Charting a path for energy technology advancement

New Quadrennial Technology Review Released by the U.S. Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recently released its latest Quadrennial Technology Review, a comprehensive report that provides a snapshot of the current energy technology landscape and outlines top priorities for energy research over the next four years.

In his role as principal advisor on clean energy technologies, Lynn Orr, the undersecretary for science and energy at the DOE, spoke at MIT about the report. According to Orr, the report identifies three overriding goals for energy research: economic security, energy security, and environmental security.

One of the key findings of the report is the potential for significant energy savings in buildings. Full adoption of the best existing appliances could cut energy use by 20%, and further gains could be achieved through the use of better windows, lighting, and heating and cooling systems.

Solar power has experienced significant cost reductions in the last few years, but Orr notes that there is still room for improvement, especially in the costs of supporting systems. Advances in turbine design show great promise in drastically cutting their size and complexity, potentially slashing costs.

Wind power, which already represents 5% of the nation's electricity production, has the opportunity to improve on the design of wind-farm systems at scale, as noted by Orr. Small modular reactors for nuclear power, which can be assembled in factories and trucked to operating sites, are considered one of the most promising developments.

Developing cost-effective ways of reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuel power plants is a key research area, as stated by Orr. Carbon capture and sequestration using solvents has been demonstrated at commercial scale, but is relatively expensive.

The electric grid, according to Orr, is described as "the connective tissue that ties it all together." The DOE was able to lay the groundwork for a more responsive and coordinated electrical grid as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Energy storage systems are important for smoothing out imbalances in electricity supply and demand.

The report includes chapters on solar, wind, nuclear power, carbon capture and sequestration, the electric grid, and energy storage systems. Each topic is also covered in greater detail in a set of single-topic assessments accompanying the main report.

Robert Armstrong, MITEI's current director, stated that expanding long-term federal funding for basic energy research is one of the most essential steps the government can take to help meet the country's energy demands by 2050. The search results do not contain information about the name of the leader who presented the Quadrennial Technology Review for the US Department of Energy.

Advanced materials for solar generation offer the hope of huge cost reductions in the future, as stated by Orr. Energy storage systems can be important at various time scales, from fractions of a second to hours or days. The report outlines top priorities for energy research over the next four years.

The Quadrennial Technology Review is the result of a long process and serves as a roadmap for the DOE's research and development efforts. Orr was sworn in as undersecretary for science and energy last December.