Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 09/03/2020 - 01/02/2022
Program: PERFORM
Award: $595,000

E3

E3 will develop the RESERVE modeling tool, which can be used by system operators to dynamically calculate the need for operating reserves to mitigate system-wide risks from variability and forecast errors. This partnership aims to make the tool publicly available to enable more efficient grid operations, reducing costs and enhancing the use of large-scale renewable electricity resources, distributed energy resources, and conventional power generation technologies. RESERVE will use machine learning to better predict load, wind, and solar energy production and resulting ancillary services…

Status: CANCELLED
State: MO
Project Term: 02/01/2010 - 03/31/2016
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $8,842,047

EaglePicher Technologies

EaglePicher Technologies is developing a sodium-beta alumina (Na-Beta) battery for grid-scale energy storage. High-temperature Na-Beta batteries are a promising grid-scale energy storage technology, but existing approaches are expensive and unreliable. EaglePicher has modified the shape of the traditional, tubular-shaped Na-Beta battery. It is using an inexpensive stacked design to improve performance at lower temperatures, leading to a less expensive overall storage technology. The new design greatly simplifies the manufacturing process for beta alumina membranes (a key enabling technology…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OH
Project Term: 01/01/2013 - 03/31/2016
Program: AMPED
Award: $1,891,018

Eaton Corporation

Eaton is developing advanced battery and vehicle systems models that will enable fast, accurate estimation of battery health and remaining life. The batteries used in hybrid vehicles are highly complex and require advanced management systems to maximize their performance. Eaton's battery models will be coupled with hybrid powertrain control and power management systems of the vehicle enabling a broader, more comprehensive vehicle management system for better optimization of battery life and fuel economy. Their design would reduce the sticker price of commercial hybrid vehicles, making them…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OH
Project Term: 09/05/2019 - 03/04/2023
Program: BREAKERS
Award: $4,413,913

Eaton Corporation

Eaton will build an ultra-high efficiency, medium voltage direct current (MVDC), electro-mechanical/solid-state hybrid circuit breaker (HCB) that offers both low conduction losses and fast response times. The team will also develop a high-speed actuator/vacuum switch (HSVS) combined with a novel transient commutation current injector (TCCI). This switch will transfer power to a separate solid-state device, interrupting the current in the event of a fault. The design should allow for scaling in voltage and current, enabling a range of circuit breakers across the MV application space.

Status: ALUMNI
State: OH
Project Term: 01/31/2018 - 09/16/2021
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $1,974,175

Eaton Corporation

Eaton will develop and validate a wireless-power-based computer server supply that enables distribution of medium voltage (AC or DC) throughout a datacenter and converts it to the 48V DC used by computer servers. Datacenters require multiple voltage conversions steps, reducing the efficiency of power distribution from the grid to the server. The converter will employ commercially available wide-bandgap power devices for both the medium-voltage transmitter circuit and the low-voltage receiver circuit, respectively. The heart of the medium voltage supply is the wireless power transfer…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OH
Project Term: 01/01/2013 - 12/31/2015
Program: MOVE
Award: $3,350,928

Eaton Corporation

Eaton is developing an at-home natural gas refueling system that relies on a liquid piston to compress natural gas. A traditional compressor uses an electric motor to rotate a crankshaft, which is tied to several metal pistons that pump to compress gas. Traditional compressor systems can be inefficient and their complex components make them expensive to manufacture, difficult to maintain, and short-lived. Eaton's system replaces traditional pistons with a liquid that comes into direct contact with the natural gas without the need for the costly high-pressure piston seals that are used in…

Status: CANCELLED
State: OH
Project Term: 09/01/2016 - 08/31/2020
Program: NODES
Award: $2,482,632

Eaton Corporation

Eaton will develop and validate a disruptive cloud-computing-based technology aimed at providing agile and robust synthetic regulating reserve services to the power grid. This approach separates the decision-making of synthetic regulating reserve services into two-levels to significantly reduce the computational complexity, thereby enabling large-scale coordinated control of a vast number of DERs and flexible load. The system-operator level estimates and predicts reserve capacity of the distribution network and decides on the appropriate economic incentives for DERs to participate in future…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OH
Project Term: 05/01/2019 - 01/31/2023
Program: DAYS
Award: $4,081,946

Echogen Power Systems

The Echogen Power Systems team will develop an energy storage system that uses a carbon dioxide (CO2) heat pump cycle to convert electrical energy into thermal energy by heating a “reservoir” of low-cost materials such as sand or concrete. During the charging cycle, the reservoir will store the heat that will be converted into electricity on demand in the discharge or generating cycle. To generate power, liquid CO2 will be pumped to a supercritical pressure and brought to a higher temperature using the stored heat from the reservoir. Finally, the supercritical CO2 will be used to expand…

Status: CANCELLED
State: FL
Project Term: 01/23/2017 - 01/22/2019
Program: SHIELD
Award: $1,249,785

Eclipse Energy Systems

Eclipse Energy Systems will further develop its proprietary transparent electrical conductor material (EclipseTEC) for use in low-emissivity (low-e) window films. Transparent, low-emissivity coatings improve building energy efficiency by reducing heat loss through the windows. Over the course of the project, the team will transfer their present technology for depositing EclipseTEC films to scalable manufacturing processes while preserving the desirable optical and low-e properties. Eclipse will partner with one or more companies offering thermal insulation solutions and incorporate EclipseTEC…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 03/29/2019 - 09/28/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $1,700,000

Ecolectro

Ecolectro is developing alkaline exchange ionomers (AEIs) to enable low-cost fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies. Ecolectro’s AEIs will be resilient to the harsh operating conditions present in existing alkaline exchange membrane devices that prevent their widespread adoption in commercial applications. This technology will be simple, cost effective, and well suited to large-scale processing. Further, membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) featuring Ecolectro’s AEIs will demonstrate comparable durability and improved efficiency over existing state-of-the-art proton exchange membranes…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 07/29/2022 - 07/28/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $3,796,672

Eden GeoPower

To use EGS as an unlimited renewable energy source, Eden will develop a new class of hydraulic fracturing methods to create fluid pathways for water to be heated and extracted for power production. Eden’s new “Electro-Hydraulic Fracturing” (E-HF) technology will use electricity and water to access a more extensive fracture network for heat recovery. This E-HF process will increase the heat transfer surface area for the water circulating through fractures, improving EGS power plant efficiency up to 500%. This technology can potentially save 270 billion gallons of water by limiting water use…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 08/19/2015 - 05/18/2019
Program: ARID
Award: $2,397,458

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and its partners will design, fabricate, and demonstrate an indirect dry-cooling system that features a rotating mesh heat exchanger with encapsulated phase-change materials (PCMs) such as paraffin, which can absorb and reject heat efficiently. The novel system can be used downstream from a water-cooled steam surface condenser to cool water to a temperature near ambient air temperature, eliminating the need for a cooling tower. The team’s design capitalizes on the high latent heat of the solid-to-liquid transition in the PCMs to provide an…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 10/01/2020 - 09/30/2023
Program: GEMINA
Award: $999,464

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

The current O&M paradigm for operating light-water reactors (LWRs) generally seeks to maximize lifetimes for major structures, systems, and components (SSCs). The consequences are profound as key SSCs can become life-limiting or require costly monitoring, inspection, maintenance, and repair. Unless questioned, the underlying assumption of multi-decadal design life for major plant SSCs could become embedded in the next generation of plants. The Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) proof-of-concept study will explore moving from the traditional “maintain and repair” to a “replace and…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 04/13/2023 - 04/12/2025
Program: CURIE
Award: $2,796,546

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

EPRI will research an integrated fuel cycle enterprise, intended to address the coupled challenges of nuclear fuel life-cycle management and AR fuel supply. Input LWR fuel source options and process step options for recycling that produces fuel for ARs such as a molten chloride fast reactor (MCFR) will be characterized and evaluated. EPRI will use this information to develop recycling optimization tool to evaluate the many viable process options for their compatibility and efficiency. The project will research a holistic strategy to reduce the volume of light-water reactor high-level waste…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 08/09/2021 - 02/08/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Electrified Thermal Solutions

Electrified Thermal Solutions is developing Firebrick Resistance-heated Energy Storage (FIRES), a new energy storage technology that converts surplus renewable electricity into heat. Once stored, the renewable heat can be used to (1) replace fossil fueled heat sources in industrial processes such as steel and cement production or (2) run a heat engine to produce carbon-free, on-demand renewable electricity at a fraction of the cost of Li-ion batteries. FIRES is based on a novel joule-heated system built from electrically conductive ceramics designed at MIT.

Status: ALUMNI
State: PA
Project Term: 04/15/2013 - 02/14/2017
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $2,889,612

Electron Energy Corporation (EEC)

Electron Energy Corporation (EEC) and its team are developing a new processing technology that could transform how permanent magnets found in today’s EV motors and renewable power generators are fabricated. This new process, known as friction consolidation extrusion (FC&E), could produce stronger magnets at a lower cost and with reduced rare earth mineral content. The advantage of FC&E over today’s best fabrication processes is that it can be applied to unconsolidated powders as opposed to solid alloys, which can allow magnets to be compacted from much smaller grains of two different…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 02/28/2018 - 02/27/2020
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $985,978

Empower Semiconductor

Empower Semiconductor will develop a new architecture for regulating voltage in integrated circuits (IC) like computer microprocessors. Empower’s design will enable faster & more accurate power delivery than today’s power management hardware. As transistors continue to shrink, the number of transistors per chip has increased, resulting in increased computing power. Existing Voltage Regulator ICs (VRICs) have not kept pace and deliver excessive (and wasted) power to these advanced digital ICs. The team has proposed a new resonant voltage regulator architecture based on silicon technology…

Status: ACTIVE
State: GA
Project Term: 09/13/2021 - 09/12/2024
Program: SHARKS
Award: $3,613,020

Emrgy

Emrgy, Inc., and its partners are implementing “dynamic tuning” of the HKT system to optimize performance across variable water flow conditions and implement new control algorithms at the system level to optimize array performance. Successful implementation may deliver LCOE of $0.07-0.10/kWh depending on deployment location. Broad deployment of the technology platform in riverine, tidal, and manmade canal resources may displace 1-2 Quads/year of traditional carbon-based generation and 150-300 gigatons of carbon production. Phase I will focus on the impacts of water depth and velocity on…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 07/16/2018 - 01/15/2021
Program: SENSOR
Award: $1,218,831

Endeveo

Endeveo will develop an occupancy sensor system to accurately determine the presence of occupants in residential buildings and enable temperature setbacks to provide energy savings of 30% per year. Their technique uses standard Wi-Fi-equipped devices, such as routers, to monitor an environment using the wireless channel state information (CSI) collected by these devices and occupancy-centric machine learning algorithms to determine occupancy from changes in CSI. The developed algorithms will distinguish between humans and pets, sense presence even when occupants are stationary for extended…

Status: ACTIVE
State: VA
Project Term: 09/15/2022 - 03/14/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $499,997

Enegis

Enegis will use Ambient Seismic Imaging (ASI) to image permeability pathways and fluid flow in rock to advance geothermal development. Proper geothermal resource development must ensure project feasibility and integrity, improve targeting of permeability structures, and control induced seismicity. ASI overcomes the need for a controlled signal source (e.g., vibroseis) by using seismic emission tomography methods and passively listens to vibrations due to stress changes by fluid-rock interactions during the creation of permeability pathways. The team will adapt ASI to map the permeability…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MD
Project Term: 08/28/2023 - 05/31/2026
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,499,359

Energetics Technology Center

Energetics Technology Center will build upon past successes with co-deposition experiments using palladium, lithium, and heavy water together to create an environment in which LENR can occur. These electrolysis experiments decrease the distance from the cathode (location of LENR) to an electronic detector capable of detecting nuclear reaction products to give these experiments the best chance at reliably detecting nuclear reactions, if they are present.

Status: ALUMNI
State: NJ
Project Term: 01/01/2014 - 09/30/2018
Program: METALS
Award: $3,815,131

Energy Research Company (ERCo)

Energy Research Company (ERCo) is developing an automated Aluminum Integrated Minimill (AIM) that can produce finished components from mixed metal scrap. Unlike most current approaches, ERCo’s AIM can distinguish and accurately sort multiple grades of aluminum scrap for recycling. ERCo’s AIM reduces energy consumption in several ways. First, the technology would provide real-time feedback controls to improve the accuracy of the sorting process. The sorted scrap is then melted and cast. Further, ERCo’s design replaces the inefficient dryers used in conventional processes with advanced, high-…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OR
Project Term: 10/01/2012 - 08/30/2017
Program: GRIDS
Award: $2,825,689

Energy Storage Systems (ESS)

Energy Storage Systems (ESS) is developing a cost-effective, reliable, and environmentally friendly all-iron hybrid flow battery. A flow battery is an easily rechargeable system that stores its electrolyte—the material that provides energy—as liquid in external tanks. Currently, flow batteries account for less than 1% of the grid-scale energy storage market because of their high system costs. The ESS flow battery technology is distinguished by its cost-effective electrolytes, based on earth-abundant iron, and its innovative battery hardware design that dramatically increases power density and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: PA
Project Term: 10/01/2020 - 09/30/2023
Program: PERFORM
Award: $3,360,000

Energy Trading Analytics

The Energy Trading Analytics team will redesign a novel, state-of-the-art stochastic market tool to restructure wholesale real-time energy and reserve markets for improved information aggregation, reliability and security, and consumer choice. The design will be coupled with intelligent energy-portfolio risk management tools that enable consumers to prioritize flexible demand assets (e.g., air conditioners, water heaters, energy storage) to offer flexibility into markets as reliable resources. This project will evaluate the risk and performance of the proposed market trading system and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 05/01/2013 - 02/17/2014
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $8,358

eNova

eNova is developing a gas compressor powered by waste heat from the exhaust of a gas turbine. A conventional gas turbine facility releases the exhaust heat produced during operation into the air—this heat is a waste by-product that can be used to improve power generation system efficiency. eNova’s gas compressor converts the exhaust waste heat from the simple cycle gas turbine to compressed air for injection into the turbine, thereby lessening the burden on the turbine’s air compressor. This new compressor design is ideal for use with a remote gas turbine—such as that typically used in the…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 03/17/2021 - 12/16/2024
Program: FLECCS
Award: $1,952,242

Envergex

Envergex aims to integrate a flexible, low-temperature CO2 capture system (E-CACHYSTM) into a natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant, capable of operating in a high VRE environment, to attain a net-zero carbon electricity system. The technical approach is based on an innovative multi-phase sorbent technology for post-combustion capture of CO2 from flue gas. The hybrid sorbent technology, which consists of a regenerative sorbent and a novel heat exchange system for optimal energy recovery, seamlessly integrates into the NGCC architecture. The size of the proposed CCS system can align…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 01/01/2010 - 12/31/2011
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $3,952,876

Envia Systems

In a battery, metal ions move between the electrodes through the electrolyte in order to store energy. Envia Systems is developing new silicon-based negative electrode materials for Li-Ion batteries. Using this technology, Envia will be able to produce commercial EV batteries that outperform today's technology by 2-3 times. Many other programs have attempted to make anode materials based on silicon, but have not been able to produce materials that can withstand charge/discharge cycles multiple times. Envia has been able to make this material which can successfully cycle hundreds of times…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 02/19/2014 - 03/27/2015
Program: RANGE
Award: $452,357

EnZinc

EnZinc is developing a low-cost battery using 3D zinc microstructured sponge technology that could dramatically improve the rechargeability of zinc-based EV batteries. As a battery material, zinc is inexpensive and readily available, but presently unsuitable for long-term use in EVs. Current zinc based batteries offer limited cycle life due to the formation of tree-like internal structures (dendrites) that can short out the battery. To address this, EnZinc, in collaboration with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, will replace conventional zinc powder-bed anodes with a porous zinc sponge that…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 09/18/2023 - 09/18/2025
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Eva Technology

Eva will develop novel devices to build analog processors that could drastically improve the energy efficiency of training complex artificial intelligence (AI) models. Eva’s proposed technology—a new class of nanoprotonic programmable resistors—would reduce the programming voltage of the devices for integration compatibility with standard circuit drivers and overhaul the device structures with an encapsulant to enable monolithic integration. The resulting processors could outperform existing digital AI training hardware solutions by over 240 times.

Status: ALUMNI
State: KY
Project Term: 04/11/2013 - 09/30/2016
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $196,458

Evolva

Evolva is producing terpenes—energy dense molecules that can be used as high-performance aviation fuels—from simple sugars using engineered microbes. These terpenes will provide better performance than existing petroleum-based aviation fuels. Evolva will draw upon their industrial-scale terpene manufacturing experience to produce aviation sesquiterpenes at a low cost and large scale. Going forward, Evolva will validate the performance of its aviation fuels in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and further engineer its process to utilize biomass feedstocks.

Status: ALUMNI
State: NJ
Project Term: 12/01/2009 - 05/31/2012
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $999,999

Exelus

Exelus is developing a method to convert olefins from oil refinery exhaust gas into alkylate, a clean-burning, high-octane component of gasoline. Traditionally, olefins must be separated from exhaust before they can be converted into another source of useful fuel. Exelus' process uses catalysts that convert the olefin to alkylate without first separating it from the exhaust. The ability to turn up to 50% of exhaust directly into gasoline blends could result in an additional 46 million gallons of gasoline in the U.S. each year.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 03/05/2014 - 06/22/2015
Program: SWITCHES
Award: $309,107

Fairfield Crystal Technology

Fairfield Crystal Technology will develop a new technique to accelerate the growth of gallium nitride (GaN) single-crystal boules. A boule is a large crystal that is cut into wafers and polished to provide a surface, or substrate, suitable for fabricating a semiconductor device. Fairfield Crystal Technology’s unique boule-growth technique will rapidly produce superior-quality GaN crystal boules—overcoming the quality and growth-rate barriers typically associated with conventional growth techniques, including the current state-of-the-art hydride vapor phase epitaxy technique, and helping to…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 04/01/2010 - 12/31/2013
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $5,349,931

FastCAP Systems

FastCAP Systems is improving the performance of an ultracapacitor—a battery-like electronic device that can complement, and possibly even replace, an HEV or EV battery pack. Ultracapacitors have many advantages over conventional batteries, including long lifespans (over 1 million cycles, as compared to 10,000 for conventional batteries) and better durability. Ultracapacitors also charge more quickly than conventional batteries, and they release energy more quickly. However, ultracapacitors have fallen short of batteries in one key metric: energy density—high energy density means more energy…

Status: ALUMNI
State: DC
Project Term: 07/02/2018 - 09/30/2022
Program: MARINER
Award: $2,206,703

Fearless Fund

Fearless Fund will lead a MARINER Category 1 project to design and develop a new system to enable large-scale macroalgae “ranching” using remote sensing, imaging, and modeling technologies. The core concept targets monitoring free-floating, low-impact Sargassum seaweed in the Gulf of Mexico for cost-effective biomass harvest. Fearless Fund’s cultivation process is designed to mimic naturally occurring seaweed mats found at the surface of the ocean. The concept leverages the free-floating nature of Sargassum, reducing costs from labor, seeding, and harvesting normally…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 08/23/2017 - 08/22/2020
Program: AMPED
Award: $2,205,000

Feasible

Feasible will develop a non-invasive, low-cost, ultrasonic diagnostic system that links the electrochemical reactions taking place inside a battery with changes in how sound waves propagate through the battery. This Electrochemical Acoustic Signal Interrogation (EASI) analysis will bridge the gap in battery diagnostics between structural insights and electrical measurements, offering both speed and scalability. The physical processes of a battery that affect performance are nearly impossible to monitor with standard diagnostic methods. EASI can provide insights into the battery development,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 11/25/2019 - 11/24/2021
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,179,977

Fervo Energy

The proposed fiber-optics based integrated tool will provide an unprecedented level of detail on the most critical aspects of an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) – the hydromechanical properties and geometry of the fracture zones that provide flow connections between the reservoir and the well. It has the potential to play a major role in catalyzing the 100 GW, $300B opportunity for EGS in the United States.

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 08/22/2022 - 08/21/2024
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $4,500,000

Fervo Energy

Fervo Energy has developed proprietary geothermal technology—FervoFlex™—capable of delivering in-reservoir energy storage and dispatchable generation attributes. At the same time, the team will develop a fiber optics-based diagnostic platform to monitor and optimize dynamic subsurface processes that currently pose major barriers to flexibly operating geothermal facilities. Fervo’s horizontal well design connects subsurface wells with a set of hydraulically conductive fractures surrounded by impermeable rock. These fractures act as flow pathways, providing contact areas with the geothermal…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MD
Project Term: 01/23/2024 - 01/22/2027
Program: COOLERCHIPS
Award: $3,499,951

Flexnode

Flexnode will develop a prefabricated, modularly designed EDGE data center that will leverage four key component and system-level technology advancements: a novel manifold microchannel heatsink, a chassis-based hybrid immersion cooling approach, a cost-effective additive manufacturing-enabled dry cooling heat exchanger system, and a topology optimized container housing the entire system.

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 02/22/2010 - 03/31/2013
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $8,325,400

FloDesign Wind Turbine

FloDesign's innovative wind turbine, inspired by the design of jet engines, could deliver 300% more power than existing wind turbines of the same rotor diameter by extracting more energy over a larger area. FloDesign's unique shrouded design expands the wind capture area, and the mixing vortex downstream allows more energy to flow through the rotor without stalling the turbine. The unique rotor and shrouded design also provide significant opportunity for mass production and simplified assembly, enabling mid-scale turbines (approximately 100 kW) to produce power at a cost that is comparable to…

Status: ALUMNI
State: AZ
Project Term: 10/01/2010 - 03/31/2013
Program: GRIDS
Award: $2,984,396

Fluidic Energy

Fluidic Energy is developing a low-cost, rechargeable, high-power module for Zinc-air batteries that will be used to store renewable energy. Zinc-air batteries are traditionally found in small, non-rechargeable devices like hearing aids because they are well-suited to delivering low levels of power for long periods of time. Historically, Zinc-air batteries have not been as useful for applications which require periodic bursts of power, like on the electrical grid. Fluidic hopes to fill this need by combining the high energy, low cost, and long run-time of a Zinc-air battery with new chemistry…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 01/01/2013 - 03/31/2016
Program: AMPED
Award: $3,092,109

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is developing a commercially viable battery tester with measurement precision that is significantly better than today's best battery testers. Improvements in the predictive ability of battery testers would enable significant reductions in the time and expense involved in electric vehicle technology validation. Unfortunately, the instrumental precision required to reliably predict performance of batteries after thousands of charge and discharge cycles does not exist in today's commercial systems. Ford's design would dramatically improve the precision of electric…

Status: CANCELLED
State: MI
Project Term: 09/17/2012 - 03/31/2015
Program: MOVE
Award: $3,624,551

Ford Motor Company

ARPA-E and Ford Motor Company agreed to mutually conclude this project. Ford is developing an on-board adsorbed natural gas tank system with a high-surface-area framework material that would increase the energy density of compressed natural gas at low pressures. Traditional natural gas tanks attempt to compensate for low-energy-density and limited driving range by storing compressed gas at high pressures, requiring expensive pressure vessels. Ford and their project partners will optimize advanced porous material within a system to reduce the pressure of on-board tanks while delivering the…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 07/31/2019 - 08/31/2023
Program: DAYS
Award: $2,929,296

Form Energy

Form Energy will develop a long-duration energy storage system that takes advantage of the low cost and high abundance of sulfur in a water-based solution. Previous MIT research demonstrated that aqueous sulfur flow batteries represent the lowest chemical cost among rechargeable batteries. However, these systems have relatively low efficiency. Conversely, numerous rechargeable battery chemistries with higher efficiency have high chemical costs. The solution requires low chemical cost, high efficiency, and streamlined architecture. The team will pursue several competing strategies and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 01/15/2010 - 09/30/2013
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $9,141,029

Foro Energy

Foro Energy is developing a unique capability and hardware system to transmit high power lasers over long distances via fiber optic cables. This laser power is integrated with a mechanical drilling bit to enable rapid and sustained penetration of hard rock formations too costly to drill with mechanical drilling bits alone. The laser energy that is directed at the rock basically softens the rock, allowing the mechanical bit to more easily remove it. Foro Energy's laser-assisted drill bits have the potential to be up to 10 times more economical than conventional hard-rock drilling technologies…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 08/01/2019 - 07/31/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,049,998

Foro Energy

Foro Energy will develop a high-power laser tool to assist in removing the extremely tough materials constituting aging energy assets in a timely, cost-effective, safe, and environmentally responsible manner. This cutting and melting tool will be capable of transmitting high-power laser light at long distances in a field environment, greatly boosting decommissioning efficiency.

Status: ACTIVE
State: CO
Project Term: 04/08/2022 - 04/07/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $3,750,000

Foro Energy

Foro Energy will use a downhole, high-power laser access tool to create geometric and surface area access in wells to set an alternative barrier material—a bismuth alloy plug (BiSN)—instead of cement. The proposed technology will be cost effective and reduce methane emissions as well as some CO2 by (1) abating oil and gas wells currently leaking methane, (2) providing more effective sealing for wells that will be abandoned in the future, (3) replacing the current use of cement and thereby eliminating greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere during production, and (4) using surface…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 09/19/2023 - 09/12/2025
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $449,100

Foundation Alloy Technology Explorations

Foundation Alloy Technology Explorations will develop a new class of alloys specifically engineered for powder metallurgy-based processing. These new alloys would be engineered at the atomic level for improved properties and for potential applications in critical reactor components. Foundation Alloy’s integration of new material design with part production could enable rapid delivery times, lower costs, and more consistent part quality.

Status: ACTIVE
State: VA
Project Term: 10/01/2020 - 06/30/2025
Program: GEMINA
Award: $1,822,895

Framatome

Framatome aims to reduce advanced reactor costs by leveraging advanced diagnostics methods to demonstrate feasible fault detection with an optimized set of sensors; develop reliable automatic fault detection algorithms on wide range of systems; and minimize the resources required to perform fault detection. Framatome will develop two novel digital twins for use with Metroscope, a software package that connects digital twins and their associated fault libraries and monitors them with an algorithm to detect problems early on. The digital twins will simulate a passive cooling system with…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 07/05/2021 - 11/04/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $451,676

Frost Methane Labs

Flares are widely used address methane emissions, eliminating a safety issue, and reducing greenhouse gas impacts up to 90%. There are many technical and economic challenges for designing small flares that operate reliably with high destruction efficiency, however. Frost Methane Labs proposes to develop a “micro-flare,” capable of handling emissions from sources from 10-200 tonnes of methane per year per site. The micro-flare consists of a combustion chamber, pilot light or electronic ignition source, upstream flow and methane concentration monitoring, controls electronics, and remote…

Status: CANCELLED
State: NJ
Project Term: 01/01/2021 - 12/31/2022
Program: REEACH
Award: $1,656,427

Fuceltech

Fuceltech proposes to develop an innovative low-cost, lightweight Energy Storage and Power Generation (ESPG) system for commercial aircraft. Fuceltech will develop a monopolar wound single fuel cell potentially as high as 10 kW rating and a novel stacking approach to deliver hundreds of kWs of power from a single small and lightweight stack. Fuceltech will use ethanol as a fuel and a reformer that delivers extremely low CO concentration in the reformate to the fuel cell. In phase 1, Fuceltech will develop 2kW power single cells and demonstrate stacked cells of >5kW output power; in phase 2…