The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Manufacturing & Energy Supply Chains and Office of Policy have issued a Request for Information (RFI) to inform how the Defense Production Act (DPA) authority provided to DOE through Presidential Determinations could best be used as a tool to accelerate manufacturing and deployment of clean energy technologies to bolster national defense, tackle climate change and environmental injustice, and improve employment opportunities and broader economic prosperity for Americans.
The technologies covered by this DPA RFI include: transformers and electric grid components; solar photovoltaics; insulation materials; and electrolyzers, platinum group metals, and fuel cells for clean hydrogen. Electric heat pumps are not included in this RFI. Section 30001 of the Inflation Reduction Act appropriates funding, $250 million of which DOE plans to use in support of the domestic manufacturing of electric heat pumps. Comments specific to electric heat pumps should be reserved for a forthcoming DOE announcement focused specifically on the use of these IRA funds; however, stakeholders focused on electric heat pumps are welcome to respond in this RFI to general questions about the use of DPA authority.
The stakeholder input will inform DOE on designing potential DPA actions that help to scale up clean energy in ways that strengthen national defense, lower fuel prices, ramp up domestic clean energy industries, create family-sustaining jobs, build economic prosperity, slash climate pollution, and benefit (and avoid harm to) communities—all in the fastest possible timeframe.
How to Respond to the RFI:
Submit all comments to dpaenergy@hq.doe.gov and include “RFI: Defense Production Act” in the subject line.
Responses to the RFI must be submitted no later than 5 PM (ET) on November 30, 2022. Only electronic responses will be accepted.
To view the Defense Production Act (DPA) RFI click here.