Status:
Alumni
Release Date:
Project Count:
41

Program Description:

In 2009, ARPA-E issued an open call for the most revolutionary energy technologies to form the agency's inaugural program. The first open solicitation was open to ideas from all energy areas and focused on funding projects already equipped with strong research and development plans for their potentially high-impact technologies. The projects chosen received a level of financial support that could accelerate technical progress and catalyze additional investment from the private sector. After only 2 months, ARPA-E's investment in these projects catalyzed an additional $33 million in investments. In response to ARPA-E's first open solicitation, more than 3,700 concept papers flooded into the new agency, which were thoroughly reviewed by a team of 500 scientists and engineers in just 6 months. In the end, 36 projects were selected as ARPA-E's first award recipients, receiving $176 million in federal funding.

Innovation Need:

ARPA-E is the first government agency focused exclusively on funding high-risk, high-reward energy technologies. It selects all projects based on their impact on the agency’s mission to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy imports, cut energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency across all sectors of the U.S. economy, and maintain U.S. leadership in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. The projects chosen for ARPA-E’s inaugural program were eventually grouped into 10 diverse technology areas: biomass energy, building efficiency, carbon capture, conventional energy, direct solar fuels, energy storage, renewable power, vehicle technologies, waste-heat capture, and water. Many of ARPA-E’s first projects helped shape future agency programs dedicated to these technology areas.

Potential Impact:

If successful, the game-changing projects from the first open solicitation would help ARPA-E achieve its mission and ensure the U.S. maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies.

Security:

Increased access to and use of domestically produced renewable energy would help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and increase our nation’s energy security.

Environment:

Developing new and renewable sources of energy would reduce our reliance on fossil fuels that create harmful greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to global warming.

Economy:

Cheaper sources of energy would help the millions of American consumers and small business owners who can’t afford the energy they need to live and work.

Contact

Program Director:
Multiple Program Directors manage this program. For specific PD information please refer to the project slick sheet.
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov

Project Listing

• 1366 Technologies - Cost-Effective Silicon Wafers for Solar Cells
• Agrivida - Engineering Enzymes in Energy Crops
• Algaeventure Systems (AVS) - Fuel from Algae
• Arizona State University (ASU) - Turning Bacteria into Fuel
• Arizona State University (ASU) - Metal-Air Electric Vehicle Battery
• Bio Architecture Lab - Macroalgae Butanol
• Ceres - Improving Biomass Yields
• Delphi Automotive Systems - More Efficient Power Conversion for EVs
• EaglePicher Technologies - Sodium-Beta Batteries for Grid-Scale Storage
• Envia Systems - Long-Range Electric Vehicle Batteries
• Exelus - High-Octane Fuel from Refinery Exhaust Gas
• FastCAP Systems - High Energy Density Ultracapacitors
• FloDesign Wind Turbine - Mixer-Ejector Wind Turbine
• Foro Energy - Laser-Mechanical Drilling for Geothermal Energy
• General Electric (GE) Global Research - Nanocomposite Magnets
• General Motors (GM) - Waste Heat Recovery System
• Inorganic Specialists - Long-Range Li-Ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles
• Iowa State University (ISU) - Optimized Breeding of Microalgae for Biofuels
• ITN Energy Systems - Electrochromic Film for More Efficient Windows
• Kohana Technologies - Dynamically Adjustable Wind Turbine Blades
• Lehigh University - CO2 Capture Using Electric Fields
• Makani Power - Airborne Wind Turbine
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Electroville: Grid-Scale Batteries
• Michigan State University (MSU) - Shockwave Engine
• Nalco - Using Enzymes to Capture CO2 in Smokestacks
• NanOasis Technologies - Use of Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Reverse Osmosis
• Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) - Solar Conversion of CO2 and Water Vapor to Hydrocarbon Fuels
• Phononic Devices - Improved Thermoelectric Devices
• Porifera - Carbon Nanotube Membranes
• Research Triangle Institute (RTI) - Biofuels from Pyrolysis
• Soraa - Ammonothermal Growth of GaN Substrates for LEDs
• Stanford University - Behavioral Initiatives for Energy Efficiency
• Sun Catalytix - Energy from Water and Sunlight
• Teledyne Scientific & Imaging - Efficient Solar Concentrators
• The Ohio State University - Syngas into Fuel
• United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) - Using Synthetic Enzymes for Carbon Capture
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Cost-Effective Solar Thermal Energy Storage
• University of Delaware (UD) - Affordable Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
• University of Delaware (UD) - High-Energy Composite Permanent Magnets
• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) - Silicon-Based Thermoelectrics
• University of Minnesota (UMN) - Biofuel from Bacteria and Sunlight