Weekly Jolt ? Problem-Solvers Advance Clean Energy through Prizes and Research

Come Work with Us?

If you’re interested in the synergy between offshore wind ??, marine energy, and aquaculture ?? or have an idea that advances marine energy outside of these topics, submit your concept paper to this $14.5 million funding opportunity by Feb. 20, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.

Looking for other funding opportunities from EERE? ?? Visit our website for active applications, how to apply, and more.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is a six-week-long challenge that engages young people in science, technology, engineering, and math by challenging them to build and program industrial-sized robots ??. EERE is sponsoring the FIRST Chesapeake District competition this year in Falls Church, Virginia, on March 22-24, 2024. We need local volunteers to help at the event! If you’re interested in volunteering, including judging, contact [email protected].

What’s New in Renewable Energy?

From completing a tour with the U.S. Army in Iraq to becoming the Operations Manager for EERE’s Water Power Technologies Office ??, see how Jen Trimble keeps the “big picture” in the forefront in this Ripple Effect profile.

?Solar prize competitors saw some serious wins this week ???. Teams from 20 states and four tribal nations will each receive funding, participate in a learning lab, and get technical assistance to design their own community solar portfolios as part of the second round of the Community Power Accelerator Prize—bringing cost-saving renewable energy to their neighborhoods.

It’s also round 7 for the American-Made Solar Prize ?? as 20 teams advanced to the semifinals, receiving $50,000 each for innovative ideas like a 3D-printed solar carport ??, an at-home solar kit that you can plug into your regular home outlet ??, and more!

What’s New in Buildings and Industry?

DOE’s new Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs) can help large energy users ?? transition to clean energy, lower costs, reduce emissions, and increase resilience. TAPs provide specialized technical assistance like initial site screenings, identification of onsite energy opportunities, advanced analysis to support project installation, and more. Reach out today to learn what your regional TAP can do for your facility.

What’s New in Sustainable Transportation and Fuels??

America’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network ???? has a new opportunity for rapid growth thanks to $623 million in grants made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program. This program, supported by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, will fund 47 EV charging and fueling projects, including the construction of 7,500 new EV charging ports.

Lithium-ion batteries can be costly ?? when building an EV. However, researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have invented and patented a new material that replaces the lithium-ion in the battery with sodium, creating a cheaper, cost-effective alternative to power EVs.

Flip-flops, soda bottles ??, and more flow regularly from our country’s waterways into the ocean. The Waterborne Plastics Assessment and Collection Technologies project, or WaterPACT, connects researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with university partners and subcontractors to grasp just how much plastic is flowing through our waters. Read more about the team’s new benchmark for collecting and categorizing the data, which could ultimately lead to a solution that detects and collects waste ??? before it ends up in the ocean.