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The 53rd R&D 100 Awards ceremony took place at the end of 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Going all the way back to 1963, these prestigious awards have identified and honored significant major technological breakthroughs every year.

Jasmine Ramero, a member of the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC), functioning on behalf of the Energy Department’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), is a top performer in her field. In February (2015) she was honored by the National Corps Network as Corpsmember of the Year. Two years ago, Ramero did not know anything about weatherization, but now she is on the path towards making history: becoming the first female weatherization quality control inspector/auditor in the State of New Mexico.

Historically, the U.S. dairy industry has been one of the most energy-intensive forms of agriculture. Colorado is at the forefront of the fight to increase energy efficiency in this sector.

Autonomie, an advanced vehicle modeling and design software package created by Argonne National laboratory with EERE support, is helping U.S. auto manufacturers develop the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles.

In June, the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy and the local utility NV Energy announced the Nevada Electric Highway joint initiative, an effort to facilitate electric vehicle (EV) transportation on U.S. Route 95. The roadway connects the two major urban centers in the state, Las Vegas and Reno.

Rhode Island is at the frontier of energy education, offering a state-of-the-art curriculum in many of its schools. With the help of funds from the Energy Department’s State Energy Program, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources continues its partnership with the nonprofit National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) to provide energy education materials to schools and organize workshops to train teachers on energy curricula.

Energy storage and nanotechnology have the potential to transform the way we look at clean energy.  Advances in energy storage research will revolutionize the way the world generates and stores energy, democratizing the delivery of electricity. Grid-level storage can help reduce carbon emissions through the increased adoption of renewable energy and use of electric vehicles while helping bring electricity to developing parts of the world.

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is providing critical support to two new microgrid projects coordinated by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and General Electric Company (GE).

A Washington State school district achieved 28% savings on its energy bills as part of its commitment to the Energy Department’s Better Buildings Challenge. Camas School District committed one million square feet of buildings in an effort to reduce energy usage 20% by 2020.  Now, the district has exceeded its goal five years early. 

In April, the Energy Department recognized Better Buildings Challenge San Antonio, Texas area partners.  Dr. Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency met with Macy’s and the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA), learning how each organization is meeting their commitments to improve the energy use of their entire respective building portfolios by at least 20% over the next decade. 

128 businesses and organizations in 33 states across the nation, are being honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy with the Energy Star’s Partner of the Year award. Recognized for their commitment to saving energy and protecting the environment, these awardees prevented more than 300 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and reduced utility bills for Americans by $34 billion.

The Better Buildings Challenge, a DOE leadership initiative, had unprecedented growth and took on new challenges in 2014.

DOE-funded researchers have shown that a new, highly effective pretreatment process used in the production of biofuel can be executed at a larger scale than ever achieved before.

The Energy Literacy Framework has been translated into Spanish and will reach a new audience of more than 37 million people.

EERE program leads to $1 billion in energy savings.

NREL's ESIF Visualization Room can provide scientists and researchers a molecular view of cellulose microfibrils, which may offer answers to unlock the cellulose that is crucial to the economics of the biofuels industry.

The winner of the 2012 National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition doubles its team size in one year. Company employee is recognized by Forbes Magazine as Energy 30 under 30.

Competitor in EERE’s National Clean Energy Business Plan receives funds from Illinois’ Energy Foundry. Company employee is recognized by Forbes Magazine as Energy 30 under 30.

Energy 101 continues to grow as a model for energy course creation as universities and colleges around the nation increase offerings in energy education and workforce training in order to provide students new onramps to degrees and careers in energy.

First nationally recognized framework for teaching energy using an interdisciplinary, systems-based approach (natural sciences, technology, engineering, economics, social sciences, and policy), with focus on improving energy decision-making by all citizens.

A new public-private partnership focuses on advancing hydrogen infrastructure to support more transportation energy options, including fuel cell electric vehicles.