Status: ACTIVE
State: PA
Project Term: 09/09/2022 - 09/08/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Media and Process Technology (MPT)

Media and Process Technology (MPT) proposed a process to convert high-energy evaporative drying into lowenergy filtration with the potential to reduce energy consumption in wet substrate dewatering by up to 90%. The team will demonstrate the technical feasibility and energy and cost savings potential of a non-evaporative substrate drying process based upon supercritical CO2 (scCO2) extraction combined with downstream ceramic membrane filtration. In addition, MPT will conduct ceramic membrane permeation study for low cost scCO2 recovery and recycle for the proposed drying process as well as…

Status: ALUMNI
State: SC
Project Term: 07/09/2010 - 02/15/2015
Program: Electrofuels
Award: $2,632,680

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is developing an engineered system to create liquid fuels from communities of interdependent microorganisms. MUSC is first pumping carbon dioxide (CO2) and renewable sources of electricity into a battery-like cell. A community of microorganisms uses the electricity to convert the CO2 into hydrogen. That hydrogen is then consumed by another community of microorganisms living in the same system. These new microorganisms convert the hydrogen into acetate, which in turn feed yet another community of microorganisms. This last community of microorganisms…

Status: Selected
State: ID
Project Term: 05/08/2024 - 05/07/2027
Program: GOPHURRS
Award: $1,999,978

Melni Technologies

Melni Technologies is redesigning and developing novel medium-voltage power cable splice kits that require fewer steps and streamline connections to greatly reduce human errors and boost the reliability of underground electrical power distribution systems. The splice kits feature Melni's proprietary Dual Helix Spiral Technology, which expands and contracts as electrical currents and temperatures vary. The kit also contains an integrated housing system with medium-voltage insulation and components that require only basic hand tools for installation. Melni’s proposed kits could be installed…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TX
Project Term: 08/24/2022 - 08/23/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Metalx Biocycle

Metalx Biocycle aims to enable the recycling of critical metals from electronic waste (e-waste) at a cost that is competitive against extraction via conventional mining. Most e-waste ends up in landfills where it causes serious environmental issues; and conventional extraction methods rely on inefficient, expensive, energyintensive processes. The Metalx Biocycle team will leverage biological processes to efficiently extract, concentrate, and purify critical metals and rare earth elements from e-waste and low-grade mineral ores. They plan to develop a biological recovery platform that provides…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 10/22/2015 - 12/31/2018
Program: GENSETS
Award: $2,614,492

Metis Design Corporation (MDC)

Metis Design Corporation (MDC) with Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory will develop a Brayton cycle engine for residential use to produce heat and electricity. To begin the cycle, air is drawn into the system where it is compressed and pressurized. This compressed air is then heated in a recuperator and introduced in to the combustion chamber. Fuel is injected in to the combustion chamber and subsequently the air-fuel mixture is ignited. The high temperature exhaust gases then expand through a turbine, providing some of the work that drives the original compressor and the remainder produces…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TX
Project Term: 05/01/2024 - 04/30/2027
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $3,000,000

MetOx Technologies

MetOx Technologies is developing faster manufacturing of low-cost high-temperature superconducting tapes to enable the energy transition, such as supporting more powerful electric grid cables and more powerful magnets to unlock fusion power generation. MetOx will transform its manufacturing process in several areas including improving equipment throughput, material efficiency, and tape performance. The proposed changes would increase the film deposition rates by five times and the current carrying capacity of the tapes by three times while providing significantly greater manufacturing yield.

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 03/31/2021 - 03/30/2024
Program: SMARTFARM
Award: $1,967,446

Michigan Aerospace Corporation

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a significant greenhouse gas that, once emitted, has 300 times more heat-trapping capability than CO2 on a 100-year timescale. It also depletes the ozone layer. Michigan Aerospace Corporation proposes to develop an inexpensive system to sense N2O emissions from agricultural fields using laser-based sensors mounted on drones. These sensors include an optical absorption cell, a short-range miniature wind LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging), and a camera for plant health and ground assessment. The measurements from these sensors will be combined and processed with…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 01/23/2019 - 12/31/2021
Program: DAYS
Award: $1,999,950

Michigan State University (MSU)

The Michigan State University team will develop a modular thermal energy storage system that uses electricity from sources like wind and solar power to heat up a bed of magnesium manganese oxide (Mg-Mn-O) particles to high temperatures. Once heated, the Mg-Mn-O will release oxygen and store the heat energy in the form of chemical energy. Later, when additional power is needed, the system will pass air over the particle bed, initiating a chemical reaction that releases heat to drive a gas turbine generator. The low cost of magnesium and manganese oxides will enable the system to be cost…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 02/08/2012 - 11/15/2015
Program: GENI
Award: $2,399,984

Michigan State University (MSU)

Michigan State University (MSU) is developing a power flow controller to improve the routing of electricity from renewable sources through existing power lines. The fast, innovative, and lightweight circuitry that MSU is incorporating into its controller will eliminate the need for a separate heavy and expensive transformer, as well as the construction of new transmission lines. MSU's controller is better suited to control power flows from distributed and intermittent wind and solar power systems than traditional transformer-based controllers are, so it will help to integrate more…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 09/27/2019 - 06/26/2023
Program: HITEMMP
Award: $2,250,000

Michigan State University (MSU)

Michigan State University’s proposed technology is a highly scalable heat exchanger suited for high-efficiency power generation systems that use supercritical CO2 as a working fluid and operate at high temperature and high pressure. It features a plate-type heat exchanger that enables lower cost powder-based manufacturing. The approach includes powder compaction and sintering (powder metallurgy) integrated with laser-directed energy deposition additive manufacturing. Each plate is covered with packed, precisely designed and formed three-dimensional features that promote mixing, intensify heat…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 01/14/2010 - 09/30/2013
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $3,068,591

Michigan State University (MSU)

Michigan State University (MSU) is developing a new engine for use in hybrid automobiles that could significantly reduce fuel waste and improve engine efficiency. In a traditional internal combustion engine, air and fuel are ignited, creating high-temperature and high-pressure gases that expand rapidly. This expansion of gases forces the engine's pistons to pump and powers the car. MSU's engine has no pistons. It uses the combustion of air and fuel to build up pressure within the engine, generating a shockwave that blasts hot gas exhaust into the blades of the engine's rotors…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 06/19/2020 - 10/31/2022
Program: SENSOR
Award: $750,904

Michigan State University (MSU)

Michigan State University (MSU) will develop a comprehensive testing protocol and simulation tool to evaluate the reliability, energy savings potential, and ease of commissioning of occupancy sensor system technologies for commercial and residential buildings. This will include controlled laboratory and field testing considering several model interior configurations and diverse residential and commercial building types. Ground truth occupancy values will be established from realistic occupancy scenarios. MSU will disseminate results from this effort to the HVAC community to help establish a…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 02/19/2014 - 09/30/2017
Program: SWITCHES
Award: $2,245,868

Michigan State University (MSU)

Michigan State University (MSU) will develop high-voltage diamond semiconductor devices for use in high-power electronics. Diamond is an excellent conductor of electricity when boron or phosphorus is added—or doped—into its crystal structures. It can also withstand much higher temperatures with higher performance levels than silicon, which is used in the majority of today’s semiconductors. However, current techniques for growing doped diamond and depositing it on electronic devices are difficult and expensive. MSU is overcoming these challenges by using an innovative, low-cost, lattice-…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 01/01/2020 - 12/31/2022
Program: HITEMMP
Award: $1,846,000

Michigan Technological University (MTU)

Michigan Technological University will use advanced ceramic-based 3D printing technology to develop next-generation light, low-cost, ultra-compact, high-temperature, high-pressure (HTHP) heat exchangers. These will be able to operate at temperatures above 1100°C (2012°F) and at pressures above 80 bar (1160 psi). Current technologies cannot produce the high density, monolithic sintered silicon carbide (SSiC) material required for high temperature, high pressure recuperators. The team has invented a direct–ink writing technology for ceramics and techniques to 3D print high-density SSiC parts at…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MI
Project Term: 03/01/2017 - 12/31/2024
Program: NEXTCAR
Award: $7,385,719

Michigan Technological University (MTU)

Michigan Technological University (MTU), in partnership with General Motors (GM), will develop, validate, and demonstrate a fleet of connected electric vehicles and a mobile cloud-connected computing center. The project will integrate advanced controls with connected and automated vehicle functions and enable: eco-routing, efficient approach and departure from traffic signals and cooperative driving between multiple vehicles, including speed harmonization. Use of the new vehicle dynamic and powertrain controls will allow a 20% reduction in energy consumption and a 6% increase in all-electric…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MI
Project Term: 12/16/2020 - 12/15/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $293,079

Michigan Technological University (MTU)

The proposed project will develop a reductive bioleaching process, using bacteria to recover manganese from low-grade U.S. ores. Manganese is key to several common battery technologies, with no substitutes in its major applications. It has not been mined in the US since the 1970s. The mining technology is a major departure from conventional manganese mining because it allows manganese extraction without significant environmental disturbance or the use of toxic chemicals.

Status: ACTIVE
State: MI
Project Term: 01/31/2023 - 01/30/2026
Program: MINER
Award: $2,467,817

Michigan Technological University (MTU)

Michigan Technological University (MTU) will achieve a decrease of 10 wt% CO2 equivalent per tonne of ore processed compared with current methods for primary nickel extraction by a) storing CO2 in CO2-reactive minerals and b) recovering an additional 80% of energy-relevant minerals from nickel-bearing minerals in mine tailings. MTU will achieve these two major goals by developing accelerated carbon mineralization and carbon negative metal extraction technologies. MTU will demonstrate 200 kg of CO2 storage per tonne of magnesium-rich and iron-rich silicate minerals in nickel mine tailings…

Status: ALUMNI
State: FL
Project Term: 06/01/2021 - 11/30/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $499,997

Micro Nano Technologies (MNT)

Micro Nano Technologies (MNT) proposes a proof-of-concept, thermally driven industrial semi-open absorption heat pump drying system to address current drying technology limitations and increase energy efficiency by 40% over state of the art. Because it is heat source flexible, this efficient, compact, and cost-effective drying system will permit the use of the lowest cost fuel per location, reducing operating costs, saving energy, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions at the grid/system level.

Status: CANCELLED
State: IL
Project Term: 06/11/2014 - 08/04/2016
Program: FOCUS
Award: $2,721,984

MicroLink Devices

MicroLink Devices is developing a high-efficiency solar cell that can maintain efficient operation at high temperatures and leverage reusable cell templates to reduce overall cell cost. MicroLink’s cell will be able to operate at temperatures above 400°C, unlike today’s solar cells, which lose efficiency rapidly above 100°C and are likely to fail at high temperatures over time. MicroLink’s specialized dual-junction design will allow the cell to extract significantly more energy from the sun at high temperature than today’s cells, enabling the next generation of hybrid solar converters to…

Status: CANCELLED
State: IL
Project Term: 03/20/2013 - 09/01/2015
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $2,939,402

MicroLink Devices

MicroLink Devices is developing low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells to capture concentrated sunlight in an effort to increase the amount of electricity generated by concentrating solar power plants. The continued growth of the CPV market depends strongly on continuing to reduce the cost of CPV solar cell technologies. MicroLink will make an all-lattice-matched solar cell that can achieve greater power conversion efficiency than conventional CPV technologies, thereby reducing the cost of generating electricity. In addition, MicroLink will use manufacturing techniques that allow for the reuse…

Status: ALUMNI
State: IL
Project Term: 03/10/2014 - 12/09/2017
Program: SWITCHES
Award: $3,225,000

MicroLink Devices

MicroLink Devices will engineer affordable, high-performance transistors for power conversion. Currently, high-performance power transistors are prohibitively expensive because they are grown on expensive gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor wafers. In conventional manufacturing processes, this expensive wafer is permanently attached to the transistor, so the wafer can only be used once. MicroLink Devices will develop an innovative method to remove the transistor structure from the wafer without damaging any components, enabling wafer reuse and significantly reducing costs.

Status: CANCELLED
State: MO
Project Term: 08/01/2010 - 01/16/2013
Program: BEEST
Award: $1,146,472

Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T)

Researchers at Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T) are developing an affordable lithium-air (Li-Air) battery that could enable an EV to travel up to 350 miles on a single charge. Today’s EVs run on Li-Ion batteries, which are expensive and suffer from low energy density compared with gasoline. This new Li-Air battery could perform as well as gasoline and store 3 times more energy than current Li-Ion batteries. A Li-Air battery uses an air cathode to breathe oxygen into the battery from the surrounding air, like a human lung. The oxygen and lithium react in the…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MO
Project Term: 01/24/2023 - 01/23/2026
Program: MINER
Award: $1,595,716

Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T)

Missouri University of Science and Technology aims to establish a new way to extract energy-relevant minerals, such as nickel and cobalt, from low-concentration, CO2-reactive mafic/ultramafic mine wastes (tailings, gangue, overburden rock, etc.) or geologic formations. The innovation is enabled by a novel pretreatment of mafic mine wastes using a CO2- or biomass-derived organic acid, which can dissolve the silicates efficiently. The progressive dissolution will be followed by the precipitation of mineralization products, which will turn bulky silicate rocks into micron-sized crystal particles…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MO
Project Term: 01/01/2014 - 06/30/2017
Program: REMOTE
Award: $2,399,326

MOgene Green Chemicals

MOgene Green Chemicals will engineer a photosynthetic organism for methane conversion that can use energy from both methane and sunlight. The first step in aerobic biological activation of methane requires oxygen and the introduction of energy in the form of heat. Organisms that use methane typically do so through a process that creates carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, losing energy-rich carbon molecules in the process. To address this, MOgene will engineer a “phototrophic” organism to convert methane that is capable of deriving additional energy from sunlight. This will allow the organism…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MO
Project Term: 04/02/2020 - 10/01/2021
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $249,999

MOgene Green Chemicals

MOgene Green Chemicals will develop a novel photosynthetic microorganism-based consortia to capture carbon and build soil organic matter. Intensive agriculture practices, including the removal of residual crops, use of synthetic fertilizer and herbicides, and tillage practices, have led to lost organic matter, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and reduced capacity of the soil to store carbon. If successful, the team’s technology could increase organic matter production, help soil store additional carbon, and create more utilizable nitrogen.

Status: CANCELLED
State: NY
Project Term: 03/15/2016 - 06/09/2016
Program: GENSETS
Award: $2,500,000

Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc. (MiTi)

Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc. (MiTi) and its partners at the University of Texas at Austin and Mitis SA will develop a 1 kW microturbine generator for residential CHP based on MiTi’s hyperlaminar flow engine (HFE) design. Key innovations of the design include highly miniaturized components operating at ultra-high speeds and a viscous shear mechanism to compress air that is mixed with natural gas and undergoes a flameless combustion process that minimizes emissions. The hot combustion gas drives the turbine and generator to produce electricity and heat water for household use. Besides…

Status: CANCELLED
State: WA
Project Term: 06/06/2017 - 01/31/2019
Program: REFUEL
Award: $2,300,000

Molecule Works

Molecule Works will develop an electrochemical membrane reactor to produce ammonia from air, water, and renewable electricity. The team proposes a solid-state, thin-film alkaline electrochemical cell that has the potential to enhance ammonia synthesis productivity and energy efficiency, while lowering the cell material and fabrication costs. Current systems for ammonia production all have several challenges. Some use acidic membranes that can react with ammonia, resulting in lower conductivity and reduced membrane life. Others that operate at low temperatures (<100°C) may have low rates of…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 08/01/2022 - 07/31/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $499,866

Molten Industries

Molten Industries is using a new reactor technology to enable the direct conversion of biogas into sustainable aviation fuels and renewable diesel. Molten Industries' thermal reforming reactor powered by renewable electricity enables high energy efficiency at significant gas throughputs. If successful, this project will open a new route to upgrade biogas to fuels to increase U.S. sustainable fuel production.

Status: ALUMNI
State: DE
Project Term: 04/09/2019 - 03/31/2022
Program: MEITNER
Award: $2,168,247

Moltex Energy

Advanced reactors, including Moltex’s stable salt reactor design, may be able to forgo large, expensive containment structures common in the current fleet of nuclear plants. Molten salt fuel chemically binds dangerous radionuclides, limiting the potential for radioactive gas release. The Moltex team will apply modeling and simulation to demonstrate the absence of radionuclide release for their reactor concept in accident scenarios, and the associated feasibility of using a new class of containment structures that are faster to install onsite and with higher composite strength. This new…

Status: CANCELLED
State: DE
Project Term: 04/01/2021 - 09/30/2024
Program: GEMINA
Award: $4,618,868

Moltex Energy

Moltex Energy will develop a multi-physics plant digital twin environment for its Stable Salt Reactor - Wasteburner (SSR-W). SSR‑W is a low overnight-capital plant design, targeting a <$2/kWe build cost. The first-of-a-kind (FOAK) plant uses contemporary approaches to nuclear power plant design and may be encumbered with conventional O&M obligations. The digital twin will be used to evaluate proposed O&M improvements for the SSR-W and empower the FOAK operator to better predict faults and execute remedial actions. A non-nuclear separate effects test loop will support the digital…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 01/01/2014 - 09/30/2017
Program: SWITCHES
Award: $3,225,000

Monolith Semiconductor

Monolith Semiconductor will utilize advanced device designs and existing low-cost, high-volume manufacturing processes to create high-performance silicon carbide (SiC) devices for power conversion. SiC devices provide much better performance and efficiency than their silicon counterparts, which are used in the majority of today’s semiconductors. However, SiC devices cost significantly more. Monolith will develop a high-volume SiC production process that utilizes existing silicon manufacturing facilities to help drive down the cost of SiC devices.

Status: CANCELLED
State: CA
Project Term: 07/05/2021 - 03/31/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $499,968

Mosaic Materials

Direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a promising technology in reversing greenhouse gas emissions. DAC is possible through liquid and solid-sorbent technologies, but the lower energy costs for solid-sorbent technology can facilitate widespread, rapid deployment of DAC systems. Current DAC sorbents are limited in how much CO2 they can remove for a given amount of material, requiring large amounts of sorbent, increased system sizes, and higher cost. Mosaic Materials has developed an ultrahigh capacity sorbent using materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Mosaic…

Status: CANCELLED
State: MD
Project Term: 06/25/2018 - 03/31/2021
Program: SENSOR
Award: $1,529,239

N5 Sensors

N5 Sensors and its partners will develop and test a novel semiconductor-based CO2 sensor technology that can be placed on a single microchip. CO2 concentration data can help enable the use of variable speed ventilation fans in commercial buildings. CO2 sensing may also improve the comfort and productivity of people in commercial buildings, including academic spaces. N5 Sensor's solution will determine CO2 concentrations through absorption of CO2 when the concentrations are high in the environment, and desorption of CO2 when the concentrations are low. The team's project combines…

Status: CANCELLED
State: IL
Project Term: 01/18/2010 - 10/13/2011
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $1,621,435

Nalco

Nalco is developing a process to capture carbon in the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants. Conventional CO2 capture methods require the use of a vacuum or heat, which are energy-intensive and expensive processes. Nalco’s approach to carbon capture involves controlling the acidity of the capture mixture and using an enzyme to speed up the rate of carbon capture from the exhaust gas. Changing the acidity drives the removal of CO2 from the gas without changing temperature or pressure, and the enzyme speeds up the capture rate of CO2. In addition, Nalco’s technology would be simpler to…

Status: CANCELLED
State: CA
Project Term: 01/01/2010 - 10/14/2011
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $1,513,820

NanOasis Technologies

NanOasis Technologies is developing better membranes to filter salt from water during the reverse osmosis desalination process. Conventional reverse osmosis desalination processes pump water through a thin film membrane to separate out the salt. However, these membranes only provide modest water permeability, making the process highly energy intensive and expensive. NanOasis is developing membranes that consist of a thin, dense film with carbon nanotube pores that significantly enhance water transport, while effectively excluding the salt. Water can flow through the tiny pores of these carbon…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NH
Project Term: 09/23/2019 - 06/22/2022
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,475,124

NanoComp

Nanocomp Technologies will develop an industrially scalable method to convert NG to a high-value carbon material, Miralon®, while also producing H2. Converting methane to solids serves effectively as pre-combustion carbon capture. This process can occur at the megaton scale at permanent locations or a smaller scale at remote locations such as flare gas sites, where methane and other gases can be converted to more easily transported solid carbon and electricity. The carbon produced by this method is structural, and can be used to create lightweight, low-cost composite material for homes,…

Status: CANCELLED
State: CA
Project Term: 11/16/2015 - 12/02/2016
Program: GENSETS
Award: $959,723

NanoConversion Technologies

NanoConversion Technologies, along with researchers from Gas Technologies Institute (GTI), will develop a high-efficiency thermoelectric CHP system. This is a solid-state device that uses heat to create electricity and contains no moving parts, thus creating no noise or vibrations. Instead, this thermoelectric CHP engine uses a novel concentration mode-thermoelectric converter (C-TEC) to harness the heat of the natural gas combustor to vaporize and ionize sodium, creating positive sodium ions and electrons that carry electric current. The C-TEC uses this sodium expansion cycle to produce…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 10/01/2016 - 02/01/2019
Program: SHIELD
Award: $3,000,000

NanoSD

NanoSD, with its partners will develop a transparent, nanostructured thermally insulating film that can be applied to existing single-pane windows to reduce heat loss. To produce the nanostructured film, the team will create hollow ceramic or polymer nanobubbles and consolidate them into a dense lattice structure using heat and compression. Because it is mostly air, the resulting nanobubble structure will exhibit excellent thermal barrier properties. The film can be transparent because the nanostructures are too small to be seen, but achieving this transparency needs processing innovations…

Status: ACTIVE
State: OH
Project Term: 11/16/2023 - 11/01/2026
Program: ASCEND
Award: $1,398,372

NASA Glenn Research Center

More information on this project is coming soon!

Status: ALUMNI
State: WV
Project Term: 10/15/2019 - 05/31/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $2,027,488

National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)

NETL seeks to produce a novel fiber-optic sensor system for monitoring advanced nuclear reactors that will permit operators to view conditions inside molten-salt cooling loops and inside reactor cores simultaneously and in real-time. This high level of data visibility will enable advanced automation in new reactor systems, and enable design engineers to accelerate the deployment of new reactor designs for commercial use.

Status: ACTIVE
State: WV
Project Term: 08/21/2018 - 12/31/2024
Program: INTEGRATE
Award: $3,090,000

National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will simulate 2 different 100 kW-scale natural gas-fueled hybrid system configurations. These hybrid systems couple a solid oxide fuel cell stack with either a gas turbine or an internal combustion engine. In these simulations, NETL will use its cyber-physical system, in which the “cyber” fuel cell model is coupled with a physical turbine or engine to determine optimal system architectures, including equipment sizing and reforming method and extent. NETL will also design, build, and test multivariable control loops to optimize system efficiency…

Status: ALUMNI
State: WV
Project Term: 03/15/2021 - 12/31/2023
Program: ULTIMATE
Award: $1,900,000

National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will develop lightweight, cost-effective, precipitation-strengthened refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs) for additive manufacturing. The advantage is an alloy with all phases in thermodynamic equilibrium, promoting high microstructural stability. The alloys will be comprised of a ductile high entropy solid solution matrix strengthened by fine precipitates of the high entropy carbides. NETL will use high throughput, multi-scale computer modeling, and machine learning to identify novel alloys within the large compositional space. The team will…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CT
Project Term: 09/25/2023 - 09/30/2026
Program: MARINER
Award: $570,000

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)

In 2021, NCCOS developed two atlases that compile the best available science to inform the identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in the Gulf of Mexico and the Southern California Bight. NCCOS is using that same comprehensive marine spatial planning methodology to support development of commercial-scale macroalgae farms in the Southern California Bight. Complementary to this work, NCCOS (in partnership with BOEM and BelleQuant Engineering) is building a 3-D entanglement simulator to assess and reduce potential entanglement risk to protected species from offshore aquaculture,…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 01/20/2020 - 03/31/2023
Program: ATLANTIS
Award: $2,379,923

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with the University of Maine (UMaine) will develop and execute the Floating Offshore-wind and Controls Advanced Laboratory (FOCAL) experimental program. The project’s goal is to generate the first public FOWT scale-model dataset to include advanced turbine controls, floating hull load mitigation technology, and hull flexibility. Current FOWT numerical tools require new capabilities to adequately capture advanced designs based upon control co-design methods. The FOCAL experimental program will generate critical datasets to…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 01/20/2020 - 09/30/2022
Program: ATLANTIS
Award: $1,500,000

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will design an innovative floating offshore platform (SpiderFLOAT) to unlock the offshore wind market by lowering the cost of energy below the current value of fixed-bottom offshore wind plants. The project uses a revolutionary substructure based on a bioinspired, ultra-compliant, modular, and scalable concept and advanced control system. The team will complete preliminary design of a 10-MW unit by using CCD optimization techniques and advance the commercialization of the floating offshore wind technology.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 01/20/2020 - 03/31/2023
Program: ATLANTIS
Award: $3,268,854

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will develop a Wind Energy with Integrated Servo control (WEIS) model, a tool set that will enable CCD optimization of both conventional and innovative, cost-effective FOWTs. NREL’s WEIS model will be entirely open-source and publicly accessible, bringing together many components and disciplines into a concurrent design environment. The new tool is based on previous well-known NREL computer simulations (OpenFAST and WISDEM) and improves their capabilities and mathematical models for aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, mechanical structures, electrical…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 04/16/2019 - 09/30/2022
Program: DAYS
Award: $2,791,595

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory team will develop a high-temperature, low-cost thermal energy storage system using a high-performance heat exchanger and Brayton combined-cycle turbine to generate power. Electric heaters will heat stable, inexpensive solid particles to temperatures greater than 1100°C (2012°F) during charging, which can be stored in insulated silos for several days. To discharge the system, the hot particles will be fed through the fluidized bed heat exchanger, heating a working fluid to drive the gas turbine attached to a generator. The electricity storage system is…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 04/09/2020 - 09/30/2022
Program: DIFFERENTIATE
Award: $1,800,000

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will develop a machine learning-enhanced approach to the design of new battery materials. Currently, such materials are designed in part via numerous expensive high-fidelity computational simulations that predict the performance of a given composition. However, at present, humans must sift through the vast amounts of data generated and manually identify new compositions. To accelerate this process, NREL plans to develop a machine learning enhanced prediction tool that uses existing simulation data to predict the performance of new material…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 04/08/2020 - 08/31/2023
Program: DIFFERENTIATE
Award: $1,800,000

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will develop a novel wind turbine design capability that enables designers to explore advanced technology concepts at a lower cost. This capability will harness the power of a deep neural network (DNN)-based inverse design methodology. To overcome challenges with the use of traditional DNNs in this application, NREL will develop innovative techniques to sparsify the neural network using active subspaces that will ensure that the model is invertible and can quickly zoom in on relevant designs at minimal cost. The models will be trained using data…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CO
Project Term: 08/24/2016 - 09/30/2024
Program: GRID DATA
Award: $4,922,666

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with partner MIT-Comillas-IIT, will develop combined distribution-transmission power grid models. The team will create distribution models using a version of Comillas’ Reference Network Model (RNM) that will be adapted to U.S. utilities and based on real data from a broad range of utility partners. The models will be complemented by the development of customizable scenarios that can be used for accurate algorithm comparisons. These scenarios will take into account unknown factors that affect the grid, such as future power generation…