Image: Shutterstock

Around $4 million (£3.2m) of funding has been announced for joint US and Israel proposals for the development of innovative clean energy technologies.

This year’s call for proposals by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Israel’s Ministry of Energy and the Israel Innovation Authority focuses on combating climate change by scaling up carbon-free technologies and reducing the climate impact of natural gas ans other associated infrastructure.

Technologies can include carbon capture and methods to reduce leakage in natural gas systems.

Funding is being provided through the Binational Industrial Research & Development (BIRD) Energy programme, which promotes US-Israel partnerships in bringing renewable and energy efficiency technologies to market.

Some of the BIRD Energy projects that have reached the commercialisation stage over the last seven years include an ice-battery technology for commercial air conditioning systems, a new way to optimise the energy efficiency of the food and beverage industry’s compressed air generation and a flywheel-based energy storage technology that will be able to charge EVs in as little as 15 minutes.

US Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said: “For over 10 years the BIRD Energy programme has demonstrated success in driving clean energy innovation and we are excited to expand upon this progress with a crucial focus on using technology to fight the global crisis of climate change.

“The BIRD programme is proof positive that the more we share resources and ideas with allies around the world, the closer we get to the clean energy solutions needed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”