Tri-Cities Tech Business Update
InnovaTek receives research funding for biomass technology
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Richland, Wash.-based InnovaTek a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract. The funding will be used to develop a biomass-based power plant. The company will use its proprietary catalytic reactor technology with a solid oxide fuel cell to generate distributed power ranging from three to 30 kilowatts. Replacing petroleum-based fuels with renewable non-toxic biofuels will reduce our reliance on foreign sources of energy, while fuel cell technology will eliminate the environmental impacts of conventional combustion-based power. The funding follows a Phase I award that InnovaTek used to prove the feasibility of converting a bio-fuel to hydrogen using its proprietary reforming catalyst. Contact Patricia Irving at 509-375-1093, ext. 222.
