§16231 Renewable energy

Summary

The Secretary of Energy must run research, development, testing, and commercial programs to improve renewable energy. The goals are to make renewable energy more efficient, cheaper, and more diverse; cut U.S. reliance on foreign energy; make energy more secure; reduce environmental harms; and increase U.S. exports of renewable equipment. The Secretary must fund work on geothermal (better resource detection, cheaper drilling, lower maintenance, finding extra revenue like minerals, and managing reservoirs), hydropower that adds new capacity with fish-friendly and higher-efficiency designs, and other technologies such as ocean and wave energy, combined uses of renewables with each other and with other energy systems (including wind plus coal gasification), renewable methods that make hydrogen and electricity together, and kinetic hydro turbines. Congress authorized these funding amounts for fiscal years 2007–2010: $632,000,000 for 2007; $743,000,000 for 2008; $852,000,000 for 2009; and $963,000,000 for 2010. For the work under section 16232, the amounts are $213,000,000 (2007) with $100,000,000 for section 16232(d); $377,000,000 (2008) with $125,000,000 for 16232(d); $398,000,000 (2009) with $150,000,000 for 16232(d); and $419,000,000 (2010) with $150,000,000 for 16232(d). At least $5,000,000 each year from these funds must go to grants for part B institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities (see 20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)), and Hispanic-serving institutions. The Secretary must also work with the Agriculture Secretary to show renewable power for rural and remote areas (advanced wind, biomass, geothermal) and must do economic and technical analyses to guide programs, using up to 1% of the funds for that work.