U.S. Department of Energy Blog

EERE Network News EERE's newsletter, the EERE Network News, covers national and international energy efficiency and renewable energy news and events, as well as new EERE Web sites and energy facts. DOE to Guarantee $10 Billion in Loans for Efficiency, Renewables DOE is offering $10 billion in loan guarantees for projects that involve energy efficiency, renewable energy, and advanced transmission and distribution. The guarantees are only available for projects using new, non-commercial technologies. New "Freedom Prizes" to Reward Innovative Energy Deployments DOE and the Freedom Prize Foundation announced that more than $4 million will be awarded to efforts that reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, while enhancing the nation's security, economic prosperity, and health. American Le Mans Race Cars to Compete to be the Greenest The tenth anniversary running of the Petit Le Mans race in Georgia will include the first ever "Green Challenge," a race-within-a-race that will score each car based on its total energy use, greenhouse gases emitted, and petroleum fuels displaced. Florida Energy Bill to Boost Efficiency and Renewable Energy Florida has passed a comprehensive energy bill that establishes a renewable energy portfolio, a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases, a 10% ethanol requirement, net metering and interconnection for customer-located energy systems, aggressive building energy codes, and more. California Proposes a Path to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions A new draft plan from the California Air Resources Board points the way towards cutting the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020. The plan includes the expanded use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, plus a variety of other measures. EIA: World Energy Use to Grow 50% by 2030 The latest projections from DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) don't account for the recent surge in oil prices, so they show world energy use up 50% and petroleum use up 26% by 2030. A high price case that may be more relevant shows a 2% decline in world petroleum use by 2030. DOE and Volvo Extend Fuel-Efficient Truck Partnership for 3 Years DOE and Volvo, the parent company of Mack Trucks, announced on June 30 that the two companies will continue to work together for another 3 years, continuing their partnership to develop more fuel-efficient trucks.