Skip to Content

More Energy Funding Needed

As oil prices surge, funding for energy research is more important than ever.
March 4, 2011

Congress is giving verbal support for energy research, and a recent House of Representatives bill adds a token $50 million in funding for one research agency. But at a time when we need better energy technology more than ever, the funding is much too small–a tenth of what Obama asked for.

The government should be investing in energy research aggressively. Obama, with his proposed multi-billion dollar increases for renewable energy research has the right idea, although this could go further (more research into cleaner hydrofracking technology for natural gas, for example, would likely prove a wise investment). Cheap, clean energy that doesn’t come from oppressive dictators and enemies of the United States should have strong bipartisan support.

Today’s technology simply isn’t good enough to end, or even substantially reduce, the need to send hundreds of billions of dollars out of the country to buy oil. We need cheaper batteries for hybrids and electric cars and radically improved engines. If we don’t want electric vehicles to increase pollution from coal plants, we need cheaper sources of clean electricity. Some of the necessary research can be done by companies who will profit from it. But much of it is too risky for companies to justify to investors, and the benefits will be felt widely by taxpayers, so it makes sense for the government to spend money on it.

Not spending the money now will hurt later, as we continue to depend on imported oil that will only get more expensive as demand continues to grow abroad.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build

“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”

Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives

The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.

Learning to code isn’t enough

Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.

Deep learning pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has quit Google

Hinton will be speaking at EmTech Digital on Wednesday.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.