The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Israel’s Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources (MIEW) along with the Israel Innovation Authority today announced $4 million for five newly selected clean energy projects as part of the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program.
The five approved project include the following:
- BrightSource Industries Ltd. (Jerusalem) and Dynamis Solutions, LLC (Las Vegas, Nevada), will develop an automated heliostat cleaning system for concentrated solar plants, increasing electricity production and reducing operating costs.
- CelDezyner Ltd. (Rehovot, Israel) and POET Research, Inc. (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), will develop an innovative process for lower cost production of ethanol from second generation, lignocellulosic feedstocks, which could provide further options to reduce oil dependence.
- Solview Systems Ltd. (Ramat Gan, Israel) and Yarotek PR, LLC (Aventura, Florida), will develop rooftop solar analytics for the commercial and industrial markets to ease the adoption of solar energy.
- Technion IIT (Haifa, Israel) and Pajarito Powder, LLC (Albuquerque, New Mexico), will develop lower cost catalysts for energy storage and energy generation devices, used to level intermittent renewable sources or for back-up applications.
- Waves Audio Ltd. (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, Virginia), will develop an innovative electrostatic speaker using a nanoscale active membrane based on graphene, achieving significant energy savings.
This release builds on the collaboration between the Energy Department and MIEW under the U.S. Israel Energy Dialogue, which brings together experts from both nations to encourage the use of clean energy technologies, foster natural gas regulations that encourage sustainable development, explore the energy-water nexus and enhance energy cybersecurity.
“The climate change and clean energy challenges cross borders, and that’s where collaborative projects emerge and succeed,” says Dr. Steinitz. “The great minds and capabilities from Israel and the U.S. together with the MIEW and DOE continuous support to the BIRD Energy program, does and will drive technological developments for the Clean Energy market in both countries and worldwide.”
BIRD Energy began in 2009 as a result of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Since then, BIRD Energy has funded 32 projects, with a total investment of about $26 million, including the five selected projects announced today, which will leverage cost-share for a total project value of $8.6 million. The program encourages cooperation between Israeli and American companies through funding joint research and development in a range of clean energy subsectors including energy efficiency, biofuels and solar energy.
Please visit www.birdf.com to learn more about the program.
