$1.5M to fund GE technology project NISKAYUNA — GE Global Research has received a $1.5 million federal grant to develop advanced energy-efficient building technology projects. GE will use the grant from the federal Department of Energy to increase the efficiency of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and to pursue technologies that apply to both air conditioning and refrigeration. The GE project’s total cost is $1.9 million. GE’s project is one of 10 in this category to receive a total of $11.1 million from the DOE. In all, the DOE made 45 awards totaling $68.4 million Thursday. The DOE said the federal share will leverage more than $31.4 million in funding from private industry, for a total project value of nearly $100 million. According to a federal DOE news release, these projects will help lower the energy demands and emissions of commercial buildings and promote a specialized, energyefficient work force.