Los Alamos National Lab Receives $2 Million for Development of Solar Energy Technology

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today announced that Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) will receive more than $2 million from the Department of Energy (DOE) to support the development of new solar energy technologies and the rapid development of available carbon-free solar energy systems.

The funding is part of up to $87 million that will be made available by DOE to support solar energy development – $50 million of which will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). These projects will help speed adoption of solar energy nationwide, while supporting development of a skilled workforce, and continuing to pursue new scientific breakthroughs to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of solar technologies.

“New Mexico is ready to lead in the development of renewable energy sources like solar power,” Udall said. “This funding will help accelerate our progress as we continue investing in the technologies of the future.”

“This investment in LANL demonstrates once again how important a role the lab plays in solving the scientific challenges of our time,” Bingaman said. “I am confident that the research done with these grant will help shift our country to a low-carbon economy.”

The LANL projects are:

· $1.04 million for assessment of silicon nanowire architecture for photovoltaic electricity (PV) application

· $966,957 for hybrid organic silicone HTF utilizing endothermic reactions for latent heat storage

The two projects are among 15 undertaken by DOE labs nationwide to improve technologies, devices and processes for both the PV and Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) industries. PV projects focus on development of next generation devices and processes, as well as supply chain technologies for the entire PV system. CSP projects focus on improved energy storage technologies to enable consistent and reliable energy generation.