Smarter Energy Research Institute to Advance Future Utilities

IBM on October 25 announced the launch of the Smarter Energy Research Institute, a new industrial research collaboration aimed at accelerating innovation across the global energy and utilities market. The first three members to join are DTE, a Detroit-based company that operates an electric utility in Southeastern Michigan; Hydro-Quebec, a large Canadian hydroelectric power producer; and Alliander, a Dutch energy producer specializing in renewable energy.

The new organization is a collaboration between corporate research and the energy and utilities industries to transform energy companies through the use of predictive analytics, system optimization, and advanced computation. Among other things, the effort will focus on renewable and distributed energy in order to help utilities meet renewable targets while ensuring system stability. See the IBM press release.

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Energy Department Investments to Advance Hydrogen Infrastructure

The Energy Department on July 18 announced a $2.4 million investment to collect and analyze performance data for hydrogen fueling stations and advanced refueling components. The five projects—located in California, Connecticut, and Illinois—will track the performance and technical progress of innovative refueling systems at planned or existing hydrogen fueling stations in order to find ways to lower costs and improve operation. These investments are part of the department's commitment to support U.S. leadership in advanced hydrogen and fuel cell research and to help related industries bring hydrogen technologies into the marketplace at lower cost.

As part of a two-year initiative, the Energy Department will make $2.4 million available in fiscal year 2012, with a 50% cost share provided by the award winners. The projects selected for negotiation of award include: California Air Resources Board, which will analyze an operating hydrogen refueling station that uses natural gas to produce hydrogen; California State University and Los Angeles Auxiliary Services, Inc., which will collect data from hydrogen refueling architecture deployed at California State University - Los Angeles; Gas Technology Institute in Des Plaines, Illinois, which will analyze data from five hydrogen fueling stations; and Proton Energy Systems in Wallingford, Connecticut, which will conduct two projects providing operational data from two existing stations that integrate hydrogen generation, compression, storage, and dispensing, as well as deploying an advanced high-pressure electrolyzer at an existing hydrogen fueling station.

These new projects will collect data and monitor the performance of hydrogen fuel stations, advanced components, and other innovative hydrogen technologies using renewable energy or natural gas. By analyzing performance in real-world environments, these projects will help hydrogen fueling equipment manufacturers improve the designs of existing systems. The aim is to achieve higher efficiencies and test new system components. This data will help focus future research and development efforts, driving American manufacturing competitiveness in the next generation of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

In addition, the Energy Department recently released the final report from its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) about a technology validation project that collected data from more than 180 fuel cell electric vehicles (EVs). Over six years, these vehicles made more than 500,000 trips and traveled 3.6 million miles, completing more than 33,000 fill-ups at hydrogen fueling stations across the country. The project found that these vehicles achieved more than twice the efficiency of today's gasoline vehicles with refueling times of five minutes for four kilograms of hydrogen. See the DOE Progress Alert and the NREL final report on 180 fuel cell EVs.

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DOE launches new research programme to advance the solar technologies

Concentration of solar energy, as this system, as also photovoltaic systems, received a boost from DOE's bridge financing.
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DOE announced on 23 February that $3 million this year is to support research, significantly reduce the cost of solar energy. Bridging Research interactions through cooperative development grants in funding (energy bridge) enable collaborative research teams from industry, universities and national laboratories of DOE research centres work together. The research teams support the goal of the DOE's SunShot initiative solar energy costs until the end of the decade with other forms of energy competitive make.

The BRIDGE financing allows researchers the tools to use and expertise of scientists on the DOE research facilities so that fundamental scientific discoveries to existing product lines and projects can be converted quickly. The BRIDGE program is the first, engineers and scientists to develop photovoltaic and solar power technologies with the tools and know-how of the DOE research facilities focus offer. These include important equipment for X-ray and Neutron scattering, interdisciplinary nanoscale science, advanced Microcharacterization, molecular life sciences and advanced scientific account. This cooperative approach accelerates innovation to reduce the cost of photovoltaics and solar energy concentrating technologies. Full applications are due May 21, 2012. See DOE Office of energy efficiency and renewable energy progress warning, funding opportunity Exchange Web page for details and the SunShot initiative Web site.

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