The Biden administration announced a new investment in solar thermal power projects. The Department of Energy (DOE) allocated $33 million to nine different initiatives aimed at harnessing solar energy more efficiently.
“Under the Biden–Harris Administration, DOE continues to invest in the next-generation solar technologies we need to tackle the climate crisis and ensure American scientific innovation remains the envy of the world,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. “With today’s announcement, DOE is supporting projects that will harness the sun’s energy to power NASA space missions, beer and wine production, and everything in between.”
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Unlike traditional solar panels that use photovoltaic (PV) technology to convert sunlight directly into energy, solar thermal power collects sunlight and transforms it into heat, which is then stored and converted into electricity. This method is approximately three times more efficient at harvesting energy from the sun.
The largest grant from the DOE’s solar thermal funding announcement is a $7 million grant awarded to Firestone Walker Brewery in California. The brewery plans to use solar thermal energy to generate the steam necessary for brewing its IPAs and other beers.
Other notable projects receiving funding include a $6 million grant to Premiere Resource Management. The group intends to build a solar power plant that will store thermal energy in retired fracking sites. Additionally, the DOE granted researchers at West Virginia University and NASA $5 million to develop a clean form of hydrogen using solar thermal power.
The DOE aimed to reduce the costs associated with solar thermal technology. It hopes that these projects will help make it more widespread. Currently, the costs need to fall by about half to make the technology financially feasible.
This funding announcement comes as part of a broader clean energy push by the federal government, which has directed $6 billion towards renewable energy projects in the month of July alone. The White House is likely to increase spending in the final months of President Joe Biden’s term. Some of the administration’s key pieces of legislation allow for tens of billions of dollars in funds that still need to be allocated to clean energy projects.
Tags: solar power
[JACK AYLMER]
BREWING BEER WITH THE POWER OF THE SUN.
IT’S POSSIBLE THANKS TO A NEW ROUND OF GOVERNMENT FUNDING FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ANNOUNCING A 33-MILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN NINE DIFFERENT SOLAR THERMAL POWER PROJECTS.
THE LARGEST OF THE AWARDED GRANTS – MORE THAN 7-MILLION IS GOING TO FIRESTONE WALKER BREWERY IN CALIFORNIA.
THE BREWERY AIMS TO UTILIZE SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY TO PRODUCE THE STEAM NEEDED TO MAKE ITS IPAS AND OTHER BEERS.
SOLAR THERMAL POWER IS DIFFERENT FROM TRADITIONAL SOLAR ENERGY BECAUSE OF HOW IT TURNS SUNLIGHT INTO ELECTRICITY.
MOST SOLAR PANELS USE PV TECHNOLOGY TO CAPTURE THE SUN’S RAYS TO CONVERT DIRECTLY INTO POWER-
SOLAR THERMAL INSTEAD COLLECTS THE SUNLIGHT, WHICH IS TRANSFORMED INTO HEAT THAT IS STORED AND THEN MADE INTO ELECTRICITY.
THIS PROCESS IS ABOUT 3-TIMES MORE EFFICIENT AT HARVESTING ENERGY FROM THE SUN.
OTHER SUPPORTED PROJECTS INCLUDE A 6 MILLION DOLLAR AWARD TO PREMIERE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT-
A COMPANY THAT’S PLANNING TO BUILD A SOLAR POWER PLANT THAT WILL STORE THERMAL ENERGY IN RETIRED FRACKING SITES.
AND A 5 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT WAS ALSO GIVEN TO RESEARCHERS AT WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY-
WHO IN A COLLABORATION WITH NASA ARE WORKING TO PRODUCE A CLEAN FORM OF HYDROGEN BY USING SOLAR THERMAL POWER.
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WANTS THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH SOLAR THERMAL TO GO DOWN.
THEY HOPE THESE PROJECTS AND OTHERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WILL HELP MAKE SOLAR THERMAL MORE WIDESPREAD.
COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TECH STILL NEED TO FALL BY ABOUT HALF TO MAKE IT FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE.
THE DEPARTMENT’S FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT ADDS TO THE 6 BILLION DOLLARS ALREADY BEING DIRECTED TO RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THIS MONTH ALONE.
WE SAID WE MIGHT SEE AN UPTICK IN SPENDING IN THE FINAL MONTHS OF BIDEN’S TERM IN OFFICE-
THE WHITE HOUSE STILL HAS TENS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FUNDS THAT NEED TO BE ALLOCATED TOWARDS THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS-
OR RISK SEEING THAT MONEY PUT ELSEWHERE SHOULD A NEW ADMINISTRATION TAKE OVER NEXT YEAR.
JACK AYLMER – STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.
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