Energy.gov

General Electric (GE) announced that it will build a new thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar panel manufacturing facility based on innovative technology originally developed at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL).
GE expects that the plant will produce enough solar panels annually to provide electricity to 80,000 homes and to create 355 jobs in Colorado over the next three to five years.

Energy Department Combined Federal Campaign organizers hope to raise $1.5 million this year to aid local, national and international charities.

Last week, President Obama recognized Dr. Rakesh Agrawal, who is currently a researcher with the Department's SunShot Initiative, with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

This week, Secretary Chu congratulated two scientists for their trailblazing work: Dr. Saul Perlmutter in the Energy Department’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who was recently named the winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics, and Dr. Daniel Shechtman, who is currently an associate scientist at the Energy Department's Ames Laboratory, for winning the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the discovery of quasicrystals.”

The Solar Village has been open to the public on the National Mall’s West Potomac Park for seven days now, which means the 2011 Solar Decathlon is fully underway. But the 19 teams of students competing in the competition aren’t the only ones busy at work in the Solar Village.  Volunteers, many of whom are employees of the Energy Department offering their time and resources, are also working around the clock to make sure the competition runs smoothly and to educate the public on energy efficiency and renewable energy use.

We checked back in with Bill Picciano, who we last spoke to in October 2009 after he'd recently been hired at the Savannah River Site (SRS) through the Recovery Act. Now he's permanently employed at the Site as an Associate Engineer/Technical Support Specialist - a job he's proud to have.

One of the country's leading experts on private sector investment in clean energy, Richard Kauffman is joining the Energy Department as a Senior Advisor. It's also his first in the public sector – a fact that humbles Kauffman: “For me this is my opportunity to serve. My hope is that I will bring capabilities and experience that are complementary to the great talent that is already here.”

Gary Miklethun, the owner of Narrows Electric, a small electrical contractor in Gig Harbor, Wash., that specializes in residential and small commercial projects, definitely felt it when the economy slowed down. But installing new smart grid technology in 500 homes not only gave his team new work, but new customers.

You asked, we answered! Check out some frequently asked questions on the new and improved Energy.gov.

Today, President Obama signs the Open Government Partnership declaration, unveiling the U.S. Open Government National Action Plan. At the Energy Department, we are committed to creating a more efficient and effective government while ensuring that taxpayers’ money is wisely spent. Over the past year, we’ve taken a number of steps to make the Department more transparent and more participatory, including: