The U.S. Department of Energy is set to collectively give Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign more than $8.4 million for clean energy and research and development.
“I am pleased to announce this investment in research from the Department of Energy,” said U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL,11). “For 20 years, I conducted research in high-energy particle physics at Fermi National Laboratory and I know firsthand how important grants like this are to supporting our long-term competitiveness in the global economy. Investing in federal research and development is one of the highest return investments we can make as a nation and is critical to supporting American innovation. “
“We know that the 21st century economy will be a green economy. Increased global research and development has made clean energy more affordable and more abundant than ever, but we need strong federal investment to ensure that the United States will lead the world in these promising technologies – and the jobs they support – for decades to come. I am proud that my alma mater, the University of Illinois, and Northwestern University, which I represent in Congress, were able to win these important DOE Grants, and I look forward to following the success of both universities in leveraging these research dollars to promote jobs, public health, and the environment,” added U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL,9).
Northwestern University will receive more than $5.9 million “in funding to study and research solar energy sciences and materials for solar energy” and “$2,985,000 was awarded to the Argonne-Northwestern Solar Research (ANSER) Center, which focuses on researching the field of solar energy sciences and how solar power can be used to develop different forms of renewable energy technologies,” according to a press release from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
And the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is set receive $2.45 million “to study carbon dioxide capture and storage.”
“With the support of federal funding, scientific discoveries are revolutionizing our world, helping to drive our economy, and changing the way we conserve and use energy resources,” Durbin said. “Today’s announcement ensures we are maintaining a strong commitment to Illinois’ universities, and the researchers there, who keep America at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation.”
The Illinois university funding is part of $100 million the Energy Department is allocating towards Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) as a means to encourage and promote new discoveries in that area.
