GE Global Research, the technology development arm for the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as one of 46 new multi-million-dollar Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) being established across the country.
The focus of GE’s EFRC will be on advanced energy storage technologies and the pursuit of a zero carbon emissions solution for both transportation and stationary power applications.
The EFRCs were formed to pursue advanced scientific research on energy to help the nation become more energy independent. Of the 46 EFRCs selected, 31 are led by universities, 12 by DOE National Laboratories and two by nonprofit organizations. GE Global Research has the distinction of being the only corporate research laboratory chosen to lead an EFRC.
“As global energy demand grows over this century, there is an urgent need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and imported oil and curtail greenhouse gas emissions,” said Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. “Meeting this challenge will require significant scientific advances. These Centers will mobilize the enormous talents and skills of our nation’s scientific workforce in pursuit of the breakthroughs that are essential to make alternative and renewable energy truly viable as large-scale replacements for fossil fuels.”
The 46 EFRCs will be funded at $2-5 million per year each for a planned initial five-year period. They were selected from a pool of some 260 applications that were received in response to a solicitation issued by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science in 2008. Selection was based on a rigorous merit review process utilizing outside panels composed of scientific experts.
Last week, GE announced plans to open a new, $100 million battery manufacturing plant in Upstate New York that will serve as the main manufacturing facility for GE’s newly formed battery business.
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