DOE Establishes New Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations

The Department of Energy (DOE) has established a new Office of Clean Energy Demonstration. The office will oversee more than $20 billion in federal investments in clean energy projects. These projects will work towards the Biden administration’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century. Investing in demonstration projects allow the U.S. to test possible clean energy solutions that can provide innovative and effective solutions to real-world problems.

According to DOE, “The founding of this office represents a new chapter that builds on DOE’s long-standing position as the premier international driver for clean energy research and development, expanding DOE’s scope to fill a critical innovation gap on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050.” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm states that “the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations will move clean energy technologies out of the lab and into local and regional economies across the country, proving the value of technologies that can deliver for communities, businesses, and markets.”

The funds for the Office were appropriated by Congress in its Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that became law in November 2021. The Biden administration believes the $62 billion law will supercharge DOE’s work in clean energy and allow the U.S. to implement cutting-edge technologies across the country. The Office will receive $5 billion in it’s first year to get up and running, and will receive a total investment of around $21.5 billion over five years.

Fore more information, please visit: https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-establishes-new-office-clean-energy-demonstrations-under-bipartisan-infrastructure-law. batteries, which can no longer store an adequate amount of energy to power a car, can instead be used to store wind and solar energy. Repurposing the old batteries will reduce their carbon footprint by 17% by expanding their use life-cycle.

Anticipating future use of these batteries beyond their initial 12-year lifespan powering electric vehicles will reduce the growing demand for facilities that are able to recycle the batteries. This newly published NSF-funded research hopes to encourage scientists and engineers to consider reuse cases in renewable energy storage to create a more environmentally friendly electric vehicle battery.