DOE Announces $30 Million in New Small Business Funding to Help Commercialize Clean Energy Technologies

Washington, DC- U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today that $30 million in funding from the Recovery Act and FY 2010 budget appropriations will be made available to qualified small businesses to support the commercialization of promising new technologies.   Today's funding announcement builds on the Department's existing efforts under the Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer program (STTR) to develop near-term clean energy technologies and support American small businesses that will play an important role in building the clean energy economy of the future.  This is the first time DOE has offered Phase III awards under these small business programs.

"Small businesses are engines of job creation and innovation, and we need their ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit to drive a clean energy economy," said Secretary Chu. "By helping America's small businesses bring these innovative technologies to market, we will spur economic growth and help reduce the country's energy use."

Small companies previously awarded Phase II grants through DOE's Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR) or the Small Business Technology Transfer program (STTR) are eligible.  Projects that include developed technologies with a strong potential for commercialization and impact on U.S. manufacturing and job creation are encouraged to apply.  Successful applicants may receive up to $3 million over 3 years to research, develop and deploy new technologies.

Applications are currently being accepted for the following technology areas of interest:

Biomass Technologies
Harvesting/Dewatering Technology for Algal Biofuels Production.

Buildings Technologies
Transitional Technology for Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)
SSL Products made from Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)
"Core" Technology for Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)  

Fuel Cell Technologies
Advanced Materials for Fuel Cell Technologies
Bio-Fueled Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Geothermal Technologies -  High Temperature Tools and Sensors
High Temperature Downhole Tools
High-Temperature-High-Volume Lifting  
High Temperature Downhole MWD Tools for Directional Drilling

Industrial Technologies
Sensors and Controls  
Industrial Membrane Process Systems   
Advanced Materials
Integrated Reaction-Separation using non-thermal processes
Mitigation of Heat Losses, Fouling, and Scaling in key Manufacturing Unit Operations.

Solar Technologies - Lowering the Cost of Photovoltaics through Innovative Augmentation
Lightweight, Flexible and Low Cost Multi-junction Solar Cells:
Static Module PV Concentrators:
New Methods of Crystallizing Silicon:

Vehicle Technologies
Technologies to Address Internal Heating in DC Bus Capacitors
Improved Magnetic Materials for Motors
Advanced Materials for Lightweight Vehicles

Wind Technologies
Advanced Wind Power Technologies and Systems:  

Fossil Energy
Pollution control
Advanced power systems
Stationary power fuel cells
Clean fuels
Carbon sequestration
Recovery of oil, natural gas, and methane hydrates
Advances in materials, sensors, monitors, controls, biotechnology, and computational processes

Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
Smart Grid Technologies and Systems
Electric Transmission Technologies
Superconducting Technology for Power Equipment
Advanced Materials for Power Electronics and Energy Storage

Nuclear Energy
Advanced Instrumentation and Control, Radiation Resistant Sensors, and Wireless On-Line Monitoring Systems for Nuclear Power Plant Applications

The deadline for submission of applications is August 4, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Read more information about the DOE FY 2010 Phase III Xlerator Program.