The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI), a new initiative focused on growing American manufacturing of clean energy products and boosting U.S. competitiveness through improvements in manufacturing energy productivity.
The initiative includes private-sector partnerships, new funding from the DOE and enhanced analysis of the clean energy manufacturing supply chain to guide future funding decisions.
‘Over just the last seven years, global investment in the clean energy sector has grown nearly five-fold to over $260 billion, and these markets will grow into the trillions of dollars in the years to come,’ says David Danielson, assistant secretary for the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
‘Our nation faces a stark choice: The energy technologies of the future can be developed and manufactured in America for export around the world, or we can cede global leadership and import these technologies from other nations,’ he adds.
As a part of the initiative, the DOE has awarded more than $23 million to innovative manufacturing research and development projects. Additionally, the agency has released a $15 million funding opportunity to reduce the manufacturing costs of solar energy technology, including photovoltaics and concentrated solar power, and demonstrate cost-competitive innovative manufacturing technologies that can achieve commercial production in the next few years.
In the coming months, the DOE plans to issue a new funding opportunity that supports a new manufacturing innovation institute. The agency will also provide additional energy productivity training and technical assistance for manufacturers that build on current efforts.
Additionally, the CEMI will leverage the capabilities of existing national laboratories to conduct targeted analysis that evaluates the U.S. competitive position in manufacturing and prioritizes strategic investments that strengthen American competitiveness in the global energy market.
