A new initiative will award up to $3.3 million in US-Israel funding for cooperation on clean energy technology.

With financial support from the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Israel’s Ministry of National Infrastructures, the bilateral BIRD Foundation Energy Executive Committee has competitively selected four cooperative clean energy projects in the US and Israel.

The funding for these four projects will leverage private sector cost-share for a total project value of $11.6 million.

The four projects help address critical shared bilateral energy-related goals, while focusing on commercializing DOE technologies. The BIRD Foundation will assist by attracting and incorporating private sector cost-sharing. The projects, expected to commence in 2010, include:

HelioFocus, Ness Ziona, Israel and Capstone Turbine Corporation, Chatsworth, California, that will develop and commercialize a micro-turbine to produce electric power from concentrated solar energy.

Motorola Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel and SmartSynch, Jackson, Mississippi, that will collaborate on the development and commercialization of a platform to enable implementation of a Smart Grid energy management system.

Tigo Energy, Kfar Saba, Israel and U.S. Architectural Glass and Aluminum, Alameda, California, that will support the development and integration of a complete Building Integrated Photovoltaic system.

TransBiodiesel, Shfar-Am, Israel and The Purolite Company, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, that seek to design a biocatalyst comprised of methanol-resistant lipase immobilized on a cost-effective resin for the production of biodiesel at commercial scales.