Three weeks ago, nearly 2,000 energy innovators, investors, and policymakers gathered at the eighth annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit to discuss cutting-edge energy technologies and the future of energy innovation. During the three-day program, attendees from across the U.S. and 25 other countries heard from industry and government leaders, networked at focused receptions and panel discussions, and saw first-hand more than 280 technologies featured in ARPA-E’s Technology Showcase. 

Highlights from the 2017 ARPA-E Summit include:

• 15 mainstage speakers, including U.S. Senator Cory Gardner, Lynn Good, CEO of Duke Energy, L. Rafael Reif, president of MIT, Ajay Royan, co-founder and Managing General Partner of Mithril Capital Management, and Thomas Siebel, CEO of C3 IoT
• 16 dynamic panel sessions,  among them “Harnessing Biology for Novel Manufacturing” and “The Energy Implications of the Changing Urban Environment”
• 20 ARPA-E Program Directors and Fellows "Fast Pitches" - a rapid-paced succession of exciting current program concepts as well as some completely new, “out-of-the-box” ideas
•  Networking sessions with over 20 government agency partners, including Department of Energy agencies, Department of Defense agencies, and other government organizations  
•  Four new videos showcasing the achievements of several ARPA-E projects and staff 
• Comments from congressional leaders including Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Representatives Mark Takano (D-CA) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) 

Take a look at what some of these leaders had to say about the future of energy and click each photo to watch the full video recording: 

At the Technology Showcase, Summit attendees saw first-hand the advanced technologies that could revolutionize our energy future and network with the entrepreneurs and investors driving the change. 

This year’s Showcase featured technology-focused tours and  technology demonstrations, including RoCo, a system aimed at reducing building heating and cooling costs by focusing on individual comfort, the PhenoRover—a semi-automated, mobile sensor platform used to identify sorghum varieties with superior biofuel characteristics, and the Leading Edge Hydro 2kW prototype, which harvests hydrokinetic energy via an oscillating hydrofoil. Learn more about the tech demos here. 

Each year, the ARPA-E Summit highlights the latest energy innovations that will change the way we generate, use, and store energy. Next year’s Summit will take place from March 13-15. Stay tuned for up-to-date information about next year’s Summit by visiting the ARPA-E website and signing up for our newsletter!