$1.1 Million Grant Will Help Vermont Small Business Commercialize a Hybrid Concentrating Solar-Thermal and Photovoltaic System Using Thermal Storage to Deliver 24/7 Renewable Power
Contact: Steve Snyder (802) 359-7406
Email: steve.snyder@norwichtech.com
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VERMONT, July 20, 2020 –Norwich Technologies announced today that the company has been awarded a $1.1 million dollar U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to develop a low cost hybrid solar power system that can deliver renewable energy 24 hours a day with the use of long duration thermal energy storage.
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) awarded $12.3 million to 11 small solar companies from 9 states as part of DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program. These new projects are part of the second phase of the program helping companies commercialize their innovations.
Troy McBride, Chief Technology Officer at Norwich Technologies and the project Principal Investigator said, “We are delighted to be selected for Phase II funding of this project, and to continue our work on this next generation technology that will enable low cost 24/7 distributed-scale solar electricity. The selection speaks to our strong research and development team here at Norwich Technologies, and to our partners at Creare and the University of Louisiana -Lafayette. The Solar Energy Technologies Office continues to support projects such as ours that together help to create a resilient, affordable, solar-powered future for the USA.”
In a July 14 press release announcing the grants, U.S. Energy Department Secretary Dan Brouillette stated, “As our country reopens, small businesses will play a critical role in the Nation’s economic recovery. I am pleased the Department can aid in this recovery through the SBIR and STTR grant programs, which are helping spur growth by providing meaningful financial investment for innovative energy and science R&D at American small businesses.”
The SBIR/STTR program consists of competitive funding opportunities that encourage U.S.-based small businesses to engage in innovative research and technology development with the potential for future commercialization. Small businesses that demonstrated technical feasibility for innovations during their Phase I grants competed for funding for further development during Phase II. Learn more about these selections and see a full list of SETO’s SBIR and STTR projects.
“This award recognizes the excellent work by our R&D team and our partners in developing this technology to date. We look forward to completing the next phase of development and bringing this technology to the US marketplace,” says Jonathan Lynch, Vice President of Research and Development at Norwich Technologies. “Our SunTrap 24/7 Solar Generation System solution will provide users with increased energy resilience and reduced electricity costs. The SunTrap system incorporates far more storage capacity than feasible with battery-based solutions, enabling a cost-effective solar resource capable of around-the-clock generation.”
Leave a Reply