Bill Gates and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. (Image Courtesy of DOE)
Ross Anderson has a great interview at The Atlantic with Michael Grunwald, author of The New New Deal. In his book, Grunwald details the history of ARRA, including extensive research on its impact on clean energy research and development. We’ve advocated strongly for government investment in clean energy research and Grunwald’s reveals just how beneficial government investment has been. Through the development of a new agency, ARPA-E, the DoE has been investing and developing cutting edge technologies. ARPA-E was modeled after DARPA, the successful Defense Department research and development unit whose research, among many other innovations, helped developed the Internet.
ARPA-E invests in cutting edge clean technologies, as well as important pieces of energy infrastructure, like smart grids. Its investment portfolio ranges from ways to improve batteries and air conditions to alternatives to rare-earth materials to futuristic biofuels that are not made from crops or other food sources. More than a dozen companies that received ARPA funding have attracted follow-up venture capital funding.