As Congress contemplates whether to enact a Green New Deal and other measures to combat climate change, it should also seek to make the most of existing federal energy investments. While the Department of Energy (DOE) deserves the spotlight, the Department of Defense (DOD), which invests about $1.6 billion in energy science and technology each year, should not be overlooked. As Dorothy Robyn and Jeffrey Marqusee write for RealClearEnergy, many key technologies for the civilian energy sector, including solar power, batteries, microgrids, and even nuclear power, could be advanced if DOD and DOE collaborated more effectively.
