The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded funding to 20 multidisciplinary teams as part of its Sustainable Energy Pathways (SEP) program, which is intended to spark innovative energy solutions that meet societal needs without creating burdens for future generations.
In order to receive funding under the program, teams must submit proposals for energy solutions that are generated domestically and that are not dependent on rare resources or cost-prohibitive. The technologies must also avoid adverse environmental or societal consequences and cannot contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions.
The SEP awards went to a diverse range of energy technologies, including wind turbine manufacturing, energy-storage solutions, novel solar cells, battery technology, and wave and geothermal energy-conversion technologies.
Two researchers were awarded a total of $1.675 million to develop "a sustainable energy pathway for wind turbine blade manufacturing."
The total funding allocated to the SEP program was $37 million. The full list of the awards can be viewed here.
