The Department of Energy has announced new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded programs worth a combined $3.7 billion to advance the commercialization of carbon dioxide removal technologies.
DOE said Tuesday the new efforts aim to advance monitoring and verification best practices for carbon management technologies, provide grants for procuring and using products developed from captured carbon emissions, develop regional direct air capture facilities and accelerate private-sector investment in the carbon dioxide removal industry.
According to DOE, $3.5 billion will be invested in the establishment of four domestic regional hubs that will work to demonstrate the commercial viability of direct air capture technologies.
DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management will hold a competition with $115 million in total prize awards to accelerate research and development of direct air capture technologies.
FECM will also manage a grants program to fund the efforts of state and local governments to support the commercialization of technologies that reduce emissions, as well as partner with the Office of Technology Transitions to issue a lab call to advance measurement, reporting and verification practices in the industry.
“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides the transformative investments needed to scale up the commercial use of technologies that can remove or capture CO2, which will bring jobs to our regions across the country and deliver a healthier environment for all Americans,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
