“The Department is uniquely situated to serve as a resource for energy and technology data, information, and analysis that can enhance understanding, operation and planning across all organizations… ."

— From the Energy Quadrennial Technology Review

"…the Department’s role as a source of information… is unique and indispensible in the advancement of energy technologies.”

— From the media announcement regarding the Energy Quadrennial Technology Review

On September 27, Secretary Steven Chu and Under Secretary Steven Koonin released the first Report on the Department of Energy Quadrennial Technology Review (QTR).

Recommended by the President’s Council on Science and Technology (PCAST), the Department of Energy’s Quadrennial Technology Review highlights the Department’s key research functions in a broad energy landscape.  It states that the Department’s role as a source of information and as a convener, two functions that are often underestimated, is unique and indispensible in the advancement of energy technologies.  It establishes a framework, utilizing six key strategies, to prioritize the Department’s research and development across energy technologies.

The QTR finds that DOE should give greater emphasis to the transport sector relative to the stationary sector.  Among the transport strategies, DOE will devote its greatest effort to electrification of the light-duty fleet, a sweet spot for pre-competitive DOE R&D.  Within the stationary heat and power sector, the QTR finds that DOE should increase emphasis on efficiency and grid modernization.  Finally, it highlights the need for DOE to develop stronger, more integrated policy, economics and technical analysis of its research and development activities.

As stated by Secretary Chu, the QTR will help ensure that we make thoughtful, wise investments to achieve our national energy goals and to strengthen our economic competitiveness in the 21st century.

Find out more about the Department’s publicly available collections of scientific and technical information resulting from research, development, demonstration and commercial application activities supported by the Department via the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). OSTI develops and maintains efficient, state-of-the-art tools that deliver 250 million scientific and technical information transactions per year for the entire Department of Energy.