Seven of the top United States laboratories will receive $104.7 million in stimulus funding for technological research on green energy and energy efficiency.

The laboratories, all under the Department of Energy, will conduct eight studies focusing on carbon fiber manufacture, electric vehicle batteries and net zero energy building technologies.

“Their innovation and ingenuity are helping jumpstart American manufacturing, accelerate job creation and lay the foundation for a clean energy economy," Daniel Poneman, deputy secretary, stressed.

For carbon fiber manufacturing and processing technologies, the laboratories will explore how to produce low-cost carbon fiber to reduce vehicle weight and consequently improve fuel efficiency.

Carbon fiber is a light weight, high-strength material touted for having the capability of revolutionizing the automobile and wind industries.

The laboratories will also look into advancing battery prototype fabrication and testing facilities, particularly energy storage technologies, since batteries and electric drive components are critical enabling technologies for developing green transportation.

These studies will help meet the Obama administration’s target of putting 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

Research on the development of integrated building systems will be conducted since buildings account for 40 percent of the country’s carbon emissions.

The laboratories will aim to develop net-zero energy buildings – those that generate as much energy as they use on an annual basis through high efficiency and on-site renewable energy generation. New laboratory facilities will develop the necessary technologies and design for these buildings at low incremental cost.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory of Tennessee took the two largest grants at $34.7 million and $20.2 million for its proposals to set up the Carbon Fiber Technology Center and Integrated Net-Zero Energy Buildings Research Laboratory.

A complete list of the recipient laboratories has been published.