BIRD Energy Invests $7.5 Million in Israeli Clean Energy Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Israel’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoE), and the Israel Innovation Authority held an Executive Committee meeting on December 9, 2024, resulting in the selection of five clean energy projects that were approved to receive $7.5 million under the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program. According to the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure press release selected projects address energy efficiency, hydrogen energy, recycling, and storage.

BIRD Energy was launched in 2009 under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to foster collaborative research and development projects between the United States and Israel. This program focuses on advancing sustainable energy technologies to promote economic competitiveness, create jobs, and strengthen energy security.

The Projects approved

The total value of the approved projects is $16 million, including $7.5 million in cost-share funding. The approved projects are: 

• Lucy Borchard Shipping (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Newlight Marine Technologies (New York, NY) will accelerate the transition to sustainable shipping by developing and testing hydrogen as a dual fuel for marine engines.
• Nitrofix (Petach Tikva, Israel) and 1S1 Energy (Portola Valley, CA) will develop the next generation of green ammonia.
• OASIX Energy (Tel Aviv, Israel) and EN-POWER GROUP (New York, NY) to demonstrate and validate a high-efficiency heat pump coupled with dual-thermal energy storage for residential buildings.  
• Phinergy (Lod, Israel) and New York Power Authority (New York, NY) to demonstrate a clean alternative to emergency generators based on aluminium-air technology. 
• Plasticback (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Freepoint Eco-Systems (Stamford, CT) to develop and test chemical recycling of PVC waste streams.  

Based on the press release of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. Selected as relevant/translated/shortened/regrouped by VonNaftali