White Room

Building the next-generation of energy-focused entrepreneurs will require a whole generation of inspired, science-focused kids who think energy tech is "cool." Federal agencies including the DOE and the White House are pushing energy literacy and education in the hopes of upping that "cool" factor.

For the first time in decades, the DOE is enforcing energy-efficiency standards for products like refrigerators and light bulbs; the paltry fines, however, may not be enough to make corporations shape up.

GE is partnering with the Department of Energy on a $5 million program that will test the energy efficiency of homes equipped with smart grid products, LEDs and solar panels.

Award winners will receive more than $13 million to develop transformational manufacturing processes and technologies, an important step in increasing the energy efficiency of the American industrial sector which accounts for more than 30 percent of the energy used nationwide.