The University of California, Riverside is taking the lead on a new tech consortium with the aim of pulling in federal grant funding for economic development in lithium-based clean energy.
The White House named the university as a recipient in its Strategy Development Grant (SDG) program, part of the wider Tech Hubs initiative. SDGs are second-tier designees in the program; designated Tech Hubs are eligible for $40 million to $70 million each while SDGs have been given support to push them toward Tech Hub status in the future.
The UC Riverside project, named the Lithium Valley Clean Tech Strategy Development Consortium, involves unspecified partners in El Centro as well as the Riverside and San Diego metropolitan areas. The consortium aims to “develop and implement direct lithium extraction from regional lithium brine deposits, contributing to a sustainable, inclusive, advanced-energy ecosystem.”
Lithium is used in the production of batteries, especially for electric vehicles and “battery plants” large enough to interface with the power grid. One of the 31 designated Tech Hubs, one state over in Nevada, is focused on lithium and electric vehicle materials as well.
The Tech Hubs program was created with funding from the CHIPS and Science Act.
