Six Agencies Supported Sixty-Five Solar-Related Initiatives with a Variety of Key Characteristics

We identified 65 solar-related initiatives with a variety of key  characteristics at six federal agencies. Over half of the 65 initiatives  supported solar projects exclusively; the remaining initiatives supported  solar energy technologies in addition to other renewable energy  technologies. Agency officials reported that they obligated around $2.6  billion for the solar projects in these initiatives in fiscal years 2010 and  2011. These initiatives supported solar energy technologies through multiple  technology advancement activities, ranging from basic research to  commercialization. The initiatives supported these technology advancement activities by  providing funding to four types of recipients: universities, industry,  nonprofit organizations, and federal laboratories and researchers. As shown in figure 3, the initiatives primarily used grants and  contracts. Initiatives Are Fragmented across Agencies and Sometimes Overlap, but Agency Officials Reported Coordination to Avoid Duplication

The 65 solar-related initiatives are fragmented across six agencies and  many overlap to some degree, but agency officials reported a number of  coordination activities to avoid duplication. We found that many initiatives  overlapped in the key characteristics of technology advancement activities,  types of technologies, types of funding recipients, or broad goals; however,  these areas of overlap do not necessarily lead to duplication of efforts  because the initiatives sometimes differ in meaningful ways or leverage the  efforts of other initiatives, and we did not find clear evidence of duplication  among initiatives. Fragmented Initiatives Overlapped in Their Technology Advancement Activities, Types of Technologies, Funding Recipients, and Goals

The 65 solar-related initiatives are fragmented in that they are  implemented by various offices across six agencies and address the  same broad area of national need. To Avoid Duplication, Agencies Coordinate and Verify That Recipients Did Not Receive Duplicative Funding

Officials from 57 of the 65 initiatives (88 percent) reported coordinating  with other solar-related initiatives. Some agency officials reported undertaking formal activities within their  own agency to coordinate the efforts of multiple initiatives. In addition to coordinating to avoid duplication, officials from 59 of the 65  initiatives (91 percent) reported that they determine whether applicants  have received other sources of federal funding for the project for which  they are applying. USDA generally agreed with the overall  findings of the report. DOD, DOE, and EPA  indicated that they had no comments on the report. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

The objectives of our report were to identify (1) solar-related initiatives  supported by federal agencies in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and key  characteristics of those initiatives and (2) the extent of fragmentation,  overlap, and duplication, if any, among federal solar-related initiatives, as  well as the extent of coordination among these initiatives. Appendix II: Solar-Related Initiatives at Six Federal Agencies, Descriptions and Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 Obligations

Tables 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 provide descriptions, by agency, of the 65  initiatives that support solar energy technologies and the obligations for  those initiatives’ solar activities in fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
Why GAO Did This Study

The United States has abundant solar energy resources and solar, along with wind, offers the greatest energy and power potential among all currently available domestic renewable resources. In February 2012, GAO reported that 23 federal agencies had implemented nearly 700 renewable energy initiatives in fiscal year 2010-- including initiatives that supported solar energy technologies (GAO-12-260). The existence of such initiatives at multiple agencies raised questions about the potential for duplication, which can occur when multiple initiatives support the same technology advancement activities and technologies, direct funding to the same recipients, and have the same goals.
GAO was asked to identify (1) solar- related initiatives supported by federal agencies in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and key characteristics of those initiatives and (2) the extent of fragmentation, overlap, and duplication, if any, of federal solar- related initiatives, as well as the extent of any coordination among these initiatives. GAO reviewed its previous work and interviewed officials at each of the agencies identified as having federal solar initiatives active in fiscal years 2010 and 2011. GAO developed a questionnaire and administered it to officials involved in each initiative to collect information on: initiative goals, technology advancement activities, funding obligations, number of projects, and coordination activities.
This report contains no recommendations. In response to the draft report, USDA generally agreed with the findings, while the other agencies had no comments.

What GAO Found

Sixty-five solar-related initiatives with a variety of key characteristics were supported by six federal agencies. Over half of these 65 initiatives supported solar projects exclusively; the remaining initiatives supported solar and other renewable energy technologies. The 65 initiatives exhibited a variety of key characteristics, including multiple technology advancement activities ranging from basic research to commercialization by providing funding to various types of recipients including universities, industry, and federal laboratories and researchers, primarily through grants and contracts. Agency officials reported that they obligated about $2.6 billion for the solar projects in these initiatives in fiscal years 2010 and 2011, an amount higher than in previous years, in part, because of additional funding from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The 65 solar-related initiatives are fragmented across six agencies and overlap to some degree in their key characteristics, but most agency officials reported coordination efforts to avoid duplication. The initiatives are fragmented in that they are implemented by various offices across the six agencies and address the same broad areas of national need. However, the agencies tailor their initiatives to meet their specific missions, such as DOD's energy security mission and NASA's space exploration mission. Many of the initiatives overlapped with at least one other initiative in the technology advancement activity, technology type, funding recipient, or goal. However, GAO found no clear instances of duplicative initiatives. Furthermore, officials at 57 of the 65 initiatives (88 percent) indicated that they coordinated in some way with other solar-related initiatives, including both within their own agencies and with other agencies. Such coordination may reduce the risk of duplication. Moreover, 59 of the 65 initiatives (91 percent) require applicants to disclose other federal sources of funding on their applications to help ensure that they do not receive duplicative funding.