Follow the Green Money: DOE Announces $100 Million for Energy Efficiency, $72 Million to Sage Electrochromics, Konarka Receives $20 Million Investment

The Department of Energy announced a new program entitled ARPA-E that will distribute $100 million to companies that are researching and developing building energy efficiency products and smart grid improvements.

The Department of Energy has also made a conditional loan guarantee of $72 million to Sage Electrochromics, based in Faribault, MN, to construct a second factory to produce an energy saving "tintable" window for use in commercial buildings. The DOE has also offered a conditional guarantee of $117 million for a 30Mw wind energy project in Hawaii.

Konarka, a multinational company with a US office in Lowell, MA, has received a $20 million investment from Konica Minolta, to continue its production of photo-reactive polymer that allows low power solar cells to be placed on a wide variety of consumer items as well as provide de-centralized power to portions of developing nations.