The work ranges from jointly identifying and developing critical aspects of renewable energy technology to accelerated testing of 3M designs and scaling-up successful prototypes for commercial production.
The partnerships are covered in three Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, or CRADAs, which last for at least one year. The total combined value of the shared R&D covered by the agreements is $7.33 million.
With $23 billion in annual sales, 3M employs 75,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. It is one of the Laboratory's largest commercial partners.
"CRADAs like these with 3M are critical for achieving the marketplace impact that is the goal of NREL's work in renewable energy," said NREL senior vice president of Commercialization and Deployment, Casey Porto.
"Not only do they help shift the nation to clean energy, but they also establish and expand important partnerships for product development through technology transfer."
She continued: "3M's wide-ranging expertise and commitment in these fields makes this a key partnership for the laboratory because this type of partnership enables the creation of clean energy breakthroughs that can become products."
"3M is excited for the opportunity to tap into NREL's expertise and understanding of a variety of solar modules and the interplay between the materials and systems," added Mike Roman, general manager and vice president of 3M Renewable Energy Division.
"Also, NREL has pilot plant capabilities, which allow valuable application testing of 3M's biofuel separations technologies in a controllable and scalable environment."
Read more about the partnership here.
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