Status: ACTIVE
State: CO
Project Term: 05/22/2020 - 05/21/2022
Program: OPEN 2015

Colorado State University (CSU)

Colorado State University (CSU) will work with BASF and Cypris Materials to accelerate the technology first developed under a 2015 ARPA‐E OPEN award. They will transition the developed coating into an industrially scalable, sprayable process to retrofit energy inefficient windows with a heat-reflective, visibly transparent film. Under the original award, nanostructured coatings were shown to greatly improve the efficiency of single‐pane windows by lowering solar heat gain. The current team aims to further improve the coating technology and decrease installation costs to 1/10 of current high‐…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 05/05/2016 - 11/20/2019
Program: OPEN 2015

Colorado State University (CSU)

Colorado State University (CSU) and its partners are developing an inexpensive, polymer-based, energy-saving material that can be applied to windows as a retrofit. The team will develop a coating consisting of polymers that can rapidly self-assemble into orderly layers that will reflect infrared wavelengths but pass visible light. As such, the coating will help reduce building cooling requirements and energy use without darkening the room. The polymers can be applied as a paint, meaning that deployment could be faster, less expensive, and more widespread because homeowners can apply the…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CO
Project Term: 07/03/2017 - 01/02/2022
Program: ROOTS

Colorado State University (CSU)

Colorado State University (CSU) will develop a high-throughput ground-based robotic platform that will characterize a plant’s root system and the surrounding soil chemistry to better understand how plants cycle carbon and nitrogen in soil. CSU’s robotic platform will use a suite of sensor technologies to investigate crop genetic-environment interaction and generate data to improve models of chemical cycling of soil carbon and nitrogen in agricultural environments. The platform will collect information on root structure and depth, and deploy a novel spectroscopic technology to quantify levels…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CO
Project Term: 03/01/2021 - 05/31/2022
Program: FLECCS

Colorado State University (CSU)

Colorado State University and its partners—ION Clean Energy, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Bright Generation Holdings—will develop a thermal energy storage system with flexible advanced solvent carbon capture technology. The system aims to decrease the levelized cost of electricity for natural gas-fired combined cycle (NGCC) power plants to <75 $/MWh while simultaneously capturing >95% of CO2 emissions when operating in highly VRE penetration markets. The team's approach uses a novel and low-cost heat-pump thermal storage system. This system enables load shifting and NGCC…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 07/01/2010 - 06/30/2014
Program: Electrofuels

Columbia University

Columbia University is using carbon dioxide (CO2) from ambient air, ammonia—an abundant and affordable chemical—and a bacteria called N. europaea to produce liquid fuel. The Columbia University team is feeding the ammonia and CO2 into an engineered tank where the bacteria live. The bacteria capture the energy from ammonia and then use that energy to convert CO2 into a liquid fuel. When the bacteria use up all the ammonia, renewable electricity can regenerate it and pump it back into the system—creating a continuous fuel-creation cycle. In addition, Columbia University is also working with the…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 09/25/2017 - 09/24/2022
Program: ENLITENED

Columbia University

Columbia University will develop a new datacenter architecture co-designed with state-of-the-art silicon photonic technologies to reduce system-wide energy consumption. The team’s approach will improve data movement between processor/memory and will optimize resource allocation throughout the network to minimize idle times and wasted energy. Data transfer in datacenters occurs over a series of interconnects that link different server racks of the datacenter together. Networks in modern mega-scale datacenters are becoming increasingly complicated. One by-product of this complexity is that on…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 06/10/2016 - 09/09/2017
Program: IDEAS

Columbia University

The Columbia University team is developing a proof-of-concept solid-state solution to generate electricity from high-temperature waste heat (~900 K) using thermal radiation between a hot object placed in extreme proximity (<100 nm) to a cooler photovoltaic (PV) cell. In this geometry, thermal radiation can be engineered such that its spectrum is quasi-monochromatic and aligned with the PV cell’s bandgap frequency. In this case, it is estimated that electricity can be generated with a conversion efficiency beyond 25% and with a power density that could greatly outperform currently available…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 03/04/2016 - 03/03/2017
Program: IDEAS

Columbia University

Columbia University will develop a new platform for generating multiple simultaneous optical channels (wavelengths) with low power dissipation, thereby enabling optical interconnects for low power computing. Optical interconnect links communicate using optical fibers that carry light. Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) is a technology that combines a number of optical carrier signals on a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths. This technique enables bidirectional communications over strands of fiber, dramatically increasing capacity. Low-power lasers generate the wavelengths…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 03/01/2015 - 05/30/2016
Program: IDEAS

Columbia University

The innovation lies in the exploitation of novel natural energy source: reduced metal deposits. The energy released during oxidation of these metals could be used to reduce CO2 into fuels and chemicals reducing petroleum usage.This proposed project fits within the Chemical-Chemical Area of Interest, as it involves the coupling of the oxidation of reduced minerals in the Earth’s crust to the production of reduced carbon chemicals for fuel utilization. This addresses both of Mission Areas of ARPA-E as the co-generation of fuels during copper bioleaching will potentially reduce the import of…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 07/16/2010 - 01/15/2014
Program: IMPACCT

Columbia University

Columbia University is developing a process to pull CO2 out of the exhaust gas of coal-fired power plants and turn it into a solid that can be easily and safely transported, stored above ground, or integrated into value-added products (e.g. paper filler, plastic filler, construction materials, etc.). In nature, the reaction of CO2 with various minerals over long periods of time will yield a solid carbonate—this process is known as carbon mineralization. The use of carbon mineralization as a CO2 capture and storage method is limited by the speeds at which these minerals can be dissolved and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 04/01/2014 - 10/31/2019
Program: SWITCHES

Columbia University

Columbia University will create high-performance, low-cost, vertical gallium nitride (GaN) devices using a technique called spalling, which involves exfoliating a working circuit and transferring it to another material. Columbia and its project partners will spall and bond entire transistors from high-performance GaN wafers to lower cost silicon substrates. Substrates are thin wafers of semiconducting material needed to power devices like transistors and integrated circuits. GaN substrates operate much more efficiently than silicon substrates, particularly at high voltages, but the high cost…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 09/24/2020 - 09/23/2023
Program: PERFORM

Columbia University

The power industry sees risk as statistically independent of today's operational practices and regulations. The challenge is convincing the industry to proactively and explicitly study, quantify, price, and incorporate risk into dispatch and response algorithms. Columbia University will develop a risk dashboard to address this challenge that will enable independent system operators (ISOs) of the electrical grid to compute and analyze engineering and financial risks occurring on operational time scales ranging from several minutes to days. This dashboard will facilitate efficient and accurate…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 12/16/2020 - 12/15/2022
Program: Special Projects

Columbia University

Columbia University will develop a novel hydrometallurgical platform that will exploit the electrochemical reduction of copper ores followed by biological leaching of sulfide minerals to recover copper metal. The team’s new platform technology will enable the processing of domestic low-grade copper concentrates with high pyrite concentrations. This will reduce the outsourcing of copper processing to overseas smelters and enable new domestic sources of low-grade copper concentrate to be processed economically. The bacteria involved in the bioleaching process will be genetically modified for…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 03/22/2021 - 03/21/2022
Program: Special Projects

Columbia University

Critical minerals—used in important defense and energy applications–are scarce. Municipal wastes are excellent candidates for domestic sources of high-grade ores due to their high metal concentration. Because the metals in wastes and waste ashes contain a wide range of impurities, however, conventional extraction processes are not effective. Columbia University will develop an innovative MIDAS process based on the integrated CO2-facilitated hydrometallurgical and electrochemical technology. The team will (1) develop supercritical CO2-based solvent systems for hydrometallurgical extraction of…

Status: ACTIVE
State: PA
Project Term: 04/03/2020 - 04/02/2023
Program: Special Projects

Community Energy

Carbon mineralization, a promising carbon management technology, reacts CO2 gas with minerals containing magnesium and/or calcium. The reaction forms a stable, solid carbonate, which can be used in building materials. Community Energy will use minerals from the waste produced at mining facilities to enhance the rate of carbon mineralization, increase the amount of available minerals used to capture CO2, and produce building materials, such as aggregate for making cement, which can offset some of the carbon footprint associated with the cement industry.

Status: ACTIVE
State: WI
Project Term: 09/09/2019 - 09/08/2022
Program: HITEMMP

CompRex

CompRex aims to transform heat exchange technology for high temperature (>800°C or 1472°F) and high pressure (80 bar or 1160 psi) applications through the use of advanced metal and ceramic composite material, development of a new simplified manufacturing approach, and optimization of heat exchanger design based on the new material and manufacturing process. This solution could not only satisfy the performance requirements of next generation power cycles but also significantly lower costs of production and scale-up by as much as 40% compared with existing state-of-the-art heat exchangers.…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 04/27/2015 - 08/15/2018
Program: DELTA

Cornell University

Cornell University will develop thermoregulatory apparel that enables the expansion of the comfortable temperature range in buildings by more than 4°F in both heating and cooling seasons. Cornell’s thermoregulatory apparel integrates advanced textile technologies and state-of-the-art wearable electronics into a functional apparel design without compromising comfort, wearability, washability, appearance, or safety. The thermoregulatory clothing system senses the wearer’s skin temperature and activates a heated or cooled airflow around the individual, reducing the energy required to heat or…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 02/08/2012 - 08/07/2015
Program: GENI

Cornell University

Cornell University is creating a new software platform for grid operators called GridControl that will utilize cloud computing to more efficiently control the grid. In a cloud computing system, there are minimal hardware and software demands on users. The user can tap into a network of computers that is housed elsewhere (the cloud) and the network runs computer applications for the user. The user only needs interface software to access all of the cloud's data resources, which can be as simple as a web browser. Cloud computing can reduce costs, facilitate innovation through sharing,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 08/17/2016 - 08/16/2017
Program: IDEAS

Cornell University

Cornell University will develop a new type of rechargeable lithium metal battery that provides superior performance over existing lithium-ion batteries. The anode, or negative side of a lithium-ion battery, is usually composed of a carbon-based material. In lithium metal batteries, the anode is made of metallic lithium. While using metallic lithium could result in double the storage capacity, lithium metal batteries have unreliable performance, safety issues, and premature cell failure. There are two major causes for this performance degradation. First, side reactions can occur between the…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 02/01/2013 - 05/01/2014
Program: OPEN 2012

Cornell University

Cornell University is developing a new photobioreactor that is more efficient than conventional bioreactors at producing algae-based fuels. Traditional photobioreactors suffer from several limitations, particularly poor light distribution, inefficient fuel extraction, and the consumption of large amounts of water and energy. Cornell’s bioreactor is compact, making it more economical to grow engineered algae and collect the fuel the algae produces. Cornell’s bioreactor also delivers sunlight efficiently through low-cost, plastic, light-guiding sheets. By distributing optimal amounts of…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 04/26/2018 - 05/25/2021
Program: SENSOR

Cornell University

Cornell University will develop an occupant monitoring system to enable more efficient control of HVAC systems in commercial buildings. The system is based on a combination of "active" radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and "passive" tags. Instead of requiring occupants to wear tags, the tags, as coordinated landmarks, will be distributed around a commercial area to enable an accurate occupancy count. When occupants, stationary or moving, are present among the RFID reader and multiple tags, their interference on the backscattering paths can be exploited to gain insights on the room…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 08/01/2015 - 10/16/2017
Program: SWITCHES

Cornell University

Cornell University will develop an innovative, high-efficiency, gallium nitride (GaN) power switch. Cornell’s design is significantly smaller and operates at much higher performance levels than conventional silicon power switches, making it ideal for use in a variety of power electronics applications. Cornell will also reuse expensive GaN materials and utilize conventional low-cost production methods to keep costs down.

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 01/25/2021 - 01/24/2023
Program: Special Projects

Cornell University

Cornell University will use advanced genomics, synthetic biology and microfluidic laboratory evolution devices to engineer two sets of exotic microbes to (1) extract REE from ores, spent cracking catalysts, coal ash and electronic waste, and (2) purify REE into single element batches. These two sets of engineered organisms will enable high-efficiency, high-selectivity extraction of REE from ore and end-of-life feedstocks, and purification of mixed REE into isolated element solutions, all under benign conditions without the need of harsh solvents and high temperatures. These new technologies…

Status: CANCELLED
State: IL
Project Term: 01/15/2014 - 06/13/2014
Program: REMOTE

Coskata

Coskata is engineering methanol fermentation into an anaerobic microorganism to enable a low-cost biological approach for liquid fuel production. Currently, the most well-known processes available to convert methane into fuel are expensive and energy-intensive. Coskata is constructing strains of the anaerobic bacteria to efficiently and cost-effectively convert activated methane to butanol, an alcohol that can be used directly as part of a fuel blend. Coskata’s process involves molecular genetics to introduce and control specific genes, and to inactivate undesired pathways, together with…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NH
Project Term: 08/13/2019 - 02/12/2022
Program: OPEN 2018

Creare

Creare, in partnership with IMBY Energy, is developing a mass-manufacturable, recuperated, closed-loop Brayton-cycle microturbine that will provide 5 kW of electrical power for residential and commercial buildings. The waste heat from the device can be harvested for heating. Technical innovations in the system that are anticipated to enable high efficiency at an attractive cost include a diffusion bonded foil recuperator, a turbomachine with specialized hydrodynamic gas bearings, a binary working fluid mixture and flameless combustion.

Status: ACTIVE
State: NH
Project Term: 04/05/2021 - 04/04/2023
Program: Special Projects

Creare

Reducing the cost of CO2 removal from the air requires developing a new contactor, which captures CO2 so it can be recovered, concentrated, and stored. Creare aims to develop a contactor using Creare’s low-cost additive manufacturing methods. Creare will also incorporate a low-cost, durable sorbent that captures CO2 molecules from ambient air and releases CO2 for storage when heated to moderate temperatures. The contactor is designed for wind-driven operation, which reduces cost by eliminating the need for large arrays of fans to blow air through the system.

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 09/01/2010 - 12/31/2014
Program: ADEPT

Cree

Cree is developing silicon carbide (SiC) power transistors that are 50% more energy efficient than traditional transistors. Transistors act like a switch, controlling the electrical energy that flows through an electrical circuit. Most power transistors today use silicon semiconductors to conduct electricity. However, transistors with SiC semiconductors operate at much higher temperatures, as well as higher voltage and power levels than their silicon counterparts. SiC-based transistors are also smaller and require less cooling than those made with traditional silicon power technology. Cree’s…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 01/25/2012 - 07/31/2017
Program: Solar ADEPT

Cree

Cree is developing a compact, lightweight power conversion device that is capable of taking utility-scale solar power and outputting it directly into the electric utility grid at distribution voltage levels--eliminating the need for large transformers. Transformers "step up" the voltage of the power that is generated by a solar power system so it can be efficiently transported through transmission lines and eventually "stepped down" to usable voltages before it enters homes and businesses. Power companies step up the voltage because less electricity is lost along transmission lines when the…

Status: CANCELLED
State: AR
Project Term: 03/14/2018 - 03/13/2022
Program: CIRCUITS

Cree Fayetteville

Cree Fayetteville (operating as Wolfspeed, A Cree Company) will team with Ford Motor Company and the University of Michigan-Dearborn to build a power converter for DC fast chargers for electric vehicles using a solid-state transformer based on silicon carbide. The team will construct a single-phase 500 kW building block for a DC fast charger that is at least four times the power density of todays installed units. This device would offer significant improvements in efficiency (greater than 60% less power losses), size/weight (greater than 75% smaller size, 85% less weight), and cost (40% lower…

Status: ALUMNI
State: AR
Project Term: 02/03/2017 - 02/02/2018
Program: IDEAS

Cree Fayetteville

Cree Fayetteville will develop high voltage (10kV), high energy density (30 J/cm3), high temperature (150 °C+) capacitors utilizing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond capable of powering the next generation of high-performance power electronics systems. CVD diamond is a superior material for capacitors due to its strong electrical, mechanical, and materials qualities that are inherently stable over varying temperatures. It also has similar qualities of single crystal diamond without the high cost. Commercial CVD diamond deposition will be utilized to prove the feasibility of the…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WA
Project Term: 07/01/2019 - 06/30/2022
Program: OPEN 2018

CTFusion

CTFusion is developing an early-stage approach to a commercially viable fusion power plant. The company will pursue higher performance in a compact fusion configuration called a spheromak through targeted upgrades of an existing plasma system. The project aims to demonstrate the required physical parameters, engineering performance, and scalability of the team's fusion concept toward an eventual electricity-producing, economical fusion power plant. CTFusion plans to 1) provide an integrated demonstration of its novel plasma sustainment method called imposed-dynamo current drive (IDCD) and 2)…

Status: ALUMNI
State: IN
Project Term: 02/09/2016 - 08/08/2018
Program: OPEN 2015

Cummins Corporate Research & Technology

Cummins Corporate Research & Technology will develop an advanced high efficiency natural gas-fueled internal combustion engine for high-power distributed electricity generation. The team is seeking to achieve 55% brake thermal efficiency while maintaining low exhaust emissions. The enabling technology is wet compression, where fine droplets of water are sprayed directly into the engine cylinders, causing the charge temperature to drop and thereby prevent the onset of damaging engine knock at high compression ratios. Since it takes less energy to compress cooler air, the savings from…

Status: ALUMNI
State: FL
Project Term: 10/01/2010 - 02/29/2012
Program: BEETIT

Dais Analytic Corporation

Dais Analytic Corporation is developing a product called NanoAir which dehumidifies the air entering a building to make air conditioning more energy efficient. The system uses a polymer membrane that allows moisture but not air to pass through it. A vacuum behind the membrane pulls water vapor from the air, and a second set of membranes releases the water vapor outside. The membrane's high selectivity translates into reduced energy consumption for dehumidification. Dais' design goals for NanoAir are the use of proprietary materials and processes and industry-standard installation…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NH
Project Term: 01/01/2012 - 03/30/2013
Program: REACT

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College is developing specialized alloys with magnetic properties superior to the rare earths used in today's best magnets. EVs and renewable power generators typically use rare earths to turn the axles in their electric motors due to the magnetic strength of these minerals. However, rare earths are difficult and expensive to refine. Dartmouth will swap rare earths for a manganese-aluminum alloy that could demonstrate better performance and cost significantly less. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop an easily scalable process that enables the widespread use of low-…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TX
Project Term: 04/24/2020 - 10/31/2021
Program: Special Projects

Deep Reach Technology

Seabed mining may be the best option to fill the impending gap in terrestrial supplies for nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements, which are increasingly used to manufacture electric vehicles and large lithium-ion batteries. Deep Reach Technology will design a novel nodule collector to minimize the impact of sediment plumes, which may disperse and cover the seabed beyond the mining area. The project uses augmented screening and seabed electrocoagulation to achieve this goal. The proposed technology has the potential to fast-track deep sea mining.

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 02/01/2010 - 12/31/2013
Program: OPEN 2009

Delphi Automotive Systems

Delphi Automotive Systems is developing power converters that are smaller and more energy efficient, reliable, and cost-effective than current power converters. Power converters rely on power transistors which act like a very precisely controlled on-off switch, controlling the electrical energy flowing through an electrical circuit. Most power transistors today use silicon (Si) semiconductors. However, Delphi is using semiconductors made with a thin layer of gallium-nitride (GaN) applied on top of the more conventional Si material. The GaN layer increases the energy efficiency of the power…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MN
Project Term: 05/19/2021 - 05/18/2023
Program: Special Projects

Designs by Natural Processes

Designs by Natural Processes, Inc., aims to make novel cement at ambient temperature using 55% municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator ash. The team will add low-cost chemicals to better sequester environmentally problematic combustion gases, chemicals, and heavy metals during incineration, eliminating undesired chemicals in the ash-rich cement leachate. The team's objective is to develop an alternative to traditional ordinary Portland cement (OPC), which cannot sequester nearly as much ash (16%). OPC requires a temperature of 1300°C for its manufacture, and sets up in about a month for a…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 04/27/2015 - 10/30/2019
Program: CHARGES

Det Norske Veritas (DNV GL)

Det Norske Veritas (DNV GL) and Group NIRE will provide a unique combination of third-party testing facilities, testing and analysis methodologies, and expert oversight to the evaluation of ARPA-E-funded energy storage systems. The project will leverage DNV GL’s deep expertise in economic analysis of energy storage technologies, and will implement economically optimized duty cycles into the testing and validation protocol. DNV GL plans to test ARPA-E storage technologies at its state-of-the-art battery testing facility in partnership with the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 08/15/2016 - 08/14/2019
Program: NODES

Det Norske Veritas (DNV GL)

DNV GL together with its partners, Geli and Group NIRE, will develop an Internet of Energy (IoEn) platform for the automated scheduling, aggregation, dispatch, and performance validation of network optimized DERs and controllable loads. The IoEn platform will simultaneously manage both system-level regulation and distribution-level support functions to facilitate large-scale integration of distributed generation onto the grid. The IoEn will demonstrate a novel and scalable approach for the fast registration and automated dispatch of DERs by combining DNV GL’s power system simulation tools and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 10/01/2012 - 04/01/2015
Program: AMPED

Det Norske Veritas (DNV KEMA)

Det Norske Veritas (DNV KEMA) is testing a new gas monitoring system developed by NexTech Materials to provide early warning signals that a battery is operating under stressful conditions and at risk of premature failure. As batteries degrade, they emit low level quantities of gas that can be measured over the course of a battery's life-time. DNV KEMA is working with NexTech to develop technology to accurately measure these gas emissions. By taking accurate stock of gas emissions within the battery pack, the monitoring method could help battery management systems predict when a battery is…

Status: ALUMNI
State: FL
Project Term: 02/01/2013 - 03/06/2017
Program: OPEN 2012

Dioxide Materials

Dioxide Materials is developing technology to produce carbon monoxide, or “synthesis gas” electrochemically from CO2 emitted by power plants. Synthesis gas can be used as a feedstock for the production of industrial chemicals and liquid fuels. The current state-of-the-art process for capturing and removing CO2 from the flue gas of power plants is expensive and energy intensive, and therefore faces significant hurdles towards widespread implementation. The technologies being developed by Dioxide Materials aim to convert CO2 into something useful in an economical and practical way. The…

Status: ALUMNI
State: FL
Project Term: 02/01/2016 - 01/31/2019
Program: OPEN 2015

Dioxide Materials

The team led by Dioxide Materials will develop an alkaline water electrolyzer for an improved power-to-gas system. The team’s electrochemical cells are composed of an anode, a cathode, and a membrane that allows anions to pass through, while being electrically insulating. High-conductivity anion exchange membranes are rare and often do not have the chemical or mechanical stability to withstand H2 production at elevated pressures. Therefore, the project is focused on developing an anion exchange membrane that is low-cost, is manufacturable in a scaleable process, and has sufficient…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MO
Project Term: 09/24/2019 - 12/23/2021
Program: OPEN 2018

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

In the last decade, big data has enabled high-yield production of bioenergy crops. The drawback in agricultural systems data is that researchers are grappling with large, complex, multidimensional datasets comprised of thousands of data layers captured weekly or daily in dynamic outdoor environments. Converting all of these measurements into knowledge and actionable outcomes that keeps up with farmer and researcher demand is difficult. Tools that can automatically detect patterns in this data are needed to guide agricultural researchers to better inform experimental design and data analysis.

Status: ALUMNI
State: MO
Project Term: 01/01/2012 - 12/31/2016
Program: PETRO

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center will optimize light utilization in Camelina, a drought-resistant, cold-tolerant oilseed crop. The team is modifying how Camelina collects sunlight, engineering its topmost leaves to be lighter in color so sunlight can more easily reflect onto lower parts of the plant. A more uniform distribution of light would improve the efficiency of photosynthesis. Combined with other strategies to produce more oil in the seed, Camelina would yield more oil per plant. The team is also working to allow Camelina to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) more efficiently,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MO
Project Term: 09/15/2015 - 06/30/2020
Program: TERRA

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, in collaboration with partners from seven institutions, proposes an integrated open-sourced phenotyping system for energy sorghum. Phenotyping is the assessment of observable plant traits, and is critical for breeding improvements. The team will develop a central repository for high quality phenotyping datasets, and make this resource available to other TERRA project groups and the wider community to stimulate further innovations. The team will collect data with their complete system that will include a number of components. First, the team will…

Status: ACTIVE
State: PA
Project Term: 07/15/2010 - 01/14/2022
Program: BREAKERS

Drexel University

Drexel University is proposing a solid-state MV circuit breaker based on silicon carbide devices, a resonant topology, and capacitive wireless power transfer that aims to significantly improve breaker performance for the MVDC ecosystem. The project combines innovations in using an active resonant circuit to realize zero-current switching, wireless capacitive coupling between the conduction and breaker branches to avoid direct metal-to-metal contact for rapid response speed, and wireless powering to drive the MV switches for improved system reliability.

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 05/14/2015 - 11/13/2019
Program: MONITOR

Duke University

Duke University, in conjunction with its partners, will build a coded aperture miniature mass spectrometer environmental sensor (CAMMS-ES) for use in a methane monitoring system. The team will also develop search, location, and characterization algorithms. Duke will apply its recent innovations in mass spectrometers to increase the throughput of the spectrometer, providing continuous sampling without diminishing its resolution by integrating spatially coded apertures and corresponding reconstruction algorithms. The coded aperture will also provide advanced specificity and sensitivity for…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 06/06/2018 - 12/05/2020
Program: SENSOR

Duke University

Duke University will develop a residential sensor system that uses a dynamic meta-surface radar antenna design to determine occupancy in residential buildings. Traditional line-of-sight movement sensors suffer from high error rates. To increase accuracy, the Duke team will develop a sensor that monitors electromagnetic waveforms that are scattered both directly and indirectly off a person, eliminating the need for a direct line-of-sight between the sensor and the person. The sensor hardware continuously generates distinct microwave patterns to probe all corners of the house. Once a person…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NC
Project Term: 08/27/2020 - 08/26/2023
Program: PERFORM

Duke University

Duke University is developing a Grid that’s Risk-Aware for Clean Electricity (GRACE) energy management system (EMS) framework for characterizing the uncertainty of electric power system assets to optimize their performance. GRACE determines the scheduling, dispatch, and compensation of different resources in organized wholesale electricity markets and vertically integrated utilities by building upon industry-implemented market structure and algorithms to incorporate risk considerations. The team will characterize uncertainty of grid asset performance, determine risk-aware reserve targets and…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 09/03/2020 - 09/02/2021
Program: PERFORM

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…