[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 49 (Monday, March 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13607-13608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5794]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Availability of Department of Energy-Quadrennial Technology 
Review Framing Document and Request for Public Comment

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: DOE has initiated a Quadrennial Technology Review (DOE-QTR) of 
its energy technology policies and programs. The DOE-QTR Framing 
Document (framing document) has been developed as a principal means of 
facilitating stakeholder engagement in that review process. The framing 
document describes the Nation's energy landscape and challenges, 
important research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) policy 
choices to be made, and summarizes the current status of energy 
technologies and DOE technology program goals. It is intended to serve 
as the common framework for stakeholder engagement through advisory 
committees, workshops, and expert discussion groups.

DATES: Submit written comments on or before April 15, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Electronic mail comments may be submitted to: [email protected]. Please include ``DOE-QTR RFI'' in the subject 
line. Please put the full body of your comments in the text of the 
electronic message and as an attachment. Please include your name, 
title, organization, postal address, telephone number, and e-mail 
address in the text of the message.
    Comments may also be submitted by surface mail to: Department of 
Energy, Office of the Under Secretary for Science (S4), 1000 
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585.
    Respondents are encouraged to submit comments electronically to 
ensure timely receipt. The DOE-QTR framing document can be accessed at 
http://energy.gov/QTR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Asa Hopkins, Office of the Under 
Secretary for Science at (202) 586-0505, or e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The energy technology development and 
deployment programs of the Department of Energy include the Advanced 
Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and the Offices of Electricity 
Delivery & Energy Reliability, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, 
Fossil Energy, and Nuclear Energy--a set of programs with an annual 
collected budget of about $4.3 billion. Additionally, the Department 
administers loan guarantees to eligible clean energy projects and 
provides direct loans to eligible manufacturers of advanced technology 
vehicles and components.
    DOE is undertaking development of a DOE-Quadrennial Technology 
Review (QTR), a component of a government-wide Quadrennial Energy 
Review as recommended by the President's Council of Advisors on Science 
& Technology. This Administration's national energy goals are to:
     Reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by 17% by 
2020 and 83% by 2050, from a 2005 baseline;
     Supply 80% of America's electricity from clean energy 
sources by 2035; and
     Support deployment of 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) on 
the road by 2015.
    This notice requests public comment on the following questions 
related to the DOE-QTR and the framing document.
    A. DOE Energy Technology Mission. Is the mission statement, ``[t]o 
facilitate the invention, refinement, and early deployment of 
meaningful technologies that enable options for scaling by the private 
sector toward national energy goals,'' appropriate for energy 
technology development and deployment programs of the Department? By 
facilitate, we mean that we convene and fund various entities-the 
national laboratories, academia, the private sector--as well as perform 
the basic research that underpins invention and refinement. By 
invention and refinement, we mean that we work on both revolutionary 
and evolutionary technologies. By early deployment, we mean that we 
support some activities beyond first commercial demonstration. By 
meaningful technologies, we mean that we pursue technologies that could 
have a material impact when deployed. Accordingly, scale, economics, 
and timeliness are important criteria. By enable options, we mean that 
we do not pick winners and losers; the markets make those choices. By 
scaling by the private sector, we mean that we support 
commercialization as an essential part of what we do. With reference to 
national energy goals, we mean that we would not pursue all 
technologies; only those that enhance energy and national security, 
reduce environmental impacts, and increase U.S. competitiveness.
    B. U.S. Energy Framework. DOE has identified six strategies to 
address our National energy goals. These strategies divide into two 
trios: One for transport, and one for stationary energy (heat and 
power). The transport strategies are: [1] Increase vehicle efficiency, 
[2] promote progressive electrification of the vehicle fleet, and [3] 
develop alternative fuels. The stationary strategies are: [4] Increase 
building and industrial efficiency, [5] modernize the grid, and [6] 
drive adoption and deployment of a clean electricity supply. Have we 
correctly identified and structured these six strategies?
    C. Clean Energy Leadership. How can DOE activities best support 
leadership in clean energy innovation? In clean energy manufacturing? 
In clean energy deployment? How do we balance international 
competitiveness against international cooperation?
    D. Program Definition and Management. What principles should the 
Department follow for allocating resources among technologies of 
disparate maturity and potential time to impact? How many technology 
options should the Department provide for the private sector, and how 
should the value of that diversity be weighed against timeliness, 
scale, and cost-

[[Page 13608]]

effectiveness? What should the threshold be for entry of a technology 
into the DOE portfolio? Does every technology deserve a program? 
Conversely, when should we declare ``mission accomplished'' for a 
government RD&D effort, or cease efforts on a program whose costs may 
outweigh its benefits? How can DOE be more effective at each stage of 
the innovation chain? Are technology targets (e.g., cost or deployment 
targets) useful markers to orient and structure DOE activities?
    E. Private Sector Partnership. What are the optimal roles for the 
private sector, government laboratories, and academia in accelerating 
technology innovation? How can DOE best coordinate activities between 
and among these types of organizations (including the wide variety of 
institutions within each class)? How should we gauge the effectiveness 
of this coordination? How can the basic-applied coupling be optimized? 
Are there examples in other sectors or other countries that can serve 
as models? Are ``technology user facilities'' analogous to the 
Department's scientific user facilities possible, or even desirable? If 
so, what would be the most effective model for their operation? How can 
the Department best gather technology market information? How can 
information on private sector innovation be captured without 
compromising competitive advantage?
    F. Technology Demonstration. What are best practices in performing 
large-scale demonstration projects? How close to commercial viability 
does a demonstration have to be? What are the optimal cost sharing 
arrangements? How might demonstrations be coordinated with DOE 
financing activities? How can demonstration projects better benefit all 
stakeholders beyond the immediate participants? How are lessons-learned 
best captured and promoted, and how is intellectual property best 
handled? How should DOE determine the number of demonstrations needed 
to address technical and operation risks? How do we think about failure 
in the demonstration phase?
    G. Non-Technical Barriers. A number of non-technical barriers--
including Federal, state, and local regulations, market failures, and 
non-technical risks--impact the rate of deployment of energy 
technologies. What, if any, role should the Department have in 
addressing these barriers?
    H. Technologies and Resources. The framing document published in 
association with this announcement describes each of the six strategies 
just mentioned in greater detail, and highlights several technologies 
that could contribute to success in each strategy. For each technology 
or set of technologies, the framing document provides a non-exclusive 
list of resources that we intend to draw upon as we develop the DOE-
QTR. Among these resources are: The America's Energy Future reports 
from the National Academies of Science (http://sites.nationalacademies.org/Energy/index.htm); historical data from the 
Energy Information Administration (http://www.eia.gov); the European 
Commission on Energy's Investing in the Development of Low Carbon 
Technologies: Strategic Energy Technology Plan (http://ec.europa.eu/energy/technology/set_plan/set_plan_en.htm); technology-specific DOE 
and interagency studies and reports listed in the relevant technology 
sections of the framing document; and the International Institute for 
Applied Systems Analysis's Global Energy Assessment (http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/ENE/GEA/index_gea.html), when it becomes 
available. Other resources are listed in the framing document, 
associated with each technology. We welcome comment on the selection of 
these technologies and sources, as well as suggestions on alternate 
sources. We also welcome updated technology, cost, and forecast data, 
particularly in rapidly-developing fields.
    The Department also welcomes comment on the format and tone of the 
framing document as well as identification of any factual errors or 
omissions of relevant facts and data.

Public Participation Policy

    It is the policy of the Department to ensure that public 
participation is an integral and effective part of DOE activities, and 
that decisions are made with the benefit of significant public input 
and perspectives.
    The Department recognizes the many benefits to be derived from 
public participation for both stakeholders and DOE. Public 
participation provides a means for DOE to gather a diverse collection 
of opinions, perspectives, and values from the broadest spectrum of the 
public, enabling the Department to make more informed decisions. Public 
participation benefits stakeholders by creating an opportunity to 
provide input on decisions that affect their communities and our 
nation. In keeping with the President's commitment to transparency in 
government, DOE will post online at http://energy.gov/QTR all 
submissions received from external parties in response to this request 
for comment. In addition, DOE will discuss this framing document and 
the submissions received from external parties with advisory 
committees, workshops, and expert discussion groups.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 9, 2011.
Steven E. Koonin,
Under Secretary for Science, Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2011-5794 Filed 3-11-11; 8:45 am]
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