Overview

GAO identified 39 battery and energy storage initiatives with a variety of key characteristics that were implemented across six agencies: the Departments of Energy (DOE) and Defense (DOD), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). These initiatives obligated over $1.3 billion from fiscal years 2009 through 2012. Initiatives supported a variety of technologies, uses, advancement activities, and goals. Several types of recipients were eligible for funding, such as private industry, universities, and federal labs, through contracts, grants, and other mechanisms. GAO found that initiatives were fragmented and had overlapping characteristics but did not find clear evidence of duplication. Initiatives were fragmented because they were involved in the same broad area of national need: to advance batteries and other energy storage technologies. Thirty initiatives had overlapping characteristics in that they supported similar technologies, uses, advancement activities, and goals. These initiatives also had similar types of eligible funding recipients. Although fragmented and overlapping initiatives create the risk of potential unnecessary duplication, initiatives supported agency-specific missions and strategic priorities that differentiated their efforts. In addition, agency officials involved with the initiatives reported differences in the technologies needed for specific uses, specific goals, and the types of recipients eligible for assistance. Agencies reported several activities to coordinate with each other on their battery and energy storage initiatives, including initiatives that were overlapping. Activities were consistent with practices that GAO has previously reported can help enhance coordination such as agreeing on roles and responsibilities. In addition, DOE has taken steps to internally coordinate its battery and energy storage initiatives through activities that, among other things, defined common technology goals. DOD has also taken actions to improve its coordination of battery and energy storage initiatives based on a recommendation in a prior GAO report.

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