The U.S. Department of Energy is making $100 million available for advanced energy-related research projects, with a considerable focus on the production and storage of solar electricity.
The money, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is intended to accelerate innovations in the development of “green” technology, create new jobs and increase the nation’s ability to compete in the transformation of global energy systems.
Project funding will be overseen by the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, or ARPA-E.
Arun Majumdar, director of the agency, says in a message on the agency’s website: “The widespread use of fossil fuels has long driven the engine of economic growth, and yet our dependence on these fuels severely threatens our national and environmental security due to our growing foreign energy dependence as well as climate change.
“Business as usual is not an option, as the outcome will be devastating,” he adds. “This is true not only for the U.S., but also for all nations in this interconnected world. The nation that successfully grows its economy with more efficient energy use, a clean domestic energy supply, and a smart energy infrastructure will lead the global economy of the 21st century. In many cases, we are lagging behind. We as a nation need to change course with fierce urgency.”
There are three main focus areas for the agency’s $100 million.
The first is the development of new technologies to enable widespread deployment of cost-effective, grid-scale energy storage. The intent is to balance the short-duration variability in power production from renewable energy sources such as solar- and wind-generated electricity. The goal is not to incorporate only small amounts of solar and wind in the grid’s energy mix, but very large amounts.
“By investing in the development of grid-scale energy storage technology,”‘ the agency says, “this funding opportunity will allow the U.S. to assume global technology and manufacturing leadership in the emerging and potentially massive global market for stationary electricity storage infrastructure.”
A second focus of the agency is investment in potential fundamental advances in soft magnetics, high-voltage switches and high-density charge storage. A key purpose of this research is to develop new distributed micro-inverters for solar photovoltaic systems.
Inverters convert the direct current, or DC, produced by solar PV systems into the alternating current, or AC, used in home appliances and the electricity grid. Most solar-electric systems use a single inverter attached by wiring to an array of modules. A newer approach has a single “micro-inverter” on each module.
With a single inverter, shade on part of an array, or a single malfunctioning panel, can significantly reduce the system’s overall electricity production. Micro-inverters can reduce this problem, creating opportunities to install solar PV in places affected by partial shading. The funding seeks to enhance the performance of these devices.
Traditional single inverters also are included, with the goal of significantly reducing their cost while increasing their efficiency. Inverters, which have about half the typical warranted service life of a solar module, are an important factor in the overall cost of a solar installation.
The third focus area is improving the energy efficiency of buildings through the use of thermo-devices. The intent is that the funding will nurture development of new, more efficient ways to cool buildings.
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