by psvish
14. February 2011 12:11
The Obama administration released its latest budget proposal based on the principles of "cut and invest" - i.e., cut the budget deficit wherever possible and invest in new technologies and infrastructure for the future. The Dept of Energy is looking to come out smelling like loving red roses [continuing with our Valentine's day metaphor!]. According to preliminary analysis by the New York Times, the budget proposal includes more than $8 billion for research and development of alternative energy sources, including solar, wind, biofuels and geothermal energy, and provides hefty loan guarantees for the construction of nuclear power plants. The plan also includes $453 million for fossil fuel programs, with a heavy emphasis on developing ways to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and refineries. The plan provides funding to establish three Department of Energy innovation centers in addition to the three already opened. It also devotes $550 million to cutting-edge energy programs supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, a new agency at the department that received its first infusion of money from the 2009 economic stimulus package.
Although the stimulus funding is no more, the effects of the projects funded all over the US will be felt for number of years to come. Now, the addition of these budget dollars, assuming they survive the expected budget battles, is good news for the energy efficiency, conservation and renewables field - basically the demand-side management area we track and report on.
In a lighter vein, in the spirit of Valentine's day:
Track. Report. Analyze. Manage.
