WASHINGTON – The US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced approximately $123.6 million in new funding, as well as $44.7 million of cost share, for 46 projects in 23 states to stimulate technology innovation, improve the energy productivity of American manufacturing, and enable the manufacturing of cutting-edge products in the US.

“Bolstering domestic manufacturing helps make the US economy stronger,” said Daniel R Simmons, assistant secretary, EERE. “These projects will advance DOE’s goal of enhancing manufacturing competitiveness through technological innovation, while helping sustain American leadership in advanced manufacturing.”

Funded projects will aim to improve energy efficiency in energy-intensive processes and facilitate the transition to emerging, cost-competitive energy technologies in domestic production in three areas:

• Efficiency improvements in advanced manufacturing processes: $69.4 million for 27 projects focused on next-generation manufacturing processes that improve energy efficiency in energy-intensive and energy-dependent industries, including steel manufacturing, drying, machine learning, additive manufacturing, and ceramic matrix composites production.
• Efficiency improvements in chemical manufacturing: $25 million for eight projects focused on modular, hybrid, or catalytic processes to reduce energy use in chemical manufacturing. Selected projects will explore innovative technologies, tools, methodologies, and data analytics, including those that enable modularized and distributed systems driven by a variety of energy sources.
• Connected, flexible, and efficient manufacturing facilities, products, and energy systems: $29.1 million for 11 projects that support manufacturing’s role in national energy initiatives, including the potential for integrating carbon capture from dilute sources into industrial processes, as well as the active role that district energy systems can play in stabilizing the electricity grid by connecting with flexible combined heat and power systems and renewable generation capabilities.

Projects are funded through EERE’s advanced manufacturing office.