On August 17, 2021, a New York Times article proclaimed a fusion energy release of 1.3 megajoules from 1.9 megajoules of incident laser energy, achieved at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The announcement of such a significant physics result rocked the fusion world, renewing discussions on R&D to enable commercially viable embodiments of laser-driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF).

ARPA-E has kicked off a 3-year, $38M research program called REPAIR (Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement) to rehabilitate cast iron, wrought iron, and bare steel natural gas distribution pipes. The goal of the program is to use robots to create a new pipe inside the old pipe. For the program to be successful, the new pipe must meet utilities and regulatory agencies’ requirements, have a minimum life of 50 years, and possess sufficient material properties to operate throughout its service life without relying on the exterior pipe.

ARPA-E launched the Renewable Energy to Fuels through Utilization of Energy-dense Liquids (REFUEL) program to develop technologies to convert air and water into Carbon Neutral Liquid Fuels (CNLF). The goal was for CNLF’s developed under REFUEL to be stored, transported, and later converted into hydrogen or electricity to provide power for transportation applications in the same way as currently used petroleum-based fuels.