Energy continues to be much in the news these days; rising gas prices affect all Americans – families feel the pinch at the pump, and businesses and farmers see the increased costs impact their bottom line.
The Obama Administration recently released a Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future (pdf) [3] that outlines a comprehensive national energy policy that aims to:
- Develop and secure America’s energy supplies
- Expand Safe and Responsible Domestic Oil and Gas Development and Production
- Lead the World Toward Safer and More Secure Energy Supplies
· Provide consumers with choices to reduce costs and save energy
o Reduce Consumers Costs at the Pump with More Efficient Cars and Trucks
o Cut Energy Bills with More Efficient Homes and Buildings
· Innovate our way to a clean energy future
o Harness America’s Clean Energy Potential so that 80 percent of electricity will come from clean energy sources by 2035
o Win the future through Clean Energy Research and Development
o Lead by Example so that the Federal Government models best practices and clean energy technologies
Do you want to know what is being done at the Department of Energy and its national laboratories that will help reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign sources of energy, what new or alternative sources of energy are being developed and how we can use energy more efficiently?
Go to the Office of Scientific and Technical Information [4]and use Science Accelerator [5], a free resource that was developed to advance discovery and deliver science information.
Science Accelerator allows the user to search, via a single query, for scientific and technical information tailored to what the user wants and contains the results of DOE research and development (R&D) projects and programs, descriptions of R&D projects under way or recently completed, major R&D accomplishments and recent research of interest to DOE. Through this gateway, you can find out about ongoing research projects, explore significant DOE discoveries, learn about DOE Nobel Prize Winners, access and search scientific e-prints, locate science conference papers and proceedings, and more.
Solving our energy challenges will take time and effort. We’re glad to know DOE scientists are working hard to help solve the problems through research and innovation.