New Regs to Spur Clean Energy

The revised Clean Energy Act of 2007 offers a little something for every engineer and scientist in the renewable energy industry this holiday season.

When President Bush signed the Clean Energy Act of 2007 on Dec. 19, engineers and scientists working on renewable energy technologies received a boost to their efforts, both psychologically and practically.

The Act has something for everyone in the renewable energy field:

• Grants and subsidies for biofuels research and implementation;
• Vehicle efficiency and fuel economy standards;
• Standards for energy efficiency through advanced lighting technologies, such as CFLs and LEDs;
• Funding of a photovoltaic energy installation at the DOE Headquarters;
• Requirements for solar hot water heater use in new federal buildings;
• Marine and hydrokinetic (river flow) energy research;
• Carbon capture and storage research;
• Research on energy efficiency for appliances and buildings;
• Continued insurance protection for nuclear power plants.