Note: Synopsis based U.S. DOE summary provided to OurEnergyPolicy.org. Complete text

US DOE Mission and Goals

The mission of the Department of Energy is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.

Goal 1: Catalyze the timely, material, and efficient transformation of the nation’s energy system and secure U.S. leadership in clean energy technologies.

Goal 2: Maintain a vibrant U.S. effort in science and engineering as a cornerstone of our economic prosperity with clear leadership in strategic areas.

Goal 3: Enhance nuclear security through defense, nonproliferation, and environmental efforts.

Goal 4: Establish an operational and adaptable framework that combines the best wisdom of all Department stakeholders to maximize mission success.

Obama Administration Targets

  • Reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by 17% by 2020 and 83% by 2050, from a 2005 baseline
  • Generate 80% of America’s electricity from clean energy sources by 2035
  • Put 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2015

Deploy the Technologies We Have

Drive Energy Efficiency to Reduce Growth

  • Enforce the energy efficiency standards we have in place
  • Develop efficiency standards to address at least 75% of the energy used in the building sector
  • Review minimum appliance efficiency standards at least every 5 years
  • Enable the cost-effective energy retrofits of a total of 1.1 million housing units by the end of fiscal year 2013
  • Establish an accredited commercial and industrial energy-efficiency certification process by 2015

Demonstrate and Deploy Clean Energy Technologies

  • Double renewable electricity generation (excluding conventional hydropower and biopower) by 2012
  • Support battery manufacturing capacity for 500,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles a year by 2015
  • Complete a comprehensive assessment “by September 2012” of materials degradation issues for light-water reactor plants operating beyond 60 years

Modernize the Grid

  • Enable better understanding and control of our electrical grid by installing more than 1000 synchrophasor (voltage and current) measurement units by 2013
  • Deploy more than 26 million smart meters in American homes and businesses by 2013
  • Reduce utility-scale energy storage costs 30% by 2015

Enable Prudent Development of Our Natural Resources

  • Ensure the federal government’s understanding of risks associated with oil and gas industry operations keeps pace with development in increasingly difficult frontiers, including deepwater offshore and unconventional gas onshore

Discover the New Solutions We Need

Accelerate Energy Innovation through Precompetitive Research & Development

  • Dedicate 10% of our energy technology portfolio to inventing new platforms with the potential to be technically and economically competitive
  • Facilitate the transfer of our computer simulation capability to industry with the goal of accelerating energy technology innovation by improving designs, compressing the design cycle and easing transitions to scale

Facilitate Technology Transfer to Industry

  • Develop cellulosic ethanol technologies by 2012 that can facilitate mature production costing less than $2.00/gallon
  • Complete small modular reactors design certification by 2016 and commercial demonstration by 2019
  • Bring at least 5 commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstrations online by 2016 to support commercialization of CCS technologies by 2020

Leverage Partnerships to Expand Impact

  • Support state and local policies to address climate and energy challenges and seek to replicate best practices from state experience at a national level
  • Foster international partnerships to advance our goals by focusing on other major economies and participating in broader regional platforms for cooperation
  • Coordinate with other federal agencies to leverage additional capacity and reduce redundancy; and whenever possible and appropriate, work with the Department of Defense to demonstrate innovative technologies
  • Partner with educational institutions to encourage more students to explore careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields

Lead the National Conversation on Energy

Provide Sound Information on Energy Systems and Their Evolution

  • Support objective, thorough technology assessments, including analyses of technology diffusion and adoption paths that avoid technology advocacy

Make the Federal Government a Leader in Sustainability

  • Reduce GHG emissions by 28% from a 2008 baseline and assist other federal agencies in achieving their targets