U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu has announced that he will not serve a second term. In a newly released letter to DOE employees, Chu thanks his colleagues for their work and highlights, among other achievements, that U.S. production of renewable energy from solar and wind has doubled in the past four years.
During Chu's term, the DOE established the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), which has awarded millions of dollars to fund research and development of various technologies, including energy-storage batteries and electric vehicles. The DOE also helped propel the smart grid industry with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009's Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) program, which included $3.4 billion in federal investments. (To read what the SGIG has done for the U.S. smart grid so far, click here.)
"I came with dreams, and am leaving with a set of accomplishments that we should all be proud of,” Chu writes to the DOE employees. "Those accomplishments are because of all your dedication and hard work."
Chu says he plans to remain as secretary until the end of this month, after which he will return to California and a life in academia. A replacement for Chu has not yet been named.
