The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Renewable Power portfolio focuses on improving the reliability and affordability of renewable energy technologies. EERE provides tools, resources, and more on solar, geothermal, wind, and water to help state and local governments use renewable energy technologies to produce sustainable, clean energy that has the potential to strengthen a community’s energy security, improve environmental quality by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to a stronger energy economy that is less dependent on foreign oil imports.

Solar

  • SolSmart helps communities across the country become “open for solar businesses” through no-cost technical assistance and national recognition.
  • Solar Energy Technologies Office encourages solar deployment at the state and local level through several programs.
  • Race to 7-Day Solar, part of the SunShot Prize, is a competition to slash the time it takes to go solar by 75% by motivating communities, solar companies, and electric utilities to work together to improve the “going solar” experience. 
  • Solar Powering America by Recognizing Communities spurs communities across the country to become more solar-friendly through a national recognition and technical assistance program by establishing and administering a national recognition program and providing technical assistance and sharing best practices with communities seeking national recognition for cutting red tape and improving local solar market conditions. 
  • Solar Energy Resource Center focuses on resources for solar technologies and best practices to implement solar at the local level and with large-scale deployment, including model rules and ordinances, sample government documents, how-to guides, case studies, reports, and tools. 
  • Solar Market Pathways Program features case studies, plans, strategies, and toolkits from communities across the country that are expanding the use of solar energy.

Geothermal

Wind

  • WINDExchange is a hub designed to help communities weigh the benefits and costs of wind energy, understand the deployment process, and make wind development decisions.
  • The Wind Program offers resources to help state and local decision makers understand the benefits of wind energy as an affordable reliable renewable energy source and contributor to economic vitality and environmental quality.
  • Wind Resource Maps and Data provide states, utilities, and wind energy developers with maps to locate and quantify the wind resource in their area.
  • Wind Energy Regional Resource Centers provide information focused on regional qualities, including supply chain, workforce, wind resource, geography wildlife, electricity infrastructure, and costs across the country.
  • Wind Technology Resource Center allows users to find technical resources from the Energy Department on the specific technologies or wind energy research topics through publications, data, analysis, and R&D labs and facilities.
  • Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool is a resource state policymakers and county officials can explore to learn more about siting wind energy projects, market conditions and cost assumptions.  

Water

  • Hydropower Vision is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive analysis to evaluate future pathways for hydropower in the United States. It is focused on continued technical evolution, increased energy market value, and environmental sustainability.
  • The Water Power Program researches opportunities for hydropower and marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies in communities across the country.
  • Hydropower Resource Assessment and Characterization webpage offers reports and maps that assess the technically recoverable energy available in the nation’s waterways and oceans. 
  • HydroWISE is a portal for DOE-funded data, tools, maps, publications, and hydropower research and development projects from industry and five national laboratories. It houses the Energy Department's hydropower-related resources in one location, making it easier to search and access information.