Obama requested $4 billion to $5 billion for clean and renewable energy development in his FY2011 budget proposal, according to Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

DOE’s proposal allocates $2.4 billion to its energy efficiency and renewable energy program, a 5 percent increase from the previous year’s budget. The additional funding for clean energy development comes from other science and R&D programs, Chu said at a briefing on the budget. DOE’s total budget request is $28.4 billion, a 6.8 percent increase from FY2010.

Compared to the previous year, this proposal increases funding for three types of renewable power: solar (22 percent), wind (53 percent) and geothermal (25 percent). Funding for biomass remains the same, while hydropower projects saw their funding slashed 19 percent -- the only renewable energy to see cuts. In total, DOE is asking for $740 million for renewable energy.

The amount of funding allocated to science research is about $5.1 billion, but not all of that is dedicated solely to clean energy development. The proposal also calls for $300 million to fund the department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy program, which sponsors high-risk projects that private investors won’t support, including many clean energy projects.

Obama's FY2011 budget proposal triples funding for nuclear loan guarantees, adding $36 billion to the $18.5 billion Congress authorized in 2005. The president explicitly embraced nuclear as a "clean energy" in his first State of the Union Address, and it's described as such in DOE's budget presentation.

Vice President Joe Biden sent Obama a memo reporting on the progress the administration has made transitioning to a clean-energy economy, including investments in research and development. He cited the 2010 budget, which includes $12.6 billion in funding to support science R&D at universities and labs. He also hearkened back to the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy project, a stimulus package program that invests in energy storage and biofuels.

Biden added that investments within the stimulus package and other programs could produce an additional $300-plus billion in clean energy projects and investment.

Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao announced a joint Clean Energy Research Center, which would use at least $150 million over five years of both public and private funding -- split evenly between the two nations -- for research and development of clean energy technologies.

The Waxman-Markey climate change bill that passed the House June 26 would direct an estimated total of $190 billion to energy technologies and efficiency measures by 2025.

The final version of the stimulus bill [PDF] provides $6.3 billion for state energy-efficiency and clean energy grants. The package also extends tax credits for energy produced from wind, geothermal, hydropower and landfill gas.

The House and Senate conference version of the stimulus package includes $6.3 billion for state energy-efficiency and clean energy grants.

President Obama's proposed stimulus package would significantly ramp up funding for clean energy.