U.S. Department of Energy announces $68 million for small businesses developing technologies to cut emissions and study climate
Funding awarded to 53 businesses across 23 states that are developing innovations in clean energy and climate research
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced awards totaling more than $68 million that will go to 53 small businesses that are solving scientific problems. Projects include developing tools for climate research and advanced materials and technologies for clean energy conversion. Understanding the climate and the ability to convert and store energy are instrumental to meeting President Biden’s goal of a completely clean electrical grid by 2035 and net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.
“From the Industrial Revolution to Silicon Valley, small businesses have always propelled innovation in America, and they will play a critical role in the transition to clean energy,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The companies working on the incredible projects announced today are creating a bridge between the laboratory and the marketplace, where the rubber will meet the road.”
The businesses are spread across 23 states and are focused on dozens of research areas, including rare earth elements and nuclear physics. The projects—54 in total, as one company is working on two of them—are being funded by four different programs in DOE’s Office of Science:
Advanced Scientific Computing Research (7) Basic Energy Sciences (28) Biological and Environmental Research (12) Nuclear Physics (7) For example, one project aims to make geothermal energy systems, which are powered by heat from beneath the Earth’s surface, cost-competitive, while another is developing a tool that can help site infrastructure to capture and store carbon-dioxide emission.
A significant barrier to large-scale deployment of hybrid energy systems with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to combat climate change is the lack of access to decision-making software for stakeholders. This project will develop advanced hybrid energy CCS decision-making software to help quantify the costs and risks associated with the technology.
These awards were funded through DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards, which strive to transform DOE-supported science and technology breakthroughs into viable products and services. The awards also support the development of specialized technologies and instruments that aid in scientific discovery. Today’s selections are for SBIR and STTR Phase II research and development, meaning the businesses have demonstrated technical feasibility for innovations during Phase I of their grants. The median Phase II award is $1,100,000 for a period of two years.
The companies receiving the funding, listed with the amounts they are receiving, are:
Adamas Nanotechnologies Inc. (Raleigh, N.C.): $1,650,000 Adelphi Technology Inc. (Redwood City, Calif.): $1,150,000 Aerosol Dynamics Inc. (Berkeley, Calif.): $1,624,343 Advanced Cooling Technologies Inc. (Lancaster, Pa.): $1,149,999 Altex Technologies Corp. (San Jose, Calif): $1,149,916 Aqwest LLC (Larkspur, Colo.): $1,149,980 Birch Biosciences LLC (Portland, Ore.): $1,649,992 CapeSym Inc. (Natick, Mass.): $1,149,079 Carbon Solutions LLC (Saint Paul, Minn.): $1,150,000 Coreform LLC (Orem, Utah): $1,650,000 DayLyte Inc. (Knoxville, Tenn.): $1,149,987 Electron Optica (Palo Alto, Calif.): $1,149,336 Epir Inc. (Bolingbrook, Ill.): $1,149,953 Error Corp. (Bethesda, Md.): $1,645,510 Faraday Technology Inc. (Englewood, Ohio): $1,150,000 GlycoSurf LLC (Salt Lake City, Utah): $1,049,072 Great Lakes Crystal Technologies (East Lansing, Mich.): $1,099,511 HighRI Optics Inc. (Oakland, Calif.): $1,149,799 Hirsch Scientific (Pacifica, Calif.): $1,517,044 Hyperboloid LLC (Yorktown, Va.): $775,958 InnoSense LLC (Torrance, Calif.): $1,649,964 Integrated Sensors LLC (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.): $566,980 Kitware Inc. (Clifton Park, N.Y.): $1,600,000 Leiden Measurement Technology LLC (Sunnyvale, Calif.): $1,650,000 Lifeboat LLC (Champaign, Ill.): $1,650,000 Mesa Photonics LLC (Santa Fe, N.M.): $1,150,000 Metrolaser Inc. (Laguna Hills, Calif.): $1,099,904 Mizar Imaging LLC (Chapel Hill, N.C.): $1,649,668 NanoSonic Inc. (Pembroke, Va.): $1,149,950 Nion Company (Kirkland, Wash.): $1,099,242 OLI Systems Inc. (Parsippany, N.J.): $1,100,000 Optimax Systems Inc. (Ontario, N.Y.): $1,135,055 Ozark Integrated Circuits Inc. (Fayetteville, Ark.): $1,149,939 Pacific Microchip Corp. (Culver City, Calif.): $1,150,000 ParaTools Inc. (Eugene, Ore.): $1,600,000 Particle Flux Analytics Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah): $1,641,506 Petrolern LLC (Brookhaven, Ga.): $1,149,826 Physical Sciences Inc. (Andover, Mass.): $1,649,982 Polykala Technologies LLC (San Antonio, Texas): $1,150,000 Precision Combustion Inc. (North Haven, Conn.): $1,148,566 Quantitative BioSciences Inc. (San Diego, Calif.): $1,650,000 Radiabeam Technologies LLC (Santa Monica, Calif.): $1,149,870 RadiaSoft LLC (Boulder, Colo.): $1,637,399 Radiation Monitoring Devices Inc. (Watertown, Mass.): $2,199,952* Rayonix LLC (Evanston, Ill.): $1,100,000 Reaction Engineering Intl. (Midvale, Utah): $1,149,386 Scintilex LLC (Alexandria, Va.): $1,099,977 Sivananthan Laboratories Inc. (Bolingbrook, Ill.): $1,099,952 Structured Materials Industries Inc. (Piscataway, N.J.): $1,150,000 VISIMO (Carnegie, Pa.): $1,146,472 Visolis Inc. (Hayward, Calif.): $1,650,000 Vista Clara Inc. (Mukilteo, Wash.): $575,000 *Funding is for two projects.
For more information about the 54 projects, click here. For more information about DOE’s SBIR and STTR programs, click here.
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“From the Industrial Revolution to Silicon Valley, small businesses have always propelled innovation in America, and they will play a critical role in the transition to clean energy,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The companies working on the incredible projects announced today are creating a bridge between the laboratory and the marketplace, where the rubber will meet the road.”
The businesses are spread across 23 states and are focused on dozens of research areas, including rare earth elements and nuclear physics. The projects—54 in total, as one company is working on two of them—are being funded by four different programs in DOE’s Office of Science:
Advanced Scientific Computing Research (7) Basic Energy Sciences (28) Biological and Environmental Research (12) Nuclear Physics (7) For example, one project aims to make geothermal energy systems, which are powered by heat from beneath the Earth’s surface, cost-competitive, while another is developing a tool that can help site infrastructure to capture and store carbon-dioxide emission.
A significant barrier to large-scale deployment of hybrid energy systems with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to combat climate change is the lack of access to decision-making software for stakeholders. This project will develop advanced hybrid energy CCS decision-making software to help quantify the costs and risks associated with the technology.
These awards were funded through DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards, which strive to transform DOE-supported science and technology breakthroughs into viable products and services. The awards also support the development of specialized technologies and instruments that aid in scientific discovery. Today’s selections are for SBIR and STTR Phase II research and development, meaning the businesses have demonstrated technical feasibility for innovations during Phase I of their grants. The median Phase II award is $1,100,000 for a period of two years.
The companies receiving the funding, listed with the amounts they are receiving, are:
Adamas Nanotechnologies Inc. (Raleigh, N.C.): $1,650,000 Adelphi Technology Inc. (Redwood City, Calif.): $1,150,000 Aerosol Dynamics Inc. (Berkeley, Calif.): $1,624,343 Advanced Cooling Technologies Inc. (Lancaster, Pa.): $1,149,999 Altex Technologies Corp. (San Jose, Calif): $1,149,916 Aqwest LLC (Larkspur, Colo.): $1,149,980 Birch Biosciences LLC (Portland, Ore.): $1,649,992 CapeSym Inc. (Natick, Mass.): $1,149,079 Carbon Solutions LLC (Saint Paul, Minn.): $1,150,000 Coreform LLC (Orem, Utah): $1,650,000 DayLyte Inc. (Knoxville, Tenn.): $1,149,987 Electron Optica (Palo Alto, Calif.): $1,149,336 Epir Inc. (Bolingbrook, Ill.): $1,149,953 Error Corp. (Bethesda, Md.): $1,645,510 Faraday Technology Inc. (Englewood, Ohio): $1,150,000 GlycoSurf LLC (Salt Lake City, Utah): $1,049,072 Great Lakes Crystal Technologies (East Lansing, Mich.): $1,099,511 HighRI Optics Inc. (Oakland, Calif.): $1,149,799 Hirsch Scientific (Pacifica, Calif.): $1,517,044 Hyperboloid LLC (Yorktown, Va.): $775,958 InnoSense LLC (Torrance, Calif.): $1,649,964 Integrated Sensors LLC (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.): $566,980 Kitware Inc. (Clifton Park, N.Y.): $1,600,000 Leiden Measurement Technology LLC (Sunnyvale, Calif.): $1,650,000 Lifeboat LLC (Champaign, Ill.): $1,650,000 Mesa Photonics LLC (Santa Fe, N.M.): $1,150,000 Metrolaser Inc. (Laguna Hills, Calif.): $1,099,904 Mizar Imaging LLC (Chapel Hill, N.C.): $1,649,668 NanoSonic Inc. (Pembroke, Va.): $1,149,950 Nion Company (Kirkland, Wash.): $1,099,242 OLI Systems Inc. (Parsippany, N.J.): $1,100,000 Optimax Systems Inc. (Ontario, N.Y.): $1,135,055 Ozark Integrated Circuits Inc. (Fayetteville, Ark.): $1,149,939 Pacific Microchip Corp. (Culver City, Calif.): $1,150,000 ParaTools Inc. (Eugene, Ore.): $1,600,000 Particle Flux Analytics Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah): $1,641,506 Petrolern LLC (Brookhaven, Ga.): $1,149,826 Physical Sciences Inc. (Andover, Mass.): $1,649,982 Polykala Technologies LLC (San Antonio, Texas): $1,150,000 Precision Combustion Inc. (North Haven, Conn.): $1,148,566 Quantitative BioSciences Inc. (San Diego, Calif.): $1,650,000 Radiabeam Technologies LLC (Santa Monica, Calif.): $1,149,870 RadiaSoft LLC (Boulder, Colo.): $1,637,399 Radiation Monitoring Devices Inc. (Watertown, Mass.): $2,199,952* Rayonix LLC (Evanston, Ill.): $1,100,000 Reaction Engineering Intl. (Midvale, Utah): $1,149,386 Scintilex LLC (Alexandria, Va.): $1,099,977 Sivananthan Laboratories Inc. (Bolingbrook, Ill.): $1,099,952 Structured Materials Industries Inc. (Piscataway, N.J.): $1,150,000 VISIMO (Carnegie, Pa.): $1,146,472 Visolis Inc. (Hayward, Calif.): $1,650,000 Vista Clara Inc. (Mukilteo, Wash.): $575,000 *Funding is for two projects.
For more information about the 54 projects, click here. For more information about DOE’s SBIR and STTR programs, click here.
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