Four of the U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratories are getting more than $18 million for projects designed to more quickly get clean-energy technologies into commercial applications, the DOE announced recently.
The $18.4 million investment is part of the Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF), the DOE reported July 14. The funds will support seven different projects that address the challenges and streamline the process of moving clean-energy technology and products into the marketplace, according to the report.
"New clean-energy technologies are critical to meeting the nation’s climate goals," the DOE states in the report, "but they face unique barriers to commercialization."
The DOE reports that the selected projects will employ a "holistic approach" to overcoming obstacles faced by clean-energy technology companies in successfully commercializing products.
“DOE’s national laboratories are stepping up to address the urgent need to develop solutions for expedited clean energy technology commercialization," DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in the report, "from the time a product is researched, developed and patented to its widespread use.”
That sense of urgency was echoed in a DOE tweet posted at the time of the announcement.
"We need to DEPLOY, DEPLOY, DEPLOY more clean energy technology to reach net-zero," the DOE stated in the post. "We're investing $18M to make sure more of these solutions can hit the market faster to create more jobs and strengthen our country's economy."
Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico is conducting three projects funded by the TCF, according to the report. U.S. Senators from New Mexico Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, both Democrats, expressed gratitude and excitement for the lab's contributions.
Heinrich, who stated he wrote the legislation that enacted the "revamped version" of the TCF, said he was "thrilled" by the opportunities supported by the funding.
“I am thrilled that these awards will empower our national labs—including Sandia in New Mexico—to build strong partnerships with local private sector startup companies," Heinrich said in the report, "and grow commercialization and manufacturing ecosystems around promising clean energy technologies developed by Department of Energy researchers.”
Luján said his state's national labs "play a central role" in enhancing the U.S.'s scientific leadership and economy. He expressed his pride in directing bipartisan efforts in both houses of Congress to support the lab's R&D projects, modernizing its infrastructure and speeding the production of next-generation clean technologies.
"Today’s announcement of over $18 million in investments in our Labs from the DOE’s Technology Commercialization Fund represents a key investment in the United States’ STEM workforce, its long-term economic competitiveness, and a better quality of life for New Mexicans and all Americans," Luján said in the report.
