Lithium Battery Oversupply Debate Rages

greentechmedia (moslet) - Makers of lithium-ion batteries are rapidly expanding their factories in anticipation of a ballooning market for electric cars. The trouble is, none of them can be sure what the demand will be..For many battery makers, the consequence of long-term oversupply could be catastrophic. A flooded market will push down prices and send profits tumbling. Start-ups with innovative technology could find it hard to survive.

Recovery Act funds have played a big role in the build-out. One company to benefit is Johnson Controls-Saft. Without stimulus funds, the company would have built a factory in Asia, says John Schaaf Jr., vice president of market development at Johnson Controls. John Gartner, a senior analyst at Pike Research, says oversupply is possible. He projects that by 2015 the installed price of battery systems (including thermal management gear and other finishing equipment) will be cut in half.

US Recovery Act: the progress so far in electrifying America’s transport
cars21.com - The US Department of Energy has released a report which documents how the funds from the Recovery Act have been allocated so far in projects related to electric vehicles, how investments interact to stimulate both supply and demand for electric vehicles, as well as the progress so far and the future expectations in terms of advancing electromobility in the US. Read the report

House Approves Economic Development Legislation

IndustryWeek (Cable) - 'SECTORS' Act would provide grants for public-private partnerships to address training needs. The U.S. House of Representatives on July 19 approved bipartisan legislation that aims to help industries meet their skilled workforce needs by connecting public- and private-sector stakeholders in various industry clusters.

The “Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success” (“SECTORS”) Act, H.R. 1855, would set up a grant program through the Department of Labor to provide funding for partnerships between businesses, unions, educators and the public workforce system to coordinate training activities in “high-demand and emerging industries,” according to the House Education and Labor Committee. Eligible partnerships could receive up to $2.5 million in grants for the first three years and up to an additional $1.5 million thereafter.

Nanotechnology offers better way to coat steel

Daily Commercial News (Dafoe) - A team of three American companies has been awarded $1.79 million from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create a new way to coat steel faster, cheaper and greener...It will use a high-intensity infrared light source to bond nanocomposite metal-ceramic and polymer coatings onto steel surfaces for use in infrastructure projects. The research team is hoping that the process will replace the electroplating, chromate primers, hot-dip galvanizing and fusion-bonded epoxy technologies that are commonplace today.

The smaller they go with the engineering process, the harder the material becomes in many metals and ceramics. The technology also increases corrosion resistance because the bonded materials move well with the metals below them. “That gives us the advantage of having these hard particles that have the wear and corrosion resistance in a metal matrix that is more ductile and tough,” Engleman said.

A Manufacturing Agenda for America

American Automotive Policy Council - America's auto manufacturers — Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Company — are committed to investing and keeping jobs here in the United States and delivering the most advanced and green technologies to U.S. consumers.

We will strengthen U.S. manufacturing by building the next generation of environmentally-friendly products consumers expect, and investing in plants, research, and people here in America.

We need a “Manufacturing Driven” policy agenda to:

• Shape regulatory, tax and fiscal policies to encourage manufacturing in the United States;
• Create public/private partnerships that speed the development of advanced technologies, similar to programs that other governments have in place that benefit our competitors, such as domestic battery production;
• Target federal manufacturing and jobs support programs to states with the highest rates of unemployment;
• Dedicate more funds to loans and grants for projects that directly create jobs for researching and manufacturing sustainable, advanced technology vehicles...
  
  

What's New in Workforce Investment?

Department of Labor - The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has announced it is soliciting applications for the FY 2010 "Mapping Regional Innovation Clusters Project" competition. EDA is allocating $1,500,000 in FY 2010, anticipating that the mapping regional innovation clusters award or awards made under this competitive solicitation will involve a multi-year project period, with total funding for this research effort reaching up to $1,000,000 for each year. Funding beyond the first year for the grant award shall be contingent on satisfactory performance, availability of appropriations, and EDA priorities. Via: Innovation Daily

As Science Evolves, How Can Science Policy?

National Bureau of Economic Research (Benjamin Jones) - Getting science policy right is a core objective of government that bears on scientific advance, economic growth, health, and longevity. Yet the process of science is changing. As science advances and knowledge accumulates, ensuing generations of innovators spend longer in training and become more narrowly expert, shifting key innovations (i) later in the life cycle and (ii) from solo researchers toward teams. This paper summarizes the evidence that science has evolved - and continues to evolve - on both dimensions. The paper then considers science policy. The ongoing shift away from younger scholars and toward teamwork raises serious policy challenges. Central issues involve (a) maintaining incentives for entry into scientific careers as the training phase extends, (b) ensuring effective evaluation of ideas (including decisions on patent rights and research grants) as evaluator expertise narrows, and (c) providing appropriate effort incentives as scientists increasingly work in teams. Institutions such as government grant agencies, the patent office, the science education system, and the Nobel Prize come under a unified focus in this paper. In all cases, the question is how these institutions can change. As science evolves, science policy may become increasingly misaligned with science itself – unless science policy evolves in tandem.

Future aircraft could cut fuel use by 70%

CNET News (Terdiman) - By 2035, new designs and technologies could help commercial aircraft burn 70% less fuel than today, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Armed with a $2.1 million NASA grant, MIT is studying a "radical change" to the aircraft design used for the past 50 years. Instead of an "easily recognizable 'tube and wing' structure," MIT researchers are promoting a "double bubble" design or an integrated wing concept.  Hat Tip: AIA dailyLead

Sen. Bingaman Calls for National Strategy to Support Clean Tech

IndustryWeek (Alpern) - New Mexico senator cites linkage between R&D and manufacturing in clean energy and warns that competing nations are closing gap on U.S. When Jeff Bingaman looks at a pie chart detailing production of lithium-ion battery manufacturing, the Democratic senator from New Mexico winces. He already knows the numbers too well. Japan accounts for 46% of world production, while South Korea and China have taken on increasing slices of the development and manufacturing. Where is the United States? Producing just 1% of what is seen as one of the most key technologies in the world today -- far less than even Taiwan. Bingaman, chairman of the committee on energy and natural resources, sees what has happened to the production of lithium-ion batteries and fears the same trend is occurring in other key technologies, with the potential of being frozen out of the advancement and production of clean energy.

Navistar Rolls Out 1st Electric Trucks

Associated Press - An Elkhart County assembly line has begun turning out Navistar e-Star electric trucks that can travel 100 miles on a single charge. Navistar says the all-electric eStar medium-duty commercial truck being turned out in Wakarusa has batteries can be replaced in about 20 minutes and recharged in six to eight hours.

FedEx is the first company to purchase the trucks and will operate them in the Los Angeles area. The plant is about 15 miles southeast of South Bend. It's expected to produce 400 vehicles this year and several thousand yearly after that. The company says it's expected to create about 700 jobs nationwide, including some at suppliers. Navistar got a $39 million federal stimulus grant for the project.

EU lays down strategy on clean cars

Cars21.com - Aiming to help the European car industry to strengthen its competitiveness in the production of clean and energy-efficient technologies, the document presented at a press conference by European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani in charge of industry and entrepreneurship encompasses an Action plan of measures to be implemented by the European Commission (EC).

The Action Plan takes a “technology-neutral” approach, yet it recognises that the European framework regarding mobility has been mostly lacking on electromobility. Hence, there is a section of the document dedicated to measures to support electric vehicles. Among those:

DLA Announces Sustainable Manufacturing Founding Opportunity

Defense Logistics Agency (Broad Agency Announcement, FY 2010 Emergent Research and Development Requirement, Solicitation Number: BAA0003-10) - Developing, testing, and applying new techniques to accelerate their adoption by small and medium sized firms of sustainable manufacturing techniques and their ability to manufacture “green products.”

DLA requests interested parties to submit an initial synopsis, commonly referred to as "white paper." White papers may be based on fundamental R&D; concept formulation; assessment of system and subsystem requirements and processes; development, analysis and evaluation of concepts, systems and subsystems; development of associated industrial capabilities support techniques and processes; development of associated manufacturing techniques and processes; modeling and simulation; simulation-based acquisition; integrated data environments and product data managers; and development of operational systems. Any responsible source capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a white paper which shall be considered by DLA.

Pushing Your Projects from 'No Go' to 'Go' With Government Funding

IndustryWeek (Susan Ward, CEO, ITECS Innovative Consulting) - Under ARRA, industrial energy efficiency projects are receiving funding for industrial combined heat and power systems, district energy systems for industrial facilities, and grants to support technical and financial assistance to local industry.

For example, one of our clients recently won a state-level grant to replace a 40-year-old boiler in its manufacturing facility, resulting in an annual savings of about $1 million in energy costs. While this internal investment had been on the company's list for years, other initiatives had always taken precedence. By applying for government funding, the project was pushed from 'no go' to 'go.' This project was a win-win situation because the company saved money in reduced energy costs and repairs and became more efficient. The government won because the state reduced its overall energy consumption in order to meet energy reduction goals.

DOE Offers $100 Million for Innovative Energy Research Projects

DOE issued three Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) on March 2 that offer $100 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for the third round of its Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) program. The FOAs, announced at the first ARPA-E summit in Washington, D.C., are focused on innovations in three areas of technology: grid storage, power converters, and cooling systems for buildings. The goal is to promote U.S. leadership in the emerging global market for these advanced energy technologies, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing U.S. electrical consumption by as much as 30%.

Fed Funding Opportunity: DOE-ITP Superior Energy Performance Program Administrator

Grants.gov - The new American National Standards Institute-accredited Superior Energy Performance (SEP) industrial plant/facility certification program will serve as a roadmap for achieving continual improvement in energy efficiency at an industrial facility. This Funding Opportunity Announcement is to fund an administrator and technical assistance provider for the new American National Standards Institute- accredited Superior Energy Performance industrial plant/facility certification program. The Department of Energy will fund one awardee of this FOA as the Superior Energy Performance Program Administrator (SEP-PA). The SEP-PA will develop, launch and operate the SEP Certification Program in cooperation with the U.S. Council for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing.

Closing Date for Applications: May 06, 2010
Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement

UNEP/SETAC Pilot Re-envisions Sustainable Supply Chain Management

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and The Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) are soliciting pilot participants in a new project to develop and test a capability framework for sustainable value chains.

The “capability” approach shifts the focus from driving performance on certain sustainability metrics to building the capacity of organizations in a supply chain to identify and meet priorities tailored to their business strategy and local resources. This customized decision-making process is expected to better balance the tension between the economic logic of global value chains and the localized logic of sustainability. The capability framework is designed to:

Reports Identify Opportunities to Retrain Workers for Green Careers

Apollo Alliance - [in partnership with the Center for Wisconsin Strategy (COWs), Policy Matters Ohio, and the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce], released a series of reports in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin today that identify components of those states’ workforce development infrastructures that can be better integrated and scaled up to help fill jobs in the clean energy sector.

The reports, Mapping Green Career Pathways: Job Training Opportunities and Infrastructure, recommend strengthening existing training infrastructures to build workers’ skills to fill green-collar jobs that are being created in construction and manufacturing, sectors which are projected to account for 55 percent of all new jobs in the emerging renewable energy and efficiency industries.

Univ. of Wash. - Technology Transfer becomes the Center for Commercialization

University Week (Nick) - The UW Office of Technology Transfer is changing its name to the Center for Commercialization, or UWC4C, thus better reflecting what its leader sees as its expanded role at the University.

University Tech Transfer was largely created by the passage of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980. Under the terms of that act, intellectual property coming out of federally funded research -- which previously had gone back to the federal government -- was allowed to remain with the research institution, provided the research institution followed certain rules. After it was passed, tech transfer offices sprang up at universities across the country to handle intellectual property and pursue licensing opportunities for it. Since 1980, however, the practice has continually evolved, and the UW office has been striving to find successful models for supporting researchers with their commercialization goals.

"We've also revamped our commercialization grant program, which we operate in conjunction with the Washington Research Foundation," Rhoads said. "We give out 15 to 20 $50,000 grants a year, but now we're including the assignment of a team to help any researcher who wins one." The team will include an entrepreneur-in-residence, a patent agent and an MBA student who helps to investigate market opportunities. Other advisers may be called in, depending on the nature of the work. "So to win a grant is now to be on a list of projects that we as an office are committed to working on," Rhoads said.

A Boost for Manufacturing R&D - LED Lighting

New York Times (Broydo Vestel) -  The government is awarding $37 million for more research into LED lighting development.

As part of the government’s aggressive push for more energy efficient lighting options, the Department of Energy announced Friday it had awarded more than $37 million in stimulus funds for research and development projects that will help advance the market for products that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. A significant portion of the 17 projects selected to receive money were proposed by well-known lighting companies, including General Electric, Osram Sylvania, Philips and Cree. The awardees have promised to pony up an additional $28.5 million in private-industry matching funds for the projects, and to spend the money in the United States.

This is the sixth round of Energy Department funding for solid-state lighting projects, but the first time money has been given to develop better manufacturing technologies. According to the department, the focus on manufacturing is part of a new initiative to accelerate adoption of LEDs by improving quality and cost – while also encouraging production in the United States.

Univ. of Kentucky Awarded NIST Grant for Mfg Sustainability Metrics and Measurements

University of Kentucky - The University of Kentucky's sustainable manufacturing program has been awarded a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop a common standard to measure and evaluate the sustainability of manufacturing processes and products.  The project funded by NIST will help manufacturers by providing quantifiable sustainability metrics and measurements in manufactured products and manufacturing processes that can be used to evaluate the economic and environmental efficiency of products and processes, along with societal benefits. The proposed methodologies also will help manufacturers predict the sustainability levels of their manufacturing processes and manufactured products.

USABC Seeks Proposal Info for Hybrid/Plug-In/EV Battery Development

USCAR - Continuing its work to develop advanced energy storage technologies for vehicle electrification, the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) has announced four new requests for proposal information (RFPIs) for projects related to advanced battery development for hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and electric vehicles.

USABC’s four RFPIs, for consideration of contracts that will include a 50 percent minimum cost share by developers, are for 1) development of advanced high performance batteries for electric vehicle (EV) applications; 2) development of advanced energy storage systems for high-power, lower energy-energy storage system (LEESS) for power-assist hybrid electric vehicle (PAHEV) applications; 3) development of advanced high-performance batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) applications; and 4) a technology assessment of proposed advanced battery technologies for EV applications.

The RFPIs for advanced battery development are aimed at developers with electrochemical energy storage technologies that are capable of meeting or approaching the USABC long-term criteria for electric vehicle applications (www.uscar.org/usabc).