Anchored by $20 billion in infrastructure funds, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
The office is being created to help stand up projects in clean hydrogen, carbon capture, grid-scale energy storage, and small modular reactors, among other technologies. Billions of dollars are expected to go toward demonstration projects in rural and economically hard-hit communities. The Biden Administration said has set a goal is to deliver 40% of clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities experiencing what it said are the most severe impacts of climate change.
Funding comes from the $1 trillion infrastructure plan passed by both Houses of Congress and signed into law by President Biden in November. The DOE was granted a total of $62 million for clean energy demonstrations across the country.
“This new office will hire the best and brightest talent to invest in cutting edge clean energy projects, and DOE is calling on anyone dedicated to addressing the climate crisis to roll up their sleeves and join us,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm in a statement.
Earlier in December, Biden signed an order to make the federal government carbon-neutral by 2050, aiming for a 65% reduction in planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and deploying an all-electric fleet of cars and trucks five years later.