Government Grants for Alternative Energy
In his State of the Union Address for 2007، President George W. Bush called for a 22% increase in federal grants for research and development of alternative energy. However، in a speech he gave soon after، he said to those assembled، I recognize that there has been some interesting mixed signals when it comes to funding.
Where the mixed signals were coming from concerned the fact that at the same time the President was calling on more government backing for alternative energy research and development، the NREL?the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of Golden، Colardo?was laying off workers and contractors left and right. Apparently، the Laboratory got the hint، because soon after the State of the Union Address، everyone was re-hired. The second speech of the Presidents was actually given at the NREL. There is almost unanimous public support for the federal backing through research grants، tax breaks، and other financial incentives of research and development of alternative energy sources.
The NREL is the nations leading component of the National Bioenergy Center، a ?virtual? center that has no central bricks and mortar office. The NRELs raison detre is the advancing of the US Department of Energys and the United States alternative energy objectives. The laboratorys field researchers and staff scientists، in the words of Laboratory Director Dan Arvizu، ?support critical market objectives to accelerate research from scientific innovations to market-viable alternative energy solutions. At the core of this strategic direction are NRELs research and technology development areas. These areas span from understanding renewable resources for energy، to the conversion of these resources to renewable electricity and fuels، and ultimately to the use of renewable electricity and fuels in homes، commercial buildings، and vehicles.? The federally-backed Laboratory directly helps along the United States objectives for discovering renewable alternative fuels for powering our economy and our lifestyles.
The NREL is set up to have several areas of expertise in alternative energy research and development. It spearheads research and development efforts into renewable sources of electricity
