Blog Posts
ARPA-E focuses on next-generation energy innovation to create a sustainable energy future. The agency provides R&D support to businesses, universities, and national labs to develop technologies that could fundamentally change the way we get, use, and store energy. Since 2009, ARPA-E has provided approximately $2 billion in support to more than 800 energy technology projects. In January, we introduced a new series to highlight the transformational technology our project teams are developing across the energy portfolio. Check out these projects turning ideas into reality.
Blog Posts
ARPA-E strives for excellence in both program development and program integration, to encourage new discussions and new perspectives. This approach was on display at the recent ARPA-E “Ocean Week,” held from January 28-30, in Washington. This three-day voyage into ARPA-E’s ocean-focused programs consisted of three events: The Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) Program Review, the Aerodynamic Turbines Lighter and Afloat with Nautical Technologies and Integrated Servo-control (ATLANTIS) Program Kickoff, and a Submarine Hydrokinetic Industry Day.
Blog Posts
Newest ARPA-E Program Director Dr. Robert (Bob) J. Ledoux’s professional experience ranges from professor to entrepreneur and his patents from nonintrusive cargo inspection to medical technologies. Recently we had a chance to visit with Dr. Ledoux to discuss how he will bring his experience to bear to further ARPA-E’s mission.
Slick Sheet: Project
CarbonBridge is harnessing biological systems to convert methane into methanol at low temperatures and pressures, while allowing for variable energy input. The process uses methanotrophic bacteria to convert methane into methanol. By scaling up the system, over 500 million metric tons (MMT) of methanol could be sustainably synthesized from waste methane and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) sources per year by 2040.
Slick Sheet: Project
Princeton University will develop hydrogen sensing capabilities based on novel spectroscopic advances with high selectivity and sensitivity. A dynamic sensor packaged on a drone will provide rapid leak quantification and localization to support the growth of the emerging hydrogen economy.
Novel Fiber Optic Sensor Systems and AI-Driven Methods for Hydrogen Pipeline Emission Quantification
Slick Sheet: Project
National Energy Technology Laboratory will develop and field validate novel distributed fiber optic sensors installed on the pipeline and an AI-driven pipeline-specific quantification method called H2-SMART to locate and quantify hydrogen emissions from hydrogen pipelines accurately and efficiently. The novel fiber optic-based sensors are selective for hydrogen and offer kilometer-scale distance coverage for large-area emissions monitoring.
Slick Sheet: Project
2Witech Solutions will develop the first mobile 20 parts per billion-level self-cleaning plasmonic hydrogen sensor system, which will improve sensitivity compared with state-of-the-art sensors by one order of magnitude. The system will use a plasmonic metasurface, a surface coating with excellent hydrogen permeation, for trace detection against varied environmental backgrounds.
Slick Sheet: Project
Northeastern University will develop a platform that aims to revolutionize the detection and localization of hydrogen emissions by integrating advanced miniaturized and near-zero power hydrogen sensing technology with sophisticated airflow modeling. The sensing nodes generate a detailed geographic heatmap of hydrogen concentrations and flow within the monitored area. The nodes can last for years on a small battery because they employ a zero-power electromechanical switch that activates the sensing module only when detecting elevated hydrogen levels.
Slick Sheet: Project
GE Vernova Advanced Research will implement a high-fidelity and cost-effective gas sensing technology based on dielectric excitation of sensing materials and will couple it with physics enhanced analytics to detect and identify hydrogen leaks at industrial sites. The localization capability will differentiate and rank multiple leaks with a spatial resolution within 10 meters of actual leak locations.
Slick Sheet: Project
Serinus Labs will combine ultra-sensitive proprietary hydrogen sensors with ultra-reliable low power radios to produce wireless hydrogen sensor nodes, collectively forming a wireless ‘mesh’ network over outdoor areas. Sensor data will be combined with weather data and parsed using RTX Technology Research Center’s artificial intelligence framework that can accurately identify and quantify hydrogen leaks.