NNSA has been taking great strides towards increasing Carbon Pollution-Free Electricity throughout the enterprise.
National Nuclear Security Administration
April 22, 2024
Estimated Read Time min
Pantex Renewable Energy Project
To effectively carry out the NNSA mission, it is essential that our sites, programs, and operations have access to clean, reliable, resilient, and affordable energy. Earth Day provides us with an opportunity to highlight what we are doing to increase Carbon Pollution-Free Electricity (CFE) in NNSA through both existing mechanisms and innovative procurement strategies.
CFE means electrical energy produced from resources that generate no carbon emissions, such as solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal, hydroelectric, hydrogen (renewably sourced), hydrokinetic/ocean, hydroelectric, and any carbon emitting technology with carbon capture storage.
Executive Order (EO) 14057 Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability established a CFE goal to: “Achieve 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030, including 50 percent on a 24/7 basis.” Achieving 100 percent CFE will create jobs, increase demand for American products, continue electricity sector leadership, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and result in healthier communities.
NNSA is using its scale and procurement power to increase its use of CFE and facilitating new CFE generation in support of mission by:
- Collaborating with our utility partners at Tennessee Valley Authority and Los Alamos County to move aggressively on the installation of new CFE projects;
- Partnering with other utilities to accelerate the development and deployment of CFE;
- Supporting the Department of Energy’s Clean Up to Clean Energy Initiative to develop available land at the Nevada National Security Site for the installation of large CFE projects that will benefit the local communities;
- Planning for the installation of on-site CFE, such as the planned installation of a microgrid with battery storage at Sandia National Laboratories-California; and
- Ensuring that site Energy Performance Contracts (Energy Savings Performance Contracts and Utility Energy Service Contracts) under development proactively consider installing onsite CFE projects.
NNSA is leading by example through its work with utilities, developers, and others to purchase electricity that generates no carbon emissions, and through ongoing activities to expand onsite CFE generation. Transitioning to clean, reliable, resilient, and affordable energy benefits the NNSA mission, the Department of Energy, and the nation.