Achieving sufficiently high energy gain is a requirement for the realization of fusion energy. The figures below illustrate progress towards energy gain and are the main results of a peer-reviewed publication [Physics of Plasmas 29, 062103 (2022); free download at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0083990] by ARPA-E Technology-to-Market (T2M) Advisor Sam Wurzel and ARPA-E Program Director Scott Hsu.

Researched and written in support of the Technology-to-Market (T2M) component of the ARPA-E fusion portfolio, this paper [Journal of Fusion Energy 40, 18 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10894-021-00306-4] is intended to be an informational resource both for ARPA-E fusion performers and for fusion investors, to help them focus on initial markets that can nurture fusion through its early deployments.

In support of T2M for the ALPHA program, Bechtel National, Woodruff Scientific, and Decysive Systems developed a costing model to estimate the overnight capital cost (OCC) of four fusion concepts supported by the ALPHA program.  In 2019–2020, WSI updated the costing model and the estimated OCC for the same four concepts, and added levelized-cost-of-electricity (LCOE) estimates as well.  The final report of the updated study can be downloaded here.  The report contains links to the earlier report and other references.

The carbon intensity (CI) of biofuel’s well-to-pump life cycle is calculated by life cycle analysis (LCA) to account for the energy/material inputs of the feedstock production and fuel conversion stages and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during these stages.

This report summarizes a modeling effort to estimate the highest allowable CapEx for advanced nuclear plants in future power market environments to still achieve a market rate of return for their owners.

This document provides supplemental information for ARPA-E’s exploratory research program, “Recycle Underutilized Solids to Energy” (REUSE).  The goal is to provide additional technical information to prospective Applicants.  Further information is available in a blog interview and webinar.

The current energy climate has created a push toward reducing consumption of fossil fuels and lowering emissions output in power generation applications. Combined with the desire for a more distributed energy grid, there is currently a need for small displacement, high efficiency engines for use in stationary power generation.

The decarbonization of agriculture faces many challenges and has received a level of attention insufficient to abate the worst effects of climate change and ensure a sustainable bioeconomy. Agricultural emissions are caused both by fossil-intensive fertilizer use and land-use change, which in turn are driven in part by increasing demand for dietary protein. To address this challenge, we present a synergistic system in which organic waste-derived biogas (a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide) is converted to dietary protein and ammonia fertilizer.

This paper introduces a new Metric Space to guide the design of advanced wind energy systems and hydrokinetic energy converters such as tidal, ocean current and riverine turbines. The Metric Space can analyse farms that combine different or identical turbines and stand‐alone turbines. The first metric (M1) of the space considers the efficiency of the turbines in the farm, which is also proportional to the specific power per swept area at a given wind/water velocity (W/m2). The second metric (M2) describes the specific rotor area per unit of mass of the turbines (m2/kg).

This paper provides a retrospective of the Accelerating Low-cost Plasma Heating and Assembly (ALPHA) fusion program of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S. Department of Energy. ALPHA’s objective was to catalyze research and development efforts to enable substantially lower-cost pathways to economical fusion power.