Six joint Israeli-American clean-energy projects will receive $5.48 million under the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program of the BIRD Foundation.
The US Department of Energy (DOE), Israel’s Ministry of Energy (MoE), and the Israel Innovation Authority selected the six projects in Advanced Vehicle Technologies, Batteries, Energy Efficiency, Storage, and Water-Energy Nexus.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm stated Sunday that “through the long-standing and successful BIRD Energy program with our Israeli partners, we are supporting the innovation in renewable energy and energy efficiency needed to tackle the global climate emergency. The projects announced will help us overcome barriers to scaling up carbon-free technology and supercharge the rapidly growing international clean energy economy.”
Israel’s Minister of Energy Karin Elharar said that the companies that were awarded this year “exemplify superior research and development capabilities in the area of clean energy technologies, and their success will not only contribute to the fruitful cooperation between the United States and Israel but the entire planet.”
BIRD Energy was launched in 2009 under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, supporting research and development, benefiting both the US and Israel. The program focuses on commercializing sustainable energy technologies that improve economic competitiveness, create jobs, and increase energy security.
To date, BIRD Energy has funded 60 cooperative Israel-US clean energy projects for a total government investment of approximately $47.5 million and approximately $62 million in funds matched by the private sector to commercialize clean energy technologies.
The total value of the projects announced is $12.7 million, including $7.2 million in cost-share funding.
The six approved projects include AGM Communication & Control from Israel, and Element 16 Technologies, Inc. from California, which will develop sulfur thermal energy storage for industrial applications.
The Israeli E.V.R. Motors Ltd. and Continuous Solutions L.L.C. from Oregon will develop “IMP” – an Integrated Miniaturized Powertrain.
Environmental Services Company from Israel and 374Water of North Carolina will develop energy and resource recovery systems from hazardous organic waste using supercritical water oxidation technology.
Kinetics in Israel and UAV Turbines, Inc. from Florida will develop an ultra-portable turbogenerator system.
An Israeli company and Imprint Energy from California will develop safe, sustainable, and high-power zinc printed batteries and will manufacture and integrate them into thin and flexible cellular Internet of Things (IoT) smart tags for tracking packages, improving logistics processes, and reducing supply chain waste.
Synvertec of Israel and Rhombus Energy Solutions from San Diego will develop the Synchronverter – a dynamic and autonomous inverter utilizing a unique control algorithm – allowing 100% of renewable generation by providing grid stability solutions for inverter-based applications.
Projects that qualify for BIRD Energy funding must include one US and one Israeli company or a company from one of the countries paired with a university or research institution from the other.
The partners must present a project that involves innovation in the area of energy and is of mutual interest to both countries. BIRD Energy has a rigorous review process and selects the most technologically meritorious projects along with those most likely to commercialize and bring about significant impact. Qualified projects must contribute at least 50% to project costs and commit to repayments if the project leads to commercial success.
