Get the inside scoop on President Biden and Secretary Granholm’s tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with some of the country’s top energy researchers.
Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
September 20, 2021
minute read time
Kelly Speakes-Backman
Kelly Speakes-Backman was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the U.S. Department of Energy from 2021-2022. In her role, Speakes-Backman led and directed the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, focused on creating and sustaining American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy. She oversaw the planning and execution of the organization’s $3.2B portfolio of research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation.
Speakes-Backman most recently served as the first CEO of the Energy Storage Association, the national trade organization for the energy storage industry. She has spent more than 20 years working in energy and environmental issues in the public, NGO and private sectors. In 2019, Speakes-Backman was honored by The Cleanie Awards as Woman of the Year.
Speaking Engagements
Articles by Kelly Speakes-Backman
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Read the letter from Kelly Speakes-Backman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, featured in the Water Power Technologies Office’s 2020-2021 Accomplishments Report. -
On National Battery Day, Kelly Speakes-Backman provides an overview of EERE's past and present contributions to the advancement of this remarkable technology. -
The Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize offers up to $2.5 million for projects that bring clean-technology entrepreneurship, research, incubation, and commercialization to communities suffering disproportionate harm from the effects of climate change. -
Learn how local jurisdictions across the United States are exploring solar energy. -
From a literal groundbreaking geothermal project to new justice- and equity-focused energy initiatives and more, Kelly Speakes-Backman celebrates EERE’s 2021 accomplishments. -
Last week, Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg hit the road in an electric vehicle (EV) and drove to Takoma Park, Maryland. With cameras rolling, the two Cabinet members provided a glimpse into their trip. -
Check out these expert tips from EERE’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary on how to spark dinner conversation with clean energy. -
Preparing for the world’s most important climate change conference, EERE’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary discusses how the United States will contribute solutions. -
This historic effort to alleviate the disproportionate energy burden of low-income households will continue saving Americans hundreds of dollars on their energy bills with a new $3.5 billion infusion. -
It’s a great time to spotlight how EERE’s 11 technology offices are working to ensure a more reliable power grid, safer and healthier homes and buildings, and affordable energy for all. -
More than 12 million U.S. workers have manufacturing jobs today—and millions more will in the next decade. Here’s how EERE is preparing future manufacturing workers with the technologies and skills they need to achieve a carbon-free economy. -
Get the inside scoop on President Biden and Secretary Granholm’s tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with some of the country’s top energy researchers. -
Here’s the breakdown of EERE’s request for $4.73 billion to invest in energy efficiency, renewable power, and sustainable transportation technology advancements that will lead to billions in private sector investment and create millions of jobs. -
Earth Day may be a single day in April, but EERE celebrates it every day. EERE’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary explains how. -
At the global climate change conference in Scotland, President Biden and Secretary Granholm launched several new initiatives critical to the U.S. decarbonization strategy. Learn about them here. -
Read about the recently launched GeoFlight: Salton Trough initiative, a collaborative effort between the Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office and the Department of Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey.
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The leaves are changing colors, the air is getting cooler, and it’s once again October—also known as Energy Awareness Month, a national effort celebrating the central role of energy to our national prosperity, security, and environmental well-being.
Last week, I had the honor of joining President Biden and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s beautiful Flatirons Campus in Arvada, Colorado. In an historic visit to the nation’s premier wind energy, water power, and grid integration research facility, President Biden reiterated his commitment to solving the climate crisis through unprecedented investment in clean energy research and technologies.
I was particularly moved by the President’s description of recent extreme weather events throughout the country, which only reinforce the urgency of our effort to curb the worst effects of climate change through innovation and rapid decarbonization – even as storms and lightning threatened to move their way over the event. It was particularly fitting that the President delivered these remarks in Colorado, which recently endured a series of destructive mudslides—a direct result of the 2020 Grizzly Creek fire.
Our surroundings also gave us cause for hope. At NREL, I met with the some of the smartest people on the planet, all of them fully energized and dedicated to the analysis and implementation of a carbon-free energy system.
I toured the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems platform, an awe-inspiring instrument for advanced research on energy systems as large as 20 megawatts. I spoke with experts in autonomous energy systems, 3D visualization, grid-interactive efficient buildings, sustainable aviation fuel, and much more. Taken together, the technological marvels and human capital contained in just one of our 17 national laboratories left me feeling more determined than ever to carry out our mission and execute the most ambitious climate agenda in American history.
Our national labs truly are national treasures. NREL’s Flatirons Campus began as the “Rocky Flats Test Station” in 1973. Since then, it’s been called the National Test Center for Small Wind Energy Conversion Systems, and the DOE Wind Energy Research Center. In 1994, DOE designated the site as the National Wind Technology Center. Finally, in 2019, DOE renamed the site the Flatirons Campus to signify and its transition from a wind-only site to a campus that supports multiple renewable energy technologies. Standing with the President under the iconic Flatirons rock formation, where turbines are powered by gusts of wind that routinely top 60 mph, I was reminded of how far we’ve come, both as a Department and a nation.
It was a joy to see the hard work and talent of the Flatirons staff rewarded with a presidential visit. In a direct appeal to those men and women, President Biden said, “whether you’re an engineer at a lab bench, or work on a turbine, at a power company, or a small construction business, everyone has a role to play.” We hear you, Mr. President. We’re ready to get to work.