Management and Organization

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's mission, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Web site, is to strengthen America's energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality in public-private partnerships that enhance energy efficiency and productivity; bring clean, reliable and affordable energy technologies to the marketplace; and make a difference in the everyday lives of Americans by enhancing their energy choices and their quality of life.

The Office of EERE is led by the Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The Office manages ten major programs, each of which is responsible for research, development, and outreach in a particular field of renewable energy or energy efficiency.

Assistant Secretary

Cathy Zoi has been confirmed as USDOE's Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

Zoi is the founding chief executive officer of the Alliance for Climate Protection, which was established and chaired by former Vice President Al Gore. Zoi served as the Chief of Staff in the White House Office on Environmental Policy in the Clinton Administration, where she managed the team working on environmental and energy issues. She has also served as a manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she pioneered the Energy Star Program.

Zoi has also worked for several energy-focused organizations, serving as the group executive director at the Bayard Group, recently renamed Landis+Gyr Holdings, which is a world leader in energy measurement technologies and systems; as the assistant director general of the New South Wales EPA in Sydney, Australia; and as the founding chief executive officer of the New South Wales Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), a $50 million fund to commercialize greenhouse-friendly technology. Under her leadership, SEDA launched the world's first nationwide green power program and the world's largest solar-powered suburb.

Offices

EERE is divided internally into several different offices that are responsible for different aspects of its operations.

• Business Administration
• Commercialization and Deployment
• Golden Field Office
• Technology Advancement and Outreach
• Technology Development

Budget

The Office of EERE's annual budget is determined by annual congressional appropriations. The Office of EERE received $1,457,241,000 in fiscal year 2007, $1,722,407,000 in fiscal year 2008, and requested $1,255,393,000 for fiscal year 2009. These funds are divided among the ten EERE programs and internal costs such as program direction, program support, and facilities and infrastructure.

2007

These values are taken from the EERE 2007 budget documents.

Major Programs

Biomass

The Biomass Program works with industry, academia, and national laboratory partners on research in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. Key goals of the Program include focusing research and development efforts to ensure that cellulosic ethanol is cost competitive by 2012, and further developing infrastructure and opportunities for market penetration of bio-based fuels and products.

Building Technologies

The Building Technologies Program works to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings through industry partnerships, research, and tool development. The program’s strategic goal is to create technologies and design approaches that lead to marketable net zero energy homes by 2020 and net zero energy commercial buildings by 2025.

The Building Technologies Program oversees the U.S. Department of Energy's work with ENERGY STAR, which is managed through partnership with the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Federal Energy Management

The Federal Energy Management Program facilitates the federal government's implementation of cost-effective energy management and investment practices. This is delivered through project transaction services, applied technology services, and decision support services.

Geothermal Technologies

The Geothermal Technologies Program supports research and development for geothermal energy technologies, and supports finding, accessing, and using geothermal resources in the United States. One of their primary goals is to develop a 5 megawatt proof-of-principle demonstration of enhanced geothermal systems technology by 2015, and to validate the sustainability of this project by 2020.

Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies

The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program works with academia, industry, the U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratories, and EERE's Vehicle Technologies Program to research and develop hydrogen production, delivery, and storage technologies; to develop hydrogen safety codes and standards; to validate and demonstrate hydrogen technologies in real-world situations; and to educate stakeholders about these technologies.

Industrial Technologies

The Industrial Technologies Program works with U.S. industries to reduce their energy intensity and carbon emissions, and supports the development of advanced industrial technologies and energy management best practices. Through the Save Energy Now initiative, this program is leading a drive to reduce industrial energy intensity 25% by 2017, a national goal outlined in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Solar Energy Technologies

The Solar Energy Technologies Program focuses on accelerating the advancement of solar energy technologies. Its four subprograms are photovoltaics, concentrating solar power, market transformation, and systems integration.

Vehicle Technologies

The Vehicle Technologies Program works with industry to develop technologies that could increase vehicle energy efficiency and to research, develop, demonstrate, test, validate, commercialize, and educate about alternative fuel vehicles.

Weatherization & Intergovernmental

The Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program provides grants to state governments, Indian tribes, municipal utilities, and low-income families through four separate programs that utilize all of EERE’s energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies:

• Renewable Energy Production Incentive
• State Energy Program
• Tribal Energy Program
• Weatherization Assistance Program

Wind and Hydropower Technologies

The Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program conducts research in wind and water energy technologies. Wind energy R&D includes utility-scale technologies for both land-based and offshore applications and small distributed wind energy systems for home, farm, and business applications. One example of a project sponsored by the Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program is the Wind ENergy Data & Information (WENDI) Gateway, established by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in March 2010. Water energy research includes traditional hydropower technologies as well as wave energy, ocean current, tidal current, and river current technologies.

EERE-Funded Activities and Events

The Office of EERE sponsors, in whole or in part, activities aimed at public outreach and engagement in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Prominent national events include:

Solar Decathlon

The Solar Decathlon is a competition held in Washington, D.C. every other year. Students from 20 universities and colleges across the United States and the world construct homes that are powered exclusively by solar energy. These homes are displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and judged in ten contests.

The next Solar Decathlon will be held in 2009, on October 9-13 and 15-18.

EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge

EcoCAR is a college-level competition during which college-level students at 17 North American universities are given three years to produce a zero emissions vehicle. The students produce a variety of alternative vehicles, including full-function electric, range-extended electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles. The event culminates in a week-long competition.

The event is run by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors.

Solar America Cities

Solar America Cities is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, 25 cities across the United States, and municipal, county, and state agencies, universities, solar companies, utilities, developers, and non-profit organizations. The 25 selected cities each received $5 million, as well as technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy, to:

• Integrate solar energy technologies into city energy planning
• Remove barriers to solar energy development in their city
• Promote solar technologies among the residents and local businesses.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was founded in 2009 to promote widespread and increased adoption and sustainable use of all forms or renewable energy.

Acting as the global voice for renewable energies, IRENA will facilitate access to all relevant renewable energy information, including technical data. By september 2010, 149 countries and the European Union had signed the agency’s statute, including countries in 48 African, 38 European, 35 Asian, 17 American and 10 Australia/Oceania States. 33 countries and the European Union have ratified its treaty. The statute entered into force on 8 July 2010.

On June 2009, at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the French citizen Hélène Pelosse was elected Interim Director-General, a position she resigned on October 21, 2010. Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates was elected as interim headquarters of the Agency.

Aims

Mandated by governments worldwide, IRENA aims to become the main driving force in promoting a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale:

Acting as the global voice for renewable energies, IRENA will provide practical advice and support for both industrialised and developing countries, help them improve their regulatory frameworks and build capacity. The agency will facilitate access to all relevant information including reliable data on the potential of renewable energy, best practices, effective financial mechanisms and state-of-the-art technological expertise.

Actions

Right after the Interim Director general elections, IRENA started its actions with the Kingdom of Tonga. These South Pacific islands are currently almost totally reliant on imported diesel for electricity. In 2009, 19% of Tonga’s GDP and 25% of its imports consisted of diesel purchases. With the assistance of IRENA, Tonga has developed the 2010-2020 Tonga Energy Road Map (TERM), which aims for a 50% reduction of diesel importation. This will be accomplished through a range of appropriate renewable technologies, including wind and solar, as well as innovative efficiencies.

Member States

As of July 21, 2010, 148 countries and the European Union have joined IRENA. Among them, almost all European and 48 African States. The United States officially joined the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), increasing the number of countries participating in the organization to 136. The U.S. participation is an important element of the Obama Administration's effort to support renewable energy technologies and economy needed to address climate change. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the United States will work closely with other signatories, IRENA's leadership, and members of Congress to ensure that the new agency's work augments and complements other renewable energy efforts. U.S. Ambassador Reno Harnish signed the IRENA statute at the second session of the IRENA Preparatory Commission in Egypt. Other major countries joined also. Like India, Japan, Australia.

United Nations

Hélène Pelosse, Director General of IRENA, met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during 2009 Climate week in New York, together with Mr. Ban explored future fields of cooperation between IRENA and various UN bodies. IRENA seeks to cooperate with the UN and associated organisations in the areas of education and training, financing, access to energy, potential studies and trade. IRENA will team up with organisations like the United Nations University, UNESCO, the World Bank and GEF, UNIDO, UNDP, UNEP and the WTO.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was founded in 2009 to promote widespread and increased adoption and sustainable use of all forms or renewable energy.

Acting as the global voice for renewable energies, IRENA will facilitate access to all relevant renewable energy information, including technical data. By september 2010, 149 countries and the European Union had signed the agency’s statute, including countries in 48 African, 38 European, 35 Asian, 17 American and 10 Australia/Oceania States. 33 countries and the European Union have ratified its treaty. The statute entered into force on 8 July 2010.

On June 2009, at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the French citizen Hélène Pelosse was elected Interim Director-General. Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates was elected as interim headquarters of the Agency.

• Develops scenarios for a transition to a 100% renewables energy supply with factor four energy efficiency by 2050. A global, EU-27 and European national scenarios are developed. The name of the sustainable energy model is INFORSE Vision 2050.
• World-wide database of about 1000 contacts, web based resources on EU policy, school materials, successes
• Online course material (DIERET)
• Quarterly newsletter: Sustainable Energy News (SEN) published since 1992
• Participation on UN Conferences as NGO observer as INFORSE has Consultative Status at UN ECOSOC and UNFCCC. Participation at e.g.,:
  • UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) (CSD9, CSD14 and CSD15 in New York)
  • UNFCCC (e.g., Exhibition and side event at COP 14, Poznan, 2008; and COP 15 Copenhagen
  • Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference (BIREC 2005), Beijing, China
  • Renewables'04, Bonn International Renewable Energy Conference, Bonn 2004
  • WSSD, World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2002) in Johannesburg in 2002.

• Participation on EU Consultations, Press Releases.
• Organising European NGO Policy Seminars.
• Exhibition, participation at EU events, e.g., EU Green Week, Sustainable Energy Week. See more at INFORSE-Europe.

Founders	NGOs
Type	Network of NGOs, grassroot organisations
Founded	1992
Location	Denmark
Key people	Regional coordinators
Area served	World wide
Focus	sustainable energy environmentalism
Method	newsletter, education, research, lobbying
Members	160 NGOs worldwide

INFORSE- Europe is an international, non-profit organisation (NGO) network of European environmental organizations promoting sustainable energy development within Europe; and worldwide in cooperation with other INFORSE regions.

INFORSE-Europe consists of 70 NGO members in 30 European countries.

INFORSE-Europe Activities

• Develops scenarios for a transition to a 100% renewable energy supply by 2050. A global, EU-27 and national models are developed for Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, and Romania. The model's name is INFORSE Vision 2050.
• Maintains the European section of the INFORSE's worldwide database of contacts, Web-based resources on EU policy, school materials on energy and climate, successes
• Online course (DIERET)
• Cooperation with SPARE, a sustainable energy education project in 16 countries.
• Quarterly newsletter: Sustainable Energy News (SEN)
• Participation on UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and UNFCCC as an INFORSE observer and side event organiser, as INFORSE has consultative NGO status to ECOSOC.
• Participation on EU Consultations, Press Releases.
• Organising European NGO Policy Seminars.
• In 2007-08, INFORSE-Europe is making EU Ecodesign Standardisation Positions together with ECOS, the European Environmental Bureau, Climate Action Network-Europe, Greenpeace and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
• Exhibition at EU Green Week'05 and '09, and EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2008

Founders	European NGOs
Type	Network of European NGOs, grassroot organisations
Founded	1994, (Bylaws) 2002 (Registration)
Location	Denmark
Key people	Gunnar Boye Olesen, Emil Bedi (coordinators)
Area served	Europe
Focus	sustainable energy environmentalism
Method	newsletter, education, research, lobbying
Members	70 NGOs from 30 European countries