Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 04/09/2020 - 07/08/2021
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Ultra-low Loss Technologies

To further the development of energy efficient integrated photonic networking technologies for datacenters and high performance computing, Ultra-low Loss Technologies (ULL) proposes to revolutionize chip-to-chip interconnects with massively parallel photonic channels based on photonic integrated circuit technology and spatial division multiplexing (SDM). This technology achieves between 10-1000X reduction in loss compared to competing technologies, which translates directly into lower power consumption.

Status: ALUMNI
State: TN
Project Term: 05/28/2020 - 11/27/2022
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Ultrasonic Technology Solutions

Direct contact ultrasonic drying is a novel, non-evaporative dewatering process that uses no heat to significantly lower the energy required for industrial drying. The technology mechanically removes water by shaking the object rapidly, on the micron scale, using piezoelectric transducers. The technology can achieve 5X higher efficiency and 2-3X faster drying rates than traditional dryers on typical textiles. UTS will develop and demonstrate a proof of concept prototype expanding the technology’s application from a batch into a continuous process, enabling easy integration into roll to roll…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 03/16/2018 - 12/30/2024
Program: MARINER
Award: $5,779,213

Umaro Foods

Umaro Foods (formerly Trophic), together with Otherlab and the University of New Hampshire, will lead a MARINER Category 1 project to design and develop a rugged and resilient offshore seafarm with high yield and low capital cost. The advanced design includes a passive, wave-driven upwelling system that brings nutrient rich seawater to the surface of the ocean, dramatically increasing yields (higher concentrations of nutrients exist in deeper ocean water). A robotic anchoring system will quickly and efficiently deploy environmentally friendly helical anchors into the seafloor with minimal…

Status: Selected
State: TBD
Project Term: TBD
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: TBD

Umaro Foods

Umaro Foods is leveraging advancements in chelator technology to efficiently extract rare earth elements and platinum group metals from seaweeds. They will be applying advanced metal chelator molecules to selectively extract metals in a non-destructive manner from process streams producing valuable food-grade seaweed proteins and commodities such as agar, alginate, and carrageenan. Combined with these co-commodities, the development of a sustainable and efficient extraction process from seaweed could bring about an independent, sustainable, and strategically resilient supply of rare earth…

Status: CANCELLED
State: CT
Project Term: 09/02/2010 - 03/16/2012
Program: BEETIT
Award: $1,427,515

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is developing an efficient air conditioning compressor that will use water as the refrigerant. Most conventional air conditioning systems use hydrofluorocarbons to cool the air, which are highly potent GHGs. Because water is natural and non-toxic, it is an attractive refrigerant. However, low vapor density of water requires higher compression ratios, typically resulting in large and inefficient multi-stage compression. UTRC’s design utilizes a novel type of supersonic compression that enables high-compression ratios in a single stage, thus enabling…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 09/02/2010 - 08/31/2014
Program: BEETIT
Award: $3,079,168

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is developing an air conditioning system that is optimized for use in warm and humid climates. UTRC's air conditioning system integrates a liquid drying agent or desiccant and a traditional vapor compression system found in 90% of air conditioners. The drying agent reduces the humidity in the air before it is cooled, using less energy. The technology uses a membrane as a barrier between the air and the liquid salt stream allowing only water vapor to pass through and not the salt molecules. This solves an inherent problem with traditional liquid…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 04/06/2018 - 10/05/2021
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $1,574,638

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) and its project team will develop an extremely efficient power converter capable of handling kilowatts of electricity at ultra-high power densities. The team will leverage the superior performance of silicon carbide (SiC) or gallium nitride (GaN) devices to achieve its efficiency and power density goals. In the aerospace industry, electrical power distribution can begin to displace pneumatic power distribution using this technology. Efficient power conversion in aircraft will be needed as hydraulic systems, including landing gear systems, are…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 04/06/2018 - 07/05/2021
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $1,899,939

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will develop a silicon carbide-based, single stage, 15 kW direct AC-to-AC (fixed frequency AC to variable frequency AC) power converter that avoids the need for an intermediate conversion to DC or energy storage circuit elements. The team seeks to build a device that weighs about half as much as available converters while demonstrating scalability for a broad power range (from kW to tens of MW) and achieving conversion efficiencies greater than 99%. If successful, the UTRC team will produce advances that help greatly reduce energy losses in a range…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 01/23/2019 - 05/31/2022
Program: DAYS
Award: $3,799,728

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

The United Technologies Research Center team will develop an energy storage system based on a new flow battery chemistry using inexpensive and readily available sulfur and manganese based active materials. The team will employ innovative strategies to overcome challenges of system control and unwanted crossover of active materials through the membrane. The affordable reactants, paired with the unique requirements for long-duration electricity discharge, present the opportunity for very low cost energy storage.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 06/19/2020 - 12/18/2022
Program: DIFFERENTIATE
Award: $1,548,000

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

The United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will work to accelerate the design of high-efficiency multi-stage compressors, via machine learning (ML), with considerations of aerodynamics, structures and additive manufacturability through their framework, MULTI-LEADER. The framework addresses four design challenges in current industrial practices: (1) concurrent optimization of multiple stages under non-linear constraints; (2) evaluation of high-fidelity and expensive solvers and their gradients during optimization convergence in high-dimensional design spaces; (3) multi-disciplinary design…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 06/08/2020 - 12/07/2022
Program: DIFFERENTIATE
Award: $1,439,858

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

The United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will develop an AI-accelerated search technique, LENS, to quickly discover new design concepts for energy applications. The project will combine the strengths of the two pillars of AI—logical inference and statistical learning—to achieve this task by using constraint programming, generative models, reduced order models, active learning, and rule discovery. The end goal is to accelerate the design of power converters, which have a significant impact on energy savings. UTRC’s project will aim to address key challenges in power converter design by…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 09/09/2010 - 09/30/2013
Program: GRIDS
Award: $3,599,894

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is developing a flow battery with a unique design that provides significantly more power than today's flow battery systems. A flow battery is a cross between a traditional battery and a fuel cell. Flow batteries store their energy in external tanks instead of inside the cell itself. Flow batteries have traditionally been expensive because the battery cell stack, where the chemical reaction takes place, is costly. In this project, UTRC is developing a new stack design that achieves 10 times higher power than today's flow batteries. This high…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 01/04/2012 - 01/03/2015
Program: HEATS
Award: $2,646,509

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is developing a new climate-control system for EVs that uses a hybrid vapor compression adsorption system with thermal energy storage. The targeted, closed system will use energy during the battery-charging step to recharge the thermal storage, and it will use minimal power to provide cooling or heating to the cabin during a drive cycle. The team will use a unique approach of absorbing a refrigerant on a metal salt, which will create a lightweight, high-energy-density refrigerant. This unique working pair can operate indefinitely as a traditional…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 09/23/2019 - 08/31/2022
Program: HITEMMP
Award: $2,277,636

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

UTRC will develop an ultra-compact, topology-optimized heat exchanger capable of operating in environments with temperatures and pressures up to 800°C (1472°F) and 250 bar (3626 psi) that is substantially smaller and more durable than state-of-the art high-temperature, high-pressure heat exchangers. A quadruple optimization approach that addresses performance, durability, manufacturing, and cost constraints provides the framework for the superalloy-based heat exchanger. UTRC will leverage extensive additive manufacturing research and aerospace and supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 11/06/2019 - 11/30/2022
Program: HITEMMP
Award: $1,779,646

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

UTRC will develop a high temperature, high strength, low cost glass-ceramic matrix composite heat exchanger capable of a long operational life in a range of harsh environments with temperatures and pressures as high as 1100°C (2012°F) and 250 bar (3626 psi). UTRC designed its Counterflow Honeycomb Heat Exchanger (CH-HX) configuration with an oxidation-resistant material developed initially for gas turbine applications. Its core feature is a joint-free, 3D-woven assembly of webbed tubes and cylindrical shapes to reduce stress and simplify manufacturing. The CH-HX is devoid of nearly all…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 04/01/2017 - 03/31/2018
Program: IDEAS
Award: $479,232

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will develop design tools and software for new thermofluidc components that can lead to 50% efficiency improvements in heat exchangers and other related energy systems. Modern heat exchangers and flow headers used in energy systems such as thermal power plants are not optimally designed due to a lack of advanced design tools that can optimize performance given manufacturing and cost limitations. UTRC's design framework will focus on topology exploration and optimization - the mathematical method of optimizing material layouts within a given…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 07/02/2015 - 07/01/2016
Program: IDEAS
Award: $499,922

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will develop a proof-of-concept for an innovative new vehicle energy-storage system. The UTRC team is leveraging experience from a previous ARPA-E project focused on grid-scale energy storage, the GRIDS: Breakthrough Flow Battery Cell Stack project, to develop a high-performance redox-air flow cell (RFC) system for EVs. A flow battery is a cross between a traditional battery and a fuel cell. Flow batteries store their energy in external tanks instead of inside the cell itself. If successful, the RFC will: (1) store its energy in a liquid solution at…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 02/17/2017 - 11/16/2019
Program: IONICS
Award: $3,111,792

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will develop a redox flow battery system that combines next-generation reactants with an inexpensive and highly selective membrane. This SMART-FBS project addresses the two highest cost components in redox flow battery systems: reactants and membranes. The team plans to develop these two components simultaneously using core materials that will work in tandem. Polymer membranes will be developed that include benzimidazole or pyridine structures; ionic conductivity will come from the membrane’s structure that allows acid to be imbibed into the polymer…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 10/01/2012 - 03/31/2016
Program: MOVE
Award: $4,188,331

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is developing a conformable modular storage tank that could integrate easily into the tight spaces in the undercarriage of natural gas-powered vehicles. Traditional steel and carbon fiber natural gas storage tanks are rigid, bulky, and expensive, which adds to the overall cost of the vehicle and discourages broad use of natural gas vehicles. UTRC is designing modular natural gas storage units that can be assembled to form a wide range of shapes and fit a wide range of undercarriages. UTRC's modular tank could substantially improve upon the…

Status: CANCELLED
State: CT
Project Term: 12/15/2009 - 01/09/2012
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $1,815,719

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is developing a process for capturing the CO2 emitted by coal-fired power plants. Conventional carbon capture methods use high temperatures or chemical solvents to separate CO2 from the exhaust gas, which are energy intensive and expensive processes. UTRC is developing membranes that separate the CO2 out of the exhaust gas using a synthetic version of a naturally occurring enzyme used to manage CO2. This enzyme is used by all air-breathing organisms on Earth to regulate CO2 levels. The enzyme would not survive within the gas exhaust of coal-fired…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 02/12/2013 - 03/31/2016
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $2,699,970

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is using additive manufacturing techniques to develop an ultra-high-efficiency electric motor for automobiles. The process and design does not rely on rare earth materials and sidesteps any associated supply concerns. Additive manufacturing uses a laser to deposit copper and insulation, layer-by-layer, instead of winding wires. EV motors rely heavily on permanent magnets, which are expensive given the high concentrations of rare earth material required to deliver the performance required in today’s market. UTRC’s efficient manufacturing method would…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 05/14/2019 - 06/30/2023
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $2,234,134

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center will assess the feasibility of using CMC technologies and immersive systems to reduce business travel and its associated energy and emissions. Currently, every roundtrip trans-Atlantic flight emits enough carbon dioxide to melt 30 square feet of Arctic sea ice. This technology (if successful) will displace air travel. The team’s SCOTTIE system will identify the types of travel best suited for replacement by CMC technologies and quantify the minimum CMC system performance needed to satisfy users' communication objectives. The team will then demonstrate…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CT
Project Term: 10/01/2014 - 03/19/2018
Program: REBELS
Award: $3,349,695

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is developing an intermediate-temperature fuel cell for residential applications that will combine a building’s heating and power systems into one unit. Existing fuel cell technologies usually focus on operating low temperatures for vehicle technologies or at high temperatures for grid-scale applications. By creating a metal-supported proton conducting fuel cell with a natural gas fuel processor, UTRC could lower the operating system temperatures to under 500 °C. The use of metal offers faster start-up times and the possibility of lower manufacturing…

Status: CANCELLED
State: CT
Project Term: 05/11/2018 - 11/10/2020
Program: SENSOR
Award: $1,956,775

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will develop a low-cost occupancy solution that combines radar sensing technology with an infrared focal plane array (IR-FPA) to determine occupancy in buildings. The solution will also be deployed as a radar-only residential sensor for true human presence sensing. The radar will detect respiration or heartbeat of non-moving occupants by measuring the radar signal reflections caused by chest movement. The system’s machine learning algorithms will allow it to distinguish humans from pets in residential settings and to reduce under-counting errors in…

Status: ACTIVE
State: DC
Project Term: 01/29/2024 - 07/28/2025
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $600,000

Universities Space Research Association

Universities Space Research Association is developing a real-time, cloud-based aviation contrail prediction and observation system that would improve airspace operations through new atmospheric data services and ensemble modeling approaches. The system would advance an existing cutting-edge contrail computer model with a novel machine learning approach to produce forecasts of persistent contrail-forming regions.

Status: ALUMNI
State: AL
Project Term: 02/08/2012 - 09/30/2013
Program: REACT
Award: $712,950

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is developing new iron- and manganese-based composite materials for use in the electric motors of EVs and renewable power generators that will demonstrate magnetic properties superior to today's best rare-earth-based magnets. Rare earths are difficult and expensive to refine. EVs and renewable power generators typically use rare earths to make their electric motors smaller and more powerful. The University of Alabama has the potential to improve upon the performance of current state-of-the-art rare-earth-based magnets using low-cost and more abundant materials such…

Status: ALUMNI
State: AL
Project Term: 08/16/2018 - 08/15/2021
Program: SENSOR
Award: $610,039

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama and their partners will develop a new testing and validation protocol for advanced occupancy sensor technologies. A barrier to wide adoption of new occupancy sensors is the lack of rigorous and widely accepted methodologies for evaluating the energy savings and reliability of these systems. To address this need, the Alabama team will develop a testing protocol and simulation suite for these advanced sensors. The protocol and simulation suite will take into account eight levels of diversity: 1) occupant profile, 2) building type and floor plan, 3) sensor type, 4) HVAC…

Status: ACTIVE
State: AL
Project Term: 03/01/2023 - 02/28/2026
Program: CURIE
Award: $1,844,988

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will research a single-step technology to recycle UNF by recovering the bulk of uranium (U) and other transuranics (TRU) from fission products. After dissolution of UNF in nitric acid, U/TRU is simultaneously separated from fission products by co-crystallizing oxidized TRU with uranyl nitrate hexahydrate. The approach is inherently proliferation resistant, as plutonium-only streams cannot be achieved without implementing additional technologies. In addition, the overall reprocessing facility footprint would be significantly smaller, secondary…

Status: ACTIVE
State: AK
Project Term: 04/11/2018 - 06/30/2024
Program: MARINER
Award: $3,287,809

University of Alaska Fairbanks

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will lead a MARINER Category 1 project to design and develop replicable model farms capable of cost-effective production of sugar kelp, a type of macroalgae suitable for large-scale cultivation is U.S. ocean waters. Much of the cost of kelp farms is related to expensive anchor components, and the laborious process of installing and planting individual longlines between opposing anchors. Another 20% of the cost is ascribed to the harvest process and transport. The team plans innovations to reduce both equipment and operating costs. First, the…

Status: ACTIVE
State: AK
Project Term: 07/21/2021 - 01/20/2025
Program: SHARKS
Award: $3,575,820

University of Alaska Fairbanks

The University of Alaska Fairbanks' BladeRunner concept is expected to reduce operating expenses by 50% while significantly reducing infrastructure and personnel requirements on site. These improvements result in an LCOE of $0.0755 $/kWh. BladeRunner employs a floating generator housing and tethered turbine to create a HKT system that has low capital and operating costs and is well suited for community co-design. The turbine is coupled to the generator by a flexible torsion-cable that transmits mechanical power while allowing the turbine to deflect around debris. This technology combines…

Status: ACTIVE
State: AK
Project Term: 04/01/2024 - 12/31/2099
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,572,942

University of Alaska Fairbanks

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will investigate the accumulation potential of rare earth elements in hyper-accumulating native seaweed species surveyed around the Bokan Mountain rare earth element deposit in Southeast Alaska. The project will conduct a comprehensive environmental survey to understand how natural erosion transports rare earth elements from ridge to ocean. The team will then collect native seaweed species and conduct biomass tissue chemical composition and polymer analysis to create maps of coastal sites rich in rare earth elements bound to biological materials, along with…

Status: ALUMNI
State: AZ
Project Term: 08/11/2017 - 08/10/2018
Program: FOCUS
Award: $4,182,915

University of Arizona

University of Arizona is developing a hybrid solar converter that splits the light spectrum, sending a band of the solar spectrum to solar cells to generate electricity and the rest to a thermal fluid to be stored as heat. The team's converter builds off the CSP trough concentrator design, integrating a partially transmitting mirror near the focus to reflect visible wavelengths of light onto high-efficiency solar cells while passing ultraviolet and most infrared light to heat a thermal fluid. The visible light is concentrated further before reaching the solar cells to maximize their power…

Status: ALUMNI
State: AZ
Project Term: 04/01/2017 - 09/30/2019
Program: MOSAIC
Award: $2,746,463

University of Arizona

University of Arizona will develop a micro-CPV system that combines a CPV cell with dual-sided FPV panels to capture direct, diffuse, and reflected sunlight. The team's system will feature lenses that focus sunlight onto a horizontal waveguide, which further concentrates the light onto high-performance micro-CPV solar cells. Dual-sided solar panels, attached beneath the CPV cells, enable diffuse light collection on one side and reflected light collection on the other side. The system will be mounted on a two-axis tracker that will allow for optimal collection of sunlight throughout the…

Status: ALUMNI
State: AR
Project Term: 03/15/2018 - 05/31/2022
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $2,741,449

University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas and its project team will develop a power inverter system for use in the electrification of construction equipment. Heavy equipment providers are increasingly investing in electrification capability to perform work in harsh environments. As with all electrified systems, size, weight and power considerations must be met by these systems. The team's approach is to utilize the advantages of wide bandgap semiconductors not only in the converter elements themselves, but also in the converter’s gate driver as well. This innovation of having the low-voltage circuitry…

Status: Selected
State: AR
Project Term: 05/08/2024 - 05/07/2027
Program: ULTRAFAST
Award: TBD

University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas is developing a heterogeneously integrated power module for applications in the electric power grid and electrified transportation. The module will integrate capacitors, sensors, and integrated circuits, enabling next generation, more reliable power electronics. University of Arkansas’ proposed technology could open the door for up to a 10-fold improvement in switching performance compared with the state of the art.

Status: Selected
State: NY
Project Term: TBD
Program: ULTRAFAST
Award: $2,847,754

University of Buffalo

The University of Buffalo is developing an optically controlled high voltage power switching device for enhanced resiliency, reliability, and control of power flow in grid applications. The proposed switches would be made of the ultrawide-bandgap material beta-gallium oxide, which offers benefits including high breakdown strength, scalable melt-grown substrates, and ease of material processing. The University of Buffalo would use an optical cascode architecture to achieve high slew rate operation and noise immunity for the devices.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 03/16/2018 - 08/31/2022
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $1,230,926

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and its project team will develop an extremely efficient AC-to-DC converter based on gallium nitride (GaN) devices for use in datacenters. Datacenters are the backbones of modern information technology and their physical size and power consumption is rapidly growing. Converters for datacenters need to be power dense and efficient to maximize the computing power per unit volume and to reduce operating costs and environmental impact. This project team seeks to develop a prototype device that converts power from a universal grid input (110-240…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 04/09/2018 - 12/31/2022
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $2,535,045

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and its project team will develop an on-board electric vehicle charger using a gallium nitride (GaN) based converter to improve power density and conversion efficiency. Conventional power converter topologies which primarily use magnetics (i.e. inductors and transformers) for energy transfer suffer from a tradeoff between efficiency and size. In this project, the team proposes a shift in traditional charger design to develop a bidirectional converter dominated by capacitor-based energy transfer. The team will leverage recent advances in GaN…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 05/14/2015 - 06/30/2018
Program: DELTA
Award: $2,618,462

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) will team with WiTricity to develop and integrate highly resonant wireless power transfer technology to deliver efficient local thermal amenities to the feet, hands, face, and trunk of occupants in workstations. Until now, local comfort devices have had little market traction because they had to be tethered by a cord to a power source. The team will leverage on-going developments in wireless charging systems for consumer electronics to integrate high-efficiency power transmitting devices with local comfort devices such as heated shoe…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 11/21/2017 - 02/20/2023
Program: ENLITENED
Award: $2,297,649

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) will develop a new datacenter network topology that will leverage the energy efficiency and bandwidth density through the integration of silicon photonics into micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) switches. Today's datacenter architectures use server nodes (with processor and memory) connected via a hierarchical network. In order to access a remote memory in these architectures, a processor must access the network to get to a particular server node, gaining access to the local memory of that server. This requires the remote server…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 07/01/2010 - 09/25/2015
Program: IMPACCT
Award: $4,960,431

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) is developing a method for identifying the best metal organic frameworks for use in capturing CO2 from the flue gas of coal-fired power plants. Metal organic frameworks are porous, crystalline compounds that, based on their chemical structure, vary considerably in terms of their capacity to grab hold of passing CO2 molecules and their ability to withstand the harsh conditions found in the gas exhaust of coal-fired power plants. Owing primarily to their high tunability, metal organic frameworks can have an incredibly wide range of different…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 03/03/2017 - 12/31/2024
Program: NEXTCAR
Award: $7,344,580

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) team has developed an innovative vehicle dynamics and powertrain (VD&PT) control architecture based on a predictive and data-driven approach. In the NEXTCAR program, UC Berkeley optimized the performance of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) in real-world conditions, improving efficiency up to 30% in urban driving and 14% on the highway. In the next NEXTCAR phase, UC Berkeley will adapt and expand its eco-route, eco-drive, and eco-charge controls to leverage connectivity and SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Level 4 (L4)…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 03/01/2013 - 06/30/2018
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $6,182,674

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) is developing a device to monitor and measure electric power data from the grid’s distribution system. The new instrument—known as a micro-phasor measurement unit (µPMU)—is designed to measure critical parameters such as voltage and phase angle at different locations, and correlate them in time via extremely precise GPS clocks. The amount of phase angle difference provides information about the stability and direction of power flow. Data collected from a network of these µPMUs would facilitate better monitoring and control of grid power…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 04/08/2013 - 11/30/2016
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $3,571,837

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and Indoor Reality are developing a portable scanning system and the associated software to rapidly generate indoor thermal and physical building maps. This will allow for cost-effective identification of building inefficiencies and recommendation of energy-saving measures. The scanning system is contained in a backpack which an operator would wear while walking through a building along with a handheld scanner. The backpack features sensors that collect building data such as room size and shape along with associated thermal…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 01/01/2021 - 06/30/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,100,000

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California Berkeley will develop a highly selective, environmentally friendly bacterial platform to recover rare earth elements (REEs) from complex electronic waste (E-waste) streams. Feedstocks range from simple (magnet shavings) to complex matrix (printed circuit board recycling waste and used mobile devices). The team will engineer a single bacterial species that acquires REEs from solid feedstocks and converts them to REE minerals at a neutral pH without harsh acids or organic solvents. The team will couple synthetic biology with bioengineering to enhance REE-leaching,…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 08/12/2021 - 08/11/2024
Program: ECOSynBio
Award: $1,574,966

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The aviation industry requires energy-dense, carbon-based fuels, which are difficult to achieve biologically because of low yields and poor carbon conversion efficiency. The University of California, Berkeley, will engineer an approach to reach near 100% carbon conversion efficiency. A single organism can be limited by CO2 loss from core metabolic reactions. Coupling a heterotroph (an organism that cannot produce its own food like an animal) with an autotroph (an organism that produces its own food using light, water and carbon dioxide like a plant) will enable CO2 recycling and complete…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 04/22/2022 - 04/29/2024
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $1,953,397

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) team will jointly develop an integrated process to produce butanol directly from air-captured carbon dioxide (CO2). Butanol has a higher energy density than ethanol and is a precursor to jet fuel. UC Berkeley’s system takes three main inputs: ambient air, water, and a sustainable energy source, and produces butanol. The steps to produce butanol are : (1) capturing CO2 directly from the air by a solid adsorbent, (2) using a chemoautotrophic microorganism to biologically fix the captured CO2 into acetate, and (3) using acetate as a feedstock…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 06/07/2022 - 06/06/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $2,148,991

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) will develop a SmartStake technology consisting of low-cost consumable wireless sensor arrays to measure N2O concentrations and emissions drivers (ammonium, nitrate, oxygen, moisture, temperature, pH, and denitrification enzymes). (SmartStake is a staking service providing real-time performance assessment analytics tools.) UC Berkeley’s results will provide a new paradigm for quantifying, monitoring, and managing for lower N2O emissions from biofuel agriculture. Sensors will be addressed by permanent low power electronics that are…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 08/01/2022 - 07/31/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $1,195,041

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) will develop ultra-light-weight and efficient DC-DC power converters for electric aircraft. The team will drive power density and efficiency through innovation in the electrical and thermal domains and will apply sophisticated modeling and digital control to achieve system-level scalability, reliability, and fault-detection. If successful, this project will propel a disruptive change in electric aircraft propulsion systems, enabling low-cost, high-efficiency, and highly reliable electric flight DC power conversion and distribution. . UC…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 01/07/2014 - 09/30/2017
Program: REMOTE
Award: $1,500,000

University of California, Davis (UC Davis)

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) will engineer new biological pathways for bacteria to convert ethylene to a liquid fuel. Currently, ethylene is readily available and used by the chemicals and plastics industries to produce a wide range of useful products, but it cannot be cost-effectively converted to a liquid fuel like butanol, an alcohol that can be used directly as part of a fuel blend. UC Davis is addressing this problem with synthetic biology and protein engineering. The team will engineer ethylene assimilation pathways into a host organism and use that organism to convert…