DOE Top Clean Energy Accomplishments in 2024

DOE Concludes 2024 by Celebrating Billions in Historic Clean Energy Investments, Successful Energy Cost Saving Programs, and Domestic Manufacturing that will Boost our Economic and Energy Security

December 23, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) made monumental strides in advancing the clean energy economic and security goals of the Biden-Harris Administration. Through funding announcements to make clean energy more accessible to all Americans, investments in scientific research, historic groundbreakings, and celebratory ribbon cuttings, DOE has been hard at work to combat the climate crisis, lower energy costs for American families, and pave a path for America to lead the clean energy future.  

Here are a few of our top accomplishments of 2024:

Building and Sustaining a 21st Century Energy Workforce: In 2024, investments through DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) helped companies create or retain nearly 50,000 jobs. In September, DOE announced more than $2.8 billion to support affordable clean power in the Midwest through new nuclear energy facilities that will create more than 2,000 good-paying union jobs. Additionally, the Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC) Program invested $100 million in workforce development, funding over 200 projects to help ensure America has the skilled labor force necessary to sustain the recent manufactured momentum. In May, DOE announced the first faculty cohort for the groundbreaking Faculty-Applied Clean Energy Sciences (FACES) Program to help teachers inspire Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) students to pursue careers in clean energy.

Making Historic Investments in the Grid: In 2024, DOE’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO) announced more than $5.4 billion in grid improvement grants and competitive awards to strengthen and expand the nation’s grid, including all 50 states, 264 tribes, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia. DOE deployed $900 million in funding to revitalize the nuclear sector and add more carbon free energy to the grid. DOE is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to meet rising electricity demand, announcing $30 million in funding to deploy AI software solutions to accelerate the energy interconnection application process and creating a resource hub for datacenter owners and operators to secure clean, reliable energy solutions. In August, DOE dedicated its new Grid Storage Launchpad facility to strengthen the resilience of the grid to withstand the tests and challenges of the future.

Accelerating Domestic Manufacturing and Boosting Our Supply Chain: In 2024, MESC deployed over $12 billion to transform energy supply chains, enabling the construction of 80+ manufacturing facilities across 31 states. In April, DOE announced $75 million for a project to develop a Critical Minerals Supply Chain Research Facility, a project funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on unreliable foreign sources. 

Tackling Climate Change in Every Community: This year, DOE made great strides increasing access to affordable clean energy while fighting climate change, announcing more than $850 million for America's rural and remote communities through the Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas Program, launching the Arctic Energy Ambassadors program to facilitate energy projects in Alaska, and directing $190 million through the Renew America’s Schools Program to support school districts across the country in implementing energy upgrades. 

Industrial Innovation: In October, DOE announced $518 million to support 23 selected projects that will strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for permanent, safe storage of carbon pollution. DOE also announced nearly $85 million to accelerate manufacturing electric heat pumps, helping to reduce energy consumption and harmful greenhouse gas emissions. In December, DOE announced $850 million for 40+ projects as part of the joint EPA-DOE Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP), which is providing a total of $1.36 billion to support monitoring and mitigation of methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector. DOE’s Office of Clean Energy and Demonstrations  announced the single largest effort to decarbonize the U.S. industrial sector in our nation's history: up to $6 billion for 30+ projects as part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP) to help accelerate the commercial-scale demonstration of emerging industrial decarbonization technologies, strengthening domestic manufacturing.

Lowering Costs for Americans: Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, DOE rolled out the $8.8 billion home energy rebates program in 10 states this year, helping American households save up to $14,000 on residential energy efficiency and electrification upgrades. DOE also launched a number of tools for Americans to save money on home appliances and electric vehicles, including the Tax Credit Product Lookup Tool and the Local Fuel Savings Tool. In addition, the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) served approximately 38,000 homes this year, reducing energy costs for low-income households by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes. In 2024, the Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) grant program announced more than $250 million in funding to leveraging public-private partnerships to reduce pollution, create jobs, and cut costs for taxpayers.

Prioritizing Equity and Environmental Justice: For the first time, Loan Programs Office published full Community Benefit Plans (CBPs) for projects that have reached financial close, ensuring that projects create tangible benefits for everyone, especially those in communities of color and low-income communities. Through the $5 million Regional Energy Democracy Initiatives (REDI) program, DOE’s Office of Energy Justice and Equity (EJE) is providing capacity building and technical assistance for communities in the Texas and Louisiana to maximize the benefits derived from the clean energy investments made by DOE. The Office of Indian Energy invested heavily in tribal communities, announcing $25 million to support clean energy technology deployment on tribal lands and delivering $9 million to Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to advance clean energy projects and bolster food sovereignty initiatives on their campuses. 

Advancing Public-Private Efforts to Fill Critical Gaps in the National EV Charging Network: Key Federal programs supported by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office) have spurred private sector investment to grow our national electric vehicle (EV) charging network to more than 205,000 public EV chargers—with nearly 1,000 new public chargers turned on every week. Thanks to the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program and $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program, there are 259 federally funded public charging ports operational this year across 15 states, and there are projects for 24,800 federally funded charging ports underway across the country. 

Leveraging Technology and Research for Innovation: This year, DOE announced millions of dollars in investments in innovative clean energy technology, including solar energy, geothermal, and offshore wind. Additionally, from commissioning El Capitan, the fastest supercomputer in the world, to embedding energy innovators at national labs to develop next-generation technologies, DOE is ensuring America is at the center of clean energy innovation. In 2024, DOE also supported research and development opportunities, surpassing $1 billion in total funding to advance nuclear energy research and training and announcing over $200 million for small business research and development grants.

Supporting Tribal Energy Sovereignty: Over the last four years, DOE committed more than half a billion dollars in Tribal energy investments for clean energy generation and deployment, electrification and grid resilience, and more. These investments, largely from the BIL and IRA, support energy sovereignty, and strengthen the national energy security of the United States. In September 2024, the LPO closed on their first loan to finance the development of a solar-plus-long-duration-energy-storage microgrid on the lands of the Viejas Band of the Kumeyaay Indians on the Viejas Reservation near Alpine, California for $72.8 million. In August 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the government’s first-ever purchase of carbon pollution-free electricity from a Tribal majority-owned business under the Indian Energy Purchase Preference provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; this purchase was led by the General Services Administration and supported through interagency collaboration with the Department of Energy. In February 2024, more than 700 Tribal Leaders, staff, and partners attended the DOE Tribal Clean Energy Summit on the homelands of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians in Temecula, California to build networks, exchange ideas, and explore clean energy solutions that support Tribal energy sovereignty.