Nearly $800 Million from Recovery Act to Accelerate Biofuels Research and Commercialization

The Department of Energy has announce $786.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund advanced biofuels research and development and commercial-scale biorefinery demonstration projects.
Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy said,

“Developing the next generation of biofuels is key to our effort to end our dependence on foreign oil and address the climate crisis—while creating millions of new jobs that can’t be outsourced,” Secretary Chu said. “With American investment and ingenuity—and resources grown right here at home—we can lead the way toward a new green energy economy.”

How do the funds get allocated?

$480 million for validating integrated biorefinery technology, plants that will make renewable chemicals and fuels, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. (10 to 20 awards. $25 mil for pilot-scale and $50 mil for demo scale projects)
$176.5 million for commercial-scale biorefineries, to help expedite construction and accelerate the timeline of projects that are in the commercial phase.

$110 million for fundamental research in several priority areas

• Expand sustainability research through the Office of Science Bioenergy Research Centers. ($25 million)
• Research that encourages “infrastructure-compatible” biofuels, in other words, biofuels that work with existing infrastructure. ($35 million)
• Create an algal biofuels consortium to accelerate demonstration of algal biofuels. ($50 mil)

$20 million for ethanol research to optimize vehicles to use E85, evaluate higher ethanol blends in conventional vehicles, and upgrade existing infrastructure to use E85.

More at the DOE on “Nearly $800 Million from Recovery Act to Accelerate Biofuels Research and Commercialization”