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DOE Awards New Grants to Advance ECD Technologies in Russia

17 March 1998

DOE Awards New Grants to Advance ECD Technologies in Russia

    TROY, Mich., March 17 -- Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.
("ECD") announced today that the U.S. Department of
Energy ("DOE") has awarded three new grants to further develop ECD's
proprietary clean energy technologies for the Russian market.  The grants were
made pursuant to proposals made by Sovlux, ECD's Russian-American joint
venture with Scientific and Industrial Enterprise KVANT and the Russian
Ministry of Atomic Energy ("MINATOM").  The grants were awarded under the
Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention ("IPP") program, which provides
grants to Russian scientists formerly engaged in the nuclear weapons industry,
and were announced at the Gore-Chernomyrdin meeting last week in Washington,
DC.
    The three grants provide funding to:
    *  employ scientists, formerly engaged in the design and production of
nuclear weapons chambers, in the design and production of manufacturing
equipment for photovoltaic roofing materials to be produced by Sovlux
    *  employ scientists, formerly engaged in uranium enrichment, to recycle
imported gases used in production of photovoltaic cells produced by Sovlux
    * employ scientists and engineers, formerly engaged in the production of
metal alloys for nuclear weapons, in the production of metal alloys and
components for nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries

    According to DOE Secretary Federico Pena, "These awards will advance the
non-proliferation goals of the IPP program by helping to convert Russia's very
large nuclear weapons industry to clean energy production.  They will also
contribute to U.S. economic growth, U.S.-Russian scientific collaboration, a
more sustainable energy future, and reduction of environmental pollution and
greenhouse gases."
    Mr. Stanford R. Ovshinsky, President and CEO of ECD, said:  "We are proud
that our continued activity in Russia is bringing positive results for both
countries."
    ECD is a leader in the synthesis of new materials and the development of
advanced production technology and innovative products.  It has pioneered the
development of products and production technology based on amorphous,
disordered and related materials, with an emphasis on alternative energy and
advanced information technologies.  ECD's web site is http://ovonic.com.

SOURCE  Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.