Advanced Technology To Drive US Climate Change Program
by an EN-Genius Network special correspondent
The US Department of Energy unveiled a blueprint designed to accelerate the development of new and advanced technologies that avoid, reduce, or capture and store greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Change Technology Program (CCTP) Strategic Plan advances the Bush administration's strategy to slow the growth of greenhouse gas emissions through voluntary, incentive-based, and mandatory partnerships, advance climate change science, spur clean energy technology development and deployment, and promote international collaboration.
The strategic plan prioritizes $3 billion in Federal funding for climate technology research, development, demonstration, and deployment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, along with setting these goals:
- reduce emissions from energy use and infrastructure
- reduce emissions from energy supply
- capture and sequestering carbon dioxide
- reduce emissions of other greenhouse gases
- measure and monitor emissions
- bolster the contributions of basic science to the study of climate change
In addition, the plan outlines specific strategies for research and development for key technologies. The timeline for development, evolution, and adoption of technologies to reduce emissions from energy use and infrastructure sets these goals:
Near-Term
- hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
- engineered urban designs
- high-performance integrated homes
- high-efficiency appliances
- high-efficiency boilers and combustion systems
- high-temperature superconductivity demonstrations
Mid-Term
- fuel cell vehicles and Hydrogen fuels
- low emission aircraft
- solid-state lighting
- ultra-efficient heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration
- smart buildings
- transformational technologies for energy-intensive industries
- energy storage for load leveling
Long-Term
- widespread use of engineered urban designs and regional planning
- energy-managed communities
- integration of industrial heat, power, process and techniques
- superconducting transmission and equipment
Funding priorities in the budget request for Fiscal 2007 include transportation fuel cell systems, solid-state lighting, cellulosic biomass, hydrogen storage, nuclear hydrogen initiative, integrated gasification combined cycle, advanced fuel cycle/advanced burner reactor, sequestration, and methane partnership initiatives.
"Through this plan, the Climate Change Technology program provides a framework for getting the broad range of government experts involved in climate technology research pulling in the same strategic direction," said CCTP director Stephen Eule. "The technologies outlined in the plan -- Hhydrogen, bio-refining, clean coal, carbon sequestration, nuclear fission and fusion, and others -- have the potential to transform our economy in fundamental ways and can address not just climate change, but energy security, air pollution, and other pressing needs."
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