October 07, 2010

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to Receive Grant for U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center

For immediate Release

Contact: Nicole Y. Williams
(202) 225- 2661

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) along with the Department of Energy announced that Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will receive $12.5 million over the next five years to lead a consortium on energy-efficient building technologies under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC). The funding will be matched by the consortium partners to provide at least $25 million in total U.S. funding. Chinese counterparts will contribute an additional $25 million.

“Improving the efficiency of domestic and global building stocks is a critical component of efforts to reduce global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, through this groundbreaking partnership of private and public institutions in the U.S. and China, is poised to jumpstart the development of next generation energy efficient technologies that will become the global standard of the future.”

“The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center will help to save energy and cut costs in buildings in both the United States and China,” said Assistant Secretary Sandalow.  “This new partnership will also create new export opportunities for American companies, ensure the United States remains at the forefront of technology innovation, and help to reduce global carbon pollution.”

The Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory will lead a consortium that includes Oak Ridge National Lab, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California-Davis, the National Resources Defense Council, the Energy Foundation, ICF International, the National Association of State Energy Officials, the Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions, The Dow Chemical Company, Honeywell, General Electric, Saint-Gobain, Bentley, ClimateMaster, and Pegasus Capital Advisors.
 
In the United States, buildings account for nearly 40 percent of energy consumption and carbon emissions, and nearly half the new floor space built in the world every year is built in China. As such, the U.S. and China will play central roles in the world’s transition to an energy efficient building sector in the years ahead.

Two additional consortia were announced by Secretary Chu last month – one led by the University of Michigan to advance technologies for clean vehicles and one led by West Virginia University to focus on the next generation of clean coal technologies, including carbon capture and storage. Total funding for CERC, including private and public investments in both countries, will be at least $150 million. 

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