NY-BEST Newsletter 12-23-2009

NY-BEST welcomes eight new members: AEYCH, American Wind Power & Hydrogen, Cornell University, Corning, Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti, Oak-Mitsui Technologies, Primet Precision Materials, and Tecknowledgey. A password-protected member portion of the web site will roll out shortly with added features and information on board nominees for member’s consideration. If your organization has not yet become an organizing member, now is the time to make sure your input is heard. Membership is open to any organization with an interest in positioning New York as a global leader in energy storage technology: www.ny-best.org/OrganizingMembershipForm

NY-BEST is pleased to announce that thirty-six proposals were received under the NY-BEST PON 1704, "Market Driven Research Programs, " seeking almost $22 million in funding.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and new year filled with health and happiness.

ARPA-E Announces Fellows Program
ARPA-E announced creation of the "ARPA-E Fellows Program." Fellows will be competitively selected for up to two-year terms and support Directors in program creation.

Matching Funds for ARPA-E’s Transportation Storage Solicitation
ARPA-E’s second funding opportunity provides up to $35 million to develop "Batteries for Electrical Energy Storage in Transportation" beyond traditional lithium-ion batteries. Concept papers are due to ARPA-E by January 15, 2010 and applicants must pre-register to submit. NYSERDA is pleased to offer matching funds from NY-BEST CAIR funding for NY-BEST members who are successful under this solicitation. For ARPA-E “proof of concept stage” projects, NYSERDA will provide an amount equal to the applicant’s match, up to $200,000. For “advanced device prototyping stage” projects, NYSERDA will provide an amount equal to the applicant’s match, up to 10% of the federal award or $500,000, whichever is less. To request matching funds support, please complete this brief form. If you are not yet a member of NY-BEST, please considering joining now to take advantage of this and other opportunities available to members.

For more funding opportunities click here.

NY-BEST Strategic Research Planning Update
The NY-BEST Research Working Group has developed a Scope of Services to solicit university MBA and graduate teams to work with Research Working Group members on strategic market analyses in “Medium and Heavy-Duty Transportation” and “Grid Connected Energy Storage” during the Spring 2010 semester. Each analysis will include national and international competition in the energy storage sector and strategies that could allow NY-BEST and its members to successfully compete. The results of these analyses will be presented to the NY-BEST Members and Board of Directors to consider as the NY-BEST strategic research plan develops.

For more news about NY-BEST click here.

Big Growth Seen in Ultracapacitors for EVs. And Here Comes Ioxus.
Ultracaps and NY-BEST member Ioxus may help fill gaps for battery power. In hybrid buses, for example, large ultracapacitors can reduce the size of diesel engines, cut nitrous oxide emissions by 75%, and increase fuel efficiency 50%.

Federal Funding Secured to Boost Regional Economy
Congressman Maurice Hinchey says he's secured more than $25 million in the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill to support clean energy projects including $4 million to Binghamton University for supercapacitor development and $6.4 million for Primet Precision Materials to develop its battery technologies.

Task Force Report on Diversifying the New York Economy through Industry-Higher Education Partnerships Delivered
Governor Paterson accepted the final report from Task Force Chair David Skorton, President of Cornell University. Among the Task Force recommendations to build an ‘innovation ecosystem’ are leveraging open innovation principles, pursuing long-term umbrella agreements for access to a portfolio of university intellectual property, adopting a research and development tax credit, and increasing access to capital.

2010 SmartStart UNYTECH Venture Forum
The 10th Annual SmartStart UNYTECH Venture Forum will be held in Syracuse May 17-18, 2010. This is the largest forum for early stage companies and entrepreneurs in Upstate New York. If your organization is interested in presenting, please contact Jason Doling or Jen Harvey to identify ways that NY-BEST can help support your preparation.

For more news about the New York battery and energy storage industry click here.

Department of Energy to Invest $366M in Energy Innovation Hubs
While these initial three hubs are not energy storage related, this release may provide helpful background for the likely structure of the Innovation hubs expected to be released in 2011 in Smart Grid/Energy Storage.

All-American Zero-Emission Electric Bus Debuts on Capitol Hill
Proterra LLC, a Colorado-based manufacturer of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle systems and transit buses and Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc., a provider of energy storage systems introduced an electric rapid-charge bus made in the U.S. that meets California’s zero emission rules. Proterra continues to work with NY-BEST Member, American Wind Power & Hydrogen LLC.

Argonne National Lab Ramping Up Lithium-Air R&D
Li-air batteries could have an energy storage capacity five to 10 times greater than Li-ion batteries, which Argonne is characterizing as a bridge technology for electric vehicle applications.

Pike Research – 10 predictions for electric vehicles in 2010
This report includes ten predictions for the light-duty electric vehicle industry including that the year 2012 could be a “make or break” with consumers given the significant government financial support to stimulate demand. Pike Research forecasts the cost of li-ion batteries will fall from $1,070 per kWh in 2009 to $470 per kWh in 2015.

15 Common Mistakes for Startups to Avoid
Not your typical list -- Corporate transactional attorney Christopher McDemus offers this list of 15 common mistakes that high growth start-ups should avoid.

For more news from beyond New York State click here.

This news update is provided as a service to members and interested parties of the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium. NY-BEST, currently operating under the auspices of NYSERDA, is an industry-led coalition working to build a vibrant, world-class, advanced battery and energy storage sector in New York State.

Your suggestions and comments for future topics are welcome.

Please email suggestions to: info@ny-best.org