Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 03/30/2017 - 11/30/2020
Program: NEXTCAR
Award: $4,199,999

General Motors (GM)

General Motors will lead a team to develop "InfoRich" vehicle technologies that will combine advances in vehicle dynamic and powertrain control technologies with recent vehicle connectivity and automation technologies. The result will be a light duty gasoline vehicle that demonstrates greater than 20% fuel consumption reduction over current production vehicles while meeting all safety and exhaust emissions standards. On-board sensors and connected data will provide the vehicle with additional information such as the status of a traffic signal before a vehicle reaches an intersection…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 01/01/2010 - 03/31/2012
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $2,698,935

General Motors (GM)

General Motors (GM) is using shape memory alloys that require as little as a 10°C temperature difference to convert low-grade waste heat into mechanical energy. When a stretched wire made of shape memory alloy is heated, it shrinks back to its pre-stretched length. When the wire cools back down, it becomes more pliable and can revert to its original stretched shape. This expansion and contraction can be used directly as mechanical energy output or used to drive an electric generator. Shape memory alloy heat engines have been around for decades, but the few devices that engineers have built…

Status: ALUMNI
State: VA
Project Term: 09/01/2010 - 02/28/2013
Program: ADEPT
Award: $2,530,949

GeneSiC Semiconductor

GeneSiC Semiconductor is developing an advanced silicon-carbide (SiC)-based semiconductor called an anode-switched thyristor. This low-cost, compact SiC semiconductor conducts higher levels of electrical energy with better precision than traditional silicon semiconductors. This efficiency will enable a dramatic reduction in the size, weight, and volume of the power converters and the electronic devices they are used in. GeneSiC is developing its SiC-based semiconductor for utility-scale power converters. Traditional silicon semiconductors can’t process the high voltages that utility-scale…

Status: ALUMNI
State: VA
Project Term: 12/20/2016 - 09/19/2018
Program: IDEAS
Award: $438,520

GeneSiC Semiconductor

GeneSiC Semiconductor will lead a team to develop high-power and voltage (1200V) vertical transistors on free-standing gallium nitride (GaN) substrates. Bipolar junction transistors amplify or switch electrical current. NPN junction transistors are one class of these transistors consisting of a layer of p-type semiconductor between two n-type semiconductors. The output electrical current between two terminals is controlled by applying a small input current at the third terminal. The proposed effort combines the latest innovations in device designs/process technology, bulk GaN substrate…

Status: ALUMNI
State: DC
Project Term: 08/02/2017 - 11/16/2018
Program: IDEAS
Award: $499,358

George Washington University (GWU)

George Washington University (GWU) will develop a new technique to produce commercial III-V substrates called Transfer Printed Virtual Substrates (TPVS). To reduce costs, the team proposes using a single source substrate to grow numerous virtual substrate layers. The team will use an enabling technology, called micro-transfer printing (MTP), to transfer the layers from the source substrate, in the form of many microscale “chiplets,” and deposit them onto a low-cost handle (silicon, for example). Once printed, the clean surfaces of the MTP process allows each chiplet to complete the epitaxial…

Status: ALUMNI
State: DC
Project Term: 12/15/2017 - 09/30/2020
Program: MOSAIC
Award: $2,857,607

George Washington University (GWU)

George Washington University (GWU) and their partners will develop a hybrid CPV concept that combines highly efficient multi-junction solar cells and low-cost single-junction solar cells. When direct sunlight hits the lens array, it is concentrated 1000-fold and is focused onto the multi-junction solar cells. Diffuse light not captured in this process is instead captured by the low-cost single-junction solar cells. The module design is lightweight, fewer than 10 mm thick, and has a profile similar to conventional FPV. Moreover, the combination of the two types of cells increases efficiency.…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 10/16/2019 - 10/15/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $867,261

Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)

Develop phased array technology to enable “medical quality” imaging and characterization of thick reinforced concrete components. This early detection technology could prioritize maintenance to avoid macrocrack formation which could significantly increase the durability of existing concrete components, reducing lifecycle energy and emissions costs.

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 11/09/2020 - 05/31/2022
Program: FLECCS
Award: $977,924

Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) will develop a modular direct air capture (DAC) process to be integrated with flexible natural gas-fired combined cycle (NGCC) power plants. This approach couples CO2 emissions capture from the NGCC plant using conventional technology with a novel design based on materials capable of removing CO2 from the air. The NGCC plant will run continuously, and the conventional technology will perform at its most efficient level. Steam and power from the natural gas plant are directed to remove CO2 from the atmosphere in times of low demand. The…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 05/14/2021 - 05/13/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $728,376

Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)

Lack of diverse supplies for critical materials, such as rare earth elements (REEs), have prompted researchers to explore new sources and develop environmentally friendly technologies for critical metal extraction, processing, and manufacturing. Municipal solid waste (MSW), a large solid waste stream that may constitute the largest resource for REEs and other critical materials, offers an alternative. MSW incineration ashes, however, pose operational and financial challenges. Georgia Institute of Technology will develop a closed-loop, integrated, scalable, and environmentally friendly waste…

Status: ACTIVE
State: GA
Project Term: 08/24/2022 - 08/23/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $2,161,054

Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)

The technology proposed by the Georgia Institute of Technology avoids surfactant use to generate a stable foam by instead relying on hydrodynamic means to generate an unstable high-density foam to disperse the fiber into. The fiber mat is formed in a fast dynamic process before loss of integrity of the multi-phase fiber-air bubble mixture. The team will develop a next-generation paper manufacturing system that includes a novel microbubble generator integrated with a next generation headbox that can scale up for commercial production. The proposed approach should reduce the energy consumption…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 09/01/2010 - 02/28/2014
Program: ADEPT
Award: $1,015,792

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation is creating compact, low-profile power adapters and power bricks using materials and tools adapted from other industries and from grid-scale power applications. Adapters and bricks convert electrical energy into usable power for many types of electronic devices, including laptop computers and mobile phones. These converters are often called wall warts because they are big, bulky, and sometimes cover up an adjacent wall socket that could be used to power another electronic device. The magnetic components traditionally used to make adapters and bricks have…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 09/01/2010 - 01/31/2013
Program: ADEPT
Award: $995,896

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation is developing a cost-effective, utility-scale power router that uses an enhanced transformer to more efficiently direct power on the grid. Existing power routing technologies are too expensive for widespread use, but the ability to route grid power to match real-time demand and power outages would significantly reduce energy costs for utilities, municipalities, and consumers. Georgia Tech is adding a power converter to an existing grid transformer to better control power flows at about 1/10th the cost of existing power routing solutions. Transformers convert…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 09/01/2010 - 06/30/2014
Program: BEETIT
Award: $2,399,492

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation is using innovative components and system design to develop a new type of absorption heat pump. Georgia Tech's new heat pumps are energy efficient, use refrigerants that do not emit greenhouse gases, and can run on energy from combustion, waste heat, or solar energy. Georgia Tech is leveraging enhancements to heat and mass transfer technology possible in micro-scale passages and removing hurdles to the use of heat-activated heat pumps that have existed for more than a century. Use of micro-scale passages allows for miniaturization of systems that can…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 09/23/2019 - 09/22/2023
Program: BREAKERS
Award: $3,650,000

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech is developing a novel hybrid direct current (DC) circuit breaker that could enable multi-terminal DC power systems. The breaker’s mechanical switch enables switching speeds 10 times faster than existing technology, severing the mechanical linkage, while the power electronics-based circuit handles the fault current. A new configuration of the fast switch and solid-state devices/circuits will reduce steady-state losses compared to state-of-the-art hybrid circuit breakers. A new control scheme dramatically reduces the peak fault current levels, enabling more compact packaging and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 02/12/2018 - 11/11/2021
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $1,859,120

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation and its project team will develop a solid-state transformer for medium-voltage grid applications using silicon carbide with a focus on compact size and high-performance. Traditional grid connected transformers have been used for over 100 years to 'step down' higher voltage to lower voltage. Higher voltages allows for delivery of power over longer distances and lower voltages keeps consumers safe. But traditional distribution transformers lack integrated sensing, communications, and controls. They also lack the ability to control the voltage, current,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 01/11/2012 - 02/15/2015
Program: GENI
Award: $2,009,908

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation is developing a decentralized, autonomous, internet-like control architecture and control software system for the electric power grid. Georgia Tech's new architecture is based on the emerging concept of electricity prosumers—economically motivated actors that can produce, consume, or store electricity. Under Georgia Tech's architecture, all of the actors in an energy system are empowered to offer associated energy services based on their capabilities. The actors achieve their sustainability, efficiency, reliability, and economic objectives, while…

Status: ACTIVE
State: GA
Project Term: 05/15/2019 - 10/31/2023
Program: GRID DATA
Award: $784,945

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech will generate publicly releasable large-scale, high-fidelity datasets using techniques developed under GRID DATA funding (the team was originally funded as the University of Michigan). These datasets will be based on the RTE transmission system and conform to the technical and mathematical requirements of the Grid Optimization (GO) Competition’s Challenge 2, which focuses on the security-constrained optimal power flow (SCOPF) problem. SCOPF takes preventive and corrective scenarios into account. Georgia Tech will validate the feasibility and realism of these datasets to ensure…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 07/27/2016 - 12/31/2017
Program: IDEAS
Award: $474,982

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation will develop hollow fiber membranes containing metal-organic framework (MOF) thin films to separate propylene from propane. The nanoporous MOF film is supported on the inside surfaces of the tubular polymeric hollow fibers. Chemicals introduced into the center of the tube are separated through the MOF membrane by a molecular sieving process. Traditional olefin production processes are performed at pressures up to 20 bar, requiring large energy and capital costs. A key feature of the team’s technology is the ability to synthesize membranes at near-ambient…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 07/01/2010 - 10/31/2012
Program: IMPACCT
Award: $998,928

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

A team of six faculty members at Georgia Tech Research Corporation is developing an enhanced membrane by fitting metal organic frameworks, compounds that show great promise for improved carbon capture, into hollow fiber membranes. This new material would be highly efficient at removing CO2 from the flue gas produced at coal-fired power plants. The team is analyzing thousands of metal organic frameworks to identify those that are most suitable for carbon capture based both on their ability to allow coal exhaust to pass easily through them and their ability to select CO2 from that exhaust for…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 04/17/2013 - 10/17/2016
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $3,598,640

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation is developing a high-efficiency concentrating solar receiver and reactor for the production of solar fuels. The team will develop a system that uses liquid metal to capture and transport heat at much higher temperatures compared to state-of-the-art concentrating solar power facilities. This high temperature system will be combined with the team’s novel reactor to produce solar fuels that allow the flexibility to store and transport solar energy for later use or for immediate power production. Higher temperatures should result in much higher efficiencies and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 03/20/2013 - 03/19/2016
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $2,114,999

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation is developing a supercapacitor using graphene—a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms—to substantially store more energy than current technologies. Supercapacitors store energy in a different manner than batteries, which enables them to charge and discharge much more rapidly. The Georgia Tech team approach is to improve the internal structure of graphene sheets with ‘molecular spacers,’ in order to store more energy at lower cost. The proposed design could increase the energy density of the supercapacitor by 10–15 times over established capacitor technologies…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 05/03/2013 - 09/30/2016
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $3,674,039

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation is developing a method to capture energy from wind vortices that form from a thin layer of solar-heated air along the ground. “Dust devils” are a random and intermittent example of this phenomenon in nature. Naturally, the sun heats the ground creating a thin air layer near the surface that is warmer than the air above. Since hot air rises, this layer of air will naturally want to rise. The Georgia Tech team will use a set of vanes to force the air to rotate as it rises, forming an anchored columnar vortex that draws in additional hot air to sustain itself.…

Status: ACTIVE
State: GA
Project Term: 07/12/2019 - 01/01/2024
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $2,350,288

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

The Georgia Tech Research Corporation will design an autonomous, resilient and cyber-secure protection and control system for each power plant and substation on its grid. This will eliminate complex coordinated protection settings and transform the protection practice into a simpler, intelligent, automated and transparent process. The technology will integrate protective relays into an intelligent protection scheme that relies on existing high data redundancy in substations to (a) validate data; (b) detect hidden failures and in this case self-heal the protection and control system; (c)…

Status: ACTIVE
State: GA
Project Term: 05/02/2019 - 11/01/2023
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,480,632

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

The Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) will develop a new approach to internally cool permanent magnet motors. The technology could dramatically improve electric motors’ power density and reduce system size and weight. To do so, the team will integrate motor and drive electronics into a unique system packaging incorporating an embedded advanced thermal management system. They will also develop wide bandgap power electronics packaging to enable high power density operations at higher temperature. The new design could substantially increase the power and torque density above the state of…

Status: ACTIVE
State: GA
Project Term: 07/10/2020 - 07/09/2024
Program: PERFORM
Award: $3,250,000

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

The increasing use of renewable energy resources challenges grid operations, which have traditionally relied on highly predictable load and generation. Future grid operators must balance generation costs and system-level risk, shifting from deterministic to stochastic optimization and risk management. Georgia Tech’s Risk-Aware Market Clearing (RAMC) project will provide a blueprint for an end-to-end, data-driven approach where risk is explicitly modeled, quantified, and optimized, striking a tradeoff between cost and system-level risk minimization. The RAMC project focuses on challenges…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 10/01/2014 - 09/30/2018
Program: REBELS
Award: $1,230,755

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation is developing a fuel cell that operates at temperatures less than 500°C by integrating nanostructured materials into all cell components. This is a departure from traditional fuel cells that operate at much lower or much higher temperatures. By developing multifunctional anodes that can efficiently reform and directly process methane, this fuel cell will allow for efficient use of methane. Additionally, the Georgia Tech team will develop nanocomposite electrolytes to reduce cell temperature without sacrificing system performance. These technological advances…

Status: ALUMNI
State: GA
Project Term: 01/06/2016 - 08/15/2018
Program: TRANSNET
Award: $2,981,746

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Researchers with the Georgia Tech Research Corporation will combine real-time analysis of transportation network data with distributed simulation modeling to provide drivers with information and incentives to reduce energy consumption. The team’s system model will use three sources of data to simulate the transportation network of the Atlanta metro area. The Georgia Department of Transportation’s intelligent transportation system (ITS) data repository, hosted at Georgia Tech, will provide 20-second, lane-specific operations data while team partner, AirSage, will provide highway speeds…

Status: ACTIVE
State: GA
Project Term: 04/12/2021 - 10/11/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,027,706

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Georgia Institute of Technology aims to develop a simple, scalable, and modular device that can remove CO2 from the atmosphere. The device will be designed such that ambient wind is sufficient to contact the CO2-laden air with the materials that filter CO2 out. The filtered CO2 will then be concentrated using localized electric heating, which allows the device to be easily deployed and integrated with renewables or the existing electrical grid. The proposed technology is driven solely by electricity with only two moving parts (a damper and a vacuum pump), which dramatically simplifies scale-…

Status: ACTIVE
State: GA
Project Term: 05/19/2022 - 05/18/2025
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $3,953,827

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Leakage from SF6-insulated circuit breakers and power equipment has been raising environmental concerns due to the high GWP of SF6. Georgia Tech proposes TESLA, an SF6-free high-voltage circuit breaker. Recent breakthroughs in the dielectric properties of supercritical fluid research show the promise of using it as a dielectric and arc-quenching medium for high-voltage AC circuit breakers instead of SF6. TESLA opens possibilities for an SF6-free electric apparatus. The team will design and build the proposed circuit breaker rated at 245 kV, 4 kA and validate the design and functionality using…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 06/01/2017 - 12/31/2019
Program: REFUEL
Award: $1,499,186

Giner

Giner will develop advanced membrane and catalysts electrolyzer components that can electrochemically generate ammonia using water, nitrogen and intermittent renewable energy sources. Their electrochemical reactor operates at a much lower pressure and temperature than conventional methods, which can lead to significant energy savings. Some of their key innovations include metal nitride catalysts and high temperature poly(aryl piperidinium) anion exchange membranes (AEM) to boost the ammonia production rate and enhance process stability. The components will be integrated into Giner's…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 06/01/2021 - 11/30/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Giner

Direct capture of CO2 from ambient air is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Due to the dilute nature of the CO2, capturing it in ambient air is challenging and requires different strategies than carbon capture from concentrated CO2 waste streams. Giner, Inc., (Giner) proposes a novel process that uses a liquid solvent, regenerated electrochemically, to capture dilute CO2 from air to produce a purified, concentrated CO2 stream. The stream can be redirected for use as a feedstock for a wide variety of applications, including chemical manufacturing and syngas…

Status: CANCELLED
State: MA
Project Term: 07/16/2010 - 01/15/2014
Program: Electrofuels
Award: $6,438,793

Ginkgo Bioworks

Ginkgo Bioworks is bypassing photosynthesis and engineering E. coli to directly use carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce biofuels. E. coli doesn't naturally metabolize CO2, but Ginkgo Bioworks is manipulating and incorporating the genes responsible for CO2 metabolism into the microorganism. By genetically modifying E. coli, Ginkgo Bioworks will enhance its rate of CO2 consumption and liquid fuel production. Ginkgo Bioworks is delivering CO2 to E. coli as formic acid, a simple industrial chemical that provides energy and CO2 to the bacterial system.

Status: CANCELLED
State: SC
Project Term: 06/30/2021 - 06/29/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,000,000

Glass WRX SC

Glass WRX SC’s technology transforms post-consumer waste glass stored in landfills into porous ceramics called engineered cellular magmatics used in a wide variety of applications. By incorporating municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) ash into their existing and new processes, they will introduce industrial-scale upcycling into MSWI operations. MSWI will become “beyond zero waste,” eliminating landfilling ash byproducts of the incineration process and landfill space currently taken up by unrecycled glass at the same time. Glass WRX SC estimates the incorporation of MSWI ash into its…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 01/01/2016 - 12/30/2019
Program: MOSAIC
Award: $2,474,999

Glint Photonics

Glint Photonics in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), will develop a stationary wide-angle concentrator (SWAC) PV system. The SWAC concentrates light onto multi-junction solar cells, which efficiently convert sunlight into electrical energy. A sheet of arrayed PV cells moves passively within the module to maximize sunlight capture throughout the day. Two innovations allow this tracking to occur smoothly and without the expense or complexity of an active control system or a mechanical tracker. First, a fluidic suspension mechanism enables nearly frictionless…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 04/01/2013 - 03/31/2017
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $2,723,044

Glint Photonics

Glint Photonics is developing an inexpensive solar concentrating PV (CPV) module that tracks the sun’s position over the course of the day to channel sunlight into PV materials more efficiently. Conventional solar concentrator technology requires complex moving parts to track the sun’s movements. In contrast, Glint’s inexpensive design can be mounted in a stationary configuration and adjusts its properties automatically in response to the solar position. By embedding this automated tracking function within the concentrator, Glint’s design enables CPV modules to use traditional mounting…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 02/03/2014 - 03/06/2017
Program: REMOTE
Award: $4,500,000

GreenLight Biosciences

GreenLight Biosciences is developing a cell-free bioreactor that can convert large quantities of methane to fuel in one step. This technology integrates biological and chemical processes into a single process by separating and concentrating the biocatalysts from the host microorganisms. This unique “cell-free” approach is anticipated to improve the productivity of the reactor without increasing cost. GreenLight’s system can be erected onsite without the need for massive, costly equipment. The process uses natural gas and wellhead pressure to generate the power needed to run the facility. Any…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 06/01/2015 - 06/30/2016
Program: IDEAS
Award: $499,985

Grid Logic

The Grid Logic team is adapting a form of vapor deposition technology to demonstrate a new approach to creating powerful hybrid magnets. This “physical vapor deposition particle encapsulation technology” utilizes an inert atmosphere chamber, which allows for precisely controlled and reproducible pressure, gas flow, and fluidization conditions for a powder vessel. The team will use this specialized chamber to fabricate nanostructured exchange-spring magnets, which require careful control of material dimension and composition. Nanostructured exchange-spring magnets are composite magnetic…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 03/05/2013 - 06/04/2016
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $3,828,075

Grid Logic

Grid Logic is developing a new type of electrical superconductor that could significantly improve the performance (in $/kA-m) and lower the cost of high-power energy generation, transmission, and distribution. Grid Logic is using a new manufacturing technique to coat very fine particles of superconducting material with an extremely thin layer—less than 1/1,000 the width of a human hair—of a low-cost metal composite. This new manufacturing process is not only much simpler and more cost effective than the process used to make today’s state-of-the-art high-power superconductors, but also it…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 05/25/2016 - 05/24/2019
Program: GRID DATA
Award: $1,680,748

GridBright

GridBright and Utility Integration Solutions (UISOL, a GE Company) will develop a power systems model repository based on state-of-the-art open-source software. The models in this repository will be used to facilitate testing and adoption of new grid optimization and control algorithms. The repository will use field-proven open-source software and will be made publicly available in the first year of the project. Key features of the repository include an advanced search capability to support search and extraction of models based on key research characteristics, faster model upload and download…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 02/15/2019 - 02/14/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,399,900

GridBright

GridBright will develop a simple and secure solution for sharing grid-related data to improve grid efficiency, reliability, and resiliency in a manner that preserves security and integrity. GridBright will use the Agile development model to construct several proof-of-concept software pipelines, performing penetration and compromise testing and a quantitative evaluation of each against existing requirements. The solution will create a simpler secure grid data exchange process for the electric grid and utility industries.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 01/01/2012 - 09/30/2015
Program: HEATS
Award: $3,303,719

Halotechnics

Halotechnics is developing a high-temperature thermal energy storage system using a new thermal-storage and heat-transfer material: earth-abundant and low-melting-point molten glass. Heat storage materials are critical to the energy storage process. In solar thermal storage systems, heat can be stored in these materials during the day and released at night—when the sun is not out—to drive a turbine and produce electricity. In nuclear storage systems, heat can be stored in these materials at night and released to produce electricity during daytime peak-demand hours. Halotechnics new thermal…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 07/01/2010 - 09/30/2013
Program: Electrofuels
Award: $4,194,124

Harvard University

Harvard University is engineering a self-contained, scalable electrofuels production system that can directly generate liquid fuels from bacteria, carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and sunlight. Harvard is genetically engineering bacteria called Shewanella, so the bacteria can sit directly on electrical conductors and absorb electrical current. This current, which is powered by solar panels, gives the bacteria the energy they need to process CO2 into liquid fuels. The Harvard team pumps this CO2 into the system, in addition to water and other nutrients needed to grow the bacteria. Harvard is also…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 06/01/2017 - 11/30/2018
Program: IDEAS
Award: $498,566

Harvard University

Harvard University in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories will develop a transistor-less 16kW DC to DC converter boosting a 0.5kV DC input to 8kV that is scalable to 100kW. If successful, the transistor-less DC to DC converter could improve the performance of power electronics for electric vehicles, commercial power supplies, renewable energy systems, grid operations, and other applications. Converting DC to DC is a two-step process that traditionally uses fast-switching transistors to convert a DC input to an AC signal before the signal is rectified to a DC output. The Harvard and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 08/01/2018 - 09/30/2020
Program: IDEAS
Award: $499,727

Harvard University

Harvard University will develop new methods to harness naturally occurring microbial communities for the biological production of ethane and propane. Strong indirect evidence suggests that ethane and propane are produced in the ocean by communities of benthic microorganisms in unique deep-sea sediments under specific conditions. The team will target the microbial communities in the ethane- and propane-rich hydrothermal sediments of the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California. During the project, the team will recover and characterize seafloor sediment from the basin with the goal of…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 02/01/2013 - 03/25/2017
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $4,340,035

Harvard University

Harvard University is developing an innovative grid-scale flow battery to store electricity from renewable sources. Flow batteries store energy in external tanks instead of within the battery container, permitting larger amounts of stored energy at lower cost per kWh. Harvard is designing active material for a flow battery that uses small, inexpensive organic molecules in aqueous electrolyte. Relying on low-cost organic materials, Harvard’s innovative storage device concept would yield one or more systems that may be developed by their partner, Sustainable Innovations, LLC, into viable grid-…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 07/22/2019 - 07/21/2024
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,386,582

Harvard University

Harvard University will develop a compact NMR system to provide detailed information on composition and environment in subsurface oil exploration and production. By building the electronics for the system with gallium-nitride-based integrated circuitry, the team seeks to greatly miniaturize the NMR system, reducing both the volume and weight by two orders of magnitude, and enabling it to withstand the high temperatures found in a deep drill hole. The proposed technology will place the majority of the essential NMR electronics on a single board. This will reduce the complexity and bulkiness of…

Status: CANCELLED
State: MA
Project Term: 09/01/2021 - 07/31/2022
Program: ECOSynBio
Award: $2,985,025

Harvard University

The Harvard University team will draw from efficient infrastructures for cheap sugar supply, maturing gas fermentation technology, and sophisticated strategies to engineer fatty acid metabolism. Current bioproduction platforms are limited regarding to carbon efficiency, product versatility or productivity. These platforms have left legacies that will aid Harvard in developing the next generation of carbon-efficient bioproduction, however. It will leverage these to develop a road map for transitioning to a carbon-efficient, highly productive bioeconomy for energy-rich long-chain carbon…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 03/09/2023 - 03/08/2026
Program: MINER
Award: $1,889,308

Harvard University

Harvard University (Harvard) aims to advance nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for CO2 reactive rocks to better determine carbonation potential and storage capacity by quantifying CO2 pore filling saturation based on pore size distribution and in-situ wettability. Mineralization reactions occur only in pores occupied by CO2; thus, understanding CO2 transport and distribution in rock porosities is key to efficient mineralization and sequestration. The technique can be used in the exploration phase to locate the optimal CO2 injection formation and production phase to monitor…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 09/06/2021 - 09/05/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $476,811

Heirloom

One promising method for reducing atmospheric CO2 is a repeated enhanced weathering process, in which a natural reaction between CO2 in air and magnesium- and/or calcium-rich minerals is accelerated to form a solid carbonate that can be processed to regenerate the minerals for reuse and create a captured CO2 stream. The proposed technology combines enhanced weathering innovations with an engineered system that passively exposes these reactive minerals to the air. The approach may significantly reduce the cost of permanent, high-quality carbon removal, and the resulting pure CO2 can be…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WA
Project Term: 09/30/2015 - 09/29/2018
Program: ALPHA
Award: $3,971,263

Helion Energy

Helion Energy's team will develop a prototype device that will explore a potential low-cost path to fusion for a less expensive, simplified reactor design. In contrast to conventional designs, this prototype will be smaller than a semi-trailer – reducing cost and complexity. The smaller size is achieved by using new techniques to achieve the high temperatures and densities required for fusion. The research team will produce these conditions using field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas, a special form of plasma that may offer significant advantages for fusion research. FRC plasmas are…