U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Distributed Energy Program

About the Program

The U.S. Department of Energy's Distributed Energy Program was established in fiscal year 2001. The program develops a portfolio of advanced, on-site, small-scale, modular energy conversion and delivery systems for industrial, commercial, residential, and utility applications.

Program activities are organized under two main thrusts:

Distributed Generation Technology Development

This effort seeks to develop a portfolio of electricity generation and heat utilization technologies with a focus on efficiency, emissions, RAMD (reliability, availability, maintainability and durability) and meeting cost targets. By improving the efficiency of thermally activated systems and advancing the efficiency and emissions characteristics of these power generation technologies, the program provides the building blocks necessary to develop advanced, integrated systems.

Integrated Energy Systems

The focus of this effort is to develop highly efficient integrated energy systems that can be replicated across end-use sectors and that will help demonstrate an R&D objective or address a technical barrier.