Department of Energy Relaunches Energy.Gov

The U.S. Department of Energy announced today the next step of its comprehensive website reform, making Energy.gov a cutting-edge, interactive information platform and saving taxpayers more than $10 million annually.

Through a complete overhaul of its front-end and back-end design, Energy.govmodernizes how consumers and businesses access the information and resources they need to save money and energy while improving Departmental staff's ability to interact with the public and each other.
"Our goal is to make Energy.gov easier to use, more transparent and more participatory," said Secretary Chu. "This next phase is part of our ongoing commitment to empower consumers and businesses with the information, tools and services they need to save money, create jobs and find opportunities in the new energy economy."
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Department of Energy to Award Over $6 Million for Clean Energy Projects on Tribal Lands

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced 31 tribal energy projects to receive $6.3 million over two years as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's ongoing efforts to support tribal energy development and continue strengthening the partnership with Tribal Nations. These competitively selected projects will allow Native American Tribes to advance clean energy within their communities by developing strategic energy plans, expanding the skills and knowledge of tribal members, and improving the energy efficiency of their buildings. These investments will help tribal communities to save money and reduce energy waste, expand the use of clean energy technologies, and promote economic development.
"Tribal Nations are well-positioned to take advantage of the benefits of clean energy and energy efficient technologies," said Secretary Chu. "Projects such as these will save energy and money, create long-term clean energy jobs, and spur economic development in tribal communities nationwide."
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Annual Market Reports for Wind Energy, Advanced Vehicles, and Fuel Cell Technology

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released three 2010 market reports which detail the market conditions and trends for wind energy, advanced vehicles, and fuel cell technologies. Taken together, these three market reports illustrate growth in deployment and manufacturing across all three technologies—improving the nation’s global competitiveness in the clean energy economy and creating clean tech jobs for U.S. workers.
The 2010 Wind Technologies Market Report , produced by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, analyzes trends in wind power capacity, manufacturing, performance, and costs. The results indicate that wind energy installations comprised 25% of new U.S. electricity capacity additions in 2010, representing $11 billion in new investments and enough new capacity to power roughly 1.3 million homes. The report also notes that U.S. manufacturing of wind turbine components continues to increase, with domestically produced goods used in U.S. wind power projects reaching approximately 68% in 2009-2010, up from 52% in 2005-2006. Another key finding from the report is a 33% decline in wind turbine prices since 2008. The report predicts that current turbine prices and improved turbine performance will drive the cost of wind energy down further in the coming years.
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