| The Energy Department on June 13 announced nine research and development projects that will receive nearly $10.5 million in funding to support solid-state lighting (SSL) core technology research and product development. Cost-share contributions will make a total public-private investment of more than $13.7 million. The projects will help accelerate the development of high-quality light-emitting diode (LED) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products that can significantly reduce energy costs for U.S. families. The nine selected to receive funding include a project by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, aimed at improving the heat-conducting properties of the phosphor used in LEDs, which will increase light output and reduce costs. It also includes a project by Cree, Inc. in Durham, North Carolina, developing a new low-cost, high-efficiency LED structure by modifying the manufacturing process to reduce processing time and waste. This is the ninth round of the Department's investments in solid-state lighting core technology research and product development. LEDs are intense sources of light consisting of inorganic materials, whereas OLEDs are diffuse light sources that consist of organic materials; both are about ten times more energy-efficient than conventional incandescent lighting. See the Energy Department news release and the Energy Department SSL website.   The Energy Department on June 16 announced $20 million for 10 new research and development projects that will advance hydrogen production and delivery technologies. Developing technologies that can economically produce and deliver hydrogen to power fuel cells from diverse, domestic, and renewable resources can enable substantial reductions in energy use and carbon emissions. The Department's national laboratories will research four of the projects. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory will receive $3 million to develop high-efficiency tandem absorbers based on novel semiconductor materials that can produce hydrogen from water using solar energy. Oak Ridge National Laboratory will receive $2 million to demonstrate a low-cost, steel-concrete composite vessel for high pressure hydrogen storage. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will receive $2.2 million to develop a reactor for hydrogen production from bio-derived liquids. And Sandia National Laboratories will receive $2.2 million to develop an innovative high-efficiency thermochemical reactor for solar hydrogen production. In addition, the Department awarded funding to FuelCell Inc. of Danbury, Connecticut; the University of Colorado at Boulder; the University of Hawaii of Honolulu, Hawaii; Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc. of Billerica, Massachusetts; the Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio, Texas; and Wiretough Cylinders LLC of Bristol, Virginia. See the Energy Department news release and the Department's Hydrogen and Fuel Cells webpage. The Energy Department on June 11 announced more than $10 million for projects that will improve the reliability and resiliency of the U.S. electric grid and facilitate quick and effective response to grid conditions. This investment, which includes six projects across five states—California, Hawaii, Missouri, North Carolina, and Washington—will help further the deployment of advanced software that works with synchrophasor technology to better detect quickly-changing grid conditions and improve day-to-day grid reliability. In the United States, advanced sensors and monitoring devices are giving utilities unprecedented visibility to see what is happening throughout the grid. For example, synchrophasors can measure the instantaneous voltage, current, and frequency at specific locations on the grid—giving utilities the ability to foresee and respond to changing grid conditions, make decisions that prevent power outages, and speed up restoration. Funded through the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, the six awards include a $2.9 million investment for a Pacific Gas & Electric project that will leverage its existing synchrophasor software applications to further improve data quality validation and security, strengthen system-wide indicators, speed system restoration, and advance its ability to conduct post-event analysis. The company will invest $3.9 million in cost-share. In another project, the Energy Department will invest $3.9 million in Peak Reliability, headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, to use synchrophasors to develop automated controls and improve grid condition data delivery and quality. Peak Reliability's cost-share contribution will be $4.8 million. See the Energy Department news release. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on June 13 announced $14 million in funding for two USDA bioenergy programs. USDA's Rural Development (RD) program announced it is accepting applications from companies seeking to offset the costs associated with converting fossil fuel systems to renewable biomass fuel systems, while USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced the availability of $2.5 million in grants to enhance national energy security through the development of bio-based transportation fuels, biopower, and new bio-based products. USDA plans to make up to $12 million in payments for eligible biorefineries through RD's Repowering Assistance Program, which was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Biorefineries in existence on or before June 18, 2008, are eligible for payments to replace fossil fuels—used to produce heat or power—with renewable biomass. See the USDA news release. | 
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