DOE Announces $275M for 7 Projects to Strengthen Clean Energy Supply Chains and Manufacturing in Former Coal Communities

Nov. 29, 2023
The selected projects will build up the production of technologies to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and strengthen national defense and energy independence

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $275 million for seven projects to strengthen clean energy supply chains and accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing in nine former coal communities across the nation as part of the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience inaugural meeting.

The projects will leverage over $600 million in private sector investments into small- and medium-sized manufacturers and create nearly 1,500 jobs in cutting-edge technologies owing to the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

They will address critical clean energy supply chain vulnerabilities by supporting key materials and components for energy storage for grid and transportation uses, wind energy, and energy-efficient solutions for buildings. 

The majority of selected projects will be in or adjacent to disadvantaged communities and co-located with energy communities to support the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts.

“President Biden's Investing in America agenda is driving the manufacturing boom while preserving the communities and workforce that have powered our nation for generations," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “With these historic investments, DOE will bring new economic opportunities and ensure these communities continue their key role in strengthening America's national and energy security.”

The global market for clean energy and carbon reduction technologies is anticipated to reach a minimum of $23 trillion by 2030, and the President’s Investing in America agenda will help the nation’s energy communities participate in this economic opportunity.  

The selected projects will build up the production of technologies, such as insulated windows essential in large building retrofits, wind turbines, materials for grid components, and critical battery materials, to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels, strengthen national defense and energy independence, and mitigate the climate crisis.  

The seven projects selected for award negotiations focus on manufacturing products and materials looking after multiple requirements in the domestic clean energy supply chain.

  1. Alpen High-Performance Products will retrofit existing facilities in Louisville, Colorado, and Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, for the production of ultra-thin, triple, and quad-pane insulated glass units for windows.
  2. Boston Metal will build a new facility in Weirton, West Virginia, to manufacture ultrapure chromium metal and high-temperature alloys that are critical materials needed for clean power, fuel cells, and green steel supply chains.
  3. Carter Wind Turbines will build a new facility in Vernon, Texas, to scale production of mid-sized turbines and improve wind energy access for remote, rural locations, and rugged terrains.
  4. CorePower Magnetics will retrofit an existing facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for melting and casting of advanced magnetic amorphous alloys for grid components.
  5. FastCAP Systems, dba Nanoramic Laboratories, will build a new facility in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to manufacture lithium iron phosphate battery electrodes for grid storage.
  6. LuxWall will build a new facility in Detroit, Michigan, to manufacture vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) window units, one of the highest energy-efficient return-on-investment options used to retrofit buildings.
  7. MP Assets Corporation will build a project in Virginia, to manufacture lithium-ion battery separators important for electric vehicle supply chains.
About the Author

EnergyTech Staff

Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

He can be reached at [email protected]

EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.