U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General

Japan and U.S.-based TerraPower expand SFR development partnership to support carbon neutrality efforts

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 1, 2023

In January 2022, TerraPower, JAEA and MHI signed a MOU to collaborate on SFR technology development.

Key Points: 
  • In January 2022, TerraPower, JAEA and MHI signed a MOU to collaborate on SFR technology development.
  • In December 2022, the Japanese government revised their Strategic Roadmap for FR development, clarifying that Japan will begin FR concept design in 2024.
  • "We are thrilled to expand our collaboration with JAEA as Japan works to bring advanced nuclear reactors to market," said TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque.
  • We would like to contribute to fast reactor development cooperation between the US and Japan by utilizing the technology and experience we have cultivated over many years."

Chart Industries Reports Record 2023 Third Quarter Financial Results and Completes Divestiture of American Fan for $111 million

Retrieved on: 
Friday, October 27, 2023

Adjusted operating margin increased in the third quarter 2023 across all four segments when compared to the third quarter 2022 (proforma).

Key Points: 
  • Adjusted operating margin increased in the third quarter 2023 across all four segments when compared to the third quarter 2022 (proforma).
  • Reported earnings per share for the third quarter 2023 was $0.05 and when adjusted for one-time costs, adjusted EPS of $1.28.
  • Third quarter 2023 sales of $897.9 million grew 9.8% when compared to the third quarter of 2022 (proforma) and included record sales for CTS and Specialty Products (proforma).
  • Third quarter 2023 backlog of $4.1 billion set a new record, following the prior historical high backlog of $3.96 billion as of the end of the second quarter 2023.

K. Hovnanian️ Recognized with U.S. Department of Energy’s Grand Award, Housing Innovation Award for Zero Energy Ready Homes

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 26, 2023

In 2023, the Northeast Division built 400 Zero Energy Ready Homes in New Jersey—the most constructed by any builder in the country. This massive achievement was recognized by the DOE with the Grand Award.K. Hovnanian’s Northeast Division also received the Housing Innovation Award for their community, The Cove at Asbury, located in Asbury Park, NJ. Townhome-style condominiums in this community were built with energy efficiency in mind -- meeting DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certification and 2021 IECC energy codes, and significantly reducing energy costs for homeowners.

Key Points: 
  • A DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) is a home with a renewable energy system that offsets most or all of the home's annual energy use; the home must also meet rigorous efficiency and performance criteria.
  • In 2023, the Northeast Division built 400 Zero Energy Ready Homes in New Jersey—the most constructed by any builder in the country.
  • Townhome-style condominiums in this community were built with energy efficiency in mind -- meeting DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certification and 2021 IECC energy codes, and significantly reducing energy costs for homeowners.
  • The award was announced on October 12, 2023, and accepted by Architecture Production Manager Steve Blisnuk at the DOE’s Housing Innovation Award ceremony.

Cleveland-Cliffs Recognized by U.S. Department of Energy as a Better Climate Challenge Goal Achiever for GHG Emissions Reduction

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 26, 2023

Cleveland-Cliffs announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recognized the Company as a GHG Emissions Reduction 2023 Goal Achiever through its Better Buildings Initiative and Better Climate Challenge.

Key Points: 
  • Cleveland-Cliffs announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recognized the Company as a GHG Emissions Reduction 2023 Goal Achiever through its Better Buildings Initiative and Better Climate Challenge.
  • Cleveland-Cliffs is the only steel company participating in the DOE Better Buildings Initiative to drive leadership in energy innovation and the Better Climate Challenge, an initiative that challenges major industrial partners to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent within 10 years.
  • Lourenco Goncalves, Cleveland-Cliffs’ Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer said, “We are a proud member and partner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants and Better Climate Challenge programs, and we appreciate the agency’s recognition of our significant achievement.
  • In addition, the DOE selected Cleveland-Cliffs to be a featured partner in the Better Climate Challenge Road Show Season Two, which will launch in December 2023.

Plant-based material science company Algenesis secures new funding to scale production and fight climate change

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 26, 2023

HOUSTON, Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading plant-based material science company Algenesis Corporation has raised US$5M in a funding round led by First Bight Ventures, with Circulate Capital and others. A pioneer in developing bio-based plastics that are competitive with petroleum-based in both cost and functionality, Algenesis' patented Soleic™ technology is the world's first renewable, high performance, fully biodegradable and backyard compostable bioPolyurethane (bioPU) made from plants and algae.

Key Points: 
  • HOUSTON, Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading plant-based material science company Algenesis Corporation has raised US$5M in a funding round led by First Bight Ventures, with Circulate Capital and others.
  • Today, 25 million tons of Polyurethane (PU) are manufactured annually1 (6% of total plastics) for extensive use across footwear, medical, and textile industries.
  • Due to the material's composition, PU is hard to recycle and primarily ends up in landfills or as microplastics in the environment2.
  • Algenesis' unique Soleic® PU is currently available in soft foam applications, such as midsoles and insoles for footwear .

CLARIOS WINS WORLD SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS' 'CIRCULAR ECONOMY AWARD' RECOGNIZING CLARIOS' BATTERY RECYCLING LEADERSHIP

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 26, 2023

GLENDALE, Wis., Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarios, the global leader in low-voltage battery technologies essential for the future of transportation, is the 2023 winner of the World Sustainability Awards' "Circular Economy Award."

Key Points: 
  • GLENDALE, Wis., Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarios, the global leader in low-voltage battery technologies essential for the future of transportation, is the 2023 winner of the World Sustainability Awards' "Circular Economy Award."
  • The "Circular Economy Award" was presented in Amsterdam Oct. 19 and accepted in person by Christian Rosenkranz, Clarios vice president, sustainability and corporate affairs EMEA.
  • The U.S. Department of Energy recognized Clarios in 2021 as a Phase II winner of its Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize .
  • These efforts have brought together governments, NGOs, leading companies and academics to advance the development of an increasingly sustainable and circular battery economy.

New Database Shines Spotlight on Decades of Solar Mirror Research

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 24, 2023

The publicly available Solar Mirror Materials Database (SMMD) will contain information from thousands of solar mirror samples from more than a hundred suppliers that have been subjected to outdoor tests and laboratory environments.

Key Points: 
  • The publicly available Solar Mirror Materials Database (SMMD) will contain information from thousands of solar mirror samples from more than a hundred suppliers that have been subjected to outdoor tests and laboratory environments.
  • Details about the SMMD are contained in a new article, “ Compilation of a Solar Mirror Materials Database and an Analysis of Natural and Accelerated Mirror Exposure and Degradation ,” published in the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering.
  • You want to reflect solar energy and concentrate it at a single point and capture the heat,” Farrell said.
  • NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

U.S. Department of Energy Signs Cooperative Agreement to Further Develop X-energy’s Microreactor for Commercial Applications

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 25, 2023

The agreement, awarded through the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, supports X-energy’s continuing work on architecture and key technologies for the preliminary design of the Company’s transportable nuclear power plant.

Key Points: 
  • The agreement, awarded through the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, supports X-energy’s continuing work on architecture and key technologies for the preliminary design of the Company’s transportable nuclear power plant.
  • The X-energy microreactor is expected to produce three to five megawatts of electricity at a commercially competitive price.
  • The DOD recently expanded its agreement with X-energy to develop a cost-effective design for a transportable advanced nuclear microreactor prototype for use in remote military locations or other strategic missions.
  • Funding from the DOE’s ARPA-E program helped develop operational innovations – such as automation, robotics, remote and central maintenance, and diagnostic monitoring – in the Xe-100 nuclear power plant design.

Oklo Honored on TIME's Best Inventions List for 2023

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Oklo Inc., an advanced fission power technology and nuclear fuel recycling company, is honored to announce its selection to TIME's Best Inventions of 2023 list , in the “Reuse and Recycle” category.

Key Points: 
  • Oklo Inc., an advanced fission power technology and nuclear fuel recycling company, is honored to announce its selection to TIME's Best Inventions of 2023 list , in the “Reuse and Recycle” category.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231024683859/en/
    Oklo Aurora powerhouse named to TIME's list of the Best Inventions of 2023 (Image: Gensler)
    The fuel recycling capabilities that Oklo is developing have the potential to turn what is now an expensive liability into an asset to transform clean energy availability and costs.
  • Being selected to TIME's Best Inventions of 2023 list is a testament to this incredible potential and the Oklo team,” said Jacob DeWitte, Co-Founder and CEO of Oklo.
  • The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Oklo and its partners for four different cost-share awards to commercialize advanced fuel recycling technologies.

Eden Raises $12 Million Seed Round to Scale Next-Generation Geologic Reservoir Permeability Enhancement Technology

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Key Points: 
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231024676971/en/
    Eden co-founders Ammar Alali and Paris Smalls (Photo: Business Wire)
    Eden will use the seed funds to scale its Electrical Reservoir Stimulation (“ERS”) technology deployment across geothermal, geologic hydrogen, geologic carbon storage, and sustainable mining applications.
  • Reservoir stimulation has been identified as a key technology innovation area to facilitate the energy transition.
  • “At Eden, we create underground lightning strikes to vaporize rocks and enhance permeability in geologic reservoirs,” said Paris Smalls, CEO of Eden.
  • “The Eden team has the technology, the expertise, and the commitment to scale this technology across geologies.