Status: Alumni
Release Date: 10/07/2015
Project Count: 14

SHIELD

The SHIELD Program, short for “Single-Pane Highly Insulating Efficient Lucid Designs,” aims to develop innovative materials that will improve the energy efficiency of existing single-pane windows in commercial and residential buildings. Technologies created through the SHIELD program seek to cut in half the amount of heat lost through single-pane windows in cold weather. These materials would improve insulation, reduce cold weather condensation, and enhance occupant comfort. The technologies could also produce secondary benefits, such as improved soundproofing, that will make retrofits more…

Status: Active
Release Date: 12/18/2019
Project Count: 6

SMARTFARM

The SMARTFARM program’s objective is to bridge the data gap in the biofuel supply chain by funding technologies that can quantify feedstock-related emissions at the field-level and enable new market incentives for efficiency in feedstock production and carbon management. The value of such technologies lies in their ability to reliably, accurately (i.e., low uncertainty), and cost-effectively quantify feedstock production life cycle emissions (in g CO2e/acre) at the field level (i.e., scalable to >80 acres).The SMARTFARM program is structured in two initial phases:1. Phase 1 will establish…

Status: Alumni
Release Date: 04/20/2011
Project Count: 7

Solar ADEPT

The projects that make up ARPA-E's Solar ADEPT program, short for "Solar Agile Delivery of Electrical Power Technology," aim to improve the performance of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy systems, which convert the sun's rays into electricity. Solar ADEPT projects are integrating advanced electrical components into PV systems to make the process of converting solar energy to electricity more efficient.

Status: Active
Release Date: 11/07/2023
Project Count: 0

SPARKS

The SPARKS program—short for Spurring Projects to Advance energy Research and Knowledge Swiftly—provides a rolling opportunity for the rapid support of early-stage applied research to explore innovative new concepts with the potential for transformational and disruptive changes in energy technology. SPARKS awards are intended to be flexible and may take the form of analyses or exploratory research that provides ARPA-E with useful information for the subsequent development of focused technology programs. Awards under the SPARKS program may also support proof-of-concept research to develop a…

Status: Alumni
Release Date: 06/11/2013
Project Count: 14

SWITCHES

The projects in ARPA-E's SWITCHES program, which is short for “Strategies for Wide-Bandgap, Inexpensive Transistors for Controlling High-Efficiency Systems,” are focused on developing next-generation power switching devices that could dramatically improve energy efficiency in a wide range of applications, including new lighting technologies, computer power supplies, industrial motor drives, and automobiles. SWITCHES projects aim to find innovative new wide-bandgap semiconductor materials, device architectures, and device fabrication processes that will enable increased switching frequency…

Status: Alumni
Release Date: 10/01/2014
Project Count: 6

TERRA

The TERRA program is facilitating improvement of advanced biofuel crops, specifically energy sorghum, by developing and integrating cutting-edge remote sensing platforms, complex data analytics tools, and high-throughput plant breeding technologies. Project teams are constructing automated systems to accurately measure and analyze crop growth in the field, thoroughly characterizing genetic potential and creating algorithms for selecting the best plants to reproduce. These innovations will accelerate domestic production of sustainable, renewable, and affordable liquid transportation fuels. The…

Status: Alumni
Release Date: 11/10/2014
Project Count: 5

TRANSNET

The projects in ARPA-E’s Traveler Response Architecture using Novel Signaling for Network Efficiency in Transportation (TRANSNET) program aim to minimize energy consumption in personal transportation, without having to improve current infrastructure or vehicle efficiency. TRANSNET project teams are developing new network control architectures, coupled with incentive strategies, to encourage individual travelers to take specific energy-relevant actions. These actions could, for example, contribute to reductions in miles traveled and increased occupancy rates for all modes. Project teams will…

Status: Active
Release Date: 04/21/2020
Project Count: 17

ULTIMATE

The ULTIMATE program targets gas turbine applications in the power generation and aviation industries. ULTIMATE aims to develop ultrahigh temperature materials for gas turbines, enabling them to operate continuously at 1300 ºC (2372 ºF) in a stand-alone material test environment—or with coatings, enabling gas turbine inlet temperatures of 1800 ºC (3272 ºF) or higher. The successful materials must be able to withstand not only the highest temperature in a turbine but also the extreme stresses imposed on turbine blades. This program will concurrently develop manufacturing processes for turbine…

Status: Active
Release Date: 02/24/2023
Project Count: 15

ULTRAFAST

The Unlocking Lasting Transformative Resiliency Advances by Faster Actuation of power Semiconductor Technologies (ULTRAFAST) program seeks to develop and demonstrate next-generation ultra-fast power semiconductors for advanced system-level power electronics converters that would bring significant improvements in reliability, resiliency, and control of the power grid. Specifically, ULTRAFAST projects will create faster-switching higher-rated device and power module technologies that enable realization of transformative power management, protection, and control not only for the grid, but also…