The U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) has granted over $3 million in federal funding, supplemented by $1.9 million from industry partners, to support high-impact projects at three National Laboratories.
These projects aim to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy solutions, utilizing funds allocated through the Fiscal Year 2024 Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF).
Boosting Investment in Energy Innovation
This year’s TCF funding allocation is the most substantial to date, representing a collaborative investment involving the largest number of DOE program offices. VTO has selected three key projects for funding:
This project, in partnership with GE Aerospace, focuses on advancing gas-turbine design by reducing the computational cost of predictive simulations for jet engine combustors. By developing compact, accurate chemical reaction models and efficient graphical processing unit (GPU) chemistry solvers, the project aims to accelerate the creation of more reliable, efficient, and environmentally friendly jet engines.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Optimizing Electric Bus Fleets
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is collaborating with ReVolt to commercialize NREL technology that optimizes battery electric transit bus fleets.
ReVolt’s software platform will leverage NREL’s vehicle energy modeling and fleet optimization tools, such as FASTSim, RouteE, and ASPIRES, to enhance crew rostering, bus scheduling, and charging planning.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Streamlining Carbon Fiber Manufacturing
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing a novel high-temperature carbonization (HTC) technology for carbon fiber manufacturing. This technology is projected to reduce energy consumption in the HTC stage by at least 40% while increasing throughput by up to six times.
By the project’s conclusion, the pilot line will be capable of processing carbon fiber tows with properties suitable for the automotive industry, while consuming 2 kWh/lb. or less of unit energy.
Broadening the Scope of Technology Commercialization
Announced in November 2023, the FY24 TCF initiative invited proposals from National Laboratories to advance energy technologies and refine existing practices. Established by Congress in 2005 and reauthorized in 2020, the TCF aims to promote promising energy technologies.
The selected projects will simplify commercialization processes, accelerate the development of existing technologies, and catalyze the creation of new energy solutions.
A Collaborative Effort for a Cleaner Future
Over 78 partner entities will collaborate with the National Laboratories to achieve the goals of the TCF projects. These partners plan to contribute over $22 million in cost-sharing, bringing the total funding for the National Labs to nearly $64 million, combining federal and non-federal sources.
The TCF initiative focused on six key areas aimed at addressing commercialization challenges, accelerating technology development, and streamlining processes to efficiently bring clean energy solutions to the market.
Driving Technology Transitions for a Sustainable Energy Landscape
The DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) coordinates the TCF and strengthens the DOE’s commercialization partnerships. OTT collaborated with numerous DOE program offices for the FY 2024 CLIMR lab call, including the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Office of Nuclear Energy, Office of Electricity, and various offices within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.