U.S. DOE and Israeli Partners Invest US$5.48 Million in Cooperative Clean Energy Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Israel’s Ministry of Energy (MoE) along with the Israel Innovation Authority today announced the six clean energy projects selected to receive US$5.48 million in government funding through the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program. The projects, conducted by a U.S. and an Israeli partner, will accelerate technology innovation on advanced vehicle technologies, batteries, energy efficiency measures, energy storage and the water-energy nexus. The announcement comes on the heels of the international climate conference, COP26, where the U.S. and DOE highlighted efforts to transform ambition into implementation in final week.

“Through the long-standing and successful BIRD Energy program with our Israeli partners, we are supporting the innovation in renewable energy and energy efficiency needed to tackle the global climate emergency,” said Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. secretary of energy. “The projects announced today will help us overcome barriers to scaling up carbon-free technology and supercharge the rapidly growing international clean energy economy.”

“Innovation and cross-border cooperation are critical in the global fight against climate change. I am pleased to continue this collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy under the BIRD Foundation, which combines significant investment in groundbreaking innovation with joint efforts between companies from the two countries who are working together to combat the climate crisis. The companies that were awarded this year exemplify superior research and development capabilities in the area of clean energy technologies and their success will not only contribute to the fruitful cooperation between the United States and Israel but the entire planet.”, said Karine Elharrar, Israel’s minister of energy.

“Technological innovations are a force multiplier in dealing with various pressing challenges. We consider the combination of innovation and global collaboration as a key in finding out-of-the-box solutions to the most significant challenge humanity faces – the Global Climate emergency. BIRD Energy is a platform designed to implement applied collaborations in this field and connect both countries' needs and capabilities. These days, this activity is all the more important as the Climate Challenge gains top priority on the overall global agenda.", said Mr. Dror Bin, CEO, Israel Innovation Authority.

“The BIRD Energy program brings together U.S. and Israel companies for the joint development of innovative solutions and the accelerated adoption of cleaner energy sources, which is a global imperative. We thank the BIRD Energy program stakeholders for their continued leadership and support.", said Dr. Eitan Yudilevich, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation. 

”BIRD Energy launched in 2009 through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, has funded sixty cooperative Israel-U.S. clean energy projects for a total government investment of approximately US$47.5 million and approximately US$62 million in funds matched by the private sector.

Established by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, BIRD Energy supports research and development that benefits both the United States and Israel, with a focus on commercializing sustainable energy technologies that improve economic competitiveness, create jobs, and increase energy security.

Over the last seven years, four BIRD Energy projects have reached the commercialization stage, including a self-powered wireless sensor for monitoring energy use in buildings, a new enzyme to produce biodiesel, a utility-scale solar concentrated photovoltaic system that employs a new active cooling module, and a new system to facilitate wind speed and power output forecasting for wind generation.

The total value of the projects announced today is US$12.7 million, including US$7.2 million in cost share funding. The six approved projects are:

• AGM Communication & Control (Mitzpa, Israel) and Element 16 Technologies, Inc. (Glendale, CA) will develop sulfur thermal energy storage for industrial applications.
• E.V.R. Motors Ltd. (Petach Tikva, Israel) and Continuous Solutions L.L.C. (Portland, OR) will develop "IMP" -an Integrated Miniaturized Powertrain.
• Environmental Services Company (Neot Hovav, Israel) and 374Water (Durham, NC) will develop systems for energy and resource recovery from hazardous organic waste using supercritical water oxidation technology.
• Kinetics (Airport City, Israel) and UAV Turbines, Inc. (Miami, FL) will develop an ultra-portable turbogenerator system.
• An Israeli Company and Imprint Energy, Inc. (Alameda, CA) will develop safe, sustainable, and high-power zinc printed batteries and will manufacture and integrate them into thin and flexible cellular Internet of Things (IoT) smart tags for tracking packages, improving logistics processes, and reducing supply chain waste.
• Synvertec (Herzliya, Israel) and Rhombus Energy Solutions (San Diego, CA) will develop the Synchronverter — a dynamic and autonomous inverter utilizing a unique control algorithm — allowing 100% of renewable generation, by providing grid stability solutions for inverter-based applications.

Projects that qualify for BIRD Energy funding must include one U.S. and one Israeli company, or a company from one of the countries paired with a university or research institution from the other. The partners must present a project that involves innovation in the area of energy and is of mutual interest to both countries. BIRD Energy has a rigorous review process and selects the most technologically meritorious projects along with those that are most likely to commercialize and bring about significant impact. Qualified projects must contribute at least 50% to project costs and commit to repayments if the project leads to commercial success.