The Department of Energy (DOE) will provide major funding to 37 research projects, including two that deal with the improvement of wind turbine technology.
The $151 million in funding is being awarded through the DOE's recently formed Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). This is the first round of projects funded under ARPA-E, which is receiving a total of $400 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A second set of ARPA-E funding opportunities will be announced later this fall.
‘ARPA-E is a crucial part of the new effort by the U.S. to spur the next industrial revolution in clean energy technologies, creating thousands of new jobs and helping cut carbon pollution,’ says Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
The grants will go to projects with lead researchers in 17 states. Of the lead recipients, 43% are small businesses, 35% are educational institutions and 19% are large corporations.
FloDesign Wind Turbine Corp. of Wibraham, Mass., will receive about $8.3 million to develop a new, high-efficiency shrouded wind turbine able to deliver significantly more energy per unit of swept area. This turbine could also reduce noise and safety concerns, enabling distributed wind applications, according to the DOE.
PAX Streamline Inc. of San Rafael, Calif., will receive $3 million to develop ‘blown wing’ technology for wind turbines. This creates a virtual airfoil by jetting compressed air along a wing and can be dynamically adjusted to maximize power under a wide range of wind conditions, the DOE says.
Inspired by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, ARPA-E was created to support high-risk, high-reward energy research that can provide new solutions for climate change and energy security.
SOURCE: Department of Energy
