Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: March 4, 2010
$100M for Innovative Energy Research Projects Detroit Automakers Invest in Energy-Efficient Engines U.S. Wind Potential Triple Previous Estimates Solar Manufacturing Plants Coming to 4 States Solar-Powered Boat to Circumnavigate the Globe White House: Agencies Should Weigh GHG Emissions DOE Offers $100M for Innovative Energy Research Projects DOE issued three Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) on March 2 that offer $100 million in Recovery Act funds for the third round of its Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) program. The FOAs focus on innovations in grid storage, power converters, and cooling systems for buildings. The goal is to promote U.S. leadership in the emerging global market for these advanced energy technologies, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing U.S. electrical consumption by as much as 30%. Specifically, the program aims to support development of modular, cost-effective, grid-scale energy storage technologies, including advanced system prototypes and proof-of-concept projects that address critical shortcomings of existing grid-scale energy storage technologies. For power converters, the program seeks fundamental advances in soft (non-permanent) magnets, high-voltage switches, and high-density charge storage. By coupling these to advanced circuit architectures and scalable manufacturing, the program aims to leapfrog existing power converter performance while offering reductions in cost. The program […]