DOE to Offer $10 Billion in Renewable, Efficiency Loan Guarantees

April 23, 2008

DOE announced on April 11 that it will issue a solicitation in June, offering up to $10 billion in loan guarantees for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electric transmission projects. The $10 billion will be part of a larger $38.5 billion loan guarantee package that will support a variety of energy technologies. Selection criteria for the clean energy projects will focus on the avoidance of emissions of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants; the speed at which technologies can be commercialized; the cost-saving potential for consumers; the prospect of loan repayment; and the potential for long-lasting success of these technologies in the marketplace. To support the launch of the solicitations in June, DOE has also published an implementation plan for its Loan Guarantee program. See the DOE press release, the Loan Guarantee program Web site, and the implementation plan (PDF 54 KB). Download Adobe Reader.

As noted in that press release, DOE has also issued a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit input from stakeholders on which technologies to focus on for the energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electric transmission projects. These technologies could include advanced transmission and distribution systems; hydrogen and fuel cell technologies; energy efficient building technologies and applications; battery development; alternative vehicles; and ocean, solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy technologies. The RFI was also issued on April 11, and responses are due by May 2. See the RFI on the Financial Opportunities section of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Web site.

DOE currently has a number of solicitations open for a range of technologies. EERE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) has called for DOE national laboratories and industrial partners to submit proposals for new energy-efficient manufacturing processes using nanomaterials (materials that employ particles on the nanoscale, which is a billionth of a meter). This research call (PDF 137 KB) will support a new "Nanomanufacturing for Energy Efficiency" program that ITP will launch this year. Proposals are due by May 30. ITP is also offering up to $7 million to develop transformational industrial processes to increase the energy efficiency of the U.S. manufacturing industry, with proposals due by May 7. In addition, DOE is offering up to $18.5 million to support advanced water power projects—technologies that produce power from tides, waves, or free-flowing water—with proposals due by June 16. Finally, DOE's Office of Basic Energy Sciences seeks proposals for "Energy Frontier Research Centers" that will aim to accelerate the rate of scientific breakthroughs needed to create advanced energy technologies for the 21st century. Proposals are due on October 1. Download Adobe Reader.