Smart Energy News

Lexington, Mass. — 1366 Technologies, a producer of high-efficiency solar cells, has been awarded a $150 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a manufacturing plant that will be capable of producing about 700 to 1,000 megawatts (MW) of silicon-based wafers annually.

The new factory will use a manufacturing process called “direct wafer,” which could reduce manufacturing costs of solar wafers by about 50%, according to DOE. The first phase of the project will be located in Lexington, Mass. and is expected to create about 70 permanent jobs and 50 construction jobs.

1366 was founded four years ago by a team that includes MIT professor and photovoltaic industry expert Emanuel Sachs. The company makes multi-crystalline silicon solar cells and light-capturing ribbons. Its texturing process creates a geometrically optimized cell surface for better light capture and trapping, and is compatible with existing multicrystalline cell products, according to the company.

The company has raised nearly $40 million of venture capital from investors including Ventizz Capital Fund, Hanwha Chemical, Polaris Venture Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners. In 2009, 1366 was awarded $4 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop its direct wafer technology.

1366 is evaluating site locations for the second planned phase of its manufacturing plant construction, which the company anticipates will fund hundreds of additional jobs, the DOE announcement said.

1366 Technologies website

Washington — U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the DOE is providing more than $175 million to 40 projects across 15 states over the next three to five years to accelerate the development of energy-efficient-vehicle technologies.

The projects will pursue innovations in fuels and lubricants, lighter weight materials, longer-lasting and cheaper electric vehicle batteries and components, and more efficient engine technologies, according to a DOE announcement.

Among the grant recipients, United States Automotive Materials Partnership will validate crash models for carbon-fiber composites that would enable the use of lightweight composites in primary-structural automotive crash and energy management applications.

Penn State University will develop a high energy density lithium-sulfur cell technology that significantly reduces battery size, and improves performance and life.

MIT will investigate the use of new lubricant formulations that target differing lubrication requirements of the major engine subsystems.

A complete list of the 40 grant recipients is available at the link below.

List of funded projects

Boston — David Danielson, a former partner with the venture capital firm General Catalyst Partners, has been nominated by President Obama to be the assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Danielson co-founded the firm’s clean energy investment practice and helped build and grow startups in various clean energy technology areas including solar power, wind power, advanced biofuels, bio-gas, carbon capture and storage, and advanced lighting. He is a co-founder of the New England Clean Energy Council.

White House press release

Dearborn, Mich. – The U.S. Department of Energy announced it will provide a $730 million loan to Severstal Dearborn to upgrade existing facilities and build new facilities for the production of automotive advanced high strength steel (AHSS) for fuel-efficient vehicles.

The facilities will produce a range of AHSS for manufacturers to reduce the weight of steel components used in vehicles, creating a 10% reduction in total vehicle weight, while still meeting safety regulations.

“Severstal’s AHSS project has the potential to reduce petroleum-based fuels consumption by nearly 30 million gallons annually, and thus avoid over 260,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions,” the DOE announced.

Severstal estimates the project will generate over 2,500 construction jobs and over 260 permanent manufacturing jobs, according to the announcement.

The $730 million loan to Severstal could be one of the last made by DOE’s $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles manufacturing program, also known as Section 136, the Detroit News reported.

“The future of 136, which has been so important to us in Michigan … is, of course, in question,” Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, told the newspaper. “We’re going to have to work on preserving it in the Senate.”

The program has made more than $8.4 billion in loans since 2008 to Ford, Nissan North America, Fisker Automotive, and Tesla Motors.

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued in May said DOE’s d Technology Vehicles program was understaffed and too slow getting funds to automakers, which have sought the funds to help prepare for a 40% increase in fuel efficiency standards between the 2012 and 2016 model years to 34.1 mpg.

Severstal website

Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today it is offering loan guarantees of about $4.5 billion to support three major, alternating current Cadmium Telluride (Cd-Te) thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar generation facilities being developed by First Solar inc.

The federal agency is offering a $680 million loan guarantee to support First Solar’s Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 project in the Western Mojave Desert; $1.9 billion in loans to support its Desert Sunlight project in eastern Riverside County, Calif.; and loan guarantees of $1.9 billion to support the company’s Topaz Solar project in eastern San Luis Obispo County, Calif.

First Solar said it expects that the projects will create a combined 1,400 jobs in California during peak construction.

Combined, when fully functional, the three facilities are expected to generate the equivalent of enough electricity to power 282,000 homes, according to DOE.

Shares in First Solar (NasdaqGS: FSLR ) were trading up $5.40 at $134.82 as of mid-afternoon on the day of the announcement, a gain of about 4 % on the day.

First Solar website