US government throws $106m at disruptive clean tech

The US government last week distributed $106m in funding to potentially " disruptive" clean tech projects in the fields of biofuels, electric vehicle batteries, innovative materials and carbon capture.

The Department of Energy dished out funding to 37 clean tech projects across 17 states through its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) scheme, which aims to provide funding to the kinds of potentially game-changing technologies that are at a very early stage of development and struggle to attract private funding, but could deliver large scale cuts in carbon emissions.

"By investing in our top researchers, we’re not only continuing in the spirit of American innovation, but helping build a competitive American clean energy industry that will create secure jobs here at home for years to come," said US vice president Joe Biden as he announced the funding.

His comments were echoed by energy secretary Steven Chu who said the funding would utltimately "help create new jobs, spur innovation and economic growth while helping to cut carbon pollution dramatically".

Some of America's most illustrious research institutions were awarded funding with Harvard Medical School awarded $4m to develop a "reverse fuel cell" technology that uses a bacterium to convert carbon dioxide into gasoline.

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was awarded $5m to help fund the development of a semi-solid rechargeable flow battery, which researchers said would combine the best characteristics of rechargeable batteries and fuel cells, while costing less than one-eighth of today's batteries.

A number of corporate research teams also secured funding with GE Global Research Centre reporting that it was awarded $3m towards a project which aims to reduce the cost of carbon capture storage by using a liquid that solidifies when it reacts with carbon dioxide.