At a White House Forum on Energy Security yesterday, US Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Defense to accelerate clean energy innovation and enhance national energy security.
Among other things, the MOU demonstrates both agencies commitment to reducing security and energy vulnerabilities through improved efficiencies and displacement of fossil fuels with on-site renewable power generation. This will cover efforts in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, water efficiency, fossil fuels, alternative fuels, efficient transportation technologies and fueling infrastructure, grid security, smart grid, storage, waste-to-energy, basic science research, mobile/deployable power, small modular reactor nuclear energy, and related areas.
The Department of Energy is the lead Federal agency responsible for the development and deployment of advanced energy technologies, yet the Department of Defense will need to invest in many of these same energy technologies as well as other energy technologies which may be unique to the Department of Defense’s operational requirements. Partnering with the Department of Defense provides the Department of Energy the opportunity to accelerate the deployment of its technologies and expertise to help address the critical economic and energy security needs of the United States and to promote scientific and technological innovation.
This MOU builds on already strong cooperation between the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, and will broaden collaboration on clean energy technology research, development, and demonstration.
The MOU can be found at http://www.energy.gov/news/documents/Enhance-Energy-Security-MOU.pdf. You can watch the White House forum on-line at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/28/clean-energy-and-national-security (length: 2 hours, 45 minutes).