Heard Brent R, Kerxhalli-Kleinfield Michaela, Holmes K John
Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 500 5th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA.
iScience. 2022 May 10;25(6):104366. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104366. eCollection 2022 Jun 17.
There is a critical need to accelerate and improve the innovation process for clean energy technologies. In order to stem the most-dire effects of the climate crisis, there will need to be increased research, development, demonstration, commercialization, deployment, and adoption of clean energy technologies. The innovation process for energy technologies is especially challenging compared with other technological sectors, and can be strengthened through better use of the unique capabilities of the federal government. Recently, the focus of efforts to enhance clean energy innovation has been on what a stimulus bill and/or single piece of legislation can achieve. However, the federal government possesses numerous other means for strengthening the energy innovation process: (1) taking on a greater quantity of risk in the federal government's RD&D portfolio; (2) extending the federal government's support for clean energy technologies through its purchasing power; (3) drawing on the full scope of the federal government; and (4) putting energy innovation in the context of societal transformations. Insights on how to draw on the federal government's resources to support clean energy innovation through these means are described and discussed with an eye toward applicability and actionable steps.
迫切需要加速并改进清洁能源技术的创新进程。为了遏制气候危机最严重的影响，需要加大对清洁能源技术的研究、开发、示范、商业化、部署和采用力度。与其他技术领域相比，能源技术的创新过程尤其具有挑战性，通过更好地利用联邦政府的独特能力可以加强这一过程。最近，加强清洁能源创新的努力重点一直放在刺激法案和/或单项立法能够实现的目标上。然而，联邦政府拥有许多其他加强能源创新过程的手段：（1）在联邦政府的研发与示范投资组合中承担更大的风险；（2）通过其购买力扩大联邦政府对清洁能源技术的支持；（3）利用联邦政府的全部范围；（4）将能源创新置于社会转型的背景下。本文着眼于适用性和可操作步骤，描述并讨论了如何通过这些手段利用联邦政府资源来支持清洁能源创新的见解。
