DOE Commits $12 Million in New Funding for SunShot Incubator Program
The Department of Energy (DOE) is will commit up to $12 million for a new round of funding for the SunShot Incubator Program — a pay-for-performance program focused on helping solar energy startups transition from a proof-of-concept or business plan to domestic commercialization and/or deployment.
Federal Investment in Clean Energy Underutilized and Declining
Several reports, assessments, and plans have been released related to energy development — particularly clean energy. On March 15, both President Obama's Blueprint for a Clean and Secure Energy Future and the Government Accountability Office's review of the Department of Energy's loan programs were released. In addition, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation published their report on recent trends in federal investment in clean energy, specifically from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
White House Targets Clean Energy Manufacturing to Boost U.S. Competitiveness
Last week the Obama administration launched a new Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative housed within the Department of Energy. The initiative will use public-private partnerships to drive an open-source, "smart" manufacturing network that will help U.S. clean energy manufacturing firms reduce costs, increase competitiveness, and boost productivity.
GAO Highlights Need for Coordination of Federal Energy, Entrepreneurship Initiatives
Ahead of the president' FY 2014 budget proposal release date (April 10, 2013) and amid federal sequestration, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released two reports that contend duplication, fragmentation and a lack of cooperation between federal agencies may plague federal support for wind energy deployment and entrepreneurial assistance. To address these issues, the GAO reports recommend enhanced collaboration between agencies and consolidation of funding programs.
Federal Agencies Release Information on Manufacturing Institutes, Manufacturing Partnership
Last week, the Obama administration announced that it would commit $200 million to establish three new manufacturing innovation institutions in 2013 (see the May 8, 2013 issue of the digest).
DOE Combines Three Programs Into New $45M Program for Disruptive Solar Technologies
The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced that it will combine three existing programs (Incubator, SolarMat, and SUNPATH) into the Sunshot Technology to Market Program – a new funding program to support startups and other for-profit organizations as they bring disruptive solar innovations to the market place. Historically, the three programs that comprise the new program were separated by stage of technology development.
Energy Department Initiatives Create Opportunities for Efficiency, Innovation
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the Zero Energy Districts Accelerator, an initiative to develop best practices for establishing commercial districts that have net-neutral energy consumption. The accelerator is now one of 12 listed under the Better Buildings Initiative, which also includes dedicated programming for community and manufacturing initiatives.
DOE Announces Third Round Small Business Voucher Pilot Program
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has launched the third round of the Small Business Vouchers (SBVs) pilot program.
DOE Announces Intent to Fund New NNMI, Clean Tech Manufacturing Pilot Program
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) released a notice of intent to establish and sustain a Clean Energy
Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Reducing Embodied-Energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) in materials manufacturing. The $70 million funding opportunity
will be released in June to enable the development and widespread deployment of key industrial platform technologies that will dramatically reduce life-cycle
DOE Pledges $170 Million to Advance Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Technologies
Steven Chu, the Secretary of Energy, announced nearly $170 million in available funding over the next three years to support the advancement of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technologies in four areas:
USDA and DOE Announce Partnerships to Support Biomass R&D
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) — a $30 million initiative to support up to 10 research and development (R&D) projects focused on advanced biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products. Projects should propose integrated science and engineering research in three technical areas of interest:
DOE Offers $25M for U.S.-India Energy R&D Center
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it will commit $25 million over the next five years to support the U.S.-India Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center, as part of the Partnership to Advance Clean Energy. DOE will provide matching grants to universities, national labs, private companies and others to support research in energy efficiency, second-generation biofuels and solar energy. The $50 million contributed by DOE and award grantees will be matched by an additional $50 million in public and private funds from India.
DOE Awards $3.2M to Launch National Clean Energy Incubator Network
The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the launch of the National Incubator Initiative for Clean Energy (NIICE). NIICE will serve a national support network for the nation’s clean energy startup community and the incubators that support them. The network will provide technical assistance and training services to help clean energy startups move their products closer to market readiness.