Argonne receives U.S. Department of Energy funding for four next-generation clean-energy projects

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has been awarded funding from DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions for four new projects that will help with commercialization of innovative clean-energy technology for a sustainable future.

Argonne scientists will work to turn their innovative ideas into next-generation technology necessary to build cleaner, more resilient energy systems. These projects build on Argonne’s decades-long role at the forefront of the quest to decarbonize the U.S. economy.

Argonne’s groundbreaking projects will focus on integrating next-generation power electronics into grid and solar power systems, designing and licensing molten salt nuclear reactors, decarbonizing and lowering the cost of organic waste treatment, and developing innovative solutions for water desalination.

Through collaborations with industry partners, these projects will advance the innovative technologies that will aid the transition to a clean energy economy.

Argonne researchers whose projects received 2024 funding are:

• Moinuddin Ahmed: An In-situ Grid Dynamic Driven Failure Prediction Methodology for Integrating Next-generation Power Electronics into Grid and Solar Power Systems (in partnership with Kyma Technologies)
• Thanh Hua: Advanced System Analysis Code Assessment and Enhancement to Support the Integral Molten Salt Reactor Design and Licensing (in partnership with Terrestrial Energy USA)
• Yuepeng Zhang: rGO-Enhanced Nanocomposite Electromembrane Technology for Energy Efficient Water Desalination (in partnership with GOLeafe)
• YuPo Lin: Decarbonizing and Improving the Profitability of Organic Waste Treatment through an Innovative Process and Value Chain (in partnership with Corumat, Inc.)

The awards are part of $41.4 million in funding toward 50 clean energy projects through DOE’s Technology Commercialization Fund Base Annual Appropriations Core Laboratory Infrastructure for Market Readiness award. Argonne scientists will help advance the nationwide goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and lower energy costs.

The 50 projects across 17 national laboratories will address commercialization challenges, accelerate the development of promising technologies and streamline processes to efficiently deliver clean-energy solutions to the marketplace. The 2024 awards are the largest amount of funding to date and represent coordinated investments from the largest set of DOE program offices.