ARPA-E: The First Seven Years - A Sampling of Project Outcomes
Since 2009, ARPA-E has funded over 500 potentially transformational energy technology projects. Many of these projects have already demonstrated early indicators of technical and commercial success. ARPA-E has begun the process of analyzing and cataloging some of the agency’s most successful projects. This document is a compilation of the first volume of these impactful technologies. Click below to go directly to individual projects within the compilation.
Grid-Scale Batteries
- Fluidic (GRIDS) – Enhanced Metal-Air Energy Storage System with Advanced Grid-Interoperable Power Electronics Enabling Scalability and Ultra-Low Cost
- CUNY (GRIDS) – Low-Cost Grid-Scale Electrical Storage Using a Flow-Assisted Rechargeable Zinc-Manganese Dioxide Battery
- Harvard Flow Battery (OPEN 2012) – Small Organic Molecule Based Flow Battery+
- 24M (BEEST) – Semi-Solid Rechargeable Power Sources: Flexible, High Performance Storage at Ultralow Cost
- Energy Storage Systems (ESS) (GRIDS SBIR) – 25kW 200kWh Energy Storage System based on All-iron Hybrid Flow Battery
- Primus (GRIDS) – Low-Cost, High Performance Flow Cells
- UTRC (GRIDS) – Transformative Electromechanical Flow Storage System
- Alveo (OPEN 2012) - Open Framework Electrode Batteries for Cost-Effective Stationary Storage
Transportation
- Ford (AMPED) – High Precision Life Testing of Automotive Batteries and Grid Storage Batteries
- PARC (AMPED) – Smart Embedded Network of Sensors with Optical Readout
- Sila (SBIR) – Doubling the Energy Density Anodes of Lithium-ion Batteries for Transportation
- FastCap (OPEN 2009) – Open Low-Cost, High Energy and Power Density, Nanotube-Enhanced Ultracapacitors
- REL (MOVE) – Fully and Intricately Conformable, Single-Piece, Mass-Manufacturable High-Pressure Gas Storage Tanks
- Onboard Dynamics (MOVE) – Vehicle-integrated Natural Gas Compressor
- Plant Sensory Systems (OPEN 2012) – Development of High-Output, Low-Input Energy Beets
- University of Florida (PETRO) – Producing Terpene Biofuels in Pine Trees
Grid Operations
- Smart Wires (GENI) – Distributed Power Flow Control Using Smart Wires for Energy Routing
- Varentec (GENI) – Compact Dynamic Phase Angle Regulators for Transmission Power Routing
- Boston University (GENI) – Transmission Topology Control for Infrastructure Resilience to the Integration of Renewable Generation
- Autogrid (GENI) – Highly Dispatchable and Distributed Demand Response for the Integration of Distributed Generation
Power Electronics
- APEI (ADEPT) – Low-Cost, Highly-Integrated Silicon Carbide (SiC) Multichip Power Modules (MCPMs) for Efficient Electric Vehicle Chargers
- Transphorm (ADEPT) – High Performance GaN HEMT Modules for Agile Power Electronics
- Cambridge Electronics/MIT (ADEPT) – Advanced Technologies for Integrated Power Electronics
- Solarbridge Technologies (Solar ADEPT) – Scalable Submodule Power Conversion Methods for Power Density, Efficiency, Performance, and Protection Leaps in Utility-scale Photovoltaics
- Monolith Semiconductors (SWITCHES) – Advanced Manufacturing and Performance Enhancements for Reduced-cost Silicon Carbide MOSFETs
- Soraa (OPEN 2009) – Ammonothermal Bulk GaN Crystal Growth
Energy Efficiency and Clean Power – Direct and Enabling Technologies
- Makani (OPEN 2009) – Airborne Wind Turbine
- 1366 (OPEN 2009) – Direct Wafer: Enabling Terawatt Photovoltaics
- Foro (OPEN 2009) – Low-contact Drilling Technology to Enable Economical EGS Wells
- Brookhaven/AMSC & University of Houston/SuperPower (REACT) – Superconducting Wires for Direct-Drive Wind Generators
- Stanford Radiative Cooling (OPEN 2012) – Photonic Structures for High-Efficiency Daytime Radiative Cooling
- Harvard SLIPS (OPEN 2012) – Novel Slippery Coatings for Extreme Energy-savings
- UHV Technologies (METALS) – Low-Cost High-Throughput In-Line XRF Scrap Metal Sorter
- Phononic Devices (OPEN 2009) – Advanced Semiconductor Materials for High Efficiency Thermoelectric Devices
- Infinia Technology Corporation (ITC) (BEETIT) – An Advanced Cooler with Benign Refrigerants