More funding from the US government

The US Energy Secretary Steven Chu has allotted $377 million in funding for 46 new initiatives by Energy Frontier Research Centres (EFRCs).

These centres are located at universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organisations, and private firms across the nation.

EFRCs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act include:

·         University of Massachusetts– $16 million for five years to use novel, self-assembled polymer materials in systems for the conversion of sunlight into electricity.

·         University of Southern California– $12.5 million for five years to simultaneously explore the light absorbing and emitting properties of hybrid inorganic-organic materials for solar energy conversion and solid state lighting.

·         University of Texas, Austin– $15 million for five years to pursue fundamental research on charge transfer processes that underpin the function of highly promising molecular materials for photovoltaic and electrical energy storage applications.

Of the $377 million awarded to the EFRCs, $277 million comes from funding made available through the Recovery Act with the remaining $100 million made from Department of Energy’s budget. 

The 46 EFRCs are being funded at $2-$5 million per year each for a planned initial five-year period.