by Jbs052809 f3 — June 1, 2009—President Barack Obama has announced that more than $467 million from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act will be used to expand and accelerate the development, deployment and use of geothermal and solar energy throughout the U.S.
The funding represents a substantial down payment that will help the solar and geothermal industries overcome technical barriers, demonstrate new technologies, and provide support for clean energy jobs for years to come.
“We have a choice. We can remain the world’s leading importer of oil, or we can become the world’s leading exporter of clean energy,” said President Obama. “We can hand over the jobs of the future to our competitors, or we can confront what they have already recognized as the great opportunity of our time: the nation that leads the world in creating new sources of clean energy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy. That’s the nation I want America to be.”
The Recovery Act makes a $350 million new investment in geothermal technology, dwarfing previous government commitments. Recovery Act funding will support projects in four crucial areas: geothermal demonstration projects; Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) research and development; innovative exploration techniques; and a National Geothermal Data System, Resource Assessment and Classification System.
DOE is also supporting the U.S. solar industry’s scaling up of manufacturing, production, and distribution so the technology can become cost competitive with conventional sources of energy.
DOE will provide $117.6 million in Recovery Act funding to accelerate widespread commercialization of clean solar energy technologies across America. These activities will leverage partnerships that include DOE’s national laboratories, universities, local government, and the private sector, in order to strengthen the U.S. solar industry and make it a leader in international markets.
For more information on these and other funding opportunities visit the Recovery Act Web site.
