Bringing you a 

prosperous future 

where energy is clean, 

abundant, reliable, 

and affordable 

U.S. Department of Energy 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 
A Strong Energy Portfolio 

for a Strong America 

Energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy will mean a 

stronger economy, cleaner environment, and greater energy 

independence for America. By investing in technology 

breakthroughs today, our nation can look forward to a more 

resilient economy and secure future. 

To Our Readers, 

If you think about it, the clearest way to 

define national security is being 

prepared for the unexpected. 

In light of the oil crises, reliability 

concerns, price volatility, and changes in 

environmental policies over the last 

three decades, one thing we know for 

certain about energy markets is that they 

can throw us quite a curve — and that we 

need to be prepared. 

The President’s National Energy Policy 

lays out a plan to prepare America for 

greater energy independence. 

105 components of the policy, 54 — more 

than half— pertain to the importance of 

increasing energy efficiency or 

expanding our use of renewable energy. 

The Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy (EERE) leads the 

charge for far-reaching technological 

change, to conserve and diversify the 

energy sources used to fuel America, 

and to lay the foundation for 

independence from imported oil. e 

pursue a diverse portfolio of research, 

development, and demonstration, all 

with one ultimate aim: to bring you a 

prosperous future where energy is 

abundant, reliable, and affordable. 

Sincerely, 

Spencer Abraham 

and 

David Garman 

Far-reaching technology changes will 

be essential to America’s energy future. 

Working with a wide array of partners, 

the Department of Energy’s Office of 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy (EERE) invests in a portfolio of 

energy technologies 

that will: 

• Enhance our energy security, reducing 

our vulnerability to supply 

uncertainties brought about by 

emergencies such as storms, 

floods, or even future terrorist attacks 

on America’s energy infrastructure. 

• Increase our economic security, 

promoting industrial productivity, 

and ensuring reliable electricity and 

abundant, affordable energy to power 

economic growth. 

• Improve our environmental security, 

reducing the emissions related to 

energy production and use, and 

conserving our natural environment. 

The EERE portfolio includes 

technologies that will dramatically 

reduce energy demand in the 

residential, commercial, industrial, 

government, and transportation 

sectors; increase and diversify energy 

supply, with a focus on renewable 

domestic sources; upgrade the 

reliability of our national energy 

infrastructure; facilitate the emergence 

of hydrogen technologies as a vital part 

of our energy 

future; and reduce our reliance on 

imported oil. 

Making wise and productive 

use of energy 

Conserving energy is a key part of 

the EERE equation. EERE’s extensive 

research programs include efforts to 

improve the energy efficiency of 

vehicles, appliances, and buildings . 

The goal: to provide consumers with 

high levels of performance with less 

Spencer Abraham, 

Secretary of Energy 

David Garman, 

Assistant Secretary, 

Energy Efficiency 

Renewable Energy 

Of the 

W

and 
u

As the nation’s largest single energy user, the 

federal government is committed to using 

energy wisely in its own facilities and fleets 

throughout the country. Thanks to the efforts of 

the Federal Energy Management Program, 

government facilities are helping to lead the way 

in adopting energy-efficient and renewable 

technologies, and are on track to reduce energy 

use by 35 percent in 2010, compared to 1985. 

Achieving this goal will save taxpayers more than 

$750 million per year. 

consumption of electricity, petroleum, 

and natural gas. Similarly, in the area of 

industrial technologies, EERE partners 

with manufacturers to improve yields, 

save energy, and improve 

environmental performance. Energy 

efficiency not only returns bottom-line 

cost savings, but also makes wise use of 

our nation’s valuable energy resources 

and enhances environmental 

protection. 

EERE develops energy-efficiency 

product standards and, with the 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

encourages consumer purchase of 

ENERGY STAR® products that exceed these 

standards. Together with state and 

community partners, EERE also 

provides a wide array of educational 

and technical assistance to help 

individuals, businesses, industries, 

schools, and local governments put 

energy-efficiency technologies and 

practices to work. 

t

Americans enjoy the value provided by Energy 

Star® products, which are promoted in a joint 

effort by DOE and the Environmental Protection 

Agency. Innovations by manufacturers mean that 

today’s most efficient washing machines use 

less than half the water and two-thirds the 

energy of five-year-old machines, while doing a 

better job on laundry. From refrigerators and 

computers, to light bulbs and air conditioners, 

Energy Star® products provide energy-efficient 

choices for consumers. 

Bringing renewable 

energy sources on line 

Energy efficiency alone will not fill the 

gap between future energy demand 

and supply. Fortunately, America is 

blessed with a tremendous renewable 

resource base that can contribute 

substantially to our energy needs, 

especially for electricity generation. 

The challenge is to harness these 

resources in a cost-effective, 

competitive manner. 

Our nation’s investments to date 

are beginning to pay off, bringing 

several renewable energy sources 

within striking distance of costcompetitiveness with conventional 

sources. With continued R&D by 

government and the private sector, 

we will see a wealth of renewable 

energy supplies entering the marketplace over the next 20 years, from 

wind, biomass, geothermal, and solar 

technologies. We will also keep our 

abundant hydropower resources on 

line, through environmentally friendly 

technologies. 
Ensuring reliable delivery 

of energy 

Ensuring the reliable delivery of 

high-quality electricity is increasingly 

important in our digital economy. Yet 

many components of our nation’s 

electricity infrastructure are aging and 

in need of replacement. That’s why 

EERE is conducting research to 

improve the reliability and 

performance of the transmission 

system, through such technologies as 

high-temperature superconducting 

cable, advanced management tools, 

and technologies to create a smart, 

reliable electricity grid. 

Distributed generation—using small 

units to generate electricity at the site 

where it is consumed—is another part 

of the solution. Ultimately, many of 

our nation’s buildings could generate 

their own power from distributed and 

renewable resources, and our factories 

will become energy parks that produce 

energy as well as use it. 

Distributed electricity generation will 

make our energy infrastructure more 

reliable and less vulnerable to 

disruption, and reduce the need for 

new power plants to meet peak 

demand. The EERE portfolio includes 

research on microturbines, 

p

Cutting-edge technologies for producing power, EERE is working on several fronts to


liquid fuels, and products from biomass can turn reduce our dependence on imported


American farms and forests into tremendous


resources to meet future energy needs and oil: by developing technologies that


lessen our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. may double or even triple the fuel


EERE focuses its biomass R&D on cellulosic efficiency of current vehicles; by


ethanol, gasification, and the integrated


biorefinery concept for economically producing bringing down the cost of alternative


biobased products. fuels, including ethanol and biodiesel; 

by developing technologies to improve 

reciprocating engines, fuel cells, the competitiveness and fuel economy 

combined heat and power systems, of hybrid vehicles; by partnering with 

energy storage devices, and the trucking industry on prototype 

communications and controls systems, heavy-duty vehicles with improved 

as well as many renewable fuel efficiency; and by promoting tax 

technologies that may be well suited to incentives to get more efficient cars 

distributed applications. and light trucks on the road as soon as 

possible. 

Transitioning to a The most far-reaching effort of all is 

hydrogen economy FreedomCAR — a cooperative research 

Our nation currently depends on initiative that teams DaimlerChrysler, 

petroleum—56 percent of which is Ford, and General Motors with 

imported—to fulfill virtually all our industrial suppliers, national 

transportation energy needs. Oil laboratories, and universities. 

imports add about $109 billion per year FreedomCAR targets a dramatic longto our nation’s balance of payments term goal: the development of 

deficit. emissions-free and petroleum-free 

Courtesy Cargill Dow 
Renewable energy within reach 

Public and private R&D partnerships have made renewable energy technologies 

dramatically more cost effective than they were just two decades ago. With sustained 

R&D, our nation will have a range of economical, reliable renewable options for 

meeting tomorrow’s energy needs. 

• Wind: R&D investments to date have lowered the cost of wind energy from about 80 

cents per kilowatt-hour in current dollars in 1980 to as little as 4 cents per kilowatthour today. By 2010, EERE targets a cost of 3 cents per kilowatt-hour in those 

regions of the country with competitive wind resources. EERE also focuses R&D on 

low wind speed turbines designed to make wind energy more economically 

attractive in areas of the nation closer to population and load centers. 

• Biomass: R&D has reduced the price of power from gasified biomass residues from 

20 cents per kilowatt-hour in 1980 to a range of 7 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour 

today. With sustained R&D efforts, EERE believes that a cost of 4 to 6 cents per 

kilowatt-hour is within reach by 2010. 

• Geothermal: R&D has reduced the cost 

of power from new geothermal plants 

from about 15 cents per kilowatt-hour 

in 1985 to a range of 5 to 8 cents per 

kilowatt-hour today. 

• Solar: The first commercially available 

PV panels in the early 1980s 

produced power at a cost of about $2 

per kilowatt-hour. Today, these 

systems can deliver electricity for as 

low as 20 to 38 cents per kilowatthour. Through further R&D advances, 

EERE’s goal for 2020 is to reduce this 

cost to 5 cents per kilowatt-hour to 

the end customer. One focus of solar 

research will be the achievement of 

cost-effective “Zero Net Energy 

Buildings,” or buildings that produce 

on average as much energy as they 

use. 

vehicles. The effort focuses on the 

long-term, high-risk research needed 

to develop safe, affordable, and 

dependable hydrogen fuel cells to 

power our vehicles and the hydrogen 

production, storage, and distribution 

infrastructure to support them. 

President Bush has announced a 

Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, a new 

national commitment to move 

hydrogen fuel cell cars from the 

laboratory to the showroom. 

Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies 

ultimately can lead to vehicles 

requiring no foreign oil and emitting 

nothing more than water vapor—all 

without sacrificing performance or 

freedom of choice. Hydrogen and fuel 

cell systems, a top priority of President 

Bush; y multiple roles in our 

energy future, not only powering our 

vehicles, but also providing electricity 

and thermal energy for factories, office 

buildings, and, ultimately, residences. 

Industrial productivity improvements 

also hold promise for decreasing our 

dependence on foreign oil. Reducing 

energy consumption in this fuelflexible sector of our economy makes 

more natural gas available to displace 

oil in other applications. 

can pla
Making a Real Diff

Our Nation’s Energy Choices 

erence in 

Technological improvements are only as valuable as the benefits 

they actually provide. That’s why EERE focuses not only on 

research and development, but on demonstrating and applying 

clean energy technologies in ways that can make a real 

difference in our everyday lives as Americans. 

Through six DOE regional offices, 

EERE actively supports communities, 

businesses, and individuals in 

deploying energy-efficiency and 

renewable energy technologies and 

practices, matching client needs with a 

variety of DOE resources and 

programs. EERE also works closely with 

states through the State 

Energy Program, providing grants for 

clean energy technologies. 

t

A wide array of EERE programs provide 

“hands-on” assistance to communities 

and businesses. Rebuild America 

creates a national network 

of public-private partnerships 

engaged in improving energy 

efficiency in commercial, school, and 

multifamily buildings. Local action 

plans reduce energy costs, with savings 

used to modernize buildings and 

revitalize communities. Energy Smart 

Schools, a part of Rebuild America, 

focuses on helping K-12 schools lower 

their energy costs and create better 

learning environments. Clean Cities 

partnerships promote increased use of 

alternative-fuel vehicles through 

approximately 80 local coalitions 

around the country. 

The Weatherization Assistance 

Program works with state agencies and 

local service providers to weatherize 

homes of low-income Americans. 

ENERGY STAR® teams with manufacturers 

and retailers to provide consumers 

with more energy-efficient choices in 

appliances, furnaces, air conditioners, 

lights, windows, and other products. 

Effective partnerships—such as Rebuild America 


and it’s Energy Smart Schools campaign— are vital to


meeting our nation’s energy challenges. EERE’s partners


include , companies, universities, research organizations,


and other Federal agencies, as well 


as Congress. EERE’s field office in Golden, Colorado,


develops and manages many of these important activities. 

p

In its first 25 years, the Weatherization Program has weatherized the homes of over five million lowincome American families. Weatherization permanently reduces energy bills of client families—by an 

average of $300 per year—and also enhances property values, brings dollars into the local economy 

improves the tax base, generates jobs, and develops job skills. Combining both energy and non-energy 

benefits, the Weatherization Program produces $3.71 in returns for clients and communities for every 

dollar invested. The benefits are so significant that the President has committed $1.4 billion over the 

coming decade to continue making low-income family homes more affordable and comfortable. 

Together, these EERE activities 

support the widespread deployment 

and use of clean energy technologies, 

helping our communities, families, 

industries, and businesses make a real 

difference—in our nation’s energy 

choices, and in our everyday lives. 

EERE research focuses 

on solutions to revitalize 

America’s energy future 

Biomass 

Building Technologies 

Federal Energy Management 

Geothermal 

Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, & 

Infrastructure Technologies 

Industrial Technologies 

Solar 

Wind & Hydropower 

, 

Distributed Energy & Electric Reliability 

FreedomCAR & Vehicle Technologies 

Weatherization & Intergovernmental 
For More Information 

DOE's six regional offices serve as 

our front line, delivering energyefficient and renewable energy 

technologies to states, 

communities, and businesses. 

Contact the regional office in your 

area for more information. 

Central Regional Office 

303-275-4826 

www.eere.energy.gov/regions/ 

central 

Mid-Atlantic Regional Office 

215-656-6950 

www.eere.energy.gov/regions/midatlantic 

Midwest Regional Office 

312-353-6749 

www.eere.energy.gov/regions/ 

midwest 

Northeast Regional Office 

617-565-9700 

www.eere.energy.gov/regions/ 

northeast 

Southeast Regional Office 

404-562-0555 

www.eere.energy.gov/regions/ 

southeast 

Western Regional Office 

206-553-1004 

www.eere.energy.gov/regions/ 

western 

For more information about DOE's 

Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy programs, 

call 1-877-EERE-INF or visit 

www.eere.energy.gov 

U.S. Department of Energy


Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy