Energy Highlights – March 2011
NEWS & NOTES
MMPEI awards Innovation in Sustainable Energy Technologies grants The Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute (MMPEI) selects two U-M research projects for funding through its newly launched Partnerships for Innovation in Sustainable Energy Technologies program.
CERC-CVC program ramps up with January signing ceremony MMPEI Director Dennis Assanis signs the five-year work plan for the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center-Clean Vehicle Consortium (CERC-CVC).
Podcast: U-M Research VP discusses role of solar power as alternative fuel source President Obama has called for the U.S. to produce 80 percent of its electricity from cleaner energy sources including wind, solar, clean coal and nuclear by 2035. Stephen Forrest, vice president for research, solar energy researcher, and MMPEI faculty fellow, weighs in on whether this will be possible.
ARPA-E a litmus test for energy R&D agenda The ARPA-E Summit opened on March 1, 2011 in National Harbor, Md. with seemingly dual purposes: to inspire scientists to invent and to convince Congress of the energy agency’s own worth.
A new class of light-emitting material MMPEI Faculty Fellow Jinsang Kim and his colleagues produce a material that may reduce the costs of OLED screens and lighting.
Personal solar panel could make electricity more accessible U-M entrepreneurs team up to develop the emerald, a personal solar panel the size of a paperback.
Battery technology firm CSquared Innovations wins 2011 Clean Energy Prize A company whose technology could lead to cheaper lithium-ion batteries wins the 2011 Clean Energy Prize business plan competition.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Energy, Interior secretaries announce offshore wind initiatives Unveiling a coordinated strategic plan to accelerate the development of offshore wind energy, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced in February major steps forward in support of offshore wind energy in the United States, including new funding opportunities for up to $50.5 million for projects. Read the complete National Offshore Wind Strategy: Creating an Offshore Wind Industry in the United States, co-authored by Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Ph.D and Ross School MBA Chris Hart.
U.S. Offshore Wind: Removing Market Barriers — Preliminary Applications due March 25, 2011 As part of its strategic focus on wind energy the U.S. Department of Energy announces funding opportunities that analyze key barriers to the development and deployment of offshore wind energy technologies, including the current costs of energy, technical challenges related to installation and grid interconnection, and the permitting process.
U.S. Wind Power: Next Generation Drivetrain Development — Applications due April 1, 2011 The Wind and Water Power Program within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is interested in developing next generation wind turbine drivetrain technologies to reduce the cost of energy produced by wind turbines. Advances in drivetrain technologies are expected to have a direct effect on capital costs, operation and maintenance costs, replacement costs, and/or lifetime energy production. DOE seeks projects that will produce conceptual designs and conduct risk reduction analyses for innovative, next generation drivetrain systems.
U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) Energy Program — Pre-proposals due April 13, 2011 The BSF announces funding opportunities for research in alternative energy, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Special funding from the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructures in coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy supports the research. Applications must be submitted jointly by at least one Israeli and one American scientist and will be evaluated on the basis of their scientific excellence as well as their expected impact on energy related–related problems faced by Israel and the U.S.
U-M – SJTU Collaboration on Renewable Energy Science and Technology — Proposals due April 29, 2011 Special funding from the University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) has been allocated to support collaborative research projects that involve co-investigators from U-M and SJTU. The second year of a five-year program offers opportunities in renewable energy science and technology and biomedical technologies. Areas of interest in energy research include but are not limited to batteries and electric vehicles, solar energy and photovoltaics, smart grids, bio fuels, wind energy and turbines, and renewable energy policy and market tools.
Discover additional funding opportunities.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Goff Smith Lecture: Condoleezza Rice on The Interface of Energy and Geopolitics March 30, 2011 Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will present the College of Engineering’s 2011 Goff Smith Lecture: The Interface of Energy and Geopolitics, on March 30, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. in Rackham Auditorium, 915 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070. This ticketed event is free of charge. Tickets available through the Michigan Union Ticket Office or call 734-763-8587.
Revitalizing Innovation in Michigan for Clean Energy Manufacturing April 21-22, 2011 Continuous innovation in manufacturing is essential for maintaining U.S. economic leadership in an intensively competitive global market. Innovations in the production of advanced batteries, motors, controllers, lighting devices, wind machines, photovoltaic modules, and other clean energy products is critical to meeting U.S. energy and environmental goals. A two-day workshop bringing leaders and students to campus will explore how to create a pilot Innovation Ecosystem throughout the state and discuss ways to revitalize the innovation infrastructure in Michigan in ways that take maximum advantage of new investments. Read draft agenda and register today.
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