Reuters - The U.S. House appropriations committee on Wednesday approved a $33.3 billion spending schedule to fund government energy and hydroelectric projects for the 2010 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
The Senate Appropriations Committee began discussing this version of energy and hydroelectricity spending measurement on Wednesday.
Below are the major investments in the House budget:
Solar Energy: $259 million for research, development and testing projects to make solar more affordable.
Biofuels: $235 million in subsidies to improve the production of alternative fuels such as cellulose ethanol and biofuel.
Vehicle technology: $373 million, including $40 million for hydrogen transportation systems, to collaborate with industry to improve fuel efficiency with better engines, better batteries and engines that use clean fuel.
Energy Efficient Constructions: $210 million to research cost-saving technologies for buildings to reduce energy demand.
Industrial Technologies: $100 million to help companies improve energy efficiency.
Hydroelectric Power: 30 million dollars to investigate new ways to generate energy from water streams.
Weatherization Subsidies: $220 million in insulation and energy-saving measures to reduce the basic service bills of low-income families.
Smart Grid Technologies: $62.9 million for research and development of smart distribution networks.
Energy Storage: $15 million, more than triple that of 2009, for research and development of grid-connected energy storage technologies.
Cybersecurity: $46.5 million for cybersecurity in energy supply for the development of secure network technologies as cyberattacks grow globally and networks become increasingly interconnected.
Clean Energy Transmission and Reliability: $42 million to increase grid efficiency and enable the widespread use of clean, renewable domestic energy.
Nuclear: $272 million for Fourth Generation research and development, including $245 million for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant.
Significant cuts include nuclear waste disposal. The White House has completed the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. The budget provides $197 million, $92 million less than in 2009, for the continuation of licensing processes and the establishment of a high-level panel to evaluate alternatives for waste disposal.
(Reporting by Tom Doggett; edited in Spanish by Magdalena Morales)
Via: REUTERS
Authors: TECNOSOSTENIBLE - Engineering of comfort and energy efficiency
