Department of Energy Names Final Winners in Onshore Manufacturing Prize Competition

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected first-place winner FuzeHub and second-place winner ADL Ventures to receive the final prize of the American Inventions Made Onshore (AIM Onshore) Prize Competition, which opened in 2018 as part of a DOE initiative to close the gap between American innovators who develop new energy technologies and domestic manufacturers who produce them. They were selected among four finalists who were awarded initial prizes of $150,000 each. The winners leveraged DOE’s Build4Scale training over a one-year period to help bolster U.S. manufacturing. Learn more.

AMO Selects Seven Small Businesses for Research and Development Grants to Stimulate Technological Innovation

American small businesses received a near-$44 million boost from the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Small businesses are receiving Phase II Release 2 grants that demonstrate commercial feasibility for innovations during the second phase of their research. EERE's Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) sought follow-on applications and will fund seven projects that received AMO Phase I funding in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 or AMO Phase II funding in FY 2017. Learn more.

EERE Announces Seven New High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation Projects

EERE awarded $2 million in federal funding for seven new high performance computing projects as part of the High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation (HPC4EI) Initiative, a DOE-wide effort comprising EERE, the Office of Fossil Energy (FE), the Office of Science, and the National Laboratories. Within the High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) Program, AMO selected five projects. Learn more.

Working to Create Safer, Secure, and Affordable Water

Water is a critical resource for human health, economic growth, and agricultural productivity. DOE recognizes that water and energy systems are interdependent. To help meet the global need for safe, secure, and affordable water, DOE is advancing transformational technology and innovation through the Water Security Grand Challenge, which features prizes, R&D investments, and other programs. To learn more about opportunities to work with DOE and our partners to address water security, visit the Water Security Grand Challenge website or email watersecuritychallenge@ee.doe.gov.

EVENT: Chain Reactions Innovations Will Host a Demo Day for Entrepreneurs – September 17

Chain Reactions Innovations, part of the DOE Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Programs, will host an event to showcase the technologies and emerging companies of innovators. Six teams currently participating in the second cohort will meet potential investors and the energy community on September 17 at the Gleacher Center in Chicago, Illinois. This year’s Demo Day will also feature innovators from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Innovation Crossroads program and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Cyclotron Road program. 

Register to attend Demo Day 2019.

ACEEE Awards AMO with 'Champions of Energy Efficiency' at 2019 Summer Study Industry

The American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy (ACEEE) recently awarded AMO Technology Manager Sandy Glatt with its Champion of Energy Efficiency award. Sandy was recognized for a career of leadership through her work making energy efficiency tools and practices available to industrial firms, and for supporting the training of a new generation of industrial efficiency experts. An ACEEE Board of Directors’ committee selected the winner from a pool of 75 candidates nominated by their peers.

Read the full release here. 

Updates from 50001 Ready and Superior Energy Performance

Check out DOE’s 50001 Ready and SEP 50001 programs that help organizations effectively manage energy. Latest updates: Discover how utilities and implementers can leverage DOE’s suite of energy management tools to enhance energy efficiency programs for customers and how ArcelorMittal, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Tronox are leveraging 50001 ready to enhance their value to customers, formalize processes, and reduce energy use. Learn more.

ICYMI: The Better Buildings Better Plants Summit Wrap Up

Roughly 650 attendees from the public, private, and industrial sectors gathered at the DOE Better Buildings Better Plants Summit for two–and-a-half days of networking, dynamic discussions, and energy efficiency-focused tours of local facilities. Presentations from more than 60 sessions and 120 speakers are now online. View or download them here. 

You can also read about Summit highlights or learn about the two local industrial facility tours: AstraZeneca and Volvo Group North America.

EVENT: AMO to Sponsor AEE World Conference – September 25–27

AEE World (formerly the World Energy Engineering Congress, or WEEC) is right around the corner. As a conference sponsor, the AMO Better Plants program will have a track of panel sessions, a booth on the expo floor, and a breakfast gathering for partners and stakeholders. We encourage you to register and join us! If you have a good presentation idea and are interested in speaking on one of our AEE World panels, please email us at BetterPlants@ee.doe.gov. 

NREL Annual Call for User Access

The annual call for user access to NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) is now open. Researchers with DOE and NREL mission-aligned projects may apply for access to ESIF laboratory capabilities. For application details and more information, including registration for an informational webinar, please visit the ESIF website.

BLOG: From Metals to Molecules: Small-Business Innovation Boosts Technology

Former AMO metallurgist Dr. David Forrest created a Small Business Innovation Research grant subtopic to improve the strength and formability of steel in 2013. SFP Works, now known as Flash Bainite, submitted an impressive proof of concept for their patented steel processing technology. Flash Bainite won Phase 1 and Phase II awards to continue work on its steel-processing technology. The technology developed by Flash Bainite yields stronger, more ductile, less expensive steel that has proven useful in a variety of applications. Learn more.

Argonne National Laboratory Announces Winner of 2019 Energy and Global Security Excellence Project Award

U. (Balu) Balachandran, Beihai Ma, Steve Dorris, and Tae Lee earned the Argonne Laboratory’s 2019 Energy and Global Security Excellence Project Award. The award recognizes excellence in project work that meets one or more of the following criteria: High Impact, Discover/Innovation, and Capability Contribution. The team, funded by AMO, was selected from a group of 10 nominees for its success in discovering a better way to produce covetic materials with enhanced electrical conductivity. 

Learn more about the 2019 Energy and Global Security Excellence Awards.