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the DOE says it has offered its 14th loan guarantee — a $17.1 million conditional commitment to AES Energy Storage, a subsidiary of power giant AES, to build a 20 MW energy storage system using A123System’s lithium ion batteries.

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The incandescent light bulb’s days are numbered. Under federal law, the 100-watt bulbs are supposed to be taken off the shelf next year, followed later by the more common 40- and 60-watt models.


But guess who’s still using them? The Department of Energy.

incandescent incandescent light bulb Department of Energy doe cfl

The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that it will be funneling $67 million into 10 projects working on capturing the carbon dioxide produced by coal-fired power plants. Over the next three years, these projects will be developing ways to make current carbon capture techniques work with existing power plants.

greennumbers ccs carbon capture and storage doe Department of Energy carbon dioxide coal fired power stations

There's some interesting new data out on recent shifts in electricity demand and consumption, courtesy of the DOE/EIA.

In 2008, total U.S. power generation was 4.1 million GWh. In 2009, that fell by 4 percent, to 3.9 million. That's a 4 percent reduction -- clearly the result of the economic slowdown. Nothing surprising there.

What's interesting, though, is how generation shifted by fuel type. Over the same year, coal-fired power generation fell by 11 percent, from almost 2 million GWh to just under 1.8 million.

greennumbers fuel type coal-fired power generation coal DOE EIA U.S. power generation electricity demand electricity consumption

University of Leeds Professor Joyce Dargay and New York University Professor Dermot Gately have a new research paper suggesting that projections from the DOE, IEA, and OPEC are underestimating the challenges ahead for meeting world oil demand.

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Energy Secretary Steven Chu — the rockstar geek Nobel Prize winner — announced at the first ARPA-E summit on Tuesday that the Department of Energy will hand out $100 million in a third round of grants to early stage greentech startups through the ARPA-E program. Specifically this round of grants will focus on energy efficiency technologies including grid storage, power converter technology, and building cooling technology

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"A Department of Energy report states: “The ultimate success of the Smart Grid depends on the effectiveness of these devices in attracting and motivating large numbers of consumers.” Yet the way Smart Grid is described, implemented, and envisioned as it rolls out to the public may be the very things holding it back. Are the government and utilities creating the very resistance they need to overcome? "

Department of Energy doe smart grid utilities resistance

The Department of Energy and IBM are serious about developing lithium air batteries capable of powering a car for 500 miles on a single charge - a five-fold increase over current plug-in batteries that have a range of about 40 to 100 miles, the DOE said.

The agency said 24 million hours of supercomputing time out of a total of 1.6 billion available hours at Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories will be used by IBM and a team of researchers from those labs and Vanderbilt University to design new materials required for a lithium air battery.

ibm doe Department of Energy lithium air batteries supercomputing time supercomputing time

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $47m for 14 projects across the country to support the development of energy efficiency improvement in the information technology (IT) and communication technology sectors

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T. Boone Pickens said that based on the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. imported 63 percent of its oil, or 4.35 billion barrels in 2009, sending nearly $265 billion, or $502,473 per minute, to foreign governments.

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"At an event in Columbus, Ohio this afternoon, Secretary Chu announced that the Department of Energy is awarding $620 million for projects around the country to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems that will help build a smarter, more efficient, more resilient electrical grid. These 32 demonstration projects, which include large-scale energy storage, smart meters, distribution and transmission system monitoring devices, and a range of other smart technologies, will act as models for deploying integrated Smart Grid systems on a broader scale. This funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be leveraged with $1 billion in funds from the private sector to support more than $1.6 billion in total Smart Grid projects nationally. "

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"A total of $155 million in Recovery Act money will be awarded to 41 industrial energy efficiency projects throughout the country. The DOE grant awards will provide funding for industrial heat and power systems, district energy systems for industrial plants and for technical and financial support for local industry. "

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An internal audit by the Energy Department concluded that some EnergyStar products are not meeting the requirements to gain the energy-efficiency label

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The DOE has issued its official funding opportunity announcement for about $3.9 billion in stimulus package grants for smart grid projects. Security for smart grid systems is among its top concerns.

doe smart grid stimulus funds stimulus grants security GreenNumbers

Rumors that the Department of Energy was going to announce the first winners of $3.9 billion in smart grid stimulus grants this week have been greatly exaggerated.

That's according to Jen Stutsman, DOE deputy press secretary, speaking Tuesday at the GridWeek conference in Washington, D.C..

The jam-packed smart grid industry event has had its share of hopeful rumors that grants from the DOE's commercial-scale and demonstration-scale smart grid programs might come a bit early this year (see DOE Issues Rules for $3.9B in Smart Grid Stimulus Grants).

But Stutsman reiterated that the DOE expects to make its first announcements in mid-November, dashing those hopes.

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electricity rates will need to rise to reflect periods of intense energy use and to encourage consumers to change their electricity habits, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu

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Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2009. The bill, which cleared the House late Wednesday in a voice vote, would authorize $200 million a year for five years starting in 2010 for a grant program out of the Department of Energy for wind research and demo projects.

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Shocking report from the Department of Energy might dampen enthusiasm for the nuclear industry. The U.S. now imports close to 60% of its uranium, and prices are skyrocketing.

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U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently announced more than $54M in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Under DOE's State Energy Program, states and territories have proposed statewide plans that prioritize energy savings, create or retain jobs, increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"This funding will provide an important boost for state economies, help to put Americans back to work, and move us toward energy independence," said Secretary Chu. "It reflects our commitment to support innovative state and local strategies to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy while insisting that taxpayer dollars be spent responsibly."

These states and territories are receiving 40 percent of their total State Energy Program (SEP) funding authorized under the Recovery Act today. They will now have received 50 percent of their total Recovery Act SEP funding. The initial 10 percent of total funding was previously available to states to support planning activities; the remaining 50 percent of funds will be released once they meet reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones required by the Recovery Act.

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Eight smart grid demonstration projects in seven states have just hit pay dirt. The Department of Energy today announced awards of more than $47 million in stimulus funds for the projects, adding to the $17 million that the agency invested in them last year after a competitive application process. Among the companies cashing in today are Massachusetts-based American Superconductor, Consolidated Edison (Con Edison) of New York, California’s Zenergy Power and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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