R& D Funds Available For Clean Energy Projects The Energy Department will release $37 million in small business research and development funds for clean energy projects. The department said up to 60 small firms will share $8.5 million in new Phase I grants under the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. Companies with fewer than 500 employees are eligible. The money is provided by the Recovery Act. The six-month grants of up to $150,000 each will fund feasibility studies in the following areas: advanced building air conditioning and refrigeration, thermal load shifting, and cool roofs; water usage in electric power production and industrial processes ; power plant cooling; advanced gas turbines and materials; sensors, controls, and wireless networks; advanced water power technology development; smart controllers for smart grid applications; advanced solar technologies; advanced industrial technologies development; and advanced manufacturing processes.  Successful projects will be eligible for follow-on funding. “Small businesses are engines of job creation and innovation, and we need their ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit to drive a clean energy economy,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “By helping small businesses bring clean technologies to market, we can create jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and reduce carbon pollution.” The deadline for Phase I grant applications is Sept. 4. More information is at www.science.doe.gov/sbir/.