DOE announces over $65 Million in public and private funding to commercialize promising energy technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced over $30 million in federal funding, matched by over $35 million in private sector funds, for 68 projects that will accelerate the commercialization of promising energy technologies, including $343,500 to Ames Laboratory and the Critical Materials Institute (CMI). Ames Laboratory will partner with ReTech Systems LLC of Buffalo, N.Y., on the project, Hot Shot Coanda-Stabilized Free Stream Gas Atomization (Hot CoSA) of Powders of Refractory Multi-Principle Element Alloys (RMPEA) for Extreme Environments. CMI will partner with Pennsylvania-based magnet manufacturer Bunting-Dubois for the project, High Performance Critical Rare Earth Free Cerium Gap Magnets for Automotive Applications

 

From the announcement:

 

2021 Technology Commercialization Fund Awards Connect Private-Sector Partners to DOE National Labs, Bolstering U.S. Competitiveness While Combating the Climate Crisis

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced over $30 million in federal funding, matched by over $35 million in private sector funds, for 68 projects that will accelerate the commercialization of promising energy technologies—ranging from clean energy and advanced manufacturing, to building efficiency and next-generation materials. These awards will help deploy innovative solutions from DOE’s National Labs onto the marketplace helping to create new jobs and businesses, while strengthening the nation’s economic competitiveness and achieving President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

 

“President Biden is serious about making sure America corners the clean energy market—and that means we need to work with our nation’s savviest entrepreneurs to fast-track solutions from DOE’s National Labs into commercial-ready technologies,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “These projects will help us deploy game-changing innovations that position us to win the clean energy race, while creating jobs and opportunity across every pocket of the country.”

 

Today’s awards are facilitated by the DOE Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF). The TCF was created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to help catalyze the agency’s research, development, demonstration, and deployment efforts into affordable, market-ready energy solutions, by strengthening partnerships between DOE’s National Labs and American entrepreneurs.

 

To date, the TCF has funded more than 380 projects by unlocking more than $170 million in funding from more than 300 private sector partners, including automotive manufacturers, energy storage companies, utilities, bioenergy companies, solar providers, and aerospace companies. To receive a TCF award, National Lab teams must receive a commitment from private sector partners to match at least 50% of the anticipated federal funding.

 

"The innovations of tomorrow will be based on our investments today. So as we allocate federal funding, we must ensure that we prioritize renewable energy and efficiency solutions that will allow us to build a sustainable and just society. This $30 million investment from the Department of Energy is an investment in the next economy, good jobs, and our health and safety as we move rapidly toward net-zero carbon emissions," said U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman. "The National Labs and entrepreneurs behind these projects have been leading this crucial work. But as we know, resources are typically hard to come by for those from marginalized communities. We must keep that in mind as we scale up these programs to spur innovation, and ensure that we break the cycle of disinvestment in innovators of color. I am excited to be partnering with Secretary Granholm and the Department of Energy in that mission."

 

This year’s selected TCF projects represent 12 DOE National Labs across the nation, supported by partners in 25 states and four countries, including:

 

  • Ames Laboratory—$343,500 in federal funds cost-shared by partners in Pennsylvania and New York. Projects include an alternative for supply-dependent critical rare earth magnets and an energy-efficient process for coatings used in high energy efficiency gas turbines.

 

News link to full announcement: DOE announces over $65 Million in public and private funding to commercialize promising energy technologies