As 2019 draws to a close, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) is looking back at the year’s highlights. Through diverse partnerships with National Laboratories, state and local governments, academia, the private sector, and more, AMO’s work over the past 12 months focused on advancing the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing. AMO launched a range of initiatives, prizes, challenges, and conferences designed to support innovation in and adoption of cutting-edge material, process, and information technologies across the industrial sector.
Check out AMO’s top news throughout 2019:
DOE Announces Opening of Battery Recycling Center at Argonne National Lab
For National Battery Day in February, DOE announced the opening of a Battery Recycling Center at Argonne National Laboratory. This center focuses on cost-effective processes to reclaim and recycle critical materials at risk of supply chain disruption from lithium-based battery technology.
At the same time, DOE announced a prize encouraging American entrepreneurs to find innovative solutions to collecting, storing, and transporting discarded lithium-ion batteries for eventual recycling. Learn more at AmericanMadeChallenges.org/BatteryRecycling.
DOE Announces $70 Million for Cybersecurity Institute for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing
In March, DOE announced funding for a Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute for early-stage research to advance cybersecurity in energy-efficient manufacturing. The Institute will focus on understanding the evolving cybersecurity threats to greater energy efficiency in manufacturing industries, developing new cybersecurity technologies and methods, and sharing knowledge among U.S. manufacturers.
COMING IN 2020: Stay tuned for the announcement of the selection for the Cybersecurity Institute!
DOE Announces $89 Million for Innovative Manufacturing Technologies
In May, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry announced $89 million for AMO’s FY19 Multi-topic Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support innovative, advanced manufacturing research and development (R&D) projects. The FOA includes key Departmental priorities, such as a joint topic with the Vehicle Technologies Office on innovative manufacturing processes for battery energy storage. The energy storage opportunity aims to support improved performance and manufacturing advancements in battery technologies.
MORE IN THE NEW YEAR: Keep an eye out for the selections announcement for the FY19 Multi-topic FOA.
AMO Hosts 2019 Peer Review Conference
In June, AMO hosted its annual Peer Review conference, an opportunity to meet with project performers and partners to review the office’s work on innovations in manufacturing and energy. This rigorous review process helps AMO maintain a productive and cost-effective R&D portfolio that stimulates meaningful technology innovation to support the continued economic prosperity of industries and communities across our nation.
READ MORE: AMO recently released its 2019 Peer Review report, which incorporates feedback from reviewers on the effectiveness of the office’s portfolio and its alignment with AMO’s mission. The review gives AMO’s project performers and partners the opportunity to reflect on progress, evaluate other approaches, and receive constructive feedback to ensure projects are on track for success.
DOE’s Better Plants Partners Save $6.7 Billion
In September, DOE announced that Better Buildings, Better Plants partners had cumulatively saved $6.7 billion in energy costs and more than 1.3 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu). DOE’s Better Plants partners include more than 225 organizations and more than 3,200 facilities representing roughly 12% of the U.S. manufacturing energy footprint. DOE works with organizations that voluntarily set ambitious, water, and/or waste reduction goals through this partnership.
WHAT TO WATCH: The annual Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit offers an opportunity to learn about emerging technologies, resiliency planning, and workforce development. Catch up on highlights from the 2019 Summit, where attendees engaged with industry peers to exchange ideas and best practices on achieving greater energy, water, and waste efficiency.
The Better Plants program also holds yearly Technology Days at National Laboratories, exposing partners to early-stage technologies and lab resources that enable American industrial competitiveness and innovation.
DOE Selects National Alliance for Water Innovation to Lead $100 Million Energy-Water Desalination Hub
In September, DOE selected the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) to lead an Energy-Water Desalination Hub to address water security issues in the U.S. The Hub will focus on early-stage R&D for energy-efficient and cost-competitive desalination technologies including manufacturing challenges.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: In late 2018, DOE launched the Water Security Grand Challenge, recognizing the need for innovative solutions that improve water reliability and quality. The $100 million funding opportunity for the Energy-Water Desalination Hub is one part of this broader challenge.
DOE Launches Plastics Innovation Challenge
In November, DOE launched the Plastics Innovation Challenge, a department-wide initiative to accelerate innovations in energy-efficient plastics recycling technologies.
Earlier this year, AMO and the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) jointly funded the Bio-Optimized Technologies to Keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) Consortium, a National Lab-led seed Consortium established to focus on designing new plastics and recycling strategies.
STAY TUNED: In December, AMO and BETO announced that funding would be coming soon for the development of new, efficiently recyclable bio-based plastics and improved recycling strategies for existing plastics. The initiative seeks to extend that effort beyond the Consortium and to utilize the resources BOTTLE has developed through partnerships with industry, universities, and others to advance DOE’s Plastics Innovation Challenge.
DOE Supports Innovative Projects Across the National Laboratory Network
Throughout 2019, DOE’s 17 National Laboratories initiated a diverse range of activities as a part of the FY18/FY19 Lab Call, which included $127 million for 33 projects. Their work in 2019 supported applied R&D in harsh environment materials, wide-band-gap semiconductors, combined heat and power, additive manufacturing, and more—priority areas for AMO as the office seeks to drive U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.
ONES TO WATCH
Check out videos of our partners’ work in 2019:
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation Collaborates with Industry at Its Scale-Up Research Facility
In July, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) highlighted Volkswagen’s work to create a prototype liftgate through sheet molding compound at IACMI’s Scale-Up Research Facility in Detroit, Michigan. IACMI is the fifth institute in the Manufacturing USA network and focuses on developing lower-cost, higher-speed, and more efficient manufacturing and recycling processes for advanced composite materials.
The University of Maine Unveils World’s Largest 3D Printer
In October, researchers at the University of Maine unveiled the world’s largest 3D printer. AMO provides funding for DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Maine’s efforts to study key technical areas in large-scale bio-based additive manufacturing, including cellulose.
As we look to 2020, we’re excited about the opportunities to continue advancing U.S. global leadership in sustainable and efficient manufacturing for a global and competitive economy.
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