I don't accept that all money invested by US govt (DOE/DOA) for energy projects has been wasted. The example you gave may well be the case. I'm not in a position to find all the projects supported let alone assess the merits of all DOE/DOA investments. What I have found at short notice is this
site, which lists the following programs. I did this by selecting "ALL Regions and States", "Grants/Incentive Rate Program/Loans", "Renewable", "Federal" and "All Industrial System Types".
Nationwide Programs
Biobased Products and Bioenergy Program
Loans are available to help rural industry generate electricity from biobased sources.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Biorefinery Assistance Loan Guarantee
Loans are available to help biorefineries conserve and use energy more effectively. Loan guarantees are available up to $250 million.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans
Loans of up to $10 million are available to rural industrial manufacturers to improve the economic and environmental climate in their communities.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Energy Efficiency Improvements Loan
Loans are available for the purchase of renewable energy generating systems by small rural businesses or agricultural producers.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Energy Efficiency Improvements Loan
Loans are available for the purchase of renewable energy generating systems by small rural businesses or agricultural producers.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program
This program provides grants and loans to small businesses in rural communities that are interested in making their buildings more energy efficient.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Rural Energy for America Program Guaranteed Loan Program (REAP LOAN)
The REAP Guaranteed Loan Program encourages the commercial financing of renewable energy (bioenergy, geothermal, hydrogen, solar, wind and hydro power) and energy efficiency projects. Under the program, project developers will work with local lenders, who in turn can apply to USDA Rural Development for a loan guarantee up to 85% of the loan amount.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program
This program provides grants and loans to small businesses in rural communities that are interested in making their buildings more energy efficient.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Loan Guarantee Program
DOE offers loans to projects that “avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.” Loans are available for biomass, hydrogen, wind, solar, hydropower, advanced fossil energy coal, carbon, electricity delivery and reliability, alternative fuel vehicles, pollution control equipment, and industrial energy efficiency projects.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program
The State Energy Program (SEP) provides grants to states and directs funding to state energy offices from technology programs in DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. States use grants to address their energy priorities and program funding to adopt emerging renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Energy
UnSolicited EERE Proposals
Unsolicited proposals may be selected if they are novel and do not reflect a current solicitation or existing work.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of Energy
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act Tax Credits and Grants
Tax credits and grants are available from select state energy offices to help promote renewable energy generation and/or energy efficiency.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of the Treasury
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnerships
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems are an efficient, clean and reliable approach to generating power and thermal energy from a single fuel source. Incentives on CHP systems are available through the EPA.
Program Sponsor: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. H. G. Wells.
Fatih Birol's motto: leave oil before it leaves us.