Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will fund up to $7.5 million for research and development to help advance the viability and cost-competitiveness of advanced water power systems. Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOE seeks partnerships with U.S. industry and universities to develop innovative and effective technologies capable of harnessing water power energy resources, including ocean wave, tidal, current and other water-based resources.

CENTROSOLAR Group AG and Qimonda AG have entered into a venture for the production of crystalline solar cells. The production plant will be established near Porto (Portugal) next to the existing semiconductor factory of Qimonda. Initially, the production plant will have a capacity of approx. 100 MWp by the end of 2009 and will provide jobs for roughly 150 employees. The sourcing of multi-crystalline silicon wafers has been secured for this first stage of the venture.

The FutureGen project restructuring aims to demonstrate cutting-edge carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology at multiple commercial-scale Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) clean coal power plants. Under this strategy, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will join industry in its efforts to build IGCC plants by providing funding for the addition of CCS technology to multiple plants that will be operational by 2015. This approach builds on technological research and development advancements in IGCC and CCS technology achieved over the past five years and is expected to at least double the amount of carbon dioxide sequestered compared to the concept announced in 2003.

HelioVolt Corporation and Architectural Glass & Aluminum Co. (AGA) have a partnership to develop and manufacture building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products. The joint offering will incorporate high-quality solar energy systems directly into standardized curtain wall products, the exterior glass façades that dominate modern urban construction. By embedding PV thin film into building materials, the solar-enabled curtain walls are designed to improve aesthetics, simplify installation and reduce operating costs for solar energy in new construction.

A spidery fungus with a voracious appetite for military uniforms and canvas tents could hold the key to improvements in the production of biofuels, a team of government, academic and industry researchers has announced.

In a paper published today in Nature Biotechnology, researchers led by Los Alamos National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute announced that the genetic sequence of the fungus Tricoderma reesei has uncovered important clues about how the organism breaks down plant fibers into simple sugars. The finding could unlock possibilities for industrial processes that can more efficiently and cost effectively convert corn, switchgrass and even cellulose-based municipal waste into ethanol. Ethanol from waste products is a more-carbon-neutral alternative to gasoline.

The Solar Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for up to $60 million in funding over five years (Fiscal Years 2008-2012) includes $10 million in FY 2008 appropriations and $10 million in the FY 2009 Budget request, to support the development of low-cost Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technology.

Increasing the use of solar energy is an important component of the Administration’s efforts to diversify our nation’s energy sources in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance our energy security. Under Secretary Albright announced the Solar FOA issuance in his remarks to the Energy Marketer’s Association Convention.

General Motors Corp. and Mascoma Corp. have a strategic relationship to develope cellulosic ethanol focused on Mascoma's single-step biochemical conversion of non-grain biomass into low-carbon alternative fuels to help address increasing energy demand.

The relationship, which includes an undisclosed equity investment by GM, complements an earlier investment in a cellulosic ethanol startup that uses a thermo-chemical process to make ethanol from non-grain sources.

Engineers at Arnold Engineering Development Center began testing a Pratt & Whitney F100 engine April 29 in the J-1 simulated altitude jet engine test cell using a blend of alternative synthetic fuel. The engine is the power plant for the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Once testing and evaluation is complete, this will be the first fighter jet engine to use the synthetic blend.

Since 2006, AEDC specialists have taken an active role in supporting the U.S. Air Force's Alternative Fuels Certification Office in the evaluation and certification of the synthetic paraffinic kerosene alternative fuel, which is derived from natural gas or coal using the Fischer-Tropsch process, for use in all Air Force aircraft.

Fuel efficiency standards for both passenger vehicles and light trucks would increase by 4.5 percent per year over the five-year period ending in 2015 – a 25 percent total improvement that exceeds the 3.3 percent baseline proposed by Congress last year – under an ambitious new proposal announced today by U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.

For passenger cars, the proposal would increase fuel economy from the current 27.5 miles per gallon to 35.7 miles per gallon by 2015. For light trucks, the proposal calls for increases from 23.5 miles per gallon in 2010 to 28.6 miles per gallon in 2015.

The competitive selection of three projects for funding in which the DOE plans to invest up to $86 million over four years (FY ’08 - ‘11) to support the development of small-scale cellulosic biorefineries in Old Town, ME; Vonore, TN; and Washington County, KY.

The three small-scale biorefinery projects will use a wide variety of feedstocks and test novel conversion technologies to provide data necessary to commercialize full-scale biorefinery technologies. On average, commercial-scale biorefineries input 700 tons of non-food based feedstock per day, with an output of approximately 20-30 million gallons a year (MMGY). These small-scale facilities will input approximately 70 tons of feedstock per day, with an estimated 2.5 MMGY.