Taite R. McDonald is a partner and Michael Obeiter is a
senior public affairs advisor in Holland & Knight's
Washington, D.C., office.
Two recent developments haven't received a lot of attention
outside of the trade press, but could have significant impacts on
expanding the federal government's role in bringing innovative
energy technologies to market. When viewed in conjunction with
congressional support for DOE's loan guarantee programs, we
could be at an inflection point that leads to increased success for
early- and late-stage startup companies.
First, on September 24, DOE announced the consolidation of two program
offices committed to facilitating technology transfer from DOE and
the national labs to the private sector. The Technology-to-Market
program within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy, which was already working across the entire energy sector,
was absorbed by the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), whose
mission is:
