DOE to allocate $1.5B from Inflation Reduction Act to spur innovation in America’s national labs

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced last week that $1.5 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act will be set aside to build and upgrade America’s national laboratories.

The funding will be used to upgrade scientific facilities, modernize infrastructure, and address deferred maintenance projects at the DOE’s national laboratories. The labs, managed by the DOEʻs Office of Science, are regional hubs for scientific innovation in many areas, including clean energy technology.

“America’s commitment to science and ingenuity shaped us into the world leaders we are today, and the continued success of our national laboratories will ensure we’re at the global forefront of innovation for generations to come,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, these world-class institutions will receive $1.5 billion—one of the largest ever investments in national laboratory infrastructure—to develop advanced energy technologies and groundbreaking tools like Argonne National Laboratory’s powerful new supercomputer, Aurora, that we need to advance new frontiers, like modeling climate change and developing vaccines.”

Last Friday, Granholm made the announcement at the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, where she was joined by White House Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation John Podesta, Office of Science and Technology Policy Deputy Director for Energy and Chief Strategist for the Energy Transition Sally Benson, and other White House and DOE officials.

“Our world-class system of national labs has enabled American innovation and made the U.S. the world leader in science and technology for generations,” Podesta said. “The investments in national labs in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will help drive clean energy innovation, boost our economy, lower costs for families, create good-paying American jobs, and combat the climate crisis here at home and around the world.”

Including Argonne, there are 13 DOE national laboratories in the country, which have been at the core of major scientific discoveries and are essential to advance America’s energy, economic, and national security. The funding will be used for continuing construction of everything from cutting-edge electron colliders to the world’s fastest supercomputers and infrastructure upgrades for systems like fire alarms, electrical, and updated HVAC systems to ensure DOE’s national laboratories are modern, safe, and reliable.

This effort is part of the Biden Administrationʻs recently launched Game Changers Initiative, which was created to accelerate the development of game-changing climate innovations to help the country meet Bidenʻs goal of net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.

White House officials said that the increased funding for the national laboratories will support innovative research in clean technologies, including those identified by the Game Changers Initiative. The investments will deliver benefits to the national laboratory complex that will spur and support climate science and innovation.