DOE Invests $100M in Commercialization of Clean Energy Technologies

The Department of Energy has earmarked $100 million in funding for the deployment of clean energy technologies in communities, industries and businesses.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy will administer the funding as part of an effort to reduce emissions, promote energy efficiency and drive grid modernization, DOE said Thursday.

DOE added that the Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential program will generate good-paying jobs and advance American science in clean energy technology in support of President Joe Biden’s Building a Better America plan.

Biden has announced goals to achieve a carbon pollution-free energy sector by 2035 and fully decarbonize the American economy by 2050

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said the department wants to focus on commercializing technologies that can help industries transition to clean energy sources.

“Transitioning to 100 percent carbon-free energy will require new technologies that reshape the way we approach everything from heating and cooling our homes to how we power our vehicles,” Granholm added.

The SCALEUP program includes funding for previous ARPA-E awardees with technologies that can be deployed and commercialized domestically.

The awardees will next be tasked with developing a plan to commercialize their technologies and attract investments from the private sector.

ARPA-E first launched a SCALEUP funding opportunity in 2019. The program supported the deployment of technologies related to electric grid resilience, the detection of methane emissions, the creation of advanced sodium-based batteries, the development of rooftop radiative cooling panels and the adoption of grid storage and electric vehicle technologies, DOE said.