Energy Department announces nearly $32 million for innovative small businesses focused on clean energy technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced nearly $32 million in funding for small business-led projects to further develop clean energy technologies that have a strong potential for commercialization and job creation. These 32 awards will help small businesses advance their promising concepts that improve manufacturing processes, boost the efficiency of buildings, increase transportation sustainability, and generate electricity from renewable sources.

Funded through DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, most of the projects that have advanced into Phase II were previously selected for Phase I funding in 2016. These 32 projects were selected based on scientific and technical merit, as well as the commercial potential of the project proposed to continue their research and development. Companies competing for these follow-on grants were encouraged to propose innovations to meet ambitious cost and performance targets.

The 32 small businesses receiving the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) SBIR/STTR awards are located in 18 states: California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

See the full list of the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)-funded projects.

Among the projects selected for awards are:

• From Rome, New York: Helios Remote Sensing Systems, Inc. is developing a low cost, low power, wind profiling Doppler radar measurement system to characterize offshore wind resources.
• From Torrance, California: Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc. is developing optical sensors to measure humidity that will have unprecedented long-term stability at costs comparable to those of existing sensors.
• From Louis, Missouri: MOgene Green Chemicals is developing a sustainable, bio-based biocatalyst to capture methane, carbon dioxide, and other trace gases present in biogas or natural gas sources and convert them into high-value products.
• From Wesley Chapel, Florida: Ultrasonic Technologies, Inc. is developing a new quality and process control methodology and tool prototype for real-time inspection of photovoltaic solar cells and fuel cells. The tool will be used in-line to reduce cost, save energy and increase the yield of module production.
• From Sacramento, California: Lucent Optics, Inc. is developing ultra-thin flexible lighting panels based on high-brightness, light-emitting diodes that are energy efficient and low-glare.

For more information about EERE’s SBIR/STTR efforts, see www.energy.gov/eere/sbir. For more information on the Energy Department’s SBIR/STTR program, visit the SBIR/STTR website.