WASHINGTON – Millions in investments for energy research has been announced for some of New York’s leading research institutions, including Brookhaven National Laboratory, Columbia University, Cornell University, General Electric Global Research and SUNY Stony Brook. Combined, the institutions will receive $10 to $50 million over the next five years to advance innovation and technology in renewable energy to combat global warming and fuel New York’s economy for the long term.

The money from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is part of the federal stimulus package.

The five New York institutions are among 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers nationwide receiving $777 million over the next five years to accelerate the scientific breakthroughs needed to build a new 21st century energy economy. The national effort will bring together groups of leading scientists to address fundamental issues in fields ranging from solar energy and electricity storage to materials sciences, biofuels, advanced nuclear systems and carbon capture and sequestration. Investments in New York’s research institutions will go toward the following renewable energy advancements:

• Brookhaven National Laboratory: Research the fundamental physics of superconductivity to discover new high-temperature superconductors and improve performance of known superconductors;
• Columbia University: Develop the science to reach breakthroughs in efficient creation of solar power in nanometer-sized thin films;
• Cornell University: Understand and control the nature, structure and dynamics of reactions at electrodes in fuel cells, batteries, solar photovoltaics and catalysts;
• General Electric Global Research: Explore the fundamental chemistry for new approaches to store energy that combines the best properties of a fuel cell and a flow battery;
• SUNY Stony Brook: Develop key knowledge of fundamental reactions at electrodes to tailor new electrodes to improve performance of existing batters and design entirely new ones.