The Department of Energy has awarded funding for 37 energy research projects, including some that could produce more energy efficient LED lighting.

The DOE's $151 million in funding is being awarded through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). DOE said the ARPA-E's mission is to "develop nimble, creative and inventive approaches to transform the global energy landscape while advancing America’s technology leadership."

ARPA-E is receiving a total of $400 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known as the federal stimulus.

A research project developed by Momentive Performance Materials proposes novel crystal growth technology that "could dramatically lower the cost of developing light emitting diodes (LEDs), which are 30 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs and four times more efficient than compact fluorescents," DOE said.

The research could result in lower costs of finished LED lighting, accelerating adoption of LED technology for greater savings in U.S. electricity use.

Other DOE sponsored research will examine ways to increase efficiency on the electric grid, including through the development of more efficient batteries for energy storage.