Celebrating the Energy Entrepreneur at the 2016 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

March 10, 2016

Celebrating the Energy Entrepreneur at the 2016 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

Last week, over 2,000 energy innovators, investors, and policymakers gathered at the seventh annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit to discuss cutting-edge energy technologies and commercialization strategies and how to move them out of the lab and into the market. During the three-day program, attendees from across the U.S. and 25 countries heard from industry and government leaders, networked at focused seminars and panel discussions and had a first-hand look at more than 280 technologies featured in ARPA-E’s Technology Showcase. 

Attendees heard from top leaders, policy and business experts, including Former Vice President Al Gore, U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, President of the World Bank Group Dr. Jim Yong Kim, Xerox Chief Technology Officer Dr. Sophie Vandebroek, and BASF Corporation Chairman and CEO Wayne T. Smith, each offering insights into the future of energy innovation. 

Check out what several keynote speakers had to say at this year’s Summit! 

Dr. Kim, World Bank Group

Former Vice President Al Gore

Gina McCarthy, EPA

At the Technology Showcase, Summit attendees had the opportunity to see first-hand the future of energy while networking with entrepreneurs and investors. This year’s Technology Showcase featured eight Tech Demostechnology-focused tours and four technology demonstrations, including ground and air robotics for bioenergy crop breeding, a miniature autonomous quadrotor to detect, locate, and quantify natural gas (methane) leaks at wellpads, a personal comfort systems office chair that seeks to transform buildings to be more comfortable and energy efficient, and a “Mini-Fleet-in-a-Box” solar charging unit which houses and charges four Current Motor Electric Cargo Motorcycles in the footprint of a standard ISO shipping container (20'x8'x8').

Highlights from the 2016 ARPA-E Summit include:

  • 16 mainstage speakers, including Former Vice President Al Gore, U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, President of the World Bank Group Dr. Jim Yong Kim, and Xerox Chief Technology Officer Dr. Sophie Vandebroek. 
  • 17 dynamic panel sessions such as ““Successfully Pitching Your Technology: How to Explain Your Technology to Investors” and “Grid Storage Has Arrived, But Where is it Going?”
  • Networking opportunities with 24 government agency partners, including Department of Energy agencies, Department of Defense agencies, and other government agencies 
  • Five new videos showcasing the achievements of several ARPA-E projects and the Agency’s unique Technology-to-Market program
  • Comments from congressional leaders including Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Senator Christopher Coons (D-DE), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Representative Bill Foster (D-IL)

Each year, the ARPA-E Summit continues to highlight the latest energy innovations that will change the way we generate, use, and store energy. Stay tuned to the ARPA-E website and sign up for the newsletter for up-to-date information about next year’s Summit!