069 |
-3,750
|
style="text-align:left; background:#d0e6ff; color:#000; font-size:90%; border:solid 1px grey; padding:.3em;" colspan="2" | Facilities and Infrastructure |
|
26,052 | | 5,935 |
6,982 |
+1,047
|
style="text-align:left; background:#d0e6ff; color:#000; font-size:90%; border:solid 1px grey; padding:.3em;" colspan="2" | Program Direction |
|
101,868 | | 91,024 |
105,013 |
+13,989
|
style="text-align:left; background:#d0e6ff; color:#000; font-size:90%; border:solid 1px grey; padding:.3em;" colspan="2" | Program Support |
|
13,321 | | 10,930 |
13,281 |
+2,351
|
style="text-align:left; background:#d0e6ff; color:#000; font-size:90%; border:solid 1px grey; padding:.3em;" colspan="2" | Adjustments |
|
-3,339 | | |
|
style="text-align:left; background:#d0e6ff; color:#000; font-size:90%; border:solid 1px grey; padding:.3em;" colspan="2" | Total, Energy Supply and Conservation |
|
1,162,747 | | 1,176,421 |
1,236,199 |
+59,778
|
Major programs
Biomass
The Biomass Program works with industry, academia, and national laboratory partners on research in
biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. Key goals of the Program include focusing research and development efforts to ensure that
cellulosic ethanol is cost competitive by 2012, and further developing infrastructure and opportunities for market penetration of bio-based fuels and products.
Building Technologies
The Building Technologies Program works to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings through industry partnerships, research, and tool development. The program’s strategic goal is to create technologies and design approaches that lead to marketable net
zero energy homes by 2020 and net zero energy commercial buildings by 2025.
The Building Technologies Program oversees the U.S. Department of Energy's work with Energy Star, which is managed through partnership with the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Federal Energy Management
The Federal Energy Management Program facilitates the federal government's implementation of cost-effective energy management and investment practices. This is delivered through project transaction services, applied technology services, and decision support services.
Geothermal Technologies
The Geothermal Technologies Program supports research and development for
geothermal energy technologies, and supports finding, accessing, and using geothermal resources in the United States. One of their primary goals is to develop a 5 megawatt proof-of-principle demonstration of enhanced geothermal systems technology by 2015, and to validate the sustainability of this project by 2020.
Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies
The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program works with academia, industry, the U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratories, and EERE's Vehicle Technologies Program to research and develop
hydrogen production, delivery, and storage technologies; to develop hydrogen safety codes and standards; to validate and demonstrate hydrogen technologies in real-world situations; and to educate stakeholders about these technologies.
Industrial Technologies
The Industrial Technologies Program works with U.S. industries to reduce their energy intensity and carbon emissions, and supports the development of advanced industrial technologies and energy management best practices. Through the Save Energy Now initiative, this program is leading a drive to reduce industrial energy intensity 25% by 2017, a national goal outlined in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Solar Energy Technologies
The Solar Energy Technologies Program focuses on accelerating the advancement of solar energy technologies. Its four subprograms are
photovoltaics,
concentrating solar power,
market transformation, and systems integration.
Vehicle Technologies
The
Vehicle Technologies Program works with industry to develop technologies that could increase vehicle energy efficiency and to research, develop, demonstrate, test, validate, commercialize, and educate about
alternative fuel vehicles.
Weatherization & Intergovernmental
The Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program provides grants to state governments, Indian tribes, municipal utilities, and low-income families through four separate programs that utilize all of EERE’s energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies:
Renewable Energy Production Incentive
State Energy Program
Tribal Energy Program
Weatherization Assistance Program
Wind and Hydropower Technologies
The Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program conducts research in wind and water energy technologies. Wind energy R&D; includes utility-scale technologies for both land-based and offshore applications and small distributed
wind energy systems for home, farm, and business applications. One example of a project sponsored by the Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program is the
Wind ENergy Data & Information (WENDI) Gateway, established by
Oak Ridge National Laboratory in March 2010. An additional program within this section is the
Wind Powering America Initiative. Water energy research includes
traditional hydropower technologies as well as
wave energy, ocean current,
tidal current, and river current technologies.
EERE-funded activities and events
The Office of EERE sponsors, in whole or in part, activities aimed at public outreach and engagement in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Prominent national events include:
Solar Decathlon
The
Solar Decathlon is a competition held in Washington, D.C. every other year. Students from 20 universities and colleges across the United States and the world construct homes that are powered exclusively by
solar energy. These homes are displayed on the
National Mall in Washington, D.C. and judged in ten contests.
The next Solar Decathlon will be held in 2009, on October 9-13 and 15-18.
EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge
EcoCAR is a college-level competition during which college-level students at 17 North American universities are given three years to produce a
zero emissions vehicle. The students produce a variety of alternative vehicles, including full-function electric, range-extended electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles. The event culminates in a week-long competition.
The event is run by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors.
Solar America Cities
Solar America Cities is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, 25 cities across the United States, and municipal, county, and state agencies, universities, solar companies, utilities, developers, and non-profit organizations. The 25 selected cities each received $5 million, as well as technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy, to:
Integrate solar energy technologies into city energy planning
Remove barriers to solar energy development in their city
Promote solar technologies among the residents and local businesses.
National laboratories
The Office of EERE provides funding to 12 of the U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratories for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
Argonne National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
National Energy Technology Laboratory
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratories
Savannah River National Laboratory
References
External links
The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Web site
About the Office of EERE
Office of Business Administration
Energy Savers
EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge
Category:United States Department of Energy agencies
Category:Presidency of Barack Obama
Category:Energy policy in the United States
Category:Climate change policy in the United States
Category:Renewable energy organizations based in the United States
es:EERE
Category:Article Feedback Pilot