Government Grants for Green Energy Manufacturers

Investing in America

• In 2009 President Barack Obama authorized funding for green energy manufacturers through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA. ARRA allocated $275 billion dollars for federal contracts, grants and loans to states across the country to support green energy manufacturers and clean energy companies. State governments award grant monies to businesses that produce renewable energy sources and projects addressing energy efficiency, as well as offering grants to small businesses that support retrofit projects, which encompass renewable energy sources such as geothermal energy, solar power and wind energy technologies.

Technology

• The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program are administered by the Small Business Administration's Office of Technology. SBIR allocates funds to assist environmentally-sustainable companies that manufacture green energy sources. Five federal departments support the SBIR program, and 11 federal agencies support the STTR program, including the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation.

Clean Energy

• Manufacturing green energy sources for business and residential use saves money, strengthens the economy and reduces the quantity of fossil fuels used in the United States. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) funds clean energy inventions and machines that produce clean energy and protect the environment. In 2009 EERE awarded more than $2.2 billion dollars in federal funding to these businesses and industries.

Research

• The Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Energy (ARPA-E) project is administered by the Department of Energy. Promoting industrial research and energy innovation technologies, ARPA-E works exclusively with high-risk, high-payoff concepts that may create sustainable options for consumers. The year 2011 marked the fourth round of funding for the program, in which ARPA-E allocated $130 million for advanced energy projects targeting biofuels, thermal storage, rare earth alternatives, solar power electronics and grid control.