Status: ACTIVE
State: NH
Project Term: 08/13/2019 - 12/31/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,237,193

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: Exploratory Topics
Award: $769,822

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
Award: $5,999,973

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
Award: $2,794,354

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
Award: $1,910,463

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
Award: $498,272

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 - 09/30/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,415,797

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…

Status: ALUMNI
State: IN
Project Term: 02/09/2016 - 08/08/2018
Program: OPEN 2015
Award: $2,073,235

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: ACTIVE
State: NH
Project Term: 09/21/2021 - 03/20/2024
Program: SMARTFARM
Award: $1,840,203

Dagan

Environmental drivers that cause the production and flux of nitrous oxide (N2O) and spatial and temporal variability of soil carbon stocks create challenges to cost-effectively quantify N2O emissions and soil carbon stock changes at scale. Dagan aims to build, validate, and demonstrate an integrated system to reliably and economically measure field-level soil carbon and N2O emissions. The system will consist of a field sampling and measurement system; subfield scale process modeling to improve the quantification of soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions; a detailed model validation system…

Status: ALUMNI
State: FL
Project Term: 10/01/2010 - 02/29/2012
Program: BEETIT
Award: $681,322

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
Award: $397,432

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: CA
Project Term: 07/15/2022 - 07/14/2025
Program: ONWARDS
Award: $3,608,399

Deep Isolation

Deep Isolation will develop a universal canister design compatible with waste acceptance criteria for mined and borehole repositories to support cost-effective nuclear waste disposal options and provide flexibility for a broad range of advanced fuel forms and recycling products. The conventional nuclear fuel dry storage canisters in use today will likely require repackaging or reconfiguring before disposal. Deep Isolation’s new universal canister will create an elemental waste form component that will decouple the interdependent constraints between storage, transport, and disposal. The value…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 04/24/2020 - 03/31/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $497,397

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
Award: $7,044,569

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: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,000,000

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
Award: $3,015,779

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
Award: $2,149,963

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
Award: $2,030,961

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: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 05/16/2022 - 06/01/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $3,100,104

Dimensional Energy

More information on this project is coming soon!

Status: ALUMNI
State: FL
Project Term: 02/01/2013 - 03/06/2017
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $4,877,239

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
Award: $2,000,000

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 - 01/23/2023
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $4,399,595

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
Award: $7,073,289

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
Award: $10,596,973

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 - 01/14/2023
Program: BREAKERS
Award: $899,947

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
Award: $3,373,669

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
Award: $404,878

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
Award: $2,437,438

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: 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: ACTIVE
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: $1,988,268

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: ACTIVE
State: OH
Project Term: 05/01/2019 - 12/31/2022
Program: DAYS
Award: $3,806,946

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: ACTIVE
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: MA
Project Term: 08/09/2021 - 08/08/2023
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: $3,342,856

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: $1,219,551

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 - 09/14/2023
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: 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: ACTIVE
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…