Department of Energy Announces $14.5 Million to Decarbonize U.S. Plastics Industry

Did you know single-use plastics are the largest subset of plastics in municipal solid waste and one of the most challenging to recycle? Through a new, $14.5 million funding opportunity, DOE will support a range of projects that will develop economically viable solutions for converting plastic films to more valuable materials and designing new plastics that are more recyclable and biodegradable. These solutions can lead to increased investments in recycling processes and recycling jobs in the U.S., reduce the amount of plastics that end up in the environment, and decarbonize the plastics industry.

Read the full announcement. 

Department of Energy Announces $6.5 Million to Help Modernize U.S. Water Infrastructure 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman recently said, “finding new, sustainable sources of water is a major challenge in our effort to mitigate the effects of climate change.” Learn more about a new, $6.5 million request for proposals (RFP) for projects to develop new technologies for purifying non-traditional water sources. The advancements in desalination technologies will help propel the modernization of America’s water infrastructure, increase access to clean, potable water and move the country towards net-zero emissions by 2050. DOE's National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI)  will manage these projects. 

Read the full announcement. 

Department of Energy Invests up to $3 Million to Improve Energy Efficiency and Performance Across Manufacturing Sector Using High Performance Computing  

DOE recently announced up to $3 million in funding to connect domestic manufacturers with the U.S. National Laboratories’ high performance computing (HPC) resources that can help streamline their processes, increase their productivity, and lower their carbon footprint. 

Department of Energy Announces $1.5 Million to Mitigate Cybersecurity Risks in Manufacturing

Automation through advanced sensors and controls is a critical tool for improving the energy efficiency of the manufacturing sector, yet it can introduce some cybersecurity risks. Learn more about a new $1.5 million request for proposals (RFP) for projects to develop technologies that mitigate the cybersecurity risks posed by connected devices, networking, and real-time data. DOE's Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) will manage these projects.

Read the full announcement.

Department of Energy Announces $22.5 Million to Reduce Carbon Emissions from Manufacturing

DOE's Reducing Embodied-energy And Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute will manage a new request for proposals (RFP) for up to $22.5 million for projects that support the recovery, recycling, and reuse of material waste generated by the manufacturing sector. Using recycled materials to manufacture new materials and products can cut energy requirements and emissions in half, while also reducing waste.

Read the full announcement. 

Department of Energy Launches New Microgrids Database

AMO recently launched a new, interactive tool tracking microgrids installed throughout the United States. Users can filter and search for sites by technology, end-user application, generation and storage capacity, and operating year in this regularly updated database. Check out the new tool. 

New Report Confirms Cost Effectiveness of Strategic Energy Management

A new report supported by a team of researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and released by the North American Strategic Energy Management Collaborative, a project of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), found that emerging methods to manage energy use in industrial and commercial facilities are more than paying off through reduced energy costs.

HARBEC Inc. Receives Platinum-level Superior Energy Performance 50001 (SEP 50001TM) Certification

DOE recently profiled HARBEC Inc.’s experience achieving the highest recognition in DOE’s SEP 50001 program, which offers certification and elevated levels of acknowledgment to facilities that achieve sustained excellence in energy management. 

Learn more about AMO’s guidance, tools, and protocols to help facilities implement energy management systems and attain deeper, sustained savings.

WORKSHOP: Electrochemistry in Manufacturing Virtual Workshop Series – June 15, 17, 22, & 29

Next month, AMO invites you to attend a virtual workshop series to examine how adoption of electrochemical technologies and strategies could substantially improve the performance of the industrial sector. Each day will include plenary talks interspersed with breakout sessions, which will be designed for cross-pollination across industries and across sectors.

Register to attend this workshop.

WORKSHOP: Education and Workforce Development in Manufacturing Virtual Workshop – June 22 

On June 22 at 11:00 a.m. ET, join AMO for a virtual workshop to help identify the education and workforce development (EWD) needs within the manufacturing sector. Information gathered during the workshop will inform an AMO-wide EWD strategy to help build the next-generation clean energy workforce. Small group discussions with discrete stakeholder groups will take place in following weeks. The focus group discussions will target specific solution pathways and address unmet needs across the manufacturing sector. 

Registration information coming soon on the AMO website.