ARPA-E held a workshop on Bridging Renewable Electricity with Transportation Fuels on August 27-28, 2015 in Denver, CO. This workshop convened leading experts in electrochemistry, catalysis (hydrogenation and dehydrogenation), fuel cells and electrolyzers, organic synthesis and fuels to identify innovative research paths forward for the development of disruptive technologies that can bridge renewable energy production and transportation fuels and significantly reduce the cost of energy transportation from remote locations to consumers using energy dense liquid fuels. Participants lended their expertise to help set energy efficiency and cost targets that will define a successful research program and explore possibly technology pathways. 

ARPA-E is interested in low-cost technologies that efficiently convert renewable electricity or solar energy into transportable liquid fuels. Areas of interest and targeted outcomes include: 

• Identification of types of energy dense hydrogen carriers (fuels), e.g. hydrocarbons, heterocycles, oxygenates, ammonia;
• Identification of innovative low cost methods of direct electrochemical hydrogenation of reversible organic carriers;
• Identification of efficient methods of photochemical or photoelectrochemical hydrogenation of spent fuels;
• Identification of innovative low and medium scale methods of fuel synthesis;
• Identification of high performance catalysts and innovative reactor designs for fuel dehydrogenation;
• Identification of advanced technologies for direct use of hydrogen carriers for mobile energy generation; and
• Identification of other innovative technologies that meet the performance objectives.