Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 01/01/2013 - 12/31/2018
Program: AMPED
Award: $3,402,090

University of Washington (UW)

University of Washington (UW) is developing a predictive battery management system that uses innovative modeling software to manage how batteries are charged and discharged, helping to optimize battery use. A significant problem with today's battery packs is their lack of internal monitoring capabilities, which interferes with our ability to identify and manage performance issues as they arise. UW's system would predict the physical states internal to batteries quickly and accurately enough for the data to be used in making decisions about how to control the battery to optimize its output and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 03/01/2012 - 10/14/2015
Program: GENI
Award: $1,423,330

University of Washington (UW)

The University of Washington (UW) and the University of Michigan are developing an integrated system to match well-positioned energy storage facilities with precise control technologies so the electric grid can more easily include energy from renewable power sources like wind and solar. Because renewable energy sources provide intermittent power, it is difficult for the grid to efficiently allocate those resources without developing solutions to store their energy for later use. The two universities are working with utilities, regulators, and the private sector to position renewable energy…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 09/29/2017 - 03/28/2019
Program: IDEAS
Award: $482,548

University of Washington (UW)

The University of Washington (UW) will develop a new approach to generate edge transport barriers (ETBs), a way to confine and retain plasma heat. Many low-cost magnetized target fusion concepts rely on plasmas having sufficient energy confinement to reach the necessary densities and temperatures required for the large-scale production of fusion power. ETBs enable higher performance (better energy confinement), and more compact fusion plasmas for mainline fusion experiments. Unfortunately, state-of-the-art ETB generation is thought to be impractical for smaller and/or pulsed plasma…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 02/01/2013 - 06/30/2016
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $3,999,673

University of Washington (UW)

The University of Washington (UW) is developing technologies for microbes to convert methane found in natural gas into liquid diesel fuel. Specifically the project seeks to significantly increase the amount of lipids produced by the microbe, and to develop novel catalytic technology to directly convert these lipids to liquid fuel. These engineered microbes could enable small-scale methane-to-liquid conversion at lower cost than conventional methods. Small-scale, microbe-based conversion would leverage abundant, domestic natural gas resources and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 07/01/2020 - 06/30/2023
Program: BETHE
Award: $1,499,983

University of Washington (UW)

The University of Washington will advance the technical viability of a novel method, Imposed-Dynamo Current Drive (IDCD), for sustaining and heating spheromak plasmas as the basis of compact, low-cost fusion power plants. A traditional tokamak fusion reactor has a toroidal confinement area, similar shape to a donut, with a hole in the middle. The spheromak reduces the size of the hole as much as possible, resulting in a spherical plasma shape similar to a cored apple. IDCD can efficiently couple large amounts of power to the plasma at much lower costs relative to other methods of higher-…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WA
Project Term: 08/25/2021 - 02/24/2024
Program: ECOSynBio
Award: $1,664,297

University of Washington (UW)

The University of Washington will develop cell-free (in vitro) platforms that produce functional multi-enzyme systems and perform the cost-effective bioconversion of CO2 into industrial chemicals. Cell-free transcription-translation (TXTL) is a popular, robust approach for producing cell-free biocatalytic systems capable of complex, multi-enzyme reactions. TXTL-based systems are genetically programmable, allow for rapid prototyping, and could permit the integration of multiple biochemical functions— including complex membrane proteins—that would otherwise be incompatible with one…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WA
Project Term: 08/23/2021 - 08/22/2024
Program: SHARKS
Award: $1,825,000

University of Washington (UW)

The bottom, sides, and surface of rivers and tidal channels confine water flow, which significantly alters the operation of river and tidal turbines. As turbines harness the momentum of the moving water, they alter the flow around them—water passing through the blades of the turbine is slowed while water passing around the blades speeds up. When the area that a turbine array presents to the flow is an appreciable fraction of the channel cross-sectional area, changes to the flow increase array power output and efficiency. When the array turbines are in close proximity, mutual interactions can…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WA
Project Term: 03/28/2022 - 03/27/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $1,347,122

University of Washington (UW)

The University of Washington (UW) seeks to develop new photosynthetic systems that use sunlight from previously underutilized or inaccessible regions of the solar spectrum to produce chemicals and fuels. The UW team will use de novo-protein design (a computational approach to design proteins from scratch, rather than using a known protein structure) to modify photosynthetic light harvesting machinery for a broader spectrum, allowing more energy to be translated from light to chemical energy. If successful, this project would enable biofuel and bioproduct generation from near-infrared (NIR)…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WA
Project Term: 07/25/2022 - 07/25/2026
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $3,994,303

University of Washington (UW)

The University of Washington's Carbon Leadership Forum will develop a rigorous and flexible parametric Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework, aligned data, and process integrated tools to assess the environmental impact of novel carbon storing materials and buildings during their rapid prototyping and design. The team will then develop custom LCA models to evaluate individual ARPA-E-funded building materials and designs to optimize their environmental benefits and net-carbon negativity. Collection of site-specific LCA data and regional spatiotemporal modeling for bio-based material…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WI
Project Term: 10/01/2015 - 09/30/2019
Program: ARID
Award: $3,126,556

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin (UW-Madison) and its partner Oak Ridge National Laboratory will develop enabling technologies for low-cost, high-performance air-cooled heat exchangers. The objective is to create an optimization algorithm in order to identify and design a novel heat exchanger topology with very high heat transfer performance. The team also plans to develop a high-thermal conductivity polymer composite filament that can be used in additive manufacturing (3D printing) to produce the high-performance heat exchanger design. Due to the design freedom enabled by additive manufacturing,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WI
Project Term: 01/09/2018 - 07/08/2022
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $1,028,071

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) and its project team will develop new integrated motor drives (IMDs) using current-source inverters (CSIs). Recent advances in both silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) wide-bandgap semiconductor devices make these power switches well-suited for the selected CSI topology that the team plans to integrate into high-efficiency electric motors with spinning permanent magnets. The objective is to take advantage of the special performance characteristics of the technology to increase the penetration of variable-speed drives into heating,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WI
Project Term: 08/11/2016 - 02/29/2020
Program: GRID DATA
Award: $1,801,587

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) and its partners will develop realistic transmission system models and scenarios that will serve as test cases to reduce barriers to the development and adoption of new technologies in grid optimization and control. The EPIGRIDS project aims to construct realistic grid models by using software to emulate the transmission and generation expansion decision processes used by utility planners. This synthetic model development will utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data on population density, industrial and commercial energy consumption…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WI
Project Term: 08/06/2018 - 02/05/2021
Program: INTEGRATE
Award: $1,739,270

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin - Madison will develop components for a hybrid distributed energy generation system that couples a pressurized solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with a premixed compression ignition (PCI) engine system. In the resulting system, gases that leave the fuel cell, which consumes about 75% of the fuel, are directed into the engine to be ignited by compression of the pistons. To achieve a targeted 70% electric efficiency, the SOFC system must operate near 75% fuel utilization. When operating at this high level of fuel utilization, however, the flame speed of the leftover fuel…

Status: CANCELLED
State: WI
Project Term: 02/12/2013 - 05/31/2014
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $1,678,022

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell are developing a low-cost metal catalyst to produce fuel precursors using abundant and renewable solar energy, water, and waste CO2 inputs. When placed in sunlight, the catalyst’s nanostructured surface enables the formation of hydrocarbons from CO2 and water by a plasmonic catalytic effect. These hydrocarbons can be refined and blended to produce a fuel compatible with typical cars and trucks. Wisconsin is proving the technology in a small reactor before scaling up conceptual designs that could be…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WI
Project Term: 02/04/2019 - 08/03/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $1,861,820

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin’s integrated toolset seeks to expedite molten salt materials development for technology by two orders of magnitude, compared with current methods. The team will combine advances in additive manufacturing, in-place testing for materials/salt compatibility, new molten salt-resistant mini-electrode designs, and machine learning algorithms to optimize and accelerate identification of molten salt corrosion-resistant materials. Those materials can be used in energy applications including molten salt nuclear reactors, concentrated solar plants, and thermal storage.

Status: ALUMNI
State: WI
Project Term: 05/15/2019 - 08/14/2023
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $999,863

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will develop an online monitoring tool to assess the stability of the power grid. The tool will determine options to increase grid stability as well as detect and isolate forced oscillations, which are often indicative of faulty control actions at plants and can be potentially dangerous if they excite a natural mode of the system. To accomplish this, the team will fine-tune the underlying computations, develop alarm and notification procedures, and design a user-friendly and practical tool interface. This approach could dramatically transform grid stability…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WI
Project Term: 10/01/2020 - 03/31/2024
Program: BETHE
Award: $10,299,429

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The Wisconsin High-field Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM) project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will leverage advances in the stability and confinement of the mirror fusion concept, innovative plasma heating, and high-field superconducting magnets to demonstrate a potentially transformative development path toward a low-cost linear fusion device. Two mirror coils will be constructed using high temperature superconducting material. Hot and high-density target plasmas will be created using high‑frequency electron-cyclotron heating from modern gyrotrons. Fast, sloshing ions will be created…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WI
Project Term: 05/06/2021 - 08/05/2023
Program: ULTIMATE
Award: $1,100,000

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

Current alloys used in gas turbines operate at about 90% of their melting temperature, which sets a limit on achieving higher temperatures. Refractory metal alloys (RMA) have the capability to enable continuous operation at 1300°C and with compatible coatings along with cooling systems to allow for gas inlet temperatures to reach 1800°C. The high RMA melting temperatures present challenges for traditional manufacturing methods, however. Incorporating the concurrent development of system design and materials, the University of Wisconsin will use a novel additive manufacturing approach based…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WI
Project Term: 02/14/2022 - 02/14/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $541,500

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin aims to integrate multi-physics topology optimization and additive manufacturing to radically improve key performance metrics of high-temperature, high-pressure heat exchangers. To improve thermohydraulic performances and reduce thermal stress, the team will develop a three-physics, two-fluid topology optimization tool for heat exchanger design. The team will also account for additive manufacturing constraints, such as support structure, overhang angle, and build orientation during optimization. This consideration will increase the heat exchanger power density…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WI
Project Term: 10/01/2021 - 09/30/2024
Program: ECOSynBio
Award: $3,421,197

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison aims to develop an integrated process to convert CO2 and renewable H2 into molecules that can be blended with liquid transportation fuels or used in various chemical applications. The project eliminates CO2 release in the production of chemicals by integrating the unique and efficient capabilities of two microorganisms. The first produces acetate from CO2 and H2 while the second upgrades acetate to higher-value chemical products. The CO2 released in the upgrading process is recycled internally to produce more acetate. This carbon utilization process is…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WI
Project Term: 09/12/2022 - 09/11/2025
Program: HESTIA
Award: $2,256,250

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will produce carbon-negative concrete building components using cementitious materials generated by a carbon mineralization-based direct air capture (DAC) process. The DAC process uses a novel aqueous carbonation cycle to capture CO2 from the air at low cost. Simultaneously, the process upcycles industrial mineral wastes as cementitious materials by enhancing their pozzolanic reactivity (i.e. ability to form minerals that contribute to strength). The cementitious materials, storing the captured atmospheric CO2 as solid carbonate (e.g., CaCO3), fully replace…

Status: Selected
State: TBD
Project Term: TBD
Program: ULTRAFAST
Award: TBD

University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is developing an optically triggered semiconductor switching device to reduce power losses up to 50% compared with current technologies. The team seeks to monolithically integrate optically triggered phototransistors and power transistors onto the same chip—which are typically incompatible because of material dissimilarities—by using ultrawide-bandgap materials. The proposed technology could increase switching frequency without raising switching losses and serve as a critical building block for grid modernization.

Status: ACTIVE
State: WI
Project Term: 03/15/2018 - 05/31/2024
Program: MARINER
Award: $6,556,217

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) will lead a MARINER Category 5 project to develop a breeding program and enable the development of macroalgae varieties that consistently produce high yields under farmed conditions. Controlled genetic improvements through crop breeding require establishing a bank of genetically homogeneous lines that are examined for markers and traits important for domestication and production. The researchers will sample giant sea kelp from the Southern California Bight, an area of high genetic diversity. The team will assess phenotypic performance of these…

Status: ALUMNI
State: UT
Project Term: 01/01/2013 - 04/06/2017
Program: AMPED
Award: $3,628,136

Utah State University (USU)

Utah State University (USU) is developing electronic hardware and control software to create an advanced battery management system that actively maximizes the performance of each cell in a battery pack. No two battery cells are alike—they differ over their life-times in terms of charge and discharge rates, capacity, and temperature characteristics, among other things. Traditionally, these issues have been managed by matching similarly performing cells at the factory level and conservative design and operation of battery packs, but this is an incomplete solution, leading to costly batching of…

Status: ALUMNI
State: UT
Project Term: 09/15/2017 - 03/14/2019
Program: IDEAS
Award: $498,169

Utah State University (USU)

Utah State University (USU) will develop a technoeconomic analysis to assess the feasibility and environmental and economic impacts of various electric roadway technologies. This project will aggregate, synthesize, and link previously isolated data sets to form a high-resolution, comprehensive assessment of electric roadways at the regional scale. Localized grid and road construction cost estimates are being considered. Targeted outcomes include identification of first adopters, economic and environmental cost/benefit of incremental deployment, and technology gaps that can accelerate adoption…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 08/19/2019 - 02/18/2024
Program: HITEMMP
Award: $2,114,614

Vacuum Process Engineering (VPE)

Vacuum Process engineering will develop a superalloy-based printed circuit heat exchanger for operation at temperatures exceeding 800°C (1472°F) and pressures above 80 bar (1160 psi). The team will build the heat exchanger applying a diffusion solid-state welding manufacturing technique, which uses stacked individual metal sheets with semi-circular channels formed from a chemical treatment process. The goal is to create a highly effective, high temperature compact heat exchanger with a high-strength bond during the welding capable of containing the very high pressure fluid at elevated…

Status: ALUMNI
State: IN
Project Term: 01/01/2014 - 12/29/2018
Program: METALS
Award: $2,463,179

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University is developing a solar electro-thermal reactor that produces magnesium from magnesium oxide. Current magnesium production processes involve high-temperature steps that consume large amounts of energy. Valparaiso’s reactor would extract magnesium using concentrated solar power to supply its thermal energy, minimizing the need for electricity. The reactor would be surrounded by mirrors that track the sun and capture heat for high-temperature magnesium electrolysis. Because Valparaiso’s reactor is powered by solar energy as opposed to burning fossil fuels, integrating…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TN
Project Term: 04/04/2016 - 03/01/2021
Program: OPEN 2015
Award: $3,998,458

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University will develop a foundation platform for developing and deploying robust, reliable, effective and secure software applications for the Smart Grid. The Resilient Information Architecture Platform for the Smart Grid (RIAPS) provides core services for building effective and powerful smart grid applications. It offers unique services for real-time data dissemination, fault tolerance, and coordination across apps distributed over the network. The platform will allow plug-and-play architecture by providing a software layer that isolates the hardware details making software…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TN
Project Term: 02/18/2019 - 02/17/2023
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $962,849

Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt University team will develop a new bipolar membrane featuring a three-dimensional water splitting or water formation junction region, prepared by an electrospinning process. The team’s membrane will allow for higher current density operation as compared to conventional BPMs while maintining a low operating voltage, long-term durability, and high separation efficiency. These membranes will be useful in electrodialysis, electrolysis, and fuel cell applications.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 01/03/2012 - 05/31/2016
Program: GENI
Award: $4,025,951

Varentec

Varentec is developing compact, low-cost transmission power controllers with fractional power rating for controlling power flow on transmission networks. The technology will enhance grid operations through improved use of current assets and by dramatically reducing the number of transmission lines that have to be built to meet increasing contributions of renewable energy sources like wind and solar. The proposed transmission controllers would allow for the dynamic control of voltage and power flow, improving the grid’s ability to dispatch power in real time to the places where it is most…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 07/01/2022 - 06/30/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $3,332,932

VEIR

VEIR aims to enable the cost-effective transfer of bulk electric power (up to 400 MW) at a single voltage (10 kV) from generation to grid using high temperature superconducting (HTS) overhead and underground power lines. The team proposes to integrate VEIR’s existing distributed, evaporative liquid nitrogen cooling architecture for HTS lines with breakthroughs in two key areas (1) high ampacity (maximum current) low-loss conductors and (2) ultra-low heat leak insulation systems. The proposed project will enable the development of high current 10 kV power lines, allowing significantly more…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 04/08/2020 - 05/31/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $499,900

Verdox

Verdox will develop a scalable, proof-of-concept direct air capture (DAC) prototype used for capturing carbon. The technology uses electrochemical cells to facilitate carbon capture upon charging and releases carbon upon discharging (the “electro-swing”). The proposed project involves development of new materials and electrochemical cells and the fabrication and testing of a prototype.

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 08/22/2022 - 08/21/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $499,684

Verne

Verne is developing a cryo-compressor technology platform that will convert gaseous hydrogen (GH2) at low pressures (e.g., 20 bar) and ambient temperature (e.g., 300K) to cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH2) at 60–80K and 300–500 bar. CcH2 is thermodynamically optimal for high-density, low-cost storage in achieving an economical hydrogen infrastructure. This platform will provide hydrogen with liquid-like densities using half the energy intensity and at smaller scales relative to liquefaction. If successful, this work will validate cryocompressors as a way to decentralize high-density hydrogen and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 08/19/2019 - 08/18/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $2,849,991

Via Separations

Via Separations will work to develop a membrane platform made from highly robust sheets of graphene-oxide, a material known for its versatility, mechanical strength and relative thermal stability. These sheets will be tailored for specific chemical separation applications to replace conventional, energy-intensive industrial chemical separation processes. Through novel chemistries and innovative system-level integration, the proposed membrane platform promises a tunable molecular filtration capability and is highly resistant to chemical degradation. The team will demonstrate cost-effective,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: VA
Project Term: 01/01/2012 - 12/31/2013
Program: REACT
Award: $2,171,337

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is developing a new magnet for use in renewable power generators and EV motors that requires no rare earth minerals. Rare earths are difficult and expensive to process, but they make electric motors and generators smaller, lighter, and more efficient. VCU would replace the rare earth minerals in EV motor magnets with a low-cost and abundant carbon-based compound that resembles a fine black powder. This new magnet could demonstrate the same level of performance as the best commercial magnets available today at a significantly lower cost. The ultimate goal…

Status: ALUMNI
State: VA
Project Term: 02/01/2017 - 07/31/2019
Program: SHIELD
Award: $911,790

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) will develop innovative methods to produce aerogel-on-glass windowpanes for window retrofits. Silica aerogels are porous materials that can be used to control heat transfer across windows. However, widespread use of silica aerogels in windows has been limited by their mechanical fragility, difficulties with transparency, and high manufacturing costs. The team will use newly developed cross-linked aerogels that significantly improve the mechanical strength and durability of aerogels. Aerogels are typically produced through either air drying or…

Status: ACTIVE
State: VA
Project Term: 05/04/2020 - 06/30/2024
Program: BETHE
Award: $2,399,999

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

As fusion machines move toward a burning-plasma regime, liquid first walls and blankets may be needed to handle first‑wall heat-flux, reduce erosion, and eventually to convert energy and generate tritium fuel. Repetitively pulsed fusion designs may require extreme electrode survivability, where the electrode may be solid, liquid, or a combination of both. It is critical to address how plasma dynamics in the fusion plasma will couple with both liquid-metal and electrode-material dynamics for fusion energy to become realizable. This Capability Team will use fluid and reduced kinetics, including…

Status: ALUMNI
State: VA
Project Term: 02/26/2018 - 05/25/2022
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $2,328,404

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and its project team will develop high power, high voltage AC-to-DC and DC-to-DC modular power converters with a circuit configuration optimized for silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors. In medium voltage and high voltage applications, multilevel modular converters are the favored architecture that overcomes the limitations of Si. Such architecture requires high frequency galvanic isolation to attain higher operating voltages. This project seeks to develop modular power converters optimized for SiC devices without any…

Status: ALUMNI
State: VA
Project Term: 12/15/2017 - 12/14/2021
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $1,437,015

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) will develop a wide-bandgap-based, high power (100 kW) DC-to-AC inverter that can receive power from sources like batteries or solar panels and transfer it directly to the medium voltage level of the utility grid. The team will also integrate the device with an existing medium voltage AC-to-DC converter to build a bidirectional solid-state transformer that converts low-voltage AC to high-voltage AC without using heavy, low-frequency materials such as copper and iron in its design. The hardware prototype will be packaged with…

Status: ALUMNI
State: VA
Project Term: 09/01/2019 - 03/31/2023
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,235,000

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Virginia Tech will accelerate deployment of power electronics into grid-scale energy applications by developing 20 kV GaN devices integrated into a medium-voltage (MV) power module. For the GaN power devices, high-quality substrates and innovative growth techniques will be used to reduce the background impurity contamination in the thick layers needed to block 20 kV. The power module will be fabricated using three-dimensional packaging for improved thermal management and high-power density at 20 kV. The power module will enable the full potential of high-voltage, high-temperature, and fast-…

Status: ALUMNI
State: VA
Project Term: 04/19/2021 - 08/18/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Virginia Tech will perform systematic physical, chemical, and mineralogical characterizations on natural and synthetic municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) ash materials to obtain sufficient characterization results and propose potential downstream processing flowsheets. The team will focus on revealing the conversion mechanisms of valuable metals in MSW during incineration, as well as the occurrence modes, partitioning behavior, and recoverability of critical metals in MSWI ash. A comprehensive and innovative characterization protocol comprised of several methods, such as physical…

Status: CANCELLED
State: VA
Project Term: 08/02/2021 - 07/31/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,171,829

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

To make the power density of electric aircraft closer to conventional aircraft, an electric power system (EPS) with high power delivery and low system mass is necessary. As an essential component of aircraft EPS, cables are necessary to transmit power from one node to another. Virginia Tech will develop a high-power density, cost-effective ±5 kV cable for twin-aisle all-electric aircraft. Innovations include conductors with increased current-carrying capacity; a multilayer, multifunctional insulation system made of exceptionally high thermal conductivity materials; and a new insulation…

Status: ACTIVE
State: VA
Project Term: 03/14/2022 - 03/13/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $2,938,389

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) will demonstrate a new concept to enable a compact, flexible, scalable, and adaptable medium-voltage (MV) distribution network for growing and changing electricity sources, demands, and usage patterns. The team will combine power electronics and MV cable benefits to create a cohesive structure that can replace bulky substation components while enhancing functionality. Located at the ends of an MV or high-voltage (HV) line, the proposed Substation in a Cable for Adaptable, Low-cost Electrical Distribution (SCALED) uses a…

Status: ACTIVE
State: VA
Project Term: 04/14/2023 - 04/13/2026
Program: MINER
Award: $2,200,000

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) will develop an innovative carbon mineralization/metal extraction technology (CMME) that enables the recovery of energy-relevant elements during direct and indirect carbon mineralization processes. Virginia Tech will introduce an organic phase during the direct carbon mineralization process and in the mineral dissolution step of indirect carbon mineralization process. Energy-relevant elements are purified and separated through advanced separation technologies. Virginia Tech will test the CMME technology on low-grade mafic/…

Status: ACTIVE
State: VA
Project Term: 06/20/2023 - 06/19/2026
Program: EVs4ALL
Award: $2,395,000

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) will develop fundamentally disruptive electric vehicle (EV) batteries that combine cobalt- and nickel-free cathodes, electrolytes that enable fast-charging and all-weather operation, and coal-derived, high-capacity anodes. The Virginia Tech team will use theoretical modeling and advanced materials and cell characterization techniques to guide the system-level integration of battery components. The synergistic integration of these novel materials and chemistries into batteries, together with techno-economic and environmental…

Status: Selected
State: TBD
Project Term: TBD
Program: GOPHURRS
Award: TBD

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) will develop a look-ahead sensing system based on integrated electromagnetic and seismic sensors to guide and assist drilling to lower the cost and safety concerns of undergrounding power lines. The system's sensors, in the form of radar and accelerometers, would be mounted on and behind the drill head, with complimentary distributed acoustic sensing at the surface to detect obstructions within at least 10 feet of drilling operations. Artificial intelligence capabilities would interpret the geophysical data from the…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MD
Project Term: 03/06/2013 - 06/05/2015
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $1,498,970

Vorbeck Materials

Vorbeck Materials is developing a low-cost, fast-charging storage battery for hybrid vehicles. The battery cells are based on lithium-sulfur (Li-S) chemistries, which have a greater energy density compared to today’s Li-Ion batteries. Vorbeck’s approach involves developing a Li-S battery with radically different design for both cathode and anode. The technology has the potential to capture more energy, increasing the efficiency of hybrid vehicles by up to 20% while reducing cost and greenhouse gas emissions.

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 08/02/2018 - 06/30/2021
Program: INTEGRATE
Award: $850,811

Washington State University (WSU)

Washington State University will develop a hybrid power system using a high-pressure, high-temperature fuel cell stack and gas turbine. The project will examine the benefits of a decoupled design, in which the fuel cell stack and gas turbine components are not directly connected within the hybrid system. The team’s other primary innovation is the integration of a membrane to concentrate oxygen from air supplied by the turbine before feeding it into the fuel cell, which avoids pressurizing the entire air feed stream, improving performance and boosting efficiency. The pressurized solid oxide…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 09/30/2019 - 04/30/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $644,116

Washington State University (WSU)

Develop a scalable process to fortify cement paste at the atomic scale with biopolymer-based nanomaterials derived from chitin, a waste material produced by the seafood industry in millions of tons annually. The newly enabled concrete is envisioned to transform the U.S. construction market, saving of dollars in repair and reconstruction costs every year and dramatically improving lifecycle energy and emissions costs for infrastructure.

Status: ALUMNI
State: MO
Project Term: 01/01/2017 - 09/30/2023
Program: IONICS
Award: $4,005,772

Washington University

The Washington University team will develop new membrane separators for redox flow batteries using a styrene-ethylene-butylene block copolymer. The team will investigate three types of membrane construction to achieve the high levels of ion selectivity and mechanical stability necessary for use in flow batteries. If needed, the team will also explore the addition of inorganic silica particles in the polymer membrane to enhance selectivity. While many flow batteries utilize proton exchange membrane (PEM) separators that conduct positively-charged ions, the proposed membrane in this project is…