US Department of Energy Programs

Mar 22

2008

Posted by Angela Baker in US Department of Energy, hydrogen, geothermal, fuel cells, biomass

The United States Department of Energy has numerous programs designed to bring about "a prosperous future where energy is clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable." These programs include Biomass, Building Technologies, Federal Energy Management, Geothermal Technologies, Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies, Industrial Technologies, Solar Energy Technologies, Vehicle Technologies, Weatherization & Intergovernmental, and Wind & Hydropower Technologies. A look at five of these follows. The following five will be discussed in the next post.

Biomass

This program is "helping transform the nation's renewable and abundant biomass resources into cost competitive, high performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower." Due to a goal brought about by the President to reduce gasoline consumption by 20 percent in 2017, the Biomass Program is designed to make sure that cellulosic ethanol is cost effective by 2012.

Building Technologies

The Building Technologies Program "works to improve the efficiency of buildings and the equipment, components, and systems within them." The overall goal of the program is to achieve net-zero energy buildings at low cost by 2025. The research aspect of this program focuses on lowering the demand for energy within buildings, allowing for renewable energy to be integrated.

Federal Energy Management

The federal government is largest energy consumer in the United States. The purpose of the Federal Energy Management Program has to do with this entity taking responsibility for this factor and setting a positive example through their own energy management. "By promoting energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy resources at federal sites, the Federal Energy Management Program helps agencies save energy, save taxpayer dollars, and demonstrate leadership with responsible, cleaner energy choices.

Geothermal Technologies

Working in conjunction with industry to establish geothermal energy as an economically competitive contributor to the United States energy supply, the Geothermal Technologies Program will provide the nation with novel sources for electricity that allow for green energy. Geothermal energy production is a $1.5 billion a year industry and the benefits of it are numerous. One of these advantages is that it is not subject to the ups and downs of fuel prices and supply disruptions from various vendors. "The Geothermal Technologies Program develops innovative technologies to find, access, and use the Nation's geothermal resources.

Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program

"Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies have the potential to solve the major energy security and environmental challenges that face America today - dependence on petroleum imports, poor air quality, and greenhouse gas emissions." This is why the Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program is working towards a hydrogen economy through the goals the program has set. The goals of this program are as follows:

To overcome technical barriers through research and development of hydrogen production, delivery, and storage technologies, as well as fuel cell technologies for transportation, distributed stationary power, and portable power applications.
To address safety concerns and facilitate the development of model codes and standards.
To validate and demonstrate hydrogen and fuel cell in real-world conditions.
To educate stakeholders whose acceptance of these technologies will determine their success in the marketplace.

In the next post, we will cover the final five programs currently ran by the United States Department of Energy.