On October 9, 2024, ARPA-E awardee Zap Energy announced the commencement of operations for Century, their new high-rep-rate, liquid-metal-cooled fusion test platform. In addition, the company closed a $130 million Series D funding round led by Soros Fund Management LLC, with participation from new investors including BAM Elevate, Emerson Collective, Leitmotif, Mizuho Financial Group, Plynth Energy, and Xplor Ventures.Century represents the first fully integrated demonstration of several fusion power plant-relevant technologies, including one of the largest tests of a plasma-facing liquid…
As the demand for critical minerals rises, it has become increasingly important to the United States to secure domestic critical materials supply chains to bolster our national security and ensure America leads the world in the emerging clean energy economy. To meet this demand, ARPA-E has investigated innovative, novel ways to acquire critical minerals domestically, such as phytomining. Phytomining refers to the cultivation of hyperaccumulator (HA) plants that naturally uptake critical minerals, such as nickel, from the soil.ARPA-E just announced $9.9 million under the PHYTOMINES exploratory…
This spring, ARPA-E awardee University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) set out to study critical minerals accumulating in wild seaweed in a remote corner of Alaska. The project is just one of ARPA-E’s ongoing awards to investigate algal mining, a transformative research area using the natural hyperaccumulating ability of seaweed to naturally concentrate rare earth elements from seawater.Securing critical minerals is crucial for enabling decarbonized energy technologies of the future, but demand for valuable minerals has been outpacing supply. To address this need, ARPA-E is spurring new…
The demand for critical minerals required to decarbonize energy technologies is outpacing supply, inspiring new research into novel ways to acquire valuable minerals. One transformative research area is using the natural hyperaccumulating ability of seaweed to naturally concentrate rare earth elements from seawater."If Algal Mining works, it would create a mining method that is environmentally restorative rather than introducing potentially adverse impacts,” said Dr. Simon Freeman, ARPA-E’s Algal Mining Exploratory Topic Program Director. What does algal mining have to do with energy?…
On July 9, ARPA-E and the National Academies of Sciences hosted a ceremony to celebrate the talent and creativity of remarkable early-career innovators recognized through the Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy 2024 (IGNIITE 2024) program.The 23 IGNIITE 2024 selectees will receive approximately $500,000 to advance research in advanced energy storage systems, fusion reactor technology, carbon-negative concrete alternatives, power electronics for grid reliability, critical material recovery, energy-efficient water desalination, plastic depolymerization, and…
Critical minerals are resources essential for building our new energy future that face a high risk of supply chain disruption. Demand for critical minerals for the energy sector could grow as much as six times by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency. New technologies that secure a sustainable supply of critical minerals for the United States are key ingredients to accelerate the clean energy transition. ARPA-E is developing market-ready technologies that will increase domestic supplies of critical minerals. In 2023, the Department of Energy declared eighteen critical…
The Summit kicked off with opening remarks from Director Evelyn Wang, in which she announced the Vision OPEN program, a $150 million dollar funding opportunity challenging America's energy innovation community to create a net zero future.
Day 2 of the Summit featured Fast Pitches, Breakout Panels, the Student PITCHES session, the Tech Showcase, and more!
Thank you to all those in attendance! This record-breaking ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit could not have occurred without you.
The 2024 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit was held from May 22 - May 24, 2024, at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Dallas, TX.The ARPA-E Summit brought together nearly 3,000 experts from government, academia, and industry to collaborate and advance cutting-edge energy technologies. Its unique program aimed to move transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market. The three-day agenda featured inspiring keynotes, breakout panels, networking opportunities, and the popular Technology Showcase, which will include nearly 400 exhibitors. To…