PETRO Highlights

OILCANE: AN IDEAL BIOENERGY FEEDSTOCK UPDATED: FEBRUARY 6, 2017PROJECT TITLE: Engineering Hydrocarbon Biosynthesis and Storage Together with Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency into the SaccharinaePROGRAM: Plants Engineered to Replace Oil (PETRO)AWARD: $6,479,275PROJECT TEAM: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) (Lead), University of Florida, University of Nebraska, and Brookhaven National Laboratory

ENGINEERING THE OPTIMIZED BIOFUEL CROP  UPDATED:  JANUARY 10, 2017PROJECT TITLE: Jet Fuel From Camelina Sativa: A Systems Approach | Developing a Dedicated High-Value Biofuels CropPROGRAM: Plants Engineered to Replace Oil (PETRO)AWARD: $8,556,904  | $3,751,152PROJECT TEAM: Otherlab, Inc. (Lead)

ENGINEERING THE OPTIMIZED BIOFUEL CROP  UPDATED:  JANUARY 10, 2017PROJECT TITLE: Jet Fuel From Camelina Sativa: A Systems Approach | Developing a Dedicated High-Value Biofuels CropPROGRAM: Plants Engineered to Replace Oil (PETRO)AWARD: $8,556,904  | $3,751,152PROJECT TEAM: North Carolina State University (Lead); Metabolix  | University of Massachusetts (Lead); Washington State University; Metabolix

PRODUCING TERPENE BIOFUELS IN PINE TREES UPDATED: JUNE 6, 2016PROJECT TITLE: Commercial Production of Terpene Biofuels in PinePROGRAM: PETROAWARD: $6,917,276PROJECT TEAM: University of Florida (Lead); Arborgen, University of California-Berkeley, National Renewable Energy LaboratoryPROJECT TERM: January 2012 – June 2017PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI): Dr. Gary Peter

ABSTRACT: After a century of unprecedented growth in science, technology, and the economy, we now face tremendous challenges to our ability to fuel the future: a fluctuating oil price, a changing climate, and continued dependence on unreliable energy sources. These problems are increasingly personal, and the demand for solutions becomes increasingly urgent. There are many changes that we must make to address these challenges, but the ultimate solution(s) will only come from fundamental innovations in science and technology.

ABSTRACT: In production of liquid fuels, the enormous barriers that face plausible substitutes for fossil fuel sources are derived from two factors: the lowest-cost economics of commodities and the logistics of implementation of new technologies at immense scale. These barriers make the development of alternatives to petroleum one of the most challenging problems faced by human society.

Americans spend a lot of time – and energy – driving and flying. The average U.S. driver logs about 13,000 miles every year. To fuel our commutes and summer road trips, Americans last year consumed more than 136 billion gallons of gasoline, which accounts for 60% of U.S. oil demand and is responsible for a quarter of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. On the commercial side, more than 10.3 billion gallons of jet fuel were consumed in 2014 by U.S. airlines alone.

The United States faces extraordinary challenges in the 21st century, from creating jobs to protecting the environment and reducing our energy dependency, but with strategic and smart investment we can create game-changing new technologies that overcome these challenges. The question is, will the U.S. make the choices necessary to “win the future?” Dr. Arun Majumdar -- the director of our advanced research agency, ARPA-E -- believes we can and should.

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today that up to $130 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will be made available to develop five new program areas that could spark critical breakthrough technologies and secure America's energy future.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Arun Majumdar, Director of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), today announced 60 cutting-edge research projects aimed at dramatically improving how the U.S. produces and uses energy.