See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

Financial support from the U.S. government seems more critical than before now that many venture capital firms are shying away from investing in green tech. But be forewarned: those public money investments could take a long time to bear fruit.

“1. Better magnets: Electron Energy in Pennsylvania is due to receive $2.9 million to come up with better magnets that don’t require rare earth materials and perform better than what are being used to make the motors in wind turbines and electric cars today. Rare earth mining isn’t environmentally friendly and is concentrated in China, which has restricted rare earth export in the past. ARPA-E has previously funded projects for developing rare earth-free magnets and motors.”

“4. Power plant efficiency: The University of North Dakota will use $472,580 from ARPA-E to develop an air-cooling equipment to help power plants run efficiently. Fossil fuel power plants require a lot of water to operate. The research will use an “air-cooled adsorbent liquid” that releases moistures to keep the power plant cool and minimize water losses.”

See on www.forbes.com