US-Israel Foundation To Invest Over $7M In 8 New Clean Energy Projects

By Simona Shemer, NoCamels -

The Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation is set to invest $7.15 million in eight joint clean energy projects that focus on commercializing clean energy technologies to improve economic competitiveness, create jobs, and support clean innovation.

Each of the eight selected ventures involves one Israeli company and one American company, selected by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Israel’s Ministry of Energy and the Israel Innovation Authority, the organization announced on Monday.

The total value of the projects is $17.4 million, which includes $10.25 million in cost share from the companies selected for funding.

BIRD Energy was created in 2009, as a result of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. It was established three decades after the BIRD foundation itself was established in 1977, to foster collaboration between Israeli and American industries. After more than 10 years, BIRD Energy has funded 55 projects with a total government investment of approximately $42 million in addition to the $55 million in matching funds from the private sector, according to the announcement.

The selected projects are the following:

• ECOncrete., a Tel Aviv-based company that develops sustainable concrete to build ecologically active infrastructures, and American company LafargeHolcim., based in Chicago, IL, will develop an eco-engineered concrete product for structurally sound scour protection and ecological uplift of offshore wind energy infrastructure.

• Eviation, the Kadima-based aircraft manufacturer creating the first all-electric commuter aircraft, and Plymouth, Michigan-based AVL Powertrain Engineering, Inc. will develop an electric aircraft battery.

• Israeli company Addionics, which creates rechargeable batteries using 3D structures, will partner with the Northboro, Massachusetts-based Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc., which manufactures refractory systems, will develop high-power, high-capacity solid-state batteries with novel electrode components.

• POCellTech, a Caesarea-based company that develops fuel cell and efficient energy storage solutions, and W7Energy LLC, a Wilmington provider of hydrogen-based fuel cell technology solutions, will develop a low-cost fuel cell system based on hydroxide exchange membranes.

• StoreDot, a Herzliya-based lithium-ion battery company, and Nanoramic Laboratories, a Boston-based energy storage technology company, and materials solutions innovator, will develop an ultra-fast charging power bank for mobile devices.

• Tadiran Batteries, a Kiryat Ekron-based manufacturer of high power lithium thionyl chloride batteries, and New Jersey-based company Hit Nano, a Li-Ion batteries and energy storage systems manufacturer, will develop silicon anode, nickel rich cathode, high-energy high-safety AA Li-Ion Cell for industrial IoT.

• TurboGen, a Ramat Gan-based engineering company specializing in efficiency, Combined Heat & Power (CHP) generators, and New York-based En-Power Group, an energy engineering firm, will develop next-generation heat and power solutions.

• VisIC Technologies, a Ness Ziona-based GaN power semiconductor device leader, and California-based company Vepco Technologies, an engineering service company, will develop an 80kW Gallium Nitride (GaN) based dual motor drive power inverter for both plug-in and battery electric vehicles.

“Promoting innovation in the field of energy is a joint goal of Israel and the US,” said Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority. “We are therefore pleased to see the high level of engagement by industries in both countries. We wish success to the approved projects and look forward to the technological advancements they will make.”

The BIRD foundation facilitates cooperation and matchmaking between US and Israeli companies in a range of technology sectors and provides selected projects with funding of up to 50 percent of a project’s development cost. BIRD does not claim any equity or intellectual property rights in the participating companies or in the projects themselves.

Among the Israeli companies that have taken part in previous BIRD Foundation programs are Softwheel, which developed innovative wheel suspension technology, ReWalk Robotics, the maker of wearable robotic medical devices for individuals with lower limb disabilities, and DouxMatok, a startup that developed a patented sugar reduction solution.

Caption: Eviation Aircraft’s Alice.
Credit: Courtesy