Cummins Inc., for example, will use $38 million to build a highly efficient and clean diesel engine, an advanced waste heat recovery system, an aerodynamic Peterbilt tractor and trailer combination, and a fuel cell auxiliary power unit to reduce engine idling.
The other projects will receive $71 million to support efforts to increase fuel economy in passenger vehicle engines and powertrains. The goal is to develop engine technologies that, on their own, improve passenger vehicle fuel economy by 25%-40% by 2015.
In this area, Ford Motor will receive $15 million to achieve a 25% fuel economy improvement with a gasoline engine in a 2010 sedan using such approaches as engine downsizing, turbocharging, direct injection, and a novel exhaust after-treatment system. Chrysler and General Motors Corporation will also receive awards. See the DOE press release.
DOE to Award $47 Million to Boost IT, Telecom Energy Efficiency
DOE announced on January 6 that it will award $47 million in ARRA funds for 14 projects across the country to improve energy efficiency in the information technology (IT) and communication technology sectors. The Recovery Act funds will be matched by over $70 million from private industry.
IT and telecommunications facilities account for about 120 billion kWh of electricity annually, equaling 3% of all U.S. electricity consumption. Advances in the sectors' energy efficiency can produce energy and cost savings while reducing carbon pollution.
The new funding is for research, development, and demonstration projects in three areas: equipment and software, focused on the core components such as servers and networking devices, as well as software to optimize energy use; technologies aimed at cutting power loss and heat generation that occurs as electricity moves through server-based systems; and advanced cooling technologies.
Power Assure, Inc., for example, will use $5 million to develop power management software, which could cut energy use 50% in large server farms by turning servers off and on when needed.
Another company, Federspiel Controls, will use a $584,000 grant to develop a cooling system that employs variable fan speeds, adjustable air inlets, and wireless temperature sensors to monitor and adjust temperatures in data centers. The company estimates that cooling systems typically account for 25% of a data center's energy use. See the
DOE press release, the list of awardees (
PDF 17 KB), and DOE's
Industrial Technologies Program Web site.
Also, DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) is working directly with Silicon Valley companies to demonstrate energy-efficient data center technologies, such as temperature sensors embedded in servers to control cooling, modular cooling systems, and dynamic cooling systems connected to wireless sensors. LBNL is providing technical assistance to the Silicon Valley Leadership Group with funding from the California Energy Commission.
According to a recent analysis by Frost & Sullivan, there is a growing interest in energy efficiency solutions for data centers as companies look for ways to cut costs during the economic downturn. For an average company, Frost & Sullivan estimates that IT infrastructure accounts for 5%-10% of the company's total energy consumption. See the press releases from
LBNL and
Frost & Sullivan.
