The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has pledged up to $100 million in financing for research and development of transformative clean energy technology to support the Biden Administration’s climate innovative agenda.

The amount provided through DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) OPEN 2021 Funding opportunity, is to help identify innovative clean energy technology to tackle the climate crisis.

The DOE will also participate in the National Climate Task Force’s Climate Innovation Working Group. The working group will coordinate government-wide efforts to advance affordable and innovative technologies like net-zero carbon buildings, battery storage, lower-cost green hydrogen, and direct air capture to help the country achieve its net-zero emissions targets by 2050.

The working group will also focus on research to develop and boost the domestic clean energy supply chain and manufacturing.

Tarak Shah, DOE Chief of Staff, said, “Today we are inviting scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs and creative thinkers across America to join us in developing the clean energy technologies we need to tackle the climate crisis and build a new more equitable clean energy economy. The Department of Energy is committed to empowering innovators to think boldly and create the cutting-edge technologies that will usher in our clean energy future and create millions of good-paying jobs.”

According to DOE, ARPA-E has provided $2.4 billion in financing for research and development. Its projects have attracted over $4.9 billion in private sector funding to commercialize clean energy technologies and create new jobs in the sector.

Gina McCarthy, President Biden’s National Climate Advisor, said, “We are positioning America to create good-paying, union jobs in a just and equitable way in communities across the nation that will be at the forefront of new manufacturing for clean energy and new technology, tools, and infrastructure that will help us adapt to a changing climate.”

Last year, DOE announced to provide a $130 million funding for selected research projects to advance solar technologies. DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 Funding Program included research projects for advancing research in photovoltaics, concentrating solar-thermal power, and system integration.

The U.S. President, Joe Biden, had signed an executive order to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord on the first day of his assuming office on January 21, 2021. The decision was a commitment made by him during his presidential campaign.

Harsh Shukla is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.

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