• U.S. government supports deployment of offshore, onshore, and distributed wind energy
• Clean Energy Workforce Training Program promoted by the U.S. government
U.S. Department of Energy funding opportunities
By Rubi Alvarado General Manager, Energy Capital Magazine
The Russia-Ukraine war is having devastating consequences for European countries dependent on natural gas from Ukraine. This is due to the Russian government cutting exports. And suppose we add to this that China recovers the levels of LNG imports of 2021, according to a report by The International Energy Agency. In that case, Europe could live in 2023 with a gas supply deficit.
The report presented by the IEA provides an analysis of the extent of the potentiaAl gap between European Union gas supply and demand and sets out some actions that could help close that gap and mitigate natural gas shortages.
Several key factors could make 2023 a more challenging year. One of the main elements is that Russian supplies may fall further. The IEA estimates that supplies will decrease to zero, creating a more significant gap in the European and international markets.
Also, liquefied natural gas supplies will be tight due to the recovery of imports from China. If Chinese demand
grows, the EU market will not be able to compete. And another critical aspect is the weather - the mild temperatures recorded at the beginning of the winter may not last and cause gas shortages to lift demand in an impoverished market.
Although the outlook does not look so good, the analysis provides some key policy measures that the EU could adopt to mitigate shortages and reduce demand for natural gas. Energy efficiency and the ecological transition are spearheading the reduction of gas shortages. Reducing dependence on gas will allow us to face a more sustainable world and a more secure and balanced market.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced in midDecember that fusion energy is a reality. Scientists achieved it through nuclear fission produced in a laboratory, also known as ignition.
By Aldo Santillan Managing Director and Editor in Chief, Energy Capital Magazine
For the energy sector and the environment, this is excellent news. It sets a new course for a truly green future for the planet. However, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory admitted that, for the time being, its megalaser technology will not be scalable and cannot be used to power the world's power grids. Nuclear fission will not replace coal, oil, or gas-fired power plants.
Hundreds, even thousands, of fusion projects have been developed by government and private companies in recent years. All of them have focused on electric power production, and although their results have been nil so far, some look promising.
In 2018 the University of Nevada reached a record 10 billion neutrons per pulse. Its 10
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE
LABORATORY ADMITTED THAT, FOR THE TIME BEING, ITS MEGALASER TECHNOLOGY WILL NOT BE SCALABLE AND CANNOT BE USED TO POWER THE WORLD'S POWER GRIDS.
and 20 million ampere machines are also a milestone in medical isotope delivery and, at the same time, are equally promising in this race to generate new power delivery mechanisms for the electric grid.
Finally, the Z-pinch thermonuclear fusion power technology stands out. This is powered by a single isotope of hydrogen from seawater, an environmentally safe and low-cost process for an unlimited energy source.
BP demonstrated exceptional commitment to maintaining a secure energy supply, connecting electric vehicle charging points, and driving efficient bioenergy production this year.
Another year is coming to an end, and for BP, a leading company in the energy sector, it is an excellent occasion to take a self-assessment of everything they achieved during the 12 months of 2022. This year was incredibly difficult for everyone, including the energy sector. The Russian-Ukrainian war prompted the
exit of the company's 19.75% stake in Rosneft at the beginning of the year. BP was the first international company to announce such an exit. Bernard Looney, CEO of BP, commented that this exit was the right thing to do for the company.
Security and energy transition issues have increased due to Ukraine's conflict, which has impacted globally. BP is based in the UK and is looking to bet on Britain as a supplier of home-grown energy. The company wants to invest up to £18 billion in the British energy system by the end of 2030.
Around the world, the company is dedicated to putting its ESG plans into practice. BP has a long list of projects it carried out throughout the year that helped to accelerate the achievement of its strategic objectives.
BP began the year by extending its 16-year partnership with M&S Food. This partnership, established in 2005, has played a crucial role in radically changing the retail landscape. The association is so strong and has had such a good impact that retail is now one of the five engines of growth in transition. The other four drivers are renewable energy, electric vehicle charging, bioenergy, and hydrogen. The organization targets $9 billion to $10 billion in profits from these businesses by 2030.
AROUND THE WORLD, THE COMPANY IS DEDICATED TO PUTTING ITS ESG PLANS INTO PRACTICE.
The £1 billion investment in electric vehicle (EV) charging across the UK was given in March and planned with a 10-year lifespan. They also installed more than 900 charging points to triple the number of pulse charging points and deployed a world-class fast and ultra-fast charging network that will meet the country's infrastructure needs.
One of the elements of the ESG methodology is governance. International Women's Day is celebrated around the world in March. And BP demonstrated its covenant with the ESG methods by showing the importance of gender equity. The Tangguh team celebrated its team of women by sharing a photo of some of the 450 women working on the Tangguh LNG Train 3 project in Indonesia. Women also account for 50% of its apprenticeship program in the country.
The successful installation of the mooring system for the new Argos platform in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the significant achievements of the first quarter. Also, one of the critical assets in the resilient
hydrocarbon strategy is the US$9 billion Mad Dog 2 project's 60,000-ton floating production unit. Once operational, Mad Dog Phase 2 will produce up to 140,000 gross barrels of crude oil per day.
The first phase of the Herschel expansion project, a three-well development tied to the Na Kika platform, was also completed.
In the second quarter, however, wind energy took center stage. Two significant projects contributed to the growth of its portfolio. The first was in the United Kingdom, where they initiated a major integrated offshore site study in partnership with EnBW to prepare offshore wind projects in the Irish and North Seas. The study involved more than 200 people and more than 450 working days on seven vessels. The data obtained will help BP and EnBW to build efficient offshore wind farms. The supply of clean energy will be an essential part of this study, which aims to supply around six million UK homes.
The second project was completing a major upgrade of the Cedar Creek II wind farm in Colorado, USA. S New gearboxes and advanced sensing technology were installed, as well as substantial 97-meter blades to help the turbines capture more wind. They turned the old blades into powder to make lightweight concrete. In June, they signed an agreement to run and operate the Australian
Renewable Energy Centre. They signed this agreement to achieve targets in the firm's low carbon ambitions. The center is based in Pilbara, Western Australia, and has the potential to become one of the world's most enormous renewable energy and green hydrogen centers.
BP had two new partnerships in the second half of the year. First, they established a strategic collaboration with ThyssenKrupp Steel. This collaboration will focus on developing a long-term supply of low-carbon hydrogen and renewable energy to accelerate the energy transition in an industry that is difficult to decarbonize.
The second partnership was in August, which was with Eni, where they announced a new 50/50 independent joint venture (JV). This venture combines the Angolan businesses of both companies. Meanwhile, in August, BP and Eni announced the launch of a new independent 50/50 joint venture (JV) that combines the Angolan businesses of both companies. The JV became Angola's largest independent oil and gas producer. Called Azule Energy with 2 billion barrels of combined net resource equivalent and significant growth plans.
The theme of lower-carbon transportation marked the last quarter. It saw the launch of BP in Australia, which will help achieve ambitions to install some 600 charging points across Australia and build the country's most convenient fast-charging network.
The company concluded the year with the fifth anniversary of the solar joint venture, Lightsource BP. This venture explores two green studies on solar projects in Nittany, Pennsylvania.
BP will continue demonstrating its ability and commitment to the environment, society, and its employees. 2023 will give them new challenges, but their drive to remain a world leader will be the perfect motivation to keep innovating.
The coast-to-coast agrivoltaic research projects will improvae economic opportunities for farmers and reduce barriers to solar adoption in rural communities.
The commitment to the green transition shown by all countries worldwide demonstrates the importance of contributing to the fight against climate change. One of the leading countries involved is the United States. With the announcement of an $8 million grant from the Department of Energy for six solar energy research projects in six states and the District of Columbia from the Department of Energy, the U.S. environmental pact is confirmed.
The award of these projects is helping the environment. It will bring a significant social contribution since the DOE will
offer new economic opportunities to farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry.
Agrivoltaics is the co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land. Funding for these programs will reduce barriers to utility and community-scale solar deployment while maximizing benefits to farmers and local communities.
The Biden-Harris Administration has been known for its commitment to a clean energy future. In addition to ensuring that the benefits of increased solar access are realized for all communities. This solar access to meet the President's goals of decarbonizing the electricity sector by 2035 and achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy, said: "DOE's research into agrivoltaics provides an incredible opportunity to pair solar energy generation with safe and robust crop production. And ensuring rural communities reap the full economic benefits of a clean energy future. With these exciting projects, we're supporting sustainable agriculture and investing in the technologies that enable us to make our climate goals a reality—a win-win for our planet and hardworking farmers coast to coast."
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory presented a report highlighting the agricultural and ecological benefits of
improved agrivoltaic practices. These practices are characterized by crop production, livestock grazing, or pollinator habitat under solar panels. The United States has only 2% of such projects, which is why the Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS) funding program is essential.
The six projects selected for FARMS will examine different design configurations of solar systems, crops, and farming methods under foreign soil and environmental conditions. The researchers aim to develop resources to disseminate the best agrovoltaic practices to farmers and communities.
There will be six states and six projects benefiting from the DOE award:
The first is Iowa State University (Ames, IA). Here they will study horticulture and beekeeping at solar sites. The amount to this program will be $1.6 million.
Rutgers University (Piscataway, NJ) will also have an amount of $1.6 million. This program will conduct grazing crop trials on two solar panel test beds, document community perceptions of agrivoltaics, and create a regional agrivoltaics network for agricultural extension personnel in the Northeast.
The third grantee will be the Solar and Storage Industries Institute (Washington, D.C.) program. They will partner with the agricultural and utility sectors to identify barriers to agrivoltaic deployment and develop case studies and guides for solar developers, farmers, and decision-makers. The award for this project will be $500,000.
The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) will conduct grass and forage (hay) production trials using precision agriculture technologies and will also study the impact on the soil health of
THE RESEARCHERS AIM TO DEVELOP RESOURCES TO DISSEMINATE THE BEST AGROVOLTAIC PRACTICES TO FARMERS AND COMMUNITIES.
a working solar site. They will be awarded a $1.8 million grant.
With $1.3 million, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (Fairbanks, AK) will research agrivoltaics specifically tailored to underserved communities' food and energy needs in high latitudes.
Finally, the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) will receive a $1.2 million grant to maximize energy, food, and water benefits in the arid Southwest by testing climate-smart grazing and agriculture on a traditional solar site.
These investments will promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, supporting President Biden's Justice40 Initiative to
ensure that the clean energy economy benefits all Americans, especially those in underserved and underrepresented communities.
The six programs are sought to conduct intensive outreach and collaboration with regional rural and agricultural communities, including Hispanic, tribal, and immigrant farmers. DOE intends to enable greater collaboration between farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry through these projects and their awardees with large extension networks. These investments will promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, supporting President Biden's Justice40 Initiative to ensure that the clean energy economy benefits all Americans, especially those in underserved and underrepresented communities.
In early December, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new rule to electrify and reduce greenhouse emissions from new or newly renovated federal buildings.
These projects are part of DOE’s nearly $100 million renewable power research portfolio that invests in innovative, cost-effective solutions to minimize wildlife impacts—and maximize the environmental benefits—of renewable energy technologies. As renewable energy deployment grows to combat the climate crisis and achieve President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, DOE is supporting research to ensure renewable energy deployment also benefits native wildlife and ecosystems.
In its commitment to combat climate change, the Biden-Harris Administration aims to have these facilities reduce their on-site emissions associated with building energy consumption by
90% by 2025 compared to 2003 levels. And by 2030, the standard aims to fully decarbonize on-site emissions from new federal buildings and major renovations. Adopting cleaner technologies and actions taken by the government are necessary to achieve President Biden's goal of net-zero emissions in all federal buildings by 2045.
U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm, expressed: "Ridding pollution from our buildings and adopting clean electricity are some of the most costeffective and future-oriented solutions we have to combat climate change."
The Biden-Harris Administration is leading by example in the effort to meet the nation's climate goals. This is the first time the Energy Office has established a firm schedule for reducing the carbon footprint of new and existing federal facilities.
More than 25% of federal carbon emissions come from buildings. These buildings, along with the fossil fuels used in them, present a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Over the next 30 years, the new standard would reduce carbon emissions from federal buildings by 1.86 million metric tons and methane emissions by 22.8 thousand tons, roughly equivalent to the emissions generated by nearly 300,000 homes in one year. DOE estimates that reducing emissions in federal buildings will save taxpayers $8 million annually in upfront equipment costs.
Accelerating the electrification of federal buildings by phasing out fossil fuels for end uses such as heating and water heating is the primary objective of this new DOE-proposed rule.
The Department of Energy established a petition process for buildings with concerns regarding technical
feasibility for specific applications within a given structure and climate zone. That is why the rule will not penalize agencies that use fossil fuels to conduct mission-critical activities, such as homeland security.
DOE is committed to ecological transition and social support, so after implementing the rule, they will open a comment period to all entities affected by the change. The department hosted a webinar to explain the new standard's proposed scope and implementation schedule. In turn, they will also provide information on the Appliance and Equipment Standards Program to implement minimum energy conservation standards that will reduce waste and provide U.S. citizens with a utility bills and cost savings.
In addition, the first energy and climate performance standard for all existing federal buildings in the country was announced. This means that the conjunction of the two new standards will drive the decarbonization of new and existing federal buildings.
ACCELERATING THE
OF FEDERAL BUILDINGS BY PHASING OUT FOSSIL FUELS FOR END USES SUCH AS HEATING AND WATER HEATING IS THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS NEW DOEPROPOSED RULE.
With this investment, five regional Centers of Excellence will be established. In addition, new TSIs will be created in trade schools, community colleges, and union training programs. The investments announced by DOE will also allocate a portion to new Building Training Assessment Centers (BTACs). This investment will seek to develop workforce development that supports energy efficiency and emissions reductions in commercial and institutional buildings. The two investment projects will create a clean energy workforce representing the country's diversity and, in turn, a domestic manufacturing base ready to lead the global transition to clean energy. Together, they will help fulfill the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to a clean energy workforce representing America's diversity and a revitalized domestic manufacturing base
poised to lead the global transition to clean energy.
"The President's Agenda allows DOE to expand our collaboration with education centers across the country. To train a clean energy workforce is diverse, qualified, and prepared to position America as a global leader in clean energy manufacturing," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
THE JUSTICE40 INITIATIVE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THESE CENTERS, WILL SERVE AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED AND UNDERFUNDED.THE INDUSTRIAL ASSESSMENT CENTERS (IAC) PROGRAM WILL INVEST $72 MILLION FROM THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE ACT. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION'S SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT. THIS WILL BE DONE THROUGH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE).
JENNIFER M. GRANHOLM, U.S. SECRETARY OF ENERGY.
The IAC program has trained future energy engineers by providing accessible, handson assessments to small and medium-sized manufacturing companies. It also recommends measures to save energy, increase productivity and optimize operations. Since its inception 40 years ago, the IAC Program has conducted more than 20,000 assessments in SMEs, representing more than 90% of the country's manufacturing base. TSIs typically identify more than $130,000 potential annual savings opportunities per assessed manufacturer. There are currently 37 universities in 28 states around the country that have DOE-supported IACs.
The IAC program has a historic expansion thanks to the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Act DOE intends the Program to serve as a national network for clean energy workforce development while maximizing productivity and reducing emissions in domestic manufacturing. Similarly, the new Building Training Assessment Center (BTAC) Program will provide workforce training to support energy efficiency improvements and emissions reductions in commercial and institutional buildings.
DOE announced $18.75 million to establish up to five regional Centers of Excellence among
existing top-performing TSIs. Each of the selected centers will serve as a regional hub for mentoring other TSIs. Collaboration with government, nonprofit, labor, and industry stakeholders to support small and medium-sized manufacturers in their respective regions will spearhead this funding opportunity. Through a Notice of Intent (NOI), the Department of Energy will invest $54 million to create IACs in community colleges, trade schools, and union training programs and to establish BTACs. The successful applied learning environments, and hands-on training approaches of existing TSIs will be the foundation for these new TSIs and BTACs. In turn, leveraging the unique strengths, geographic reach, and faculty and student composition of trade schools, community colleges, and union training programs will provide the foundation for the new projects.
These new centers will train by providing hands-on support to the workforce of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies. Moreover, BTACs with students and apprentices will conduct critical energy efficiency assessments and upgrades to improve the environmental performance of commercial and institutional buildings. The Justice40 Initiative, in conjunction with these centers, will serve areas that have been historically underserved and underfunded.
The transition to an environmentally responsible industry is a global commitment. The U.S. government is taking a leading role in this transformation. The U.S. Department of Energy will commit $750 million to fund the Biden-Harris administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
This funding will seek to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen technologies dramatically. This grant is an essential element of the President's overall approach to accelerate the widespread use of clean hydrogen. In turn, it will play a crucial role in supporting the deployment of hydrogen on a commercial scale. Green hydrogen will be a vital pillar in the emerging clean energy economy. This hydrogen is produced with zero net carbon emissions. It will be critical for meeting the Biden-Harris administration's goal of a 100% clean electricity grid by 2035 and zero net carbon emissions by 2050. U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm expressed: "Today's announcement is yet another exciting step toward lowering the cost of and
scaling up clean hydrogen production, a versatile fuel essential to the nation's historic transition to an equitable and secure clean energy future. By investing in the cutting-edge research and development necessary to making market-ready clean hydrogen a reality, DOE is delivering on President Biden's promise to implement an ambitious climate agenda."
Clean hydrogen produced with zero or near-zero emissions from renewables, nuclear power, or natural gas with carbon sequestration will play a vital role in the future in reducing emissions from some of the most challenging sectors of our economy to decarbonize. These include industrial and chemical processes and heavy transportation.
Hydrogen will strengthen the country's energy independence, resilience, and security through diverse domestic clean energy pathways in multiple sectors of the economy. This hydrogen also contributes to the expansion of renewable energy because it provides a means for longterm energy storage. At the same time, it offers flexibility and multiple revenue streams for all types of clean energy generation, including innovative technologies, such as the existing nuclear fleet and advanced nuclear.
Despite the advancement of hydrogen technologies produced in the last year, challenges and costs hinder the large-scale adoption of this element from achieving the development of its full potential.
DOE aims to bring the Hydrogen Program to $1 per kilogram of clean hydrogen within a decade through technical advances created by the collaborative work of the regional clean hydrogen centers (H2Hubs), the President's Inflation Reduction Act tax incentives, and ongoing research, development, and demonstration in the program.
Funded projects will be managed by DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO). Through
HYDROGEN WILL STRENGTHEN THE COUNTRY'S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE, RESILIENCE, AND SECURITY THROUGH DIVERSE DOMESTIC CLEAN ENERGY PATHWAYS IN MULTIPLE SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY.
them, they will address the underlying technical barriers to cost reduction that scale alone cannot overcome. And they will seek to ensure that emerging commercial-scale deployments are feasible with future lower-cost, higherperformance technology. Opening up new markets will be achieved through cost reduction. This, in turn, will create more clean energy jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This will strengthen U.S. competitiveness in the global clean energy market.
Helping to address climate change through a sustainable clean hydrogen economy will have a positive effect. It will reduce harmful air pollution and decarbonize some of the most polluting sectors of the economy. Reducing greenhouse emissions from these sectors will be particularly beneficial to disadvantaged communities that have previously suffered from local air pollution.
THE GOAL OF DOE'S HYDROGEN PROGRAM.
The greenhouse effect is the phenomenon by which the sun's heat that reaches the earth is not bounced back to space, which provides an ideal temperature for life on the planet for all living beings.
However, the problem arose when human activity and industrial and social growth increased the number of gases in the atmosphere with properties to cause this greenhouse effect. By increasing the proportion of gases to above-average concentrations, the natural terrestrial greenhouse effect has multiplied, giving rise to a damaging phenomenon.
Governments worldwide have committed themselves to fight against this phenomenon causing climate change. During COP27, all countries came together to take action to achieve the collective climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement.
Meanwhile, the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), a charge of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),
released $23 million for a funding opportunity (FOA). That will drive innovation to decarbonize the entire life cycle of water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs).
WRRF facilities treat wastewater from public water systems and are one of the largest industrial electricity consumers in the country. They are also one of the most significant GHGemitting industries in the United States, on par with the food and beverage industry. This FOA will accelerate research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of technologies to reduce GHG emissions from WRRFs to help decarbonize the U.S. water treatment sector and move the country closer to achieving the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to reach a net-zero economy by 2050.
AWRRF FACILITIES TREAT WASTEWATER FROM PUBLIC WATER
WRRFs are:
• An essential part of the U.S. water infrastructure.
• Producers of clean water.
• Generators of renewable energy.
• Recovers of nutrients from wastewater.
• Reduces environmental impact.
The nation's energy and water systems are interdependent. Water is used in all phases
of energy production, while water extraction, distribution, and treatment require energy. However, cleaning water is an energy-intensive process. WWRFs are estimated to be directly responsible for more than 44 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually. These emissions are composed of nitrous oxide and methane, two GHGs more potent than carbon dioxide.
Two main themes are included in the FOA, both of which seek to improve energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions and the costs of WRRFs.
The first is the decarbonization of WRRF unit processes: The theme will focus on projects to
SYSTEMS AND ARE ONE OF THE LARGEST INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICITY CONSUMERS IN THE COUNTRY.
reduce emissions from various unit processes within WRRFs while maintaining or reducing operating costs. These projects need to achieve a 50% reduction in emissions from the essential operations without increasing the total operating expenses of the Water Resource Recovery Facility.
Greenhouse reduction from WRRFs is the second focus. The choices will be for projects that investigate how to reduce GHG emissions and treatment costs of WRRFs on a larger scale and with higher technological readiness levels.
Unlike the other projects, these projects must achieve a 25% reduction in emissions without
increasing operating costs beyond the baseline operations of an entire facility.
However, the deadline for submission of concept papers for the call for proposals is January 27, 2023. Selected projects will be granted awards in the form of cooperative agreements with an implementation period of three to five years.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $40 million funding opportunity for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) and the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) will be responsible for providing this funding opportunity, which they expect to award $4 million in Phase I test grants. The green transition to a clean energy future must be set in motion by every company and person on the planet. That's why DOE is dedicated through its SBIR and STTR programs to helping thousands of small businesses and entrepreneurs develop the cutting-edge technologies needed to accelerate this transformation.
AMMTO and IEDO provide non-dilutive funding to small business research and development projects through the SBIR and STTR programs. They seek to improve energy efficiency and materials productivity. In turn, they also want to boost the decarbonization of the entire economy and the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.
Within the Phase I, SBIR and STTR topics will be selected and funded by the two bureaus to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs.
The first funded topic will be advanced manufacturing technologies and materials. The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office is providing this grant. And they are focused on developing the next generation of materials and manufacturing technologies to support a clean, decarbonized economy. Within the topic are specific subtopics such as power electronics for energyefficient electrification and electrode quality control at the chemical level for battery manufacturing. AMMTO seeks applications in relevant areas to enable advanced materials and manufacturing technologies: In addition to the specific subtopics listed above, AMMTO invites grant applications in suitable locations. That will allow next-generation materials and manufacturing processes and safe and sustainable materials.
The second theme for the grant will be a conjunction between AMMTO, IEDO, and the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. The theme is a fuel cell and electrolyzer recycling, which will seek to develop the manufacturing of innovative clean energy technologies. These technologies will advance new recycling processes for critical materials. They will also facilitate the widespread adoption of hydrogen production and use. This topic will have subtopics such as the efficient and sustainable recovery
THEY WANT TO BOOST THE DECARBONIZATION OF THE ENTIRE ECONOMY AND THE COMPETITIVENESS OF U.S. MANUFACTURERS.
and reuse of materials from manufacturing waste in fuel cells and electrolyzers and the reduction of hazardous substances in the recycling of fuel cells and electrolyzers.
The third is the theme of decarbonizing agriculture, buildings, transportation, industry, and their communities. Like the last theme, there is also a conjunction of offices. This theme will be formed between AMMTO, IEDO, and four other technology offices of the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Projects and research within
this theme will help dramatically reduce carbon emissions throughout the U.S. economy, particularly in communities. Subthemes include the decarbonization of agriculture, which will consist of the decarbonization of agricultural energy, decarbonization of buildings, which will consist of direct air capture technologies for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The third sub-theme is transportation decarbonization, including low-carbon biofuels and energy-efficient mobility systems. Finally, industrial decarbonization will consist of conductive materials, heat pumps, and biomanufacturing.
Finally, IEDO will fund the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization theme. The theme will focus on activities addressing decarbonization in energy and emissions-intensive industries and crosssectoral industrial emissions technologies. It will have sub-themes on sustainable chemistry, where they will investigate the mitigation of hazardous chemicals in manufacturing processes. In turn, enhanced waste heat recovery through highefficiency heat exchangers will be another subtheme. And finally, IEDO will seek proposals to achieve industrial decarbonization, especially those aligned with the priorities of the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT ADOPTED BY COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE HAS CREATED THE SEARCH OF GOVERNMENTS TOWARDS THE ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION. THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, UNDER PRESIDENT BIDEN'S ADMINISTRATION'S COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE, IS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SUPPORT COMPANIES TO COMPLY WITH THIS CHANGE.
Wind energy in the United States is a branch of the energy industry that has expanded rapidly in recent years. The country's total installed capacity for wind power generation is relatively high. So far, its capacity has been exceeded only by China and the European Union.
Supporting the environment and communities and learning to be better at what they do allows them to achieve their goals. ESG methodology has a substantial impact on companies around the world. The U.S. government is working to support this methodology and the country's ecological transition.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced a $28 million funding opportunity through President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. The bill will seek to enable wind energy in all its applications (offshore, onshore, and distributed) to address deployment hurdles and reduce costs.
On energy and the green transition, the Biden-Harris administration is committed to achieving 100% clean electricity by 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. That said, wind power accounted for more than 9% of total domestic electricity generation in 2021, making it a key player in achieving the goals.
DOE is expected to award up to 27 grants under this funding opportunity, ranging from $200,000 to $3,000,000.
The funding opportunity features a variety of research topics applied to wind energy.
DOE will support projects on technologies for transmitting large amounts of electricity from offshore wind energy over long distances, and this topic will receive $9.7 million.
Second, it will seek to improve the development of permitting concessions so that distributed wind energy can be accessible to communities and deployed cost-effectively and equitably. They will support these projects with $3.3 million.
Social science research and community engagement to help communities benefit from offshore wind energy development will have a budget of $6.9 million. The social part is vital to achieving a change without affecting all these communities.
And finally, the last theme will have $8 million to improve technologies that help bats avoid wind turbines while the industry works to minimize the impact on wildlife and local ecosystems.
Around the country, all national entities can participate as principal recipients or sub-recipient of this funding opportunity announcement, institutions with projects belonging to universities, for-profit and non-profit entities, state and local government entities, and indigenous communities.
The Department of Energy wants to encourage underserved communities and underrepresented social groups to participate in the funding opportunity. They are also looking for projects that apply the ESG methodology, where social and environmental issues play an essential role.