The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s new Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI)

“Over just the last seven years, global investment in the clean energy sector has grown nearly five-fold to over $260 billion and these markets will grow into the trillions of dollars in the years to come,” said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson. “Our nation faces a stark choice: the energy technologies of the future can be developed and manufactured in America for export around the world, or we can cede global leadership and import these technologies from other nations.”

Steps in the CEMI proposal call for:

• 1) Increasing appropriations for clean energy manufacturing research and development that will accelerate U.S.-based manufacturing of cost-competitive clean energy technologies, from wind, solar, and geothermal to batteries and bio-fuels.
• 2) Providing additional energy productivity training and technical assistance for manufacturers that build on current efforts such as the Industrial Assessment Centers that offer no-cost energy efficiency assessments for manufacturers and the Better Plants Challenge.
• 3) Leveraging the capabilities of U.S. National Laboratories to conduct targeted analysis that evaluates the U.S. competitive position in manufacturing and prioritizes strategic investments that strengthen American competitiveness in the global energy market.
• 4) Hosting a series of regional and national summits to gather input on manufacturing priorities, identify barriers and opportunities for growing clean energy manufacturing competitiveness and showcase national and regional models that address these priorities.
• 5) Launching new public-private partnerships focused on improving U.S. clean-energy manufacturing competitiveness.

Naturally, we are very pleased to see the rollout of the DOE strategy. We have products that support the more efficient use of energy in the workplace. Using our Hoyt Digital Solutions like Digital multifunction panel Power & Energy Meters or 8000 HVDM High Voltage Digital multimeter for measuring solar, PV systems enables businesses to gain a fine-grained understanding of what and where they are spending their energy dollars and take logical steps to reduce consumption. So we applaud the DOE for this move in tackling an important challenge to the U.S. economy.

More information:

• 8000 HVDM High Voltage Digital multimeter for measuring solar, PV systems
• Digital multifunction panel Power & Energy Meters
• Alpha 70A+ Digital Multifunction Power Quality Monitor (Video)
• Energy.gov on Clean Energy
• Energy.gov on Advanced Manufacturing
• Department of Energy: "Energy Department Launches New Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative"