(Corrects to remove reference to GenCorp in first and
third paragraphs of story published Nov. 28.)
Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) — United Technologies Corp. and
General Electric Co. were awarded U.S. government grants to pay
for their research into alternative fuels, energy-efficient
power transmission and electric vehicles, the U.S. Energy
Department said.
The department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency -Energy,
or ARPA-E, is awarding a total of $130 million to 66 projects.
The program’s goal is to “support development of the most
innovative technologies and change what’s possible for America’s
energy future,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said today in a
statement.
United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne unit will
receive about $3.8 million to develop a system to improve the
conversion of natural gas to liquid fuels and chemicals. Also,
United Technologies Research Center will receive about $2.7
million to develop a manufacturing process for electric vehicle
motors that reduces rare-earth material use. GE Global Research
will receive about $4.1 million to develop a new electrical
power switching technology for high-voltage transmission lines.
ARPA-E’s project portfolio now totals 285, including $770
million in awards, the agency said.
Grants also were awarded for projects focused on
“transformational, breakthrough technologies” in renewable
power, energy storage, carbon capture and energy efficiency,
according to the statement. Universities are leading 47 percent
of the projects, while 29 percent are led by small businesses,
15 percent by large businesses, 7.5 percent by national labs and
1.5 percent by non-profits, the agency said.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Andrew Herndon in San Francisco at
aherndon2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Reed Landberg at
landberg@bloomberg.net
