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Today, Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congressman Tim Bishop announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is launching a new clean energy research project at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The $3,792,519 program will lead to lower costs for diverse applications of fuel cells and accelerate the introduction of fuel cells into the marketplace.

“This funding will go a long way to ensuring Brookhaven National Lab remains at the forefront of the critical research that will determine America’s energy future,” said Schumer. “We appreciate the department of Energy’s continued commitment to BNL and will continue to work with the lab and the federal government to ensure BNL grows and thrives as one of the world’s premier research facilities.”

“This funding will help keep highly-skilled jobs on Long Island while making new clean energy technologies cheaper and more accessible for consumers,” said Bishop, whose Congressional district includes the lab. “Brookhaven National Laboratory will continue to play a leading role in ending America’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil and creating the clean energy economy of the future.”

"This is very good news for the Laboratory, and for our efforts to advance efficient uses of renewable energy," said Doon Gibbs, Brookhaven's Deputy Director for Science & Technology. "This funding will allow us to expand our research in using the special properties of nanomaterials to develop more efficient fuel cells."

BACKGROUND

BNL will synthesize electrocatalysts with a continuous Pt film deposited on nanoscale supports. The nanoshapes have surface structures similar to surfaces on bulk materials which will facilitate higher catalyst activity and stability than those on nanoparticle supports. Catalyst costs will be determined mainly by the cost of a Pt monolayer and should lead to substantial cost reductions for fuel cells.

Federal funding for the project will be spread over four years, starting with an estimated $440,000 in 2009. DOE’s total cost share is $3,543,973 and the total recipient cost share is $248,546.

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