 The State Energy Program is a cooperative undertaking between the U.S. Department of Energy and the states and U.S. territories. (Credit: National Renewable Energy Laboratory) |
DOE's State Energy Program (SEP) provides grants based on a yearly appropriation by Congress and a formula that takes into account population and energy consumption in each state. In addition, SEP funnels funding from technology programs in DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) to the states for Special Projects. The funding levels and general guidelines are set by EERE in Washington, D.C., but the day-to-day business of the program and interaction with state energy offices are managed by the EERE Project Management Center.
DOE sets national guidelines for states to receive SEP grants for management issues. SEP staff at DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C. also interact with and receive input from national organizations such as the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB), which represent the interests of the states.
The State Energy Program resides in EERE's Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program. This program organizes a conference every two years, called Energy Smart America, for state energy officials to meet, compare notes, and learn from each other's experience.
The new EERE Project Management Center (PMC) manages most of the day-to-day work of the State Energy Program and other EERE programs involved in deploying renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in the states. The PMC is managed by the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia, and the DOE Golden Field Office in Golden, Colorado.
All the work under the State Energy Program to deploy new renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies takes place in the states and is managed by the state energy offices. These offices live in various departments of the various state governments, and their work is often heavily flavored by their organizational culture and the current goals of the state executive leadership. Nevertheless, they share many goals and manage similar projects by virtue of their participation in SEP.
In addition to managing DOE grants and project funding, energy offices help state governments develop sound energy policies, bring new efficiency technologies to industry, and help the public prepare for and survive disasters. For a more complete view of the responsibilities of state energy offices, see the the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Web site.
EERE provides technical assistance to states and others through its Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program (WIP). This assistance takes the form of information products, most of which are available online, and technical reports.
DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory also publishes technical reports that document the performance and savings obtained by states through the State Energy Program. You can read these reports under SEP Reports or as part of a larger series of reports for EERE published online by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and titled "Recent Publications."
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