Investing in America: A Recap of Secretary Granholm’s Travels in February

Like Punxsutawney Phil emerging on a cold February day, clean energy investments are blooming across the country just ahead of spring.  

Just last month, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm traveled across the country (and across the Atlantic), to highlight how clean, renewable energy is strengthening America’s energy and national security, expanding good-paying, high-quality job opportunities, and building an equitable clean energy future that creates safer, more resilient communities. 

Nevada  

Secretary Granholm kicked off the month of February with a bang in Nevada! Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, the Secretary visited Allegiant Stadium – a National Football League (NFL) stadium powered by 100% renewable electricity. The Secretary joined Sandra Douglass Morgan, President of the Las Vegas Raiders, Doug Cannon, President and CEO of NV Energy, and Chief Engineer of Allegiant Stadium, Joseph Wright. 

And to underscore how DOE’s national security mission aims puts public safety front and center,  Secretary Granholm met with members of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) to conduct a survey to measure radiation levels around Allegiant Stadium – a vital public health and safety exercise ahead of the big game. 

While in Nevada, Secretary Granholm met with leaders of the Moapa Band of Paiutes to learn about their energy vision and the positive impact of the Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project. The solar array provides power to nearby communities, including Allegiant Stadium.  

Puerto Rico  

Secretary Granholm traveled to Puerto Rico continue the Department’s engagement with local leaders and community members on the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to rebuild and modernize the Island’s electric system. 

In San Juan, the Secretary announced the results of DOE’s Puerto Rico 100 Study – a pathway for Puerto Rico to achieve its renewable energy goals while incorporating stakeholder perspectives and advancing energy resilience for all Puerto Ricans. Throughout her visit, the Secretary connected with community members, local leaders, and government representatives to discuss the Department’s ongoing work to restore and build a more reliable and resilient energy system and lower utility bills for Puerto Rico.

Secretary Granholm met with residents in San Juan and Jayuya to share information about the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund’s Programa Acceso Solar (Solar Access Program)—a program designed to connect up to 30,000 low-income households with residential rooftop solar and battery storage systems with zero upfront costs.

Iceland and Paris  

In mid-February, Secretary Granholm traveled to Paris, France and Reykjavik, Iceland. 

 In Paris, the Secretary participated in the 2024 International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial and commemorate the institution’s 50^th anniversary. Throughout the Ministerial — which included 31 countries among our closest allies — Secretary Granholm, along with senior leaders of the Biden-Harris Administration, advanced U.S. government priorities, including collaboration for a clean and secure global energy transition, support for Ukraine, in particular against Russia’s inhumane attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, critical minerals supply chain security and the role of the private sector in driving the energy transition, and exporting American clean energy goods and services. She participated in several bilateral meetings with the European Commission, France, Poland, and Ukraine.

In Reykjavik, the Secretary toured Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant – Iceland’s largest geothermal power plant, which produces hydrogen and has a carbon capture component.  

Secretary Granholm closed out the visit with the launch of the U.S.-Iceland Energy and Climate Dialogue. This inaugural dialogue set the stage for U.S.-Icelandic energy cooperation, with a focus on creating more opportunities through Europe to expand geothermal as a form of clean, secure, base load power.

Washington 

During the week of February 19, 2024, Secretary Granholm traveled across Washington state to highlight how President Biden's industrial strategy for clean energy is catalyzing private investment in advanced batteries and ensuring that emerging technologies help create clean, good paying jobs that bolster the domestic energy supply chain.  

The Secretary was joined by Washington Governor Jay Inslee, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (WA), and local leaders for a tour of the Sila Nanotechnologies plant in Moses Lake undergoing construction, made possible by a $100 million investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build out a large factory for battery anode materials. Following the tour, the Secretary hosted a roundtable to hear directly from plant management and community stakeholders about Sila’s workforce development efforts and progress on the project.

After her time at Sila Nanotechnologies, the Secretary headed to Group14 Technologies, also in Moses Lake, which recently received a $100 million grant through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the commercial capacitation of their manufacturing plant for silicon anode powder. This material boosts lithium’s performance and energy density within batteries.

The Secretary wrapped up the week in Seattle at DOE’s Pacific Northwest National La b by hosting a roundtable discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with industry leaders. The Secretary highlighted how the Department of Energy and the private sector can work together on AI-related technologies.

? Check out this special moment from Secretary’s meeting with Ke'yah, a high school student by day and a sustainable soccer fan outside of the classroom. 

California 

To close out the month of February, Secretary Granholm traveled to California to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to building an equitable clean energy future that creates safer, more resilient communities and delivers new economic opportunities. 

 On Monday, February 26, Secretary Granholm traveled to San Leandro, where she participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new battery innovation facility from Cuberg—an early participant in the Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program.

The Secretary then traveled to Menifee in Southern California to visit a DOE-funded regional Connected Communities project being developed by KB Home, Schneider Electric, Southern California Edison, and SunPower. This project has produced two all-electric communities with over 230 zero-energy homes powered by solar energy and a community microgrid, showcasing how smart, resilient, energy-efficient homes can help the nation achieve the President’s ambitious climate goals.    

The Secretary closed out the month at the Department of Energy’s Tribal Summit to celebrate the announcement of $366 million in funding, the largest-ever federal investment in energy infrastructure for Tribal Nations and communities, for community-driven projects spanning across 20 states and 30 Tribal Nations and communities to support clean energy developments needed to build safer, climate resilient.