U.S. Energy Department Grants $35 Million to Foster Clean Energy, Climate Solutions

The U.S. Energy Department on Jan. 6 released $35 million to small-scale businesses for scientific projects related to clean energy and climate change. In total, 158 projects will receive funding across 29 states that will contribute to developing a range of clean energy technologies, including tools for climate research and advanced batteries for electric vehicles. In addition to creating new jobs, this investment will help President Biden’s goal of achieving a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. The funding is intended to commercialize breakthroughs in technology and lead to a sustainable future.

Investing in new technology is an ideal response to the climate crisis, and the funding provided by this program will be an incentive for small businesses to pursue clean energy and innovative climate solutions and combat climate change.

This funding comes from the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR, programs, which aid a wide range of small businesses across a variety of technology domains. In addition, the initiatives facilitate the department’s mission of fostering technological advancements, meeting federal research needs, and increasing commercialization by moving projects into the deployment phase. Awardees under the two programs have reported sales of more than $1.7 billion. Some of the most recent technologies that have emerged include nanoscale chemical interaction measurement, automation across many industries, and aerosol measurement for climate research.

Some selected projects include:

• Birch Biosciences, LLC: To develop innovative plastic recycling expertise leveraging synthetic biology for closed-loop recycling of plastics.
• Coreform LLC: To develop new technology to process complex simulations and enable effective product design.
• ExMat Research, Inc: To develop a sensor for monitoring phosphorus in fresh water to reduce health and economic impact.
• Greenway Energy, LLC: To create a low-cost hydrogen energy storage system.
• Novoreach Technologies LLC: To capture CO2 from the air through composite materials.