As part of today’s $34 million announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary, Rick Perry, for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) research and development projects, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will fund 87 new projects across 34 states, totaling nearly $13 million in funding.
Nine EERE technology offices are funding 10 Phase I topic areas (Advanced Manufacturing I & II, Bioenergy, Buildings, Fuel Cells, Geothermal. Solar, Vehicles, Water, and Wind) across 29 subtopics. Some examples of EERE-funded projects include the following geothermal themed projects:
$149,916.79 - SBIR
An Efficient PFO-SPS System for Concentration of Brines and Wastewater
Using Low Enthalpy Geothermal Heat Concentration of brines and wastewater is an energy intensive process and does not utilize available geothermal heat. This proposal will enable the design of a pilot system that will concentrate challenging wastewaters using geothermal heat. The system will be able to reach higher concentrations and treat more problematic water using less energy compared to state of the art technologies.
Mainstream Engineering Corporation, Rockledge, FL
$149,955.11- SBIR
Thermal energy storage for dispatchable geothermal power
Heat energy from the earth represents a nearly inexhaustible and underutilized domestic energy resource. This project is developing technology that will allow geothermal power plants to operate flexibly, allowing them to seamlessly adjust their electrical power output in response to requests from the electric utility based on demand.
Tech4Imaging LLC, Columbus, OH
$155,000.00 - SBIR
Non-Invasive Operations Tool for Dispatchable Geothermal Wells
A lack of information on how geothermal wells should be properly balanced between harvesting hot water/steam and returning cool water puts wells at risk of being over exploited. An operational control system utilizing an innovative non-invasive mass flow meter and other well data is being developed to equip Well Operators with the tools necessary to analytically manage these valuable resources.
TerraCOH Inc., Hopkins, MN
$149,999.69 - SBIR
CO2 Plume Geothermal (CPG) and the Earth Battery -- Innovative Geothermal Power Production Using Non-water Working Fluids
The DOE seeks to enable expansion of geothermal as an on- demand energy source. TerraCOH’s innovative CO2 Plume Geothermal (CPG™) technology uses CO2 as the geothermal heat transfer/energy storage fluid, allowing far more, lower-temperature areas to be cost-effectively used for geothermal power in general and as a dispatchable energy source.
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