TROY -- The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority said Wednesday it is awarding $8 million in energy storage technology development grants to companies and universities across the state.

General Electric Co., which is building a battery manufacturing plant in Schenectady, will get $2.5 million to develop sodium metal halide batteries.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will get $200,000 for developing lithium rechargeable batteries, and the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering will get $200,000 for developing electrolytes to improve the performance of ultra-capacitors.

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