Water and Energy Grant Funding Initiatives
The Energy and Water Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2014 totals $34.9 Billion.
The Energy and Water Development bill has funded all DOE’s programs since FY2005.
Major DOE activities funded by the Energy and Water bill include research and development on renewable energy and energy efficiency, nuclear power, fossil energy R&D, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, energy statistics, general science, environmental cleanup, and nuclear weapons programs.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
President Obama has declared energy efficiency and renewable energy to be a high priority, stressing their importance to jobs, economic growth, and U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.
For example, the 2013 Economic Report of the President notes that:
“President Obama has set a goal of once again doubling generation from wind, solar, and geothermal sources by 2020.”
DOE requests an additional $169 million for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (EDER) programs.
The request emphasizes five broad initiatives that cut across multiple EERE programs:
Hydrogen/Fuel Cell Program
This program aims to reduce petroleum use, greenhouse gas emissions, and criteria air pollutants, while contributing to a more diverse and efficient energy infrastructure. The program supports applied research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, as well as efforts to overcome economic and institutional barriers to commercial deployment.
DOE requests $100 million—a bit below the FY2013 estimate
—seeking to increase hydrogen R&D and manufacturing R&D.
Biomass and Biorefinery Program Initiatives
This program aims to foster a domestic bioenergy industry that produces renewable biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower.
The goals are to curb oil dependence, reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, and stimulate economic and job development—especially in the farms and forests of rural areas.
While biofuels and industrial bioproducts (plastics, solvents, alcohols) may soon be price-competitive, swings in oil prices pose an ongoing challenge to achieve cost competitiveness.
The program strategy addresses a feedstock collection barrier by focusing on converting raw biomass to solid pellets or to “green crude” bio-oil that is easy to transport at large
scale.
Recent goals expand the program scope to include the development of biofuels that will contribute to production targets of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
These “drop-in” liquid fuels are largely compatible with existing infrastructure to deliver, blend, and dispense fuels.
Examples include biomass-based hydrocarbon fuels (renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel), hydrocarbons from algae, and biobutanol.
The program aims to help the non-food “drop-in” biofuels (renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel) reach a wholesale finished-fuel cost under $3 per gasoline gallon-equivalent (gge) by 2017.
DOE requests $282 million in FY2014 for Bioenergy (Biomass and Biorefinery) programs.
Solar Energy
For the Solar Program, DOE requests $356 million. The concentrating solar power (CSP) subprogram would increase by $45 million.
Wind Energy
For the Wind Program, DOE requests a $51 million increase over the FY2013 estimate of $144M.
Geothermal Technologies
The program aims to lower the risk of resource exploration and cut power production costs to six cents/kilowatt-hour (kwh) for hydrothermal power by 2020 and for newly developed technologies by 2030.
For the Geothermal Program, DOE requests $60 million, an increase of $22 million over FY2013. Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) would get an increase of $26 million to establish a field lab and to support strategic R&D.
Water Power
Water power technologies employ marine and hydrokinetic (wave, tidal, current, and ocean thermal) resources—and conventional hydropower resources—to generate electricity.
Hydropower technology is well established, but the fledgling industry for marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) power facilities is still looking to develop a clear technology theme.
For the Water Power Program, DOE requests $55 million.
Vehicle Technologies
This program is driven by the 10-year EV-Everywhere Challenge (launched in 2012), which aims to achieve parity for plug-in electric vehicle (EV) affordability and convenience by 2022.
The EV Challenge focuses on advanced battery technology, power electronics, and advanced charging technology—with the goal of assuring U.S. leadership in the global market for next generation electric vehicle technology.
A key supporting technology goal is to cut 2008 battery production cost 70% by 2015 (and 88% by 2022). Further, the program seeks to achieve:
(1) a cut of 1.8 million barrels per day (16%) in the national oil use trend by 2020,
(2) a fuel economy of 62 miles per gallon (mpg) for cars by 2025, and
(3) a 50% increase in heavy duty truck fuel economy by 2015.
Also, the program participates in the Grid Integration Initiative.
To help achieve those goals and support the EV Everywhere initiative, DOE seeks the largest EERE FY2014 program increase—$247 million over the estimate for FY2013.
The subprogram on batteries and electric drives would increase by $122 million, including a $71 million increase
for battery cost reduction through innovative manufacturing R&D, scale-up of advanced battery component materials, and next-generation “beyond lithium” research.
A $36 million increase would go to advanced power electronics R&D (on wide bandgap semiconductors) to support higher performance electric drive systems. Under the materials subprogram, R&D on lightweight materials (carbon fiber composites, aluminum parts, magnesium alloys) would grow by $22 million to support the EV Everywhere initiative.
Building Technologies
This program develops energy efficiency measures to curb building-related energy costs, with a goal of reducing energy use 50% by 2030. The program strategy is designed with three linked paths:
improve building components (envelope/windows, HVAC, lighting, and sensors/controls),
strengthen market pull (through cooperation with private industry),
and raise energy efficiency levels for new equipment (via standards) and new buildings (via model codes).
DOE requests $300 million for FY2014, an increase of $81 million over the FY2013 estimate.
Most of the requested increase, $71 million, would go to the emerging technologies subprogram.
From that amount, $41 million would support competitive (and cost-shared) demonstration projects to accelerate commercialization of technologies that are within three years or less of market-readiness.
Specific areas include advanced building controls and “next generation” air conditioning technologies.
Also, $30 million requested for the Grid Integration Initiative would address R&D on how building energy control systems transact (provide status, availability, identity) with each other and with the electric grid. Projects would likely cover predictive data analytics, sensors, and energy control systems.
Advanced Manufacturing
Domestic manufacturers face increasing challenges in the global marketplace. The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) was designed to focus on national interests—especially concerns about jobs, critical materials, and international competitiveness.
The general goal for AMO programs is to reduce the energy use of manufactured goods across targeted product life-cycles by 50% over 10 years.
More specific objectives include:
(1) 50% energy savings through advanced materials and industrial processes,
(2) help leading companies cut energy intensity by 25% over 10 years, and
(3) facilitate installation of 40 GW (million kilowatts) of combined heat and power equipment by 2020.
To meet the above-noted goals and objectives DOE requests $365 million, a net increase of $250 million over the FY2013 estimate.
Most of the requested increase ($183 million) would go to the
subprogram on Advanced Manufacturing R&D Facilities, with the remainder split between Next Generation Manufacturing R&D Projects ($60 million) and Industrial Technical Assistance ($10 million).
Fossil Energy Research and Development
For FY2014, the Obama Administration requested $420.575 million for the Fossil Energy Research and Development Program.
Source: Energy and Water Appropriations Bill 2014, House of Representatives.
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