The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday it has allocated $377 million in funding for research centers across the country to advance solar energy, biofuels, transportation, energy efficiency, electricity storage and transmission, clean coal and carbon capture and sequestration, and nuclear energy technologies.

The Department of Energy will fund a total of 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers equipped with new capabilities in nanotechnology, high-intensity light sources, neutron scattering sources, and supercomputing including other advances, the DOE said. The centers are located at universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations and private firms.

The funds include $277 million from the stimulus package and $100 million from the agency's 2009 budget.

These centers will mobilize the enormous talents and skills of our nation's scientific workforce in pursuit of the breakthroughs that are essential to expand the use of clean and renewable energy,' Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement.

Each center will be funded with $2-5 million annually during an initial period of five years totaling a commitment of $777 million over five years, the DOE noted.

To see the full list of awarded research centersclick here.

Solar energy Energy