USA Department of Energy Announces Eight New Projects Through BIRD Energy Partnership with Israel

Washington: Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Energy (MOE) and the Israel Innovation Authority announced $7.15 million for eight newly selected energy projects as part of the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program. The approved research and development (R&D) projects will leverage $10.25 million in cost-share for a total project value of $17.4 million in the areas of electricity storage, eco-engineered concrete, sustainable transportation, and energy efficiency.

“The BIRD Energy program fosters collaboration between U.S. and Israeli companies that have produced real innovations in renewable energy and energy efficiency,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. “This partnership continues to build bilateral relationships that will benefit our economies and environment for years to come.”

This announcement builds on the long history of cooperation between DOE and MOE, which brings together experts from both nations to drive innovation in renewable energy, energy storage, energy infrastructure cybersecurity, the energy-water nexus, and other areas.

“I am proud of the successful collaboration between Israeli and U.S. companies, which is based on mutual trust and groundbreaking innovation in the energy market,” said Israel’s Minister of Energy, Dr. Yuval Steinitz. “I hope that these R&D projects will bring us closer to an efficient and clean energy market. Government investment in R&D is important to help reach these goals, and as a recovery tool from the Corona virus crisis we are experiencing now.”

Since its inception, the BIRD Energy program has funded 55 projects, including the projects announced today, with a total government investment of approximately $42 million in addition to approximately $55 million in funds matched by the private sector.

“Promoting innovation in the field of energy is a joint goal of Israel and the U.S.,” said Mr. Aharon Aharon, CEO, Israel Innovation Authority. “We are therefore pleased to see the high level of engagement by industries in both countries. We wish success to the approved projects and look forward to the technological advancements they will make.”

The eight approved projects are:

Addionics IL Ltd. (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc. (Northboro, MA) will develop high-power, high-capacity solid-state batteries with novel electrode components.
ECOncrete Tech Ltd. (Tel Aviv, Israel) and LafargeHolcim (US) Inc. (Chicago, IL) will develop an eco-engineered concrete product for structurally sound scour protection and ecological uplift of offshore wind energy infrastructure.
Eviation Tech Ltd. (Kadima, Israel) and AVL Powertrain Engineering, Inc. (Plymouth, MI) will develop electric aircraft battery.
POCellTech Ltd. (Caesarea, Israel) and W7energy LLC (Wilmington, DE) will develop a low-cost fuel cell system based on hydroxide exchange membranes.
StoreDot Ltd. (Herzliya, Israel) and Nanoramic Laboratories (Boston, MA) will develop an ultra-fast charging power bank for mobile devices.
Tadiran Batteries Ltd. (Kiryat Ekron, Israel) and Hit Nano Inc. (Bordentown, NJ) will develop silicon anode, nickel rich cathode, high-energy high-safety AA Li-Ion Cell for industrial internet of things applications (IIOT).
TurboGen (Ramat Gan, Israel) and En-Power Group (White Plains, NY) will develop next generation heat and power solutions.
VisIC Technologies Ltd. (Nes Ziona, Israel) and Vepco Technologies (Chino, CA) will develop an 80kW Gallium Nitride (GaN) based dual motor drive power invertor for both plug-in and battery electric vehicles.
Projects that qualify for BIRD Energy funding must include one U.S. 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 that are most likely to commercialize and bring about significant impact. Qualified projects must contribute at least 50 percent to project costs and commit to repayments if the project leads to commercial success.