Mind the Gap: A Design for a New Energy Technology Commercialization Foundation

The United States’ strong support for energy research and development (R&D) should position it well to lead the global energy transition. But the United States has difficulty moving new technologies from early discovery to scale. This gap in the nation’s energy innovation system could put the climate at risk by stalling the transition. It could also open the way for China and other countries to capitalize on U.S. investments. If key technologies are made overseas, the United States will lose out on many of the commercial opportunities the transition will create, and its national security could be compromised. A nonprofit Energy Technology Commercialization Foundation (ETCF), authorized by Congress to work closely with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), could help fill this gap by allowing energy innovators’ access to DOE’s tremendous technical expertise and world-class facilities, thereby helping them advance more quickly. It would encourage DOE-funded researchers to more aggressively seek commercial applications for their discoveries, and connect them with partners, funding, and tools to do so. These activities would be motivated by national and regional opportunities to develop globally scalable solutions to decarbonization challenges through collaborative partnerships with the private sector.