DOE allocates $41 million to boost renewables-to-liquids technologies for cleaner fuels

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U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, said, “With today’s announcement, the Department of Energy charges forward on its mission of finding and elevating new technologies to ensure that the United States remains innovative and energy independent.” 

She added, “Renewables-to-liquids fuel production has the potential to boost the utility of renewable energy all while helping to lay the groundwork for the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of creating a clean energy economy.” 

The projects selected will work on developing systems that function at a renewable energy production site and use its electricity, carbon dioxide, and water to create liquids that can be used as “renewable fuels or drop-in replacements for conventional fuels”. 

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The clean energy generated can then be utilized across the U.S., including in challenging sectors like transportation that are difficult to decarbonize. Currently, low-carbon fuels are costly, averaging about $10 per gallon.  

However, producers who leverage affordable electricity from wind and solar sources, independent of the grid, can lower the overall production costs of these fuels.  

The selected projects for developing these RtL systems include: