dept of energy

Enacted FY14 funding is used for comparisons unless otherwise noted.

The latest Department of Defense-led manufacturing innovation institutes will support cutting-edge research and product development in lightweight and modern metals and digital manufacturing and design. A consortium of 73 companies, nonprofits and universities will help launch the Chicago-based institute. The Detroit-area based consortium involves 60 partners. Earlier this year, North Carolina was selected as the location for the first institute with a focus on next generation power electronics. The president also announced a $70 million Department of Energy-sponsored competition for advanced composites manufacturing – the first of four new competitions to be launched this year. Read the announcement…

The first of three new manufacturing innovation institutes will be headquartered in Raleigh, NC, and led by a consortium of 18 companies, seven universities and labs, and the state of North Carolina. The announcement was made today by President Obama. Developing wide-bandgap semiconductor devices and industry-relevant processes is the goal of the Next Generation Power Electronics Institute. Such technologies are used to develop smaller, faster, cheaper and more efficient electronics for personal devices, electric vehicles and renewable power interconnection, according to a press release.

Electric vehicles may be gaining momentum. In 2013, Tesla has outsold other luxury car makers in California and received high safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  To help support this growing industry, ARPA-E has granted a total of $36 million to 22 projects at national laboratories, universities, and private companies around the country as part of its new Robust Affordable Next Generation Energy Story Systems (RANGE) program. RANGE will work to harness this network of research to improve electric vehicle energy storage systems, therefore increasing driving range, through new chemistry and design. The universities receiving funding are: Arizona State University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Penn State University, Princeton University, Purdue University, Stanford University, UCLA, University of California-San Diego, University of Houston, and University of Maryland. Of the 22 projects, eight are at private entities, such as GE and BASF. Read the announcement...

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz is leading a restructuring of the department's management, reorganizing programs and undersecretary positions to better align with the operational goals of supporting President Obama's Climate Action Plan, an "all of the above" energy strategy, and strengthening nuclear security. The move will create an Under Secretary for Management and Performance, merge the energy and science programs, and consolidate the department's defense waste cleanup efforts.

The Department of Energy's guaranteed loan program has made headlines as automotive company Tesla paid back over $450 million in federal loans nine years ahead of schedule. Tesla's move highlights the potential of federal loan programs to support the growth of renewable energy industries by investing in companies that are developing new technologies such as lithium batteries and electric cars.