Shaping energy innovation priorities to meet the climate challenge

Energy innovation plays a critical role in tackling the climate crisis. But where should we focus our efforts to maximize climate progress?

Energy innovation alone will not solve climate change, but it plays a critical role in improving the costs and performance of essential climate technologies like wind turbines and electric vehicles, allowing the United States to more rapidly reduce emissions, eliminate health-harming pollution and create jobs in emerging energy sectors. Innovation is also essential for developing and commercializing the next generation of clean energy tools.

The Department of Energy's innovation programs have not kept pace with the rising challenges and opportunities of the climate crisis, but there are major opportunities for federal decision-makers to expand and reorient the agency’s innovation efforts to maximize climate progress. To inform this climate-centric innovation strategy, EDF teamed up with Evolved Energy Research to assess how improvements in different clean energy technologies could drive down carbon emissions across the economy.

Date updated: April 13, 2021

Our work

Through this collaboration, EDF will publish analysis and recommendations that explore how federal policymakers can align innovation priorities to best tackle urgent climate goals.

• Report: Policy blueprint for federal lawmakers

• Analysis: Prioritizing innovation to drive down emissions

  Evolved Energy Research

• Tool: Explore the data behind the climate innovation blueprint