Capitalizing on Federal R&D Investment With a New Energy-Tech Foundation

Clean energy is one of the great business opportunities of the 21st century, from Tesla's market capitalization to Orsted's wind energy projects. The U.S. Department of Energy has helped create the potential for many American entrepreneurs to lead the energy transition and reap its many rewards, but gaps in our nation's innovation system still remain.

These gaps, where promising clean energy technologies fall into the fabled "valley of death," open the door for countries like China to capitalize on U.S. investments and slow the energy transition as a whole, writes ITIF Senior Fellow David Hart for Real Clear Energy.

A new, non-profit Energy Technology Commercialization Foundation (ETCF) that works closely with DOE could help fill the gap and help create partnerships to power new clean energy technologies.