WASHINGTON - The Department of Energy (DOE) will provide over $16 million in funds for 162 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects through the department's State Energy Program Special Projects competitive grants. Forty-three separate states and the District of Columbia will benefit from the grant money.

Some of the DOE-funded programs include solar technology, state wind energy support, distributed energy and electric reliability, and biomass. Six projects, which have been described as Building America, will work to create building system performance packages in an effort to make new homes 40 percent to 70 percent more energy efficient.

- compiled by J.J. Siegel