ARPA-E Funding Opportunity Announcements

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that would seek to enhance the pace of energy innovation by accelerating the incorporation of machine learning into the engineering design processes for energy technologies and systems.

In order to organize the anticipated efforts, a simplified engineering design process framework has been adopted (Figure 1 - see attached document). Within the context of this framework, it is possible to conceptualize how machine learning tools would help engineers to execute and solve several general mathematical optimization problems, common to many (perhaps most) engineering design processes, in a manner that dramatically accelerates the pace of energy innovation.

The envisioned program would seek to enhance several aspects of the design process via machine-learning tools:

1) Hypothesis Generation Tools: Enhance the creativity of the hypothesis generation (i.e. conceptual design) process by helping engineers develop new concepts and by enabling the consideration of a larger and more diverse set of design options. Many of the design problems at this stage of the process can be characterized as Mixed Integer Non-Linear Optimization problems;

2) Hypothesis Evaluation Tools: Enhance the efficiency of the high-fidelity evaluation (i.e. detailed design) process by accelerating the high-fidelity analysis and optimization of the hypothesized solution concepts. Many of the design problems at this stage of the process can be characterized as Non-Linear Constrained Optimization problems; and

3) Inverse Design Tools:Reduce (ideally eliminate) design iteration by developing the capability to execute “inverse design” processes in which the product design is effectively expressed as an explicit function of the problem statement.

ARPA-E envisions posing several challenge problems to motivate the development of enhanced design processes/tools. These challenge problems are in areas that ARPA-E feels to be of significant importance and for which it feels that adequate data either are available or can be generated during the program. Note: the intended FOA evaluation criteria are expected be principally focused on the potential impact that the proposed ML-enhanced design tools might have on future general engineering design processes through their potential to reduce design cost, time and risk and/or increase design performance, robustness and novelty.

Potential design challenge problems include the following:

· Hypothesis Generation (i.e. Conceptual Design)

• Thermodynamic Cycles/Chemical Processes (e.g. Gas Separations)
• Electrical Circuits
• Materials/Molecules

· Hypothesis Evaluation (I.e. Detailed Design)

• Fuel/Electrolyzer Cells
• Gas Compressors
• Solar Cells

· Inverse Design

• Aerodynamic Surfaces
• Optical Devices

ARPA-E envisions projects that seek to develop machine learning enhanced tools that facilitate the solution to one of the above challenge problems. It is also envisioned that, for any of the above categories, there will be an option for applicant teams to propose their own, alternative challenge problem so long as it is sufficiently justified (i. e. that it is both highly impactful and especially appropriate/ripe for enhancement via machine learning). It is expected that each proposal would explicitly identify a selected challenge problem, an anticipated ML-enhanced solution approach, a data[1] acquisition/generation strategy, the major development risks, and an anticipated path to market for the design tool / software to be developed. It is important to note that ARPA-E does not envision developing prototypes of physical systems through this FOA – the focus is on developing the ML-enhanced design tools only.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this teaming announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the pending FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, selection criteria, and other terms and requirements. However, for purposes of the Teaming Partner List, a summary of the currently anticipated scope is provided below.

In order to realize the envisioned program goals, ARPA‐E aims to bring together diverse engineering and scientific communities. These communities include, but are not limited to machine learning, mathematics/optimization, computer science, software, and energy (e.g. mechanical, chemical, materials, or electrical) engineering.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting January 15, 2019. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List.  ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

[1] In the interest of minimizing the cost of acquiring/generating training data, it is anticipated that the vast majority of the “data” used in the development of the desired tools will be generated with physics-based models.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that would seek to develop new technical pathways for the design of economically competitive Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs). The program envisions leveraging the Control Co-Design (CCD) methodology, which brings together engineering disciplines to work concurrently, as opposed to sequentially, and considers dynamic control aspects from the beginning of the design. By analyzing the numerous dynamic sub-system interactions of the FOWTs, the CCD methodology can identify control solutions for optimal designs that are not achievable otherwise. Projects in this program are envisioned in three fundamental areas: (1) radically new FOWT designs with significantly lower mass/kW, (2) a new generation of computer tools to control co-design the FOWTs, and (3) real-data from full and lab-scale experiments to validate the FOWT designs and computer tools.

State of the art FOWT technology has achieved an average LCOE of approximately $0.15-0.18/kWh, which it is still too high in comparison to the current $0.03-0.05/kWh for land-based wind turbine technologies.[1] High capital expenditures (CAPEX) are the key driver of the LCOE of a FOWT. A significant portion of these CAPEX is the cost of the steel that existing floating platforms incorporate. Floating platforms are designed to be large and heavy in an effort to (a) imitate the onshore wind turbine dynamics, (b) keep the system as stable as possible and (c) maximize system survivability during events such as large sea storms. Internal ARPA-E analysis shows that the cost of steel accounts for between 50% and 70% of the overall CAPEX for existing FOWT designs. Consequently, this envisioned program seeks to support the design of radically new FOWTs that maximize the insufficient specific power per unit of mass (W/kg), while maintaining, or ideally increasing, the turbine generation efficiency.

The technologies that will be developed under this FOA could lead to substantial technical advancements in fields of significance to U.S. national interests. If successful, this program will create a pathway towards FOWTs that are economically competitive. This would open up access to an untapped and bountiful source of U.S. energy[2], and a vast associated supply chain market.

More details on the envisioned program can be found in a recently released RFI, which contains a draft of the technical section of the FOA and provides instructions for readers to provide feedback to ARPA-E. Additionally, in support of this RFI and draft technical section, ARPA-E plans to organize a one day “Industry Day” on January 15^th, 2019. The primary purpose of the industry day will be to evaluate and strengthen the draft technical section prior to release of the FOA. Participants will lend their technical expertise to suggest any necessary refinements to the draft technical section.

In order to realize the envisioned program goals, ARPA‐E aims to bring together diverse engineering and scientific communities. These communities include, but are not limited to control and systems engineering, co-design, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, electrical and mechanical systems, power electronics, electrical generators, structural engineering, naval engineering, modeling, optimization, economics, multi-scale and multi-physics computer algorithms, parallel computing, distributed sensors, intelligent signal processing and actuator networks; as well as developers of offshore wind energy systems and electrical utilities.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting December 03, 2018. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in February 2019, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

[1] Stehly, T., Beiter, P., Heimiller, D., Scott, G. (2018). 2017 Cost of Wind Energy Review. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Technical Report NREL/TP-6A20-72167.

[2] Estimate that the gross offshore wind resource in the U.S is over 151 quads/yr (“gross potential”). This number is still as large as ~25 quads/yr even once losses and conservative assumptions about what would be feasible to recover given technical, legal, regulatory and social inhibiting factors are incorporated. Fifty-eight percent of this “technical potential” lies in waters deeper than 60 m, accounting for ~14 quads/yr, which exceeds the entire U.S. annual electricity consumption in 2017 (13 quads/yr).

ARPA-E aims to support the development of timely, commercially viable fusion energy.[1] Based on numerous studies examining the cost challenges facing advanced nuclear energy,[2] which shares some attributes with fusion such as unit size, capital cost, and power-generation characteristics, ARPA-E believes that a commercial fusion power plant should target an overnight capital cost (OCC) of <US$2B and <$5/W.[3] If a grid-ready fusion demonstration can be realized within approximately twenty years while satisfying these cost metrics, then, as a firm low-carbon energy source, fusion can contribute to meeting global, growing low-carbon energy demand and cost-effective deep decarbonization[4] in the latter half of the century.

This program addresses the need to lower the costs of development and eventual deployment of commercial fusion energy by supporting R&D to increase the performance and number of credible, lower-cost fusion concepts. Full Applications are invited in the three research categories[5] described in Section I.D of the FOA. Criteria and metrics are described in Section I.E of the FOA. The technology-to-market (T2M) component of this program, via a number of planned activities at the project and program levels, aims to build and smooth the path to fusion commercialization to include public, private, and philanthropic partnerships.

[1] See agenda and posted materials from ARPA-E fusion workshop, Burlingame, CA, Aug. 13–14, 2019.

[2] e.g., The Future of Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World, An Interdisciplinary MIT Study, MIT Energy Initiative (2018).

[3] Assuming 10^th-of-a-kind for the fusion-specific systems and n^th-of-a-kind for the balance of plant.

[4] N. A. Sepulveda et al., “The Role of Firm Low-Carbon Electricity Resources in Deep Decarbonization of Power Generation,” Joule 2, 2403 (2018).

[5] At the recent ARPA-E fusion workshop (see footnote 2), a potential program covering both “lower-cost fusion concept development” and “fusion enabling technologies” was discussed (for the latter, see also ARPA-E Request for Information (RFI) DE-FOA-0002131, released May 6, 2019). Please note that this program, BETHE, covers the former but only a subset of the latter, as described in detail in Section I.D of the FOA. ARPA-E recognizes that serious development of fusion enabling technologies must be initiated as soon as possible to meet the objective of a grid-ready fusion demonstration in 20 years, and is exploring a potential, separate program focused on that topic.

Introduction:

ARPA-E is seeking information from diverse industries about technologies that could enable advanced nuclear reactors[1] to achieve operating cost profiles that approximate those of natural gas combined cycle plants. This entails reducing operating costs per megawatt of electricity (MWe) at nuclear power plants by more than one order of magnitude.

Attaining this vision requires semi-autonomous nuclear power plant operations, a radical departure from traditional nuclear power plant operations. Because autonomy is so unconventional for the nuclear sector, attacking the problem requires operational technologies and controls strategies that have limited or no technical precedent in the nuclear community. For this reason, ARPA-E is especially interested in perspectives from outside the traditional nuclear energy space.

Today’s nuclear plants are mostly conventional light water reactors (LWRs).[2] Their continued viability in the U.S. electricity mix is challenged in part by high operational and maintenance (O&M) costs compared to other electricity generation types.[3] The higher costs stem largely from the high staffing level required for nuclear power plant operation, maintenance, safety, and security. Advanced nuclear reactor systems that are anticipated to comprise the next generation of new reactor builds are likely to face costs that are similar to LWRs, should they not pursue new approaches to O&M. High O&M costs might be especially burdensome for small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors, which do not have the benefit of economy of scale. Much greater focus on achieving a radical reduction of O&M costs will likely prove necessary to assure the competitiveness of advanced nuclear systems.

Therefore, approaches in predictive maintenance, autonomous maintenance, fault detection and isolation algorithms, novel sensor systems, data analytics, dynamics modeling, and advanced control systems are of interest. Also of interest are advanced modeling and simulators that allow exploration of a full range of potential data streams, and can help identify/evaluate the most relevant control algorithms and sensor needs. Finally, test loops and experimental facilities that can be leveraged to investigate and validate approaches for autonomous controls, operations, and maintenance are of interest.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION DOCUMENT and GUIDELINES below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on April 25^th, 2019.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to use advanced synthetic biology tools to engineer novel bioconversion platforms and systems capable of using and incorporating external energy inputs to substantially increase carbon utilization, flux, and efficiency while driving towards and achieving industrially relevant productivities. Successful platforms would offer fundamentally new capacities for the bioeconomy by allowing for fully carbon optimized renewable fuel and chemical synthesis with maximal carbon and resource efficiency. Proposed systems of interest include, but are not limited to (1) carbon-optimized fermentation strains that avoid CO₂ evolution, (2) engineered mixotrophic consortia or systems that avoid CO₂ evolution, (3) biomass derived sugar or carbon oxide gas fermentation with internal CO₂ utilization, (4) cell-free carbon optimized biocatalytic biomass conversion and/or CO₂ utilization, (5) cross-cutting or other proposed carbon optimized bioconversion schemes. All systems will need to demonstrate the capacity to accommodate external reducing equivalents to optimize the carbon flux and efficiency of the system as compared to a traditional fermentation system or bioconversion pathway (i.e. the sum of the recoverable energy contents of the products is greater than the energy content of the biomass or primary carbon feedstock). Allowable external reducing equivalents are limited to those that can be produced electrocatalytically using H₂O, CO₂, or both.

ARPA-E programs are pursuing transformational technologies up-and-down the bioeconomy supply chain to increase the sustainability of renewable fuel and chemical synthesis and to enable industrial scale carbon management and CO₂ emissions mitigation. The program outlined in this FOA will build on these innovations by funding the development of (i) hydrogen accommodating non-oxidative glycolytic strains of industrial relevance for immediate enhancement of first generation biofuel production – corn starch ethanol , (ii) external energy accommodating carbon optimized platforms of industrial relevance for advanced and cellulosic fuel and fuel relevant intermediate biosynthesis, (iii) new tools and engineered approaches to optimize fermentation and biosynthesis for carbon efficiency, and (iv) advanced tools to decouple key biochemical pathways from the limitations of cell growth and maintenance by promoting the design and engineering of robust and industrially relevant cell-free bioconversion and biocatalytic platforms.

ARPA-E will provide financial support to teams proposing to develop novel carbon-optimized bioconversion systems that meet the metrics specified in the FOA. If successful, the technologies funded by this carbon optimized bioconversion program are expected to catalyze new conversion platforms for biofuels and other high-volume bioproducts that are capable of avoiding 100% of carbon loss to CO₂, enabling greater than 40% increases in recoverable bioproduct from the same feedstocks. Additionally, this program will fund cutting-edge technologies to de-risk gas-fed fermentation feedstocks and cell-free bioconversion systems. ARPA–E held a workshop on these topics in September 2019. Information on this workshop can be found at the event webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=events/carbon-optimized-bioconversion).

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with teams, with the ultimate goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of a new risk-driven operational and planning paradigm.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in July 2020. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued by the end of August 2020, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

ARPA-E is seeking information from diverse R&D communities, from both within and especially outside the fusion R&D community, about technological solutions and innovations that can enable commercially viable fusion power plants. While it is impossible to predict precisely what is needed for fusion to be commercially viable over the next few decades, fusion’s market entry may require that both the nameplate generation capacity and total construction cost be well below the assumed 1-GWe and >$5B (2019 dollars) scales described in prior fusion-power-plant studies.[1] As discussed further below, this RFI focuses specifically on the enabling technologies for potential fusion power plants at reduced nameplate capacity and cost. ARPA-E is particularly interested in transformational R&D opportunities that are not already being pursued by or included in the roadmaps of ongoing DOE fusion programs.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION DOCUMENT and GUIDELINES below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

[1] See, e.g., F. Najmabadi et al., Fus. Eng. Des. 38, 3 (1997); F. Najmabadi et al., ibid 80, 3 (2006).

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support the discovery of plasma-facing and structural first wall materials that are suitable for fusion power plants. As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the potential FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria. The FOA terms are controlling.

For purposes of this Teaming Partner List, the program’s current overarching goal is to discover and test new candidate materials that can withstand high-dose irradiation up to 50 displacements per atom (dpa) while preserving ductility at room temperature. Current state-of-the-art materials such as tungsten and reduced-activation steels suffer from irradiation and helium embrittlement issues that can make fusion power systems prohibitively expensive to qualify and operate. New advancements in machine-learning-assisted material discovery, advanced manufacturing, material damage modeling, and irradiation testing provide the opportunity to discover new materials that can withstand the unique extreme environment required for sustained fusion reactions.

ARPA-E currently expects the FOA to focus on the research of materials with high thermal conductivity, low activation, low tritium retention, and low irradiation-induced swelling that maintain room temperature ductility after significant irradiation damage and helium generation. Two categories of materials will be assessed separately on the following characteristics:

1. Plasma-facing component materials will need to show better performance than tungsten, including plasma erosion performance.
2. Structural materials will need to show better performance than reduced-activation steels, including high temperature strength performance.

The FOA will also seek to establish capability teams to consolidate the materials discovery and performance data generated by the projects. The capability teams will support project performers on digitization, standardization, and storage of materials data as well as create the framework for systems and life-cycle analysis of fusion power system designs with varying materials of construction.

Expertise in the following areas may be useful in responding to the potential FOA:

• Rapid material synthesis and screening
• Material design modeling
• Irradiation damage modeling
• Neutron activation calculations
• Advanced manufacturing
  
• Ion irradiation and helium implantation
• Materials mechanical testing and analysis
• Plasma erosion testing
• Tritium retention testing
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML)
• Materials database development and maintenance

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting in October 2023. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically until the close of the Full Application period to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes the following: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered. This list is completely voluntarily to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the potential FOA.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the FOA, expected to be issued by November 2023, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The FOA associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/FoaEditDetails.aspx?foaId=87c1d520-5e48-43d5-8424-2f15b09926e6

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) is considering a program to prevent or abate anthropogenic methane emissions. Sources include coal mines, oil and gas wells, natural gas-fired engines, flares, uncontrolled emissions from landfills, and agriculture-related methane emissions from farming and ruminants. Successful teams would propose and validate integrated systems that will include a methane abatement/prevention technology, coupled with methane sensing/leakage detection system and associated controls. Abatement technologies of interest include, but are not limited to (1) biological remediation through methanotrophs and bio-filters, (2) chemistry based approaches including platinum group metals (PGM)/non-PGM based catalysis, plasma catalysis, electrochemical/electro catalysis, photo-catalysis, or a combination thereof, (3) innovative mechanical design techniques to prevent emissions, (4) novel material synthesis to improve the durability and reliability for sealing oil and gas wells. ARPA-E is seeking transformative and implementable solutions to abate/prevent emissions from such sources using the technologies mentioned above. ARPA-E anticipates that by the end of the project duration, the teams will be able to demonstrate a systems solution that meets the program objectives either in a field setting or an emulated field setting.

This potential program is focused on systems to prevent or abate methane emissions. Approaches not of interest include:

• Work focused on basic research aimed at discovery and fundamental knowledge generation. 
• Concepts that focus on methane detection and/or quantification without addressing prevention and/or abatement. 
• Solutions that focus on incremental improvements in commercial technologies, incremental improvements in control systems for commercial technologies, or incremental improvements in operation or maintenance procedures. 
• Large-scale demonstration projects of existing technologies.

ARPA–E held a workshop on these topics on October 20, 2020. Information from this workshop can be found at the event webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/preventing-abating-anthropogenic-methane-emissions-workshop).

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with teams, with the ultimate goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of a new risk-driven operational and planning paradigm.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in October 2020. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued by the end of December 2020, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) of the United States Department of Energy is seeking information concerning the current state of development of energy efficient photonic technologies for communication networks within datacenter and high-performance computing (HPC) systems. ARPA-E is interested in technologies which have the potential to enable a transformative improvement in performance and efficiency of datacenter and HPC systems as compared to the state of the art. Specifically, ARPA-E is interested in learning of technologies that can meet the technical metrics originally outlined in the ENLITENED FOA DE-FOA-0001566, but that are not currently funded under the portfolio of projects in the ARPA-E ENLITENED program.

ARPA-E is seeking information on technologies at an advanced level of development, albeit prior to commercialization and full-scale production. ARPA-E is not interested in early stage technologies which are unproven or not yet reduced to practice in the form of an operational device/component/subsystem. Depending on the responses to this RFI, ARPA-E may consider the rapid initiation of a competition that would result in one or more funded collaborative research projects to advance the state of the art in integrated photonic networking technologies.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on June 14, 2019.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support the development of renewables-to-liquids systems capable of converting intermittent energy inputs into easily transportable, carbon-containing liquids. As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the potential FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria. The FOA terms are controlling.

For purposes of this Teaming Partner List, the program is interested in systems that achieve 80% multi-pass carbon conversion to liquids with at least 50% electricity-to-liquid efficiency at the lowest possible cost.

Currently, ARPA-E anticipates that these systems would require:

1. The development of new reactors capable of being operated dynamically to decrease the system capital expenditure (CAPEX) required for hydrogen storage;
2. Small-scale reactor systems compatible with renewable energy systems;
3. Reactor designs that include manufacturability within defined design criteria;
4. The development of new catalysts optimized for carbon dioxide hydrogenation pathways;
5. Reactor systems that enable process intensification that minimize CAPEX; and
6. Modelling and optimization to determine optimum sizing and anticipated CAPEX.

Expertise in the following areas may be useful in responding to the potential FOA:

• Chemical engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Chemistry
• Carbon conversion
• Hydrogen production
• Reactor engineering
• Catalysis
• Manufacturing
• Modelling
• Technoeconomic analysis
• Lifecycle assessment

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting in October 2023. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically until the close of the Full Application period to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes the following: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered. This list is completely voluntarily to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the potential FOA.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the FOA, expected to be issued by November 2023, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The FOA associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/FoaEditDetails.aspx?foaId=cea4b541-156c-49ce-ad51-e4b6b5ee81aa

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) is considering issuing a new Exploratory Topic under Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) DE‐ FOA‐0002784 and DE‐FOA‐0002785 to develop standardized evaluation(s) of Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) efficiency technologies in support of projects supported under the ARPA-E NEXT-Generation Energy Technologies for Connected and Automated on-Road-vehicles (NEXTCAR) Program.

The ARPA-E NEXTCAR Program has funded the development of new and emerging vehicle dynamic and powertrain (VD&PT) control technologies that can reduce the energy consumption of future vehicles through the use of connectivity and vehicle automation. Vehicle energy improvement technologies include, but are not limited to, advanced technologies and concepts relating to full vehicle dynamic control, powertrain control, improved vehicle and powertrain operation through the automation of vehicle dynamics control functions, and improved control and optimization facilitated by connectivity. Phase II of the Program launched in 2021 and is funding a subset of the technologies developed in Phase I to improve the energy efficiency of Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) evels 4 and 5 CAVs by 30%. These improvements will reduce the energy consumed by future individual vehicles undergoing automated operation, either in isolation or in cooperation with other vehicles. More information on the ARPA-E NEXTCAR program itself may be found here and details of the Phase II projects are available here.

To demonstrate and quantify these energy savings, innovation will be required to evaluate efficiency in the automated vehicle space and assign value to those savings for evaluation of the viability of these technologies for integration into the future CAV fleet. If issued, this Exploratory Topic will likely consist of two complementary tasks.

(1) CAV Testing Facility: Focused on developing the infrastructure needs and requirements to evaluate the energy efficiency of CAV technologies under development in normal driving conditions in a controlled environment.

(2) Real-World Driving Scenarios: Focused on developing driving routes utilizing augmented reality, which are representative of real-world driving scenarios, as well as maneuvers and conditions occurring on these routes to accurately assess and quantify the energy and emissions benefits of NEXTCAR Phase II technologies.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with these project teams, with the goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of the innovative technologies these projects teams develop.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E Exchange (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in May 2022. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner List should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted by any means other than via the link provided above will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final Exploratory Topic, expected to be issued in June 2022 under the FOAs noted at the beginning of this Teaming Partner List, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue an OPEN Funding Opportunity Announcement (OPEN FOA) to support high-risk R&D leading to the development of potentially disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications. ARPA-E seeks to support early-stage, but potentially transformational, research in all areas of energy R&D, especially technology or application spaces that have not been funded by ARPA-E in the past. Areas of research responsive to this intended FOA include but are not limited to electricity generation by both conventional and renewable means; electricity transmission, storage, and distribution; energy efficiency for buildings, manufacturing and commerce, and personal use; and all aspects of transportation, including the production and distribution of both renewable and non-renewable fuels, electrification, and energy efficiency in transportation, as well as any other area of energy research with potentially high impact. More information about the potential OPEN FOA can be found here: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/open-2021.

ARPA-E aims to bring together different technical communities to solve big energy challenges and fill the gaps or “whitespace” in a field. ARPA-E strongly encourage researchers from different disciplines and technology sectors to come together for interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries. This enables and accelerates the achievement of extremely hard-to-reach outcomes.

ARPA-E is compiling a Teaming Partner List for OPEN 2021 as an optional tool that potential applicants may choose to utilize to facilitate the formation of new project teams and identify potential collaborations. Teaming partners include organizations and individuals who can offer expertise, facilities, or other complementary resources toward a potential ARPA-E project. The teaming list identifies partners’ capabilities as well as their areas of interest, understanding that expertise and experience in one field can often be applied successfully to a new field.  This list is completely voluntary to participate in and utilize.  ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the OPEN 2021 FOA.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting December 2020. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in January 2021, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) of the US Department of Energy is seeking information concerning the current state and future development of automotive technologies that can improve the energy efficiency of fully automated vehicles (AVs).

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E’s consideration to inform the possible formulation of future research, development, and commercialization programs intended to reduce the energy burden of future automotive transportation, specifically with regard to the deployment of high-efficiency AVs. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI on a non-attribution basis. This RFI provides the broader research and development community with an opportunity to contribute information, views and opinions regarding the state of the art and the future development of highly energy-efficient vehicle technologies for L4-L5 AVs. Based on the input provided in response to this RFI and other considerations, ARPA-E may decide to issue a FOA. If a FOA is published, it will be issued under a new FOA number. No FOA exists at this time. ARPA-E reserves the right to not issue a FOA in this area.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the e-mail address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on September 16, 2019.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support the development of foundational technologies aimed towards establishing a domestic, circular supply chain for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the potential FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria. The FOA terms are controlling.

For purposes of this Teaming Partner List, one of the program’s primary objectives would be to maintain in service EV battery materials, cells, and pack components at the highest levels of performance and safety for as long as possible. Technological solutions capable of maximizing the useful service life of battery cells and recovering the manufacturing value of spent battery packs would reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, minimize energy and material consumption, lower demand for virgin materials, alleviate reliance on key battery material and component imports, and ultimately motivate the creation of a circular and sustainable domestic EV battery supply chain.

The existing supply chain for EV batteries is largely linear and relies on recycling to close the supply loop for critical minerals. The disposal of “spent” batteries is challenging due to fire hazards and/or potential release of toxic chemicals into the environment. A significant increase in the number of EVs is imminent and will be accompanied by large volumes of battery waste, albeit with a ten-to-twenty-year lag, depending on both the type of battery and application. Conventional battery recycling methods such as pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy are energy-intensive, produce significant quantities of GHGs, and lead to large volumes of waste deposited in landfills. With few exceptions, these approaches intentionally recover only the most valuable materials (e.g., nickel, cobalt, and copper). Looking to the future, these recycling strategies are expected to endure increasingly challenging economics as battery chemistries that rely on more abundant and/or less expensive materials capture significant market share. Therefore, prolonging the life of EV batteries and recovering manufacturing value to the greatest extent possible through regeneration, repair, and remanufacturing will reduce the domestic energy burden and carbon footprint of the EV battery supply chain. In addition, various strategies used to achieve circularity could be leveraged to facilitate recycling.

Current EV manufacturing practices are well-established in support of the linear economic model of “take, make, use, and dispose” with negligible appreciation for the end of life. This is arguably unsustainable in future scenarios consistent with projected EV market growth. It is critical that innovations are developed to “expand” the chemistry, design, and manufacturing space. The resulting new materials, components, and regeneration methods will efficiently and cost-effectively prolong today’s service life of battery cells and packs, without compromising performance or safety.

Such a vision also encompasses reversible manufacturing strategies, sensors, and algorithms for improved monitoring, as well as any other methods that responsibly manage the end of life for manufactured goods, particularly batteries, for transportation.

Strategies that may have merit, either individually or as part of a total solution, include the following:

• Battery materials and cell designs that are amenable to in situ regeneration methods;
• Regeneration techniques and protocols that can efficiently and cost-effectively restore battery cells to beginning of life performance and safety;
• Reversible manufacturing materials and methods to facilitate battery module/pack disassembly;
• “Reversibly” bondable adhesives including stimuli-responsive systems;
• Techniques and designs for reversible “joining” of battery cells and modules that do not compromise performance, structural/mechanical integrity, or safety;
• Battery pack designs that are amenable to autonomous robotic disassembly;
• Robotic systems capable of disassembling battery packs, in parts or in full, with the ability to learn autonomously and/or with humans in the loop;
• Sensor platforms and methodologies capable of rapid determination of state of health (SoH) for individual battery cells during use and/or at the end of battery pack life to determine whether the cells should be regenerated, reused, or recycled;
• Seamless and cost-effective integration of sensors in manufacturing of battery cells and packs that can support circularity objectives;
• Battery intelligence systems and data analytics to extend the service life of cells, modules, and packs; and
• Analytical tools capable of quantifying the impact of the program’s advancements on pack cost, material use, energy use, and GHG emissions per kilowatt-hour delivered throughout the life of an EV to justify the adoption of these technologies and inform new business models and opportunities.

ARPA-E hosted a “Circular Economic Materials, Design, and Manufacturing of Rechargeable Batteries Workshop” on June 12 and 13, 2023. Information from this workshop can be found at the ARPA-E events webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/battery-circularity-workshop). In addition, ARPA-E issued a request for information (RFI) on “Achieving Circularity of the Domestic Battery Supply Chain” (DE-FOA-0003027, https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx?foaId=cd9cd241-0872-4832-8e10-8fc5e57b1a1e). A video of the “Batteries & Storage” Fast Pitch Panel from the 2023 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit can be viewed on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye_yZNcAj30).

Expertise in the following areas may be useful in responding to the potential FOA:

• State-of-the-art battery chemistry and materials research, development, and engineering
• Battery cell and battery pack design and prototyping
• Battery component, battery cell, and battery pack manufacturing
• Chemical, mechanical, and electrical engineering
• Computational modeling and simulation
• Battery management systems hardware and software development and integration
• Cell-level and pack-level battery sensor development, integration, and data analytics
• Manufacturing
• Robotics
• Sustainable design
• Techno-economic analysis (TEA)
• Life cycle analysis (LCA)
• Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA)

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with these project teams, with the goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of the innovative technologies these project teams develop.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting in October 2023. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically until the close of the Full Application period to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes the following: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered. This list is completely voluntarily to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the potential FOA.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the FOA, expected to be issued by November 2023, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The FOA associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/FoaEditDetails.aspx?foaId=4717da73-7df6-4ba5-a708-603ba20cb9a7

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) is considering a program to promote advanced nuclear energy by addressing significant challenges on the back end of advanced nuclear reactor (AR) fuel cycles. Specifically, the potential program would seek to develop and demonstrate technologies that will significantly improve the disposal impact of used nuclear fuel (UNF) and other waste streams stemming from the implementation of AR fuel cycles. This R&D would enable proliferation-resistant fuel cycles for ARs with an emphasis on minimizing the impact of fuel cycle wastes.

Overall goals for the potential program include:

• an order of magnitude reduction in waste volumes or repository footprint with no weakening of safeguards standards
• development of safeguards technologies for AR UNF processing for which there is no existing economically and/or technically viable solution for in-process fissile mass measurement of better than 1% accuracy
• proliferation-resistant recycling of uranium (U) and transuranic (TRU) materials for new AR fuel stock that produce less than 0.1% actinides in waste stream
• high durability waste forms for AR UNF (e.g., TRi-structural ISOtropic particle (TRISO) fuel, metallic fuel, molten salt fuel) across multiple disposal environments

Three technological areas have been identified as offering the most likely avenues to achieving substantial improvements in disposal impact for AR fuel cycles. A fourth category is included to capture breakthrough technologies that do not fit into the three listed technological areas, but that could nonetheless significantly improve the disposal impact of UNF. These four categories are:

1. Process solutions: This technology area includes process improvements that significantly minimize waste volumes, improve intrinsic proliferation resistance of actinide separations, increase resource utilization efficiency, and bolster commercialization. 
2. Safeguards solutions: This technology area includes improved sensor and data fusion technologies that will allow for accurate and timely accounting of nuclear materials.
3. Waste form solutions: This technology area includes waste forms solution for AR fuel cycles with a particular emphasis on waste forms for waste streams from pyroprocessing of UNF or spent fuel from Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs).
4. Other solutions: This category is provided for technologies which do not clearly fall into the above three categories. A compelling case must exist that the technology will deliver significant improvements to the fuel cycle disposal impact.

Since the exact nature of the back end of future AR fuel cycles is both undetermined and likely to evolve over time as ARs are deployed and technologies are updated, technologies that can span multiple AR fuel cycles and disposal concepts while achieving otherwise high performance would be of significant interest to this potential program. Further, while this potential program would require proposed technologies be specific to AR fuel cycle concepts, technologies with backwards compatibility with existing commercial light-water reactor (LWR) fuel cycle wastes would also be of significant interest.

ARPA–E held a workshop on these topics on December 2, 2020. Information from this workshop can be found at the event webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/reducing-impact-used-nuclear-fuel-advanced-reactors-workshop).

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with these project teams, with the goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of the innovative technologies these projects teams develop.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in April 2021. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner List should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued May 2021, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E's consideration and to inform the possible initiation of an R&D program on stationary hydrogen storage technologies. In particular, ARPA-E is interested in information regarding safe, low-cost, flexible scale from large to small, transportable, and widely deployable hydrogen storage technology for ultralong-duration seasonal energy storage. The hydrogen storage systems of interest are turn-key systems ready to be integrated with hydrogen fuel cell power generation, hydrogen capable CHP, microgrid, and other distributed power generation systems. The goal is to develop technologies and validate their reliability under variable conditions, manufacturability, and favorable economics at scale.

The growth of renewable energy is gaining momentum. Power generation from solar panels, wind turbines, and other renewable sources in the first five months of 2020 reached 25% in the US. However, the continued growth and deep penetration of renewable energy to greater than 50% require long-duration energy storage on a massive scale. While battery technologies can meet applications requiring hours of energy storage, and novel technologies such as those being developed in the ARPA-E DAYS program can satisfy applications requiring a day or more of storage, a need remains for energy storage technologies can dispatch over weeks or even months. Current technologies for long-duration energy storage, such as pumped hydro, are usually geographic location limited and require ultra-large-scale infrastructure investment and long-term commitments.

One of the options for large scale renewable electricity storage is to produce hydrogen using the surplus renewable electricity that would otherwise be curtailed or when electricity is available at low cost. Hydrogen, however, must be stored before it can be converted back to electricity or used for other purposes. Methods for hydrogen storage have their own challenges, from geographic location requirements to capital costs to conversion efficiency. If low-cost hydrogen storage can be achieved, however, it can contribute to enabling a deeply decarbonized power grid.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the US Department of Energy seeks information that could inform ARPA-E's potential research and development (R&D) funding for safe, low-cost, flexible scale, transportable, and widely deployable hydrogen storage technologies for ultralong-duration, especially seasonal, energy storage. The hydrogen storage systems of particular interest should be turn-key systems ready to be integrated with hydrogen fuel cell power generation, hydrogen capable CHP, microgrid, and other distributed power generation systems.

This is a request for information only.  This notice does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).  No FOA exists at this time.  

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on March 15, 2021.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E), concurrently with this Teaming Partner List Announcement, is issuing a new Targeted Topic under Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) DE‐FOA‐0001953 and DE‐FOA‐0001954 to (1) focus attention of technical and research communities on the challenges and benefits of establishing "ground truth" sites in feedstock production environments as a means to validate emerging sensors and sensor systems capable of quantifying field-level emissions, (2) encourage dialogue amongst technology developers, feedstock producers and relevant agricultural stakeholders about leveraging these field sites, and (3) provide a timetable for the submission of Full Applications.

Ethanol and other bio-based fuels have the potential to provide an emissions-free source of energy on a net basis, but not without a shift in feedstock production practices. Current feedstock production practices are driven by yield, and low profit margins leave feedstock growers with limited options for increasing productivity; often, this comes in the form of over-fertilization, which produces unnecessary emissions, impacts water quality, and has uncertain returns (e.g. an estimated $267–702 million dollars of fertilizer value is lost each year ). While these impacts become clear when aggregated to the regional or national scale, field-level contributions remain unknown. This lack of visibility, combined with the absence of economic incentives beyond yield, leaves feedstock producers to estimate and assume the risk of new management practices to their primary revenue stream (i.e. yield). By establishing sites and protocols for measuring the impact of management practices on both yield and the environment, this funding opportunity aims to bridge the technology gap between feedstock producers and existing market incentives that can de-risk sustainable management practices and defray the cost of monitoring their impact.

ARPA-E will provide financial support to teams that include production farms that could market directly to ethanol and other biofuel producers to develop datasets of current production inputs (e.g. fertilizer, chemicals, fuel) and outcomes (e.g. yield, emissions, water quality) in a commercial production environment. In doing so, this funding opportunity aims to fund the creation of "gold-standard" datasets to (i) pilot data capture and transfer methods for supply-chain-wide LCA, (ii) validate new, low-cost technology approaches to measuring and improving feedstock production efficiency, and (iii) provide new high-resolution data to the R&D community for technology development (e.g. remote sensing to reduce physical footprint of high-resolution monitoring; new modeling, prediction and extrapolation techniques). ARPA–E held a workshop on this topic in February 2018; information on this workshop can be found at the webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=workshop/energy-smart-farm-distributed-intelligence-networks-highly-variable-and-resource).

ARPA-E seeks to fund the development of "ground truth" solutions that establish measurements and protocols for emissions monitoring at the field level and provide agronomic insight. The primary goal of this targeted topic is to fund project teams to establish publically available open-source, high-resolution datasets to support testing and validation of emerging biofuel production monitoring technologies.

In order to realize the goals of this program, expertise in the following areas may be useful:

(i) Establishing a data protocol for quantifying field-level emissions, including soil carbon storage; (ii) Developing clear methods for assessing commercial solutions for emissions quantification at the field level; (iii) Garnering stakeholder input and collaboration across the supply chain. (iv) Securing and sharing field-level datasets both during and after the period of performance; (v) Engaging community members across the energy-water-food nexus to share best practices, collaborate on technology challenges, and encourage data standardization and transparency.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with teams, with the ultimate goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of a new risk-driven operational and planning paradigm.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in September 2019. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a FOA. Applicants must refer to the final Targeted Topic issued under DE‐FOA‐0001953 and DE‐FOA‐0001954, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) in the US Department of Energy is seeking novel ideas and information concerning:

a) Waste-To-Materials and Energy (WTM&E) technologies to produce materials (such as cementitious ashes, metals, and critical materials like rare earth elements and precious metals), heat, and power from either unsorted or autonomously classified Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Waste-to-energy (WTE) plants

b) Waste-To-Crude Fuels (WTCF) technologies to produce a refinery blend stock and/or marine-grade bunker fuel oil from mixed plastic/paper streams

c) Waste-To-Carbon (WTC) technologies such as enhanced/catalyzed hydrothermal carbonization of unsorted MSW and/or Municipal wastewater (MWW e.g., sewage) to produce carbon/char-like products

Critically, ARPA-E is interested in technologies that would lead to economically viable processes and/or value-add products (e.g., cementitious or pozzolanic precursors, refinery blend stocks, char and tire-fillers). ARPA-E seeks input from technical experts, researchers, and end-users of MSW technologies (such as power plants, factories, utilities, manufacturers), waste-to-energy operators, engineering disciplines (chemical/process, mechanical, environmental, electrical), material scientists (concrete scientists/chemists), computer and robotic scientists, social sciences, and related disciplines. Consistent with the agency’s mission, ARPA-E is seeking clearly disruptive, novel technologies early in the R&D cycle, and novel integration strategies for existing technologies.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below and note in particular: the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME. Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on October 8th 2019. ARPA-E will not review or consider comments submitted by other means.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support investigating the feasibility of systems that use plants to extract nickel from soils and deliver a nickel-enriched bio-ore for purification. As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the potential FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria. The FOA terms are controlling.

For purposes of this Teaming Partner List, the overarching goal of PHYTOMINES would be to develop phytomining as a cost-competitive and low-carbon intensity alternative mining approach by extracting metal resources from soils that are too low in concentration for traditional mining. Additionally, phytomining can provide a clean energy mineral source that is procured and processed domestically. This program supports ARPA-E mission areas impacting energy security through reduction of imports, reduction of emissions involved in the mining of the energy-relevant minerals, and attainment of U.S. leadership in global competitions for locating clean sources of minerals.

ARPA-E has identified two major categories. Technical Category 1 is related to systemic approaches to improve the phytomining of nickel on U.S. marginal lands. Technical Category 2 deals with enhancement of the enabling knowledge base of U.S. phytomining. ARPA-E has identified several modeling, characterization, and risk management approaches that need to be associated with the technology development in Categories 1 & 2.

Category 1: Systemic approaches to improve the phytomining of nickel on U.S. marginal lands.

The focus of this category is the development of phytomining technologies that optimize nickel recovery by hyperaccumulator (HA) plants. Technologies could target any or multiple aspects of a phytomining system, for example:

• Soil biota, such as rhizobial, endophyte, or viral communities
• Plant traits to increase plant hyperaccumulation activity
• Technologies at the microbiome, organismal, or metagenomic scale

While research using model organisms/systems could be a complementary work stream, approaches that focus on non-model organisms or have potential to translate to non-model organisms with strong commercialization pathways are encouraged.

Category 2: Enhancing the enabling knowledge base of U.S. phytomining.

A priority outcome from this category is the creation of a unified, publicly available database to identify U.S. phytomining sites for:

• Nickel
• Rare earth elements
• Platinum group metals
• Other critical metals

As nickel is likely to be the near-term target, it will be acceptable to prioritize granularity on soil content of nickel over diversity of data expanding to rare earth/platinum group metals/other critical metals concentrations. The database would, at a minimum, unite currently separated geospatial data and a range of metadata including descriptions of:

• Geologic information
• Environmental information
• Ecological information
• Ownership status of the land

A potential FOA may also seek to support mapping and identifying new HA species of interest for scaling phytomining opportunities as well as facilitate technoeconomic analysis (TEA) and lifecycle analysis (LCA) of phytomining projects.

ARPA-E held a workshop on this topic in June 2023. Information on this workshop can be found at https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/phytomining-workshop.

Expertise in the following non-exhaustive list of technical areas may be useful in responding to the potential FOA:

• Plant biology (physiology, genetics, systems and synthetic biology of hyperaccumulation);
• Microbial biology (expertise in the fungi, bacteria, and other biota that regulate the bioavailability of critical materials to HAs);
• Geology and soil sciences (distribution, mapping, availability and bioavailability of critical materials);
• Data science (acquisition and presentation of geologic, ecological, and economic information necessary for phytomining); and
• TEA/LCA.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams and will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically until the close of the Full Application period to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes the following: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered. This list is completely voluntarily to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the potential FOA.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the FOA, if one is issued, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The FOA associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId521a7aa4-b255-4c3b-a211-b128d2a4a0e4

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in 2023 to solicit applications for financial assistance to support the scaling of promising ARPA-E-funded technologies into early commercial products.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate collaborations among performing teams to respond to the upcoming FOA. The FOA will provide specific Program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria and the FOA terms. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA:

The Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential 2023 (SCALEUP 2023) solicitation provides a vital mechanism for the support of innovative energy R&D that complements ARPA-E’s primary R&D focus on early-stage transformational energy technologies that still require proof-of-concept.

ARPA-E’s mission is to develop transformational energy technologies in support of U.S. national security and economic competitiveness. ARPA-E funds the R&D of technologies to build and maintain U.S. technological leadership in highly competitive global energy markets, thus supporting American jobs and economic growth. ARPA-E’s authorizing statute directs the Agency to develop linkages between its sponsored applied research and the marketplace. These linkages are central to realizing the public’s return on technology investments.

An enduring challenge to ARPA-E’s mission is that even technologies that achieve substantial technical advancement under ARPA-E support are at risk of being stranded in their development path once ARPA-E funding ends (averaging $2.5M over three years). ARPA-E-funded technologies typically face significant remaining technical and commercial risks upon completion of an award’s funding period. Experience across ARPA-E’s diverse energy portfolios, and with a wide range of investors, indicates that pre-commercial “scaling” projects are critical to establishing that performance and cost parameters can be met in practice for these very early-stage technologies. These pre-commercial scaling projects aim to translate the performance achieved at bench scale to commercially scalable versions of the technology, integrate the technology with broader systems, provide extended performance data, and validate the manufacturability and reliability of new energy technologies. (These projects are often termed “pre-pilot” development in different industries.) Success in these scaling projects would enable industry, investors, and partners to justify substantial commitments of financial resources, personnel, production facilities, and materials to develop promising ARPA-E technologies into early commercial products.

The SCALEUP 2023 FOA builds upon ARPA-E-funded technologies by scaling those that have the potential for the greatest impact, consistent with ARPA-E's mission. Stranding promising ARPA-E-funded technologies in their development pathways leaves substantial intellectual property developed with American taxpayer dollars vulnerable to adoption by foreign competitors, who can and do capture it for continued development – and economic benefit – overseas. This harms national competitiveness, as U.S. industries often lose the lead on the development, scaling, and manufacturing of technologies necessary to compete in rapidly evolving global energy markets. These scaling energy technology projects will meet ARPA-E’s statutory direction to achieve the above goals by “accelerating transformational technological advances in areas that industry by itself is unlikely to undertake because of technical and financial uncertainty”.

ARPA-E strongly encourages different organizations with outstanding entrepreneurial scientists and engineers along with commercialization and financial entities across different business sectors to participate in this Program. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

ARPA-E is compiling a Teaming Partner List for SCALEUP 2023 as an optional tool that potential applicants may choose to utilize to facilitate the formation of new project teams and identify potential collaborations. Teaming partners include organizations and individuals who can offer expertise, facilities, or other complementary resources toward a potential ARPA-E project. The teaming list identifies partners’ capabilities as well as their areas of interest, understanding that expertise and experience in one field can often be applied successfully to a new field. This list is completely voluntarily to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the SCALEUP 2023 FOA.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting in May 2023. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement). ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in 2023, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The FOA associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId3c87ba36-a1ba-4c4e-90ab-a5cce9c8a7b6

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) has issued a new Topic for the FOAs “Solicitation on Topics Informing New Program Areas” (DE-FOA-0001953) and “Solicitation on Topics Informing New Program Areas SBIR/STTR” (DE-FOA-0001954) to solicit applications for financial assistance in support of technology development aimed at reducing SF6 emissions from the electric transmission and distribution sector.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate collaborations among performing teams, including the testing and resource support teams, to respond to the Topic. Please see the Topic under each FOA noted above for specific Program goals, technical metrics, selection criteria and Topic terms. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes the Topic:

Today, the electric grid in the United States is responsible for distributing over 4 trillion kWh per year of electricity from generators to consumers. It forms an integrated network that has become an indispensable asset to the nation’s economy, infrastructure, and security. The physical infrastructure of this network depends on a combination of specialized equipment including transformers, switchgear, circuit breakers, converters, switches, circuit switches, and coupling capacitor potential devices. A critical component for the safety and reliability of the electric grid is a man-made gas, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). In 1937, GE introduced SF6 as an insulation gas in the electric industry; since then, SF6 has become ubiquitous in medium-voltage (MV) and high-voltage (HV) equipment. Among its many key attributes are its intrinsic non-toxic, non-corrosive, and non-flammable nature, in addition to its superior stability over a wide operating window, good thermal conductivity, high dielectric strength, and excellent arc quenching capabilities. These properties make it particularly amenable as an insulating and arc-quenching gas in electrical equipment.1 As a result, over 90% of gas-insulated switchgear globally uses SF6 as the insulating gas.2 However, SF6 emissions from the electric transmission and distribution sector pose a significant climate risk as a potent and long-lived greenhouse gas (GHG). One ton of SF6 emitted to the atmosphere has an equivalent 100-year global warming potential (GWP) of 22,800-26,700 tons of carbon dioxide and has an estimated atmospheric lifetime of 3,200 years.3 As the U.S. and individual states set increasingly ambitious emissions targets, emissions of all GHGs, particularly from the electric grid, will be scrutinized. Furthermore, regulations being considered in places like California and the EU aim to completely phase out SF6 from electrical equipment, necessarily setting a timeline to develop alternative solutions to SF6-insulated equipment. Alternative solutions developed today could define the market for decades to come, both in the US and globally.

To accomplish this goal, ARPA-E is looking for diverse interdisciplinary teams to foster research and development of alternative technologies which substitute SF6 in gas-insulated equipment (GIE) with alternative gases or gas mixtures, vacuum-based technologies, and/or address SF6 emissions across the life cycle of the equipment. Within the scope of this program and as further described in the FOA documents, ARPA-E expects to evaluate the viability and risks associated with alternative gas solutions, identify potential new alternative gases or gas mixtures that meet or exceed the performance of SF6 at a GWP approximately equal to CO2, accelerate development and testing of vacuum-dry air or vacuum-solid dielectric technologies for high voltage (at or above 245 kV) applications, design sensors that enable earlier leak detection, and create new pathways for the permanent fixation or destruction of SF6 for end-of-life disposal.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages different organizations with outstanding scientists and engineers, and across different scientific disciplines and technology sectors to participate in this Program. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (http://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in June 2021. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (http://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in June 2021. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities.By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

Applicants must refer to the Topic, issued in May 2021 under DE-FOA-0001953 and DE-FOA-0001954, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

1. Wang, Y., et al. Processes. 2019, 7, 216.

2. Gas-Insulated Switchgear Market Global Forecast to 2025. MarketsandMarkets. 2020. [Accessed April 2021].

3. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2015. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-02/documents/2017_annex_6.pdf [Accessed March 26, 2021]; Hodnebrog, O., et al. Reviews of Geophysics. 2019, 58, e2019RG000691

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on novel, potentially transformative technical opportunities, and approaches to increase the energy efficiency of data centers.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

Depending on the responses to this RFI, ARPA‐E may consider the rapid initiation of one or more funded collaborative projects to accelerate along the path towards commercial deployment of the energy technologies described generally above.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on 4/30/2021.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on novel, potentially transformative technical opportunities and approaches to liberate minerals relevant to our energy infrastructure while concurrently mineralizing carbon dioxide.

ARPA-E requests responses focusing on how CO₂ from power plants, industrial sources, or the atmosphere can be leveraged to improve mining practices in order to successfully meet the growing domestic demand, economic feasibility, and environmental sustainability of critical materials (CMs). ARPA-E is predominantly (not exclusively) interested in approaches targeting the recovery of nickel, cobalt, and chromium deposits in mafic or ultramafic rock formations.

This is a request for information only. This notice does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on February 18, 2021.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a Program Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that would support used nuclear fuel (UNF) transmutation. Transmutation of UNF would promote nuclear energy by addressing significant challenges associated with the permanent disposal of UNF arising from current and future nuclear reactors. Transmutation research and development will focus on reducing the storage impact of UNF components, specifically minor actinides, intermediate-lived fission products, and long-lived fission products fated for a permanent geological repository.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to a potential future FOA. Any FOA issued in the future would provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria. FOA terms would be controlling.

For purposes of this Teaming Partner List, overall goals for the potential program include:

• 30-year timeline to transmute key minor actinides, medium-lived fission products, and long-lived fission products in the U.S. UNF stockpile
• ≥ 99% reduction in storage time for UNF
• ≥ 60% reduction in decay heat in watts per metric ton of uranium of UNF
• ≥ 90% reduction in activity of UNF

The potential FOA would consider the following technical areas:

1. Resilient components of transmutation systems. This technology area includes specific components that improve the power, current, reliability, and efficiency, and reduce the operating power of particle beam production.
2. Increased transmutation throughput. This technology area includes methods and processes to incorporate UNF into transmutation systems that maximize transmutation of components into more manageable isotopes. Process chemistry for liquid or molten salt targets and spallation targets for accelerator-driven systems are also included in this area.
3. Capability teams. ARPA-E is seeking capability teams for testing component integration and system resiliency to support the assessment of technologies in the program. Additionally, capability teams will be tasked with the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) algorithms to apply to accelerator facilities and to reduce the magnitude and duration of beam trips. Capability teams will create and maintain a materials database and perform techno-economic analyses on transmutation systems concepts.

Other solutions that do not clearly fall under one of the previous categories will be considered. However, a compelling case must be made that the technology will deliver significant improvements to the enhanced throughput of transmutation.

Expertise in the following areas may be useful in responding to the potential FOA:

• Radio frequency generation
• Laser systems
• Accelerators
• Cryogenics
• Material coatings technologies
• Power electronics
• AI/ML
• Nuclear chemistry
• Process chemistry
• Separations
• Radiological monitoring
• Materials analysis

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration, spanning organizational boundaries, enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically until the close of the Full Application period to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes the following: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered. This list is completely voluntary to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the potential FOA.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the potential FOA, expected to be issued around June 2024, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Introduction:

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit input for a potential ARPA-E program focused on identifying transformative technologies across the helium-4 (“helium”) supply chain to decrease the delivered cost of helium from processes not dependent on natural gas production. ARPA-E is seeking information regarding alternative methods to safeguard future helium production in the United States and ensure helium availability for next-generation energy technologies. Specifically, ARPA-E is interested in identifying potentially disruptive concepts to: 1) develop innovative mapping technologies to locate new helium sources; and 2) produce helium using advanced separation technologies designed for novel sources and/or the enhancement of helium recovery and recycling.

ARPA-E is seeking input from analytical chemists, chemical engineers, geochemists, geophysicists, geologists, materials scientists, petroleum engineers, process engineers, subsurface engineers, and others with potentially relevant expertise. ARPA-E is also seeking input from prospective end-users of helium, including semiconductor manufacturers, welding technologists, and scientists and engineers working with superconducting materials (e.g., physicists, electrical engineers, biomedical engineers, aerospace engineers). This RFI is focused on soliciting input on methods that decouple helium production from natural gas production. The questions toward the end of this document are intended to assist relevant stakeholders in providing input on:

1. Advanced identification, mapping, and quantification of new sources of helium, including co-locating potential geologic sources of hydrogen, subsurface seeps, geothermal reservoirs, and engineering methods to increase helium recovery from geologic sources;
2. Potential separation methods for helium sources (e.g., membranes, electrochemical separations, and non-cryogenic methods); and
3. Approaches for recovery and recycling of helium that resolve technical or economic constraints.

Areas Not of Interest for Responses to this RFI:

Work focused on basic research aimed purely at discovery and fundamental knowledge generation is not of interest.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Friday, March 15.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to develop net-zero mineral beneficiation technologies that decrease comminution energy and increase yield of energy-relevant metals from CO2-reactive ore. The objectives of this program are: (1) transform the CO2-reactive gangue minerals into softer and insoluble carbonate to decrease comminution energy; (2) increase yield of metals, such as nickel, cobalt, chromium, lithium, copper, and rare earth elements from conventional critical minerals and surrounding CO2-reactive gangue minerals; (3) eliminate possible negative impact on metal yield from conventional critical minerals during the development of new mineral beneficiation technologies to carbonate gangue mineralogy ; and (4) maintain the stable carbonate from cradle-to-grave. The timing of this program coincides with the need for market-ready breakthrough negative emission technologies that can exploit unconventional energy-relevant minerals to secure domestic supply and decrease comminution energy.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate collaborations among performing teams. ARPA-E is open to team(s) interested in both subsurface in-situ and ex-situ carbonation and energy-relevant metal recovery approaches.

Five focus areas have been identified as necessary to achieve the program objectives:

(1) Mineral Comminution and Yield: A category focused on developing breakthrough technologies to decrease comminution energy and energy-relevant metal yields lost during mineral beneficiation of CO2-reactive ore. The technology must accomplish this objective by changing the mineral properties of the CO2-reactive ore to utilize preexisting mineral beneficiation processes. Preferably, the team should have expertise in current mineral beneficiation processes, carbonate chemistry, and carbonate mineralogy.

(2) Gangue Mineral Yield: A category focused on fundamental research into developing breakthrough technologies to exploit energy-relevant metals from CO2-reactive gangue minerals. The technology must accomplish this by not impacting conventional critical mineral yield or decarbonating the ore. Preferably, the team should have expertise in metallurgy, mafic-ultramafic petrology, carbonate chemistry, carbonate mineralogy, and catalysis.

(3) Carbon Negative Reactions: A category focused on fundamental research into carbon-negative reactions. The team's expertise should include laboratory experiments, numerical modeling, and characterization of physico-chemical changes during rock carbonation. Preferably, the team should have expertise in CO2 sequestration, mafic-ultramafic petrology, carbonate chemistry, and catalysis.

(4) Sensing and Analyzing Carbonation Potential and Mineralization: The research category focuses on developing breakthrough technology to conduct geophysical and (or) geochemical surveys to produce models that develop exploratory vectors of CO2-reactive rock formations, quantify rock carbonation, and quantify energy-relevant metals leached and remineralized during carbonation of the CO2-reactive gangue minerals. Preferably, the team should have experience in geophysical, geochemical, and geostatistical modeling of ore bodies.

(5) Applied Research: A category focused on the proper scale-up of this technology from bench-scale demonstrations. The team should have expertise in field characterization and planning (e.g, geophysics, geology, mining engineering, drilling). The team should understand geochemical, mineralogical, structural, and petrological heterogeneity within CO2-reactive ore bodies. An understanding of the changes in petrophysical properties and alteration mineralogy during rock carbonation. The ability to provide proper reservoir characterization to optimize rock carbonation and metal capture from gangue minerals. Understanding reservoir fluid dynamics to mitigate injection fluid loss and maximize recovery of possible production fluids. Adequate experience operating and maintaining a drilling and injection site to perform successful rock carbonation and recovery of carbonated samples.

ARPA–E held a workshop on these topics on July 13 and 15, 2021. Information from this workshop can be found at the event webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/sequestering-carbon-hybrid-employment-mineral-assets-workshop).

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with these project teams, with the goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of the innovative technologies these project teams develop.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in December 2021. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner List should complete all required fields in the following link:

https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or by other means will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued January 2022, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) is considering issuing a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to utilize atmospheric CO₂ in the manufacture of building materials and design of whole-buildings that are capable of storing carbon within the finished product. The objective of this program would be to nullify embodied emissions while driving the transformation of buildings into carbon sinks. The timing of this program coincides with the urgency in both achieving aggressive reductions in embodied emissions, particularly in new construction, as well as the need for market-ready negative emission technologies and practices for implementing carbon removal strategies.

Two categories have been identified as necessary to achieve these goals:

(1) Building Materials Teams: A category focused on the development and commercialization of novel building materials that both contain a minimum of 10 wt.% (and higher than the incumbent technology) atmospheric carbon in the chemical structure of their manufactured part and also store more carbon than emitted during manufacture (i.e. cradle-to-gate, A1-A3) with an aim towards cradle-to-grave negative emissions. Performance requirements for building construction and operational energy usage must also be satisfied and surpassed.

(2) Building Design Teams: A category focused on leveraging emerging carbon storing materials as a parameter in whole-building re-designs. These new designs will drive down both lifetime embodied and operational emissions while also incorporating carbon storing materials with the goal of cradle-to-grave carbon negative buildings. We anticipate reuse and design for deconstruction as critical strategies in achieving this emission reduction goal.

Of note, ARPA-E is considering funding a team (or teams) through a separate solicitation to perform Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) in conjunction with the Building Materials and Design Teams for this FOA, to ensure that the technologies developed through this potential program are evaluated consistently and transparently.

ARPA–E held a workshop on these topics on March 23 and 25, 2021. Information from this workshop can be found at the event webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/carbon-negative-building-materials-workshop).

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with these project teams, with the goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of the innovative technologies these projects teams develop.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in July 2021. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner List should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued August 2021, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on the development of technologies that would enable the effective management of the Nation’s commercial used nuclear fuel (UNF). The goals of this RFI are to (1) solicit information about reactor fuel needs for both the current commercial light-water reactor (LWR) fleet and future advanced reactors, and (2) seek insights into technology gaps and/or cost drivers that may be hindering economical recycling of existing LWR UNF.¹ This information is needed to help ARPA-E identify ways in which the Nation’s roughly 86,000 MTU² inventory of UNF, which has been increasing by approximately 2,000 MTU per year, can best be recycled to support current and advanced reactor fuel needs. Such activities are consistent with ARPA-E’s statutory goals, which include supporting the development of transformative solutions for addressing UNF.³

ARPA-E is interested in information about technologies with the potential to make recycling UNF at least as economical, safe, and secure as the current once-through fuel cycle.⁴ Such technologies would enable a UNF treatment facility to be economically constructed, managed, and operated; yield an actinide product that is cost-competitive with natural uranium (U) obtained from traditional mining and milling; and generate significantly lower waste volumes than those generated from existing commercial UNF treatment facilities. Implementation of advanced nuclear material accounting technologies and incorporation of a safeguards-by-design philosophy would support this objective by enabling precise, remote, near-real-time monitoring and accounting of special nuclear material⁵; decreasing hands-on-inspection requirements; and minimizing operational downtime to verify accuracy of material accounting. In aggregate, these innovations could substantially reduce the volume, heat load, and radiotoxicity of high-level waste requiring permanent disposal while providing a valuable and sustainable fuel feedstock for advanced fast reactors and the existing LWR fleet.

The questions in this RFI are intended to allow relevant stakeholders a mechanism to provide input on (i) the nature of a potential UNF recycling facility, (ii) UNF recycling technology gaps, (iii) existing LWR and future advanced reactor feedstock and fuel needs, and (iv) cost drivers for UNF recycling facility capital and management and operations (M&O) costs. Responses to these questions will enable ARPA-E to refine its success metrics for a potential program aimed at supporting the development of economical, safe, secure, and safeguarded recycling technologies. The questions posed in this section are classified into several different groups as appropriate. ARPA-E does not expect any one respondent to answer all, or even many, of these prompts. Simply indicate the group and question number in your response. Appropriate citations are encouraged. Respondents are also welcome to address other relevant avenues/technologies that are not outlined below.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI @hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern time on June 14, 2021.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

[1] For the purposes of this RFI, recycling of UNF entails (1) fuel treatment to recover valuable actinides (and potentially fission products) from UNF and (2) subsequent reuse of the recovered materials for nuclear and other applications.

[2] MTU=metric tons of uranium. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, approximately 79,825 MTU were discharged between 1968 and 2017. Approximately 2,000 MTU UNF are discharged per year, meaning that approximately 86,000 MTU have been discharged as of 2020. https://www.eia.gov/nuclear/spent_fuel/

[3] ARPA-E was chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260) (codified at 42 U.S.C. § 16538). ARPA-E’s statutory goals are found in 42 U.S.C. § 16538(c). The Energy Act of 2020 amended such goals to include “provid[ing] transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel”.

[4] International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 2011. “The nuclear fuel cycle”. https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/nfc0811.pdf

[5] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “Special nuclear material”. March 09, 2021. https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/glossary/special-nuclear-material.html

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program on nonconventional fusion approaches. This is a new “hybrid” RFI format where traditional written responses are accepted as before, but with the new option of participating in a Polyplexus incubator online discussion and Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) session. Further instructions and details are provided in the RFI.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on 4/30/2021 and/or via participation in the Polyplexus incubator (March 17 to April 7, 2021) and/or AMA (March 26, 2021, 1:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern Time). Participation via Polyplexus is strongly encouraged.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in July 2020 to solicit applications for financial assistance to integrate and scale up multiple ammonia synthesis technologies that were developed under financial assistance from ARPA–E.

Specifically, ARPA-E anticipates funding a single project where the lead organization (integrator), teaming with partners, develops a skid-mounted ammonia synthesis system capable of producing ammonia from air, water, and intermittent renewable electricity at a rate of a metric ton of ammonia per day. The project team will comprise current and former ARPA-E awardees who developed ammonia synthesis technologies, and these technologies will be incorporated into the ammonia synthesis system.

Respondents to this Teaming Partner List should identify as potential:

1) Integrators: Entities that have:

• successfully built, commissioned, and tested multiple skid-mounted chemical engineering systems that produced chemical products at a scale of hundreds of kilograms per day or higher, and have access to test sites with sufficient intermittent renewable electricity and water to produce ammonia at a rate of up to 1 metric ton per day
• testing facilities capable of working with and disposing of or consuming toxic, high pressure, or explosive components including hydrogen and ammonia up to the requested scale, with an excellent safety record
• an in-house facility and staff available to fabricate and assemble components for skid-mounted systems
• experience managing multi-party consortia
• a record of commercializing skid-mounted chemical engineering technology

Integrators are NOT required to have developed ammonia synthesis technology under an ARPA-E award.

2) Technology developers: Entities with ARPA-E funded ammonia technologies ready for scaling and system integration. These technologies may require additional, but minimal, optimization and scaling up prior to integration.

3) Vendors: Entities with commercially available technology required for ammonia synthesis, such as electrolysis and air separation.

4) Demonstrators: Entities with capability to operate test sites with sufficient intermittent renewable electricity and water to produce and utilize ammonia at a rate of up to 1 metric ton per day

More detailed information on the rationale behind the need to scale up and integrate ammonia synthesis technology can be found in the recent Request for Information (RFI) on Next Generation Ammonia System Integration Project DE-FOA-0002307. More detailed information on the background of the technology and competitiveness challenges ARPA-E seeks to address can be found in the REFUEL FOA.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in June 2020. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in July 2020, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support the development and validation of technologies that can detect the release of hydrogen from production, transportation, and storage infrastructure. As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the Exploratory Topic M: H2SENSE FOA. The FOA provides specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria. FOA terms are controlling.

For the purposes of this Teaming Partner List, the overall H2SENSE program goal is to develop technologies that can lead to hydrogen emissions detection at costs amenable to widespread deployment. Technologies of interest should comprise of fully integrated systems that incorporate sensors, data transmission, hydrogen dispersion and quantification analyses, and any peripheral components and modeling necessary for operation and calibration. Hydrogen emissions detection systems may rely on a single or multiple sensors. Both active sensors and passive sensors may be considered.

Expertise in the following areas may be useful in responding to the FOA:

• Active and Passive Sensors: Active sensors are defined as those which involve the projection of energy (e.g., light or sound) into the environment and detect changes caused by the presence of hydrogen. Passive sensors are those which monitor the environment without emitting energy into the monitored area.
• Sensor Deployment Methodologies: Fixed, drones, vehicular, etc.
• Modeling: Capabilities including data analytics, site modeling, weather data integration, transport modeling, inversion calculations, emissions localization, and error quantification.
• Systems Integration: Packaging and integration of sensors and supporting hardware, and modeling and analysis capabilities to create an end-result measurement of quantified, localized hydrogen emissions.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting on April 30. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically until the close of the Full Application period to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes the following: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered. This list is completely voluntarily to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the FOA.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. Applicants must refer to the Exploratory Topic M: H2SENSE FOA, issued on April 25, 2024, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding. Questions about the FOA should be directed to ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for a new program entitled Converting UNF Radioisotopes Into Energy (CURIE). This new program will fund innovative technologies and approaches that will significantly improve the economics of commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities, improve reprocessing material accountancy while decreasing materials attractiveness, and drastically reduce the volume of high-level waste (HLW) requiring permanent disposal. An ARPA-E workshop was held in July 2021 to help identify and refine metrics for this new program; presentations from that workshop can be found here. The following paragraphs summarize the motivation for CURIE and the current planning for the CURIE FOA.

The U.S. currently uses a once-through fuel cycle in which approximately 4% of the uranium in nuclear fuel is consumed in a nuclear reactor before it is disposed of as HLW. After decades of using a once-through fuel cycle, the U.S. has accumulated nearly 86,000 metric tons (MT) of used nuclear fuel (UNF), an amount that increases by approximately 2,000 MT per year.[1] However, the use of nuclear fuel reprocessing, which is the recovery of valuable actinides from UNF, could close the fuel cycle by enabling the recycle of valuable actinides as new fuel for advanced reactors. Recycling UNF in this manner could greatly improve resource utilization, particularly when used in fast-spectrum advanced reactors, while dramatically reducing the volume of HLW requiring disposal. Reprocessing facility construction costs are currently estimated to range from $250 million to $20 billion,[2] but advances in separations chemistry and material accountancy technologies, front-end UNF treatment, advanced manufacturing, modularization, machine learning, and other relevant technological advances could be leveraged to drastically reduce the costs of constructing and operating a modern reprocessing facility in a safe and secure manner. The CURIE program aims to achieve this timely goal. It is part of a nearly $90M ARPA-E strategy to manage and reduce the Nation’s HLW waste inventory and complements ARPA-E’s recently announced ONWARDS program, which focuses on minimizing the waste impact of advanced reactors.

The FOA will provide specific CURIE program goals, technical metrics and selection criteria; the terms of the FOA will be controlling but currently, ARPA-E anticipates that the CURIE FOA will target research and development in the following categories:

Category 1 – Reprocessing Technologies: This technical category includes front-end- and separations process improvements and innovative equipment designs that minimize waste volumes and streams, condense unit operations, improve intrinsic proliferation resistance of actinide separations, increase resource utilization efficiency, simplify off-gas management, and/or, enable repurposing and recovery of valuable products (e.g., noble metals, medical radioisotopes). Example technology improvements include, but are not limited to, process intensification, single-cycle solvent extraction, advanced voloxidation, and fluoride volatility.

Category 2 – Integrated Monitoring & Materials Accountancy: This technical category includes technologies that support online monitoring of UNF reprocessing operations and enable materials accountancy of fissile materials at accuracy and precision levels of <1% error. This could include improved sensor fusion, instrumentation to support automated collection of real-time monitoring training sets, or novel sensors.

Category 3 – Facility Design & Systems Analysis: This category is intended for proposals that focus on lowering construction and operations and maintenance costs for reprocessing facilities via approaches such as (but not limited to) modularization of unit operations, automation, development of digital twins, and the use of advanced manufacturing techniques. It also includes systems analysis proposals that optimize the footprint, throughput, and siting of reprocessing facilities; assess the impact of reprocessing on future repository disposal costs; evaluate risks associated with a reprocessing facility; and otherwise explore ways of dramatically improving the economics, licensing, and siting of reprocessing facilities.

Category 4 - Other: This category is provided for submissions which do not cleanly fall into the above three categories but can potentially meet overall programmatic objectives.

To meet the program metrics for these areas of research, expertise in the following Technical Areas may be useful in responding to the FOA:

• Separations Chemistry (e.g., solvent extraction, pyroprocessing, halide volatility, etc.)
• Head-End Processing (e.g.,voloxidation, Kr/Xe capture, etc.)
• Process Intensification
• Material Accountancy/Online Monitoring
• Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing and Safeguards Regulations
• Digital Engineering
• Techno-Economic Analyses
• Systems Analysis and Risk Assessment
• Advanced Manufacturing and Construction, Including Modular Fabrication
• Sensors, Instrumentation, Controls, Autonomous Operation, and Robotics
• Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Digital Twins
• Project Engineering

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Such collaboration is especially important for CURIE, as several of the technical and engineering advances (e.g., waste-minimizing separations processes, digital twins, and process intensification) that are crucial to the success of CURIE have been developed and optimized outside of the nuclear industry. To ensure a comprehensive, integrated approach to reaching CURIE’s program goals, ARPA-E is encouraging teams from the sectors such as

• National Laboratories
• Universities
• Nuclear Fuel Cycle Industry
• Oil and Gas Industry
• Chemical and Biochemical Industry
• Industrial Waste Management Companies
• Mineral Processing Industry
• AI/Robotics R&D/Industry
• Project Engineering and Construction Firms

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, in January 2022. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields at the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued February 2022 for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

[1] Government Accountability Office, Report No. GAO-21-603, “Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel: Congressional Action Needed to Break Impasse and Develop a Permanent Disposal Solution,” published September 2021, available online at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-603. Accessed November 12, 2021.

[2] Idaho National Laboratory, Report No. NTRD-FCO-2017-000265, “Advanced Fuel Cycle Cost Basis – 2017 Edition,” Module F1: Spent Nuclear Fuel Aqueous Reprocessing Facility, published September 29, 2017.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) is considering issuing a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to utilize atmospheric CO₂ in the manufacture of building materials and design of whole-buildings that are capable of storing carbon within the finished product (Primary Solicitation). The objective of this program would be to nullify embodied emissions while driving the transformation of buildings into carbon sinks. As a component of this program, ARPA-E is considering funding a team (or teams) through a separate solicitation to perform Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) in conjunction with the Building Materials and Design Teams, which would be selected under the Primary Solicitation, to analyze the environmental impacts of various carbon negative building materials under development through the program and to enable comparisons between materials and entire buildings consistently and transparently with sensitivity analyses.

ARPA-E anticipates that in order to successfully analyze the program’s Building Materials and Design Teams’ projects, an LCA team would need to develop:

(1) Cradle-to-grave LCA modeling frameworks for rapid screening and quantification of LCA impacts of building materials and/or whole buildings, including comparative LCAs between proposed building materials and incumbent materials, as well as hot spot analyses for nascent materials. These materials could be derived from a variety of feedstocks, including purpose grown and residue biomass, as well as, direct air capture and point source CO₂, and use a wide range of processing methods

(2) .Dynamic LCA frameworks that track cumulative and temporal life cycle impacts over a building’s lifetime. ARPA-E is interested in a framework that leverages dynamic LCA to understand how life cycle impacts change and accumulate over time.

(3) Spatial-temporal modeling tools to estimate site-specific parameters important for LCA of different feedstocks for building materials, leading to the incorporation of land use change impacts in product level LCAs.

ARPA–E held a workshop on these topics on March 23 and 25, 2021. Information from this workshop can be found at the event webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/carbon-negative-building-materials-workshop).

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with these project teams, with the goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of the innovative technologies these projects teams develop.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in July 2021. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner List should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued August 2021, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E-funded research program focused on novel technical approaches to produce iron metal (Fe) from iron-containing ores, which can create new technology pathways to enable future net-zero GHG emissions steelmaking at global scale. ARPA--E is interested in targeting ironmaking processes that have both: (a) a clear near-term value proposition – the production of high- value steels or ferrous alloys – and (b) a credible path to long-term commodity iron and steel production.

ARPA-E is interested in current knowledge gaps and technological barriers to the successful development and/or deployment of ironmaking technology concept(s), including, but not limited to: electrometallurgical ironmaking routes, pyrometallurgical ironmaking routes, biomass-based ironmaking routes, thermochemical reductants, metallothermic reduction, drop-in approaches, and enabling technologies for novel ironmaking. ARPA-E is also interested in input about about processes upstream of ironmaking, including novel iron ores and ore processing.

Due to the potential initial cost premium of zero-emissions approaches, ARPA-E is interested in learning about high-value iron-based alloys/steel compositions that could provide a near-term value proposition on the path to ultimate bulk iron/steel production. Examples might include: electrical steels (i.e. silicon steels), magnetic steels, stainless steels, high-purity iron alloys, advanced high-strength steels, high- entropy alloys, and/or powder forms of such steels. ARPA-E is also interested in understanding what parameters of a lab-scale novel ironmaking technology are needed to make a compelling case for further investment.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI @hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern time on June 14, 2021.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Topic for the FOA “Solicitation on Topics Informing New Program Areas” and the “Solicitation on Topics Informing New Program Areas SBIR/STTR” in June 2020 to solicit applications for financial assistance to develop and demonstrate interconnecting systems for medium-voltage power distribution in electric aviation.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate collaborations among performing teams including the testing and resource support teams to respond to the upcoming Topic. The FOA, once the new Topic has been issued, will provide specific Program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria and the FOA terms. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the Topic:

ARPA-E has recently launched two programs on electric aviation relevant to narrow-body passenger aircrafts. The first program, ASCEND (Aviation-class Synergistically Cooled Electric-motors with integrated Drives) will deal with the development of lightweight and ultra-efficient integrated electric motors, drives, and thermal management systems to facilitate net-zero carbon emissions. The second program, REEACH (Range Extenders for Electric Aviation with Low Carbon and High Efficiency) will develop a system for the conversion of chemical energy contained in energy dense Carbon Neutral Liquid Fuels (CNLFs) to electric power for aircraft propulsion. However, a remaining challenge, especially in all-electric aviation, is power distribution. To address this, ARPA-E seeks the development of electric power cable, electric cable connector, and circuit breaker technology suitable for an all-electric aircraft.

The state-of-the-art maximum onboard electric power generation capacity in operating commercial airliners is approximately 1 MW on the Boeing 787 which is supplied via low-voltage AC distribution (115-235 V_AC, ±270 V_DC) to ancillary electrical power systems such as HVAC, avionics, actuators, and anti-icing. Airbus’ testbed design for a narrow-body, hybrid-electric distribution system, the E-Fan X, includes a distribution system at 3 kV and a 2 MW electric propulsor which replaces one of four jet engines. _{[1] However, an all-electric propulsion system for a twin-aisle (e.g. NASA N3-X) aircraft would require at least 50 MW [2] (i.e. utility-scale power) during takeoff, which is significantly higher than the present onboard generation and power distribution system capabilities. Rolls-Royce and GE research projects funded by NASA [3] have concluded that even with a high temperature superconductors (HTSs), voltages are optimally in the range of ±4.5-12 kV to achieve the power density required of power electronics and motors for 50 MW of total system power.} The distribution of such a large amount of power may require the use of a prohibitive load of cables, connectors, and circuit breakers. Thus, ARPA-E is interested in evaluating transformative solutions such as the use of a medium-voltage distribution system and novel conducting materials that would be more likely to meet the weight and size requirements. In addition to the power density concerns, the distribution system will also have to meet the safety and reliability demands for aerospace applications in extreme environmental conditions (pressure, temperature, vibration, shock, etc.). In particular and most importantly, at medium voltage and low atmospheric pressures the risk of partial discharge becomes a concern. There are several unique challenges that will need to be addressed with various possible solution spaces to achieve greater than 50MW aerospace power distribution.

To accomplish this goal, ARPA-E is looking for diverse interdisciplinary teams to foster research and development of medium-voltage interconnecting systems for power distribution in electric aviation. The broad objectives of this Topic are to (i) identify appropriate wiring materials (i.e., conducting or superconducting) with optimum gravimetric power densities and minimum electrical losses, and evaluate corresponding vacuum or cryogenic systems if necessary; (ii) identify insulating materials with high dielectric strength, good thermal conductivity, low specific weight, conformality, malleability, and air-void minimization; (iii) assess connector designs and reliability; (iv) develop circuit breakers for aviation applications; and (v) address partial discharge related reliability issues that arise from low air pressure environments.

The targeted outcome of the program is to increase the power distribution capability on electric aircraft with minimal impact on weight while maintaining the high reliability and safety requirements of aviation.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages different organizations with outstanding scientists and engineers, and across different scientific disciplines and technology sectors to participate in this Program. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The TeamingPartnerList is being compiled to facilitate the for mation of new projec tteams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–EeXCHANGE (http://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in June 2020.The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically,until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in June 2020, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in September 2019 for technologies that will facilitate risk-driven electric grid management. ARPA-E is interested in approaches that quantify, evaluate, and mitigate risk in grid operations and planning for systems with increasing penetration levels of variable and uncertain resources (e.g., bulk wind, bulk solar, and distributed energy resources). Specifically, ARPA-E seeks solutions that are quantifiable, transparent, verifiable, and agreeable to all power sector participants to achieve widespread industry adoption of a transformative and disruptive operational paradigm shift. Within the context of this tentative program, risk is defined as the likelihood and associated impact of failing to serve electric power demand given the available portfolio of assets.

Existing grid management software and operational practices assume that the grid is primarily reliant upon bulk, conventional generation technologies whose performance is well understood. As regions pursue aggressive renewable portfolio standards and as emerging technologies become more cost competitive, management practices must evolve in order to efficiently and optimally utilize new asset types for energy, flexibility, and reliability services. In order to successfully transition to a clean and sustainable electric power system, risk-driven management practices are necessary to leverage all assets’ flexibility relative to their dependability.

ARPA-E intends to develop a framework for risk assessment on the grid, at both the asset and system level. Such a framework will allow clear and transparent comparison of asset performance and delivery risk to enable accurate assessment and management of system risk position and encourage innovative risk hedging strategies. ARPA–E held a workshop on this topic in June 2019; information on this workshop can be found at the webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=workshop/performance-based-energy-resource-feedback-optimization-and-risk-management)

ARPA–E anticipates that this tentative program will have two main thrusts. Teams may choose to innovate in one or both thrusts.

1. Quantification of risk and decision making under uncertainty practices at the asset level.
2. Quantification of risk and decision making under uncertainty practices at the system level.

In order to realize the goals of this program, expertise in the following areas may be useful: (i) power systems, (ii) operations research, (iii) financial engineering, (iv) actuarial science, (v) economics, (vi) statistics, (vii) market design, (viii) data analytics, and (ix) computer science.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with teams, with the ultimate goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of a new risk-driven operational and planning paradigm.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in August 2019. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in September 2019, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit input for a potential ARPA-E program focused on the feasibility and impact of retrofitting an existing aircraft with electric powertrains developed under ARPA-E’s Aviation-class Synergistically Cooled Electric-motors with iNtegrated Drives (ASCEND) program for a full integration with the aircraft and to show full functionality of the electric powertrain. ARPA-E is interested in groundbreaking technologies needed for a full integration of an electric powertrain into the aircraft main electrical and propulsion systems, as well as opportunities in airport electrification. This RFI aims to identify potential participants and gather insights to inform the development of a future funding opportunity focused on this transformative technology.

Areas Not of Interest for Responses to this RFI:

Approaches not of interest include:

• Subcomponent (e.g., electric motors and power converters) development only
• Non-electric energy sources (e.g., hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel)

RFI Guidelines:

PLEASE CAREFULLY REVIEW ALL RFI GUIDELINES BELOW.

Please note that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future research programs. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broad research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions.

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support the development of advanced batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) that can achieve significantly faster charging as well as superior low temperature performance compared to state of the art commercial options. While EVs continue to gain market share, domestically, more work is required to make them accessible to all Americans. ARPA-E has identified three market needs that will require better and more affordable technologies than are available today if the mass market is to be appropriately served in the future.

In addition to the above, domestic/global availability of battery materials, safety, and affordability continue to be significant factors that must be considered in a new battery program. To address these challenges, ARPA-E is contemplating several areas for possible investment:

First, a high-power battery (cell ≥ 200 Wh/kg) that can be charged in 5 minutes to 80% of its capacity. Second, a high energy battery (cell: ≥ 400 Wh/kg) that can be charged in 15 minutes to 80% of its capacity. The next generation of high energy and high-power battery chemistries and components will present considerable safety challenges that require new safety testing protocols. A third focus area of this potential program is therefore being considered, specifically to explore this safety testing topic, with the intent to de-risk chemistries with commercial potential (developed under this program) by the early application of competent and intentional failure analysis, Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA), and deployment of new tests.

For the first and second areas of interest, ARPA-E expects that a “total cell” solution (i.e., combination of anode, cathode, and electrolyte in a commercially viable package) will be required to achieve the primary program objectives. In addition, both will require significant reductions in cycle life degradation and performance loss at low temperatures, as well as a focus on low cost and globally abundant materials.

ARPA–E held a virtual workshop entitled “High Energy, Fast Charging Batteries for EV Applications” on October 26 and 28, 2021. Information from this workshop can be found at the event webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/high-energy-fast-charging-batteries-for-ev-applications-workshop).

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to a potential FOA for development of advanced cell chemistries and battery designs for EVs. Expertise in the following Technical Areas may be useful in responding to a potential future FOA: advanced battery materials/components research and development, computational modeling, cell and battery design, battery cell manufacturing, battery safety and testing, etc.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, in March 2022. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields at the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued by April 2022, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Update as of 05/03/2022: The FOAs associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId48756d42-40a6-4240-8f0f-986c81d670b3 and https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId610cce04-3efb-40f4-8442-a5d031195959.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (“FOA”), “Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential 2021 (SCALEUP 2021),” expected to be issued in 2021, to solicit applications for financial assistance to support the scaling of promising ARPA-E-funded technologies into early commercial products.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate collaborations among performing teams to respond to the upcoming FOA. The FOA will provide specific Program goals, technical metrics, selection criteria, and FOA terms. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA:

The Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential 2021 (SCALEUP 2021) solicitation provides a vital mechanism for the support of innovative energy R&D that complements ARPA-E’s primary R&D focus on early-stage transformational energy technologies that still require proof-of-concept.

ARPA-E’s mission is to develop transformational energy technologies in support of U.S. national security and economic competitiveness. ARPA-E funds the R&D of technologies to build and maintain U.S. technological leadership in highly competitive global energy markets, thus supporting American jobs and economic growth. ARPA-E’s authorizing statute directs the Agency to develop linkages between its sponsored applied research and the marketplace[1]. These linkages are central to realizing the public’s return on technology investments.

An enduring challenge to ARPA-E’s mission is that even technologies that achieve substantial technical advancement under ARPA-E support are at risk of being stranded in their development path once ARPA-E funding ends (averaging $2.5M over three years). ARPA-E-funded technologies typically face significant remaining technical risks upon completion of an award’s funding period. Experience across ARPA-E’s diverse energy portfolios, and with a wide range of investors, indicates that pre-commercial “scaling” projects are critical to establishing that performance and cost parameters can be met in practice for these very early-stage technologies. These pre-commercial scaling projects aim to translate the performance achieved at bench scale to commercially scalable versions of the technology, integrate the technology with broader systems, provide extended performance data, and validate the manufacturability and reliability of new energy technologies. (These projects are often termed “pre-pilot” development in different industries.) Success in these scaling projects would enable industry, investors, and partners to justify substantial commitments of financial resources, personnel, production facilities, and materials to develop promising ARPA-E technologies into early commercial products.

The SCALEUP 2021 FOA builds upon ARPA-E-funded technologies by scaling the most promising. Stranding promising ARPA-E-funded technologies in their development pathways leaves substantial intellectual property developed with American taxpayer dollars vulnerable to adoption by foreign competitors, who can and do capture it for continued development – and economic benefit – overseas. This harms national competitiveness, as U.S. industries often lose the lead on the development, scaling, and manufacturing of technologies necessary to compete in rapidly evolving global energy markets. These scaling energy technology projects will meet ARPA-E’s its statutory goal of “accelerating transformational technological advances in areas that industry by itself is not likely to undertake because of technical and financial uncertainty”[2].

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages different organizations with outstanding scientists and engineers across different scientific disciplines and technology sectors to participate in this Program. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

ARPA-E is compiling a Teaming Partner List for SCALEUP 2021 as an optional tool that potential applicants may choose to utilize to facilitate the formation of new project teams and identify potential collaborations. Teaming partners include organizations and individuals who can offer expertise, facilities, or other complementary resources toward a potential ARPA-E project. The teaming list identifies partners’ capabilities as well as their areas of interest, understanding that expertise and experience in one field can often be applied successfully to a new field. This list is completely voluntarily to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the SCALEUP 2021 FOA.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled solely to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (http://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in October 2021. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in 2021, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

[1] America COMPETES Act, Pub. L. No. 110-69, § 5012 (2007), as amended (codified at 42 U.S.C. §16538(c)(2)(A-C)).

[2] 42 U.S.C. §16538(c)(2)(C)

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for potential future ARPA-E supported research efforts focused on novel, unconventional ideas, approaches, and enabling technologies to reduce electrical conductor resistivity.

This is a new “hybrid” RFI format where you may choose to (1) provide a written response, as with past ARPA-E RFI’s, and/or (2) participate in a related online “incubator” and “ask me anything” (AMA) discussion session hosted on a platform developed by Polyplexus, LLC. Guidance for (1) is provided at the end of this document. For (2), please follow this weblink: https://polyplexus.com/incubator?idIncubator=606&initialTab=overview.The incubator and AMA, which are scheduled from 6/11/2021 to 6/25/2021 and 6/18/2021 3:30pm-5:00pm, respectively, are like an online chat forum that allows for dynamic, evidence-based discussions moderated by an ARPA-E Program Director, providing an opportunity for interested parties to actively influence the discussion and interact with the Program Director. The incubator discussions and AMA will be visible to any registered Polyplexus user; registration is free and available to anyone according to the terms available at the site linked above. Your participation in the incubator and AMA are not required in order to provide feedback on this potential future program, but encouraged.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI @hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern time on July 31, 2021.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit input for potential future ARPA-E research programs focused on innovative technologies and approaches for resource exploration, discovery, appraisal, mining, and processing of critical minerals. Goals of the potential programs could include:

ARPA-E is seeking information from universities, non-governmental organizations, small businesses, large businesses, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), and government-owned/government-operated (GOGO) organizations regarding such transformative and implementable technologies not currently deployed for mineral extraction to facilitate the future mining of critical minerals.

Areas Not of Interest for Responses to this RFI:

Any potential program would be focused on future resource discovery, appraisal, mining, and processing of critical minerals. Approaches not of interest include:

• Incremental improvements to existing technology;
• Electrification of existing mineral handling and beneficiation systems/circuits;
• Recycling of critical metals from waste sources that are not related to mining processes; and
• Topics directly related to the extraction of hydrocarbons (e.g., coal, oil, and gas).

RFI Guidelines:

PLEASE CAREFULLY REVIEW ALL RFI GUIDELINES BELOW.

Please note that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future research programs. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broad research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions.

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

Introduction:

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit input for a potential ARPA-E program focused on the development of technologies to reduce nitrogen inputs and soil-based greenhouse gas emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O) from the cultivation of bioenergy crops (i.e., corn, soybean, and sorghum). The goals for this programmatic concept include the evaluation of technologies capable of: 1) providing high-efficacy, low energy-intensive alternatives to synthetic fertilizer in agricultural production by advancing microbial fertilization approaches, enhancing plant nitrogen (N) use efficiency-related traits, and developing enabling tools for autogenic N₂ fixation; and 2) reducing soil-based N₂O emissions in growing these crops by altering the microbial N-cycle either through microbial and/or plant approaches.

ARPA-E seeks input from molecular biologists, biochemists, microbiologists, bioengineers, soil scientists, crop breeders, crop geneticists, plant scientists, and others with potentially relevant expertise. Additionally, ARPA-E is seeking input from prospective end-users of such technologies, including corn/soybean/sorghum growers, seed producers, farm monitoring and equipment companies, agronomists, biofuel stakeholders, and nitrogen fertilizer supply chains. This RFI is focused on soliciting input about biological approaches, rather than management-based approaches, to reduce N-inputs and soil-based emissions of N₂O. The questions at the end of this RFI are intended to assist relevant stakeholders in providing input on:­

1. Biological approaches to reducing synthetic N fertilizer and mitigating N₂O emissions, including approaches to genetic modifications of microbes and crops as well as methods to predict and control the activities of soil and root microbiomes.
2. Success metrics to quantify the impact of alternative technological approaches compared to synthetic nitrogen supply or mitigating N₂O emissions from the cultivation of bioenergy crops.
3. Approaches to evaluating technical and technology-to-market feasibility of these strategies.
4. Economic factors for large-scale adoption of these new technologies.

Areas Not of Interest for Responses to this RFI:

• Work focused on basic research aimed purely at discovery and fundamental knowledge generation.
• Efforts to use microbial fertilization and alter plant nitrogen use efficiency to improve crop yields at current applied N-levels.
• Land management or agronomic practices that can reduce N-inputs and field greenhouse gas emissions.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Monday, November 27.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) is considering issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to develop transformational cooling systems for data centers. Data centers are estimated to consume around 3% of all generated electricity with up to 40% of that power used for cooling. Currently the cooling power and use of water for evaporation cooling used by data centers varies greatly depending on local climate.

ARPA-E seeks to dramatically increase the efficiency of cooling for current and future compute systems in data centers and edge computing systems by greatly lowering the thermal resistance between the chip and the coolant. This will allow heat rejection at a temperature much closer to the chip operating temperature, enabling cooling solutions with transformational lower energy usage that can operate efficiently at any location in the United States at any time of the year. This will have many benefits: increased cooling capacity to meet future high-powered computing demands, increased potential for waste heat recovery and reuse, reduced or eliminated water consumption for cooling of data centers, potential for increased chip efficiency, location independence, improved performance in hot humid climates, potential for a compact modular cooling system, and enabling current and future edge computing needs.

Integrating advanced cooling solutions in power dense electrical environment like data centers has traditionally been a challenge due to reliability concerns of the cooling system and components. Reliability of complex systems has been achieved in other technical areas such as aerospace, automotive and renewable energy platforms through dedicated system engineering approaches and reliability and controls network modeling. ARPA-E would be interested to explore advanced integrations of electronics and cooling systems that can reach high levels of reliability and performance.

To achieve these goals ARPA-E is considering a potential program to develop disruptive cooling technologies that would consume less than 5% of data center power in any geographic location at any time of the year for a very high power density compute system. In addition, these technologies would be required to demonstrate the potential to be highly reliable as a system to allow data centers to maintain industry standard uptime levels. These technologies will also need to be cost competitive, environmentally friendly, and are encouraged to minimize or eliminate the need for water consumption for cooling. ARPA–E held a virtual workshop on this topic entitled “Cooling Compute Systems Efficiently, Anytime, Anywhere” on December 13 and 14, 2021. Information from this workshop can be found here: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/cooling-compute-systems-efficiently-anytime-anywhere-workshop.

In pursuit of this objective, the potential program envisions four different research tracks, each with specific scope of research and development, and metrics. One of the tracks will focus specifically on the component development for secondary cooling loop that transfers heat from the chips and electronics in the data hall to the facility. A second track will focus on technology and system development that encompasses both the secondary loop and the primary loop that transfers heat from the facility water to the environment, with an emphasis on novel modular data centers.

Two other tracks will be support tracks, with one focusing on development of a modelling capability that can assess impact at the datacenter center level, and allow future operators and data center designers to analyze and design for cooling system reliability, energy consumption, carbon footprint and total cost of ownership, while the other support track is intended to focus on facilities for testing the new technologies developed under the first two tracks.

Historically, the industry has been operating in a siloed approach. ARPA-e seeks new and transformative solutions that can only be achieved by interdisciplinary teaming. Expertise in the following technical areas may be useful in responding to the potential FOA: heat transfer, fluid mechanics, material science, electronics cooling, reliability engineering, control theory, chemical engineering, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, environmental engineering, cost analysis, industrial engineering, architecture, bio-heat transfer, expertise in data center operation, design and ownership.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting in May 2022. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued by August 2022, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Update as of 09/22/2022: The FOAs associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId14cbba61-e007-42b7-8cef-3724d1e66387 and https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIdfab12a1e-cf62-4097-81fa-fbedf0447e6a.

In order to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change, there is near unanimous consensus within the scientific community that global temperature rise must be held below 2 degrees Celsius. While limiting harmful greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the global economy are vital steps toward achieving this goal, current projections indicate a need for an additional 20 GT/year of negative emissions capacity by 2100[1]. Realizing this magnitude of negative emissions capacity will be an enormous challenge, but it will also be a notable opportunity to lay the groundwork for an entirely new sector of economic activity and resource allocation. ARPA-E recognizes that the immense scale of this new carbon dioxide removal (CDR) industry will require a diverse suite of solutions, each of which comes with unique advantages and disadvantages in terms of sequestration potential, commercial readiness, cost, and energy efficiency. Among these solutions, terrestrial ecosystems offer a relatively near-term, large-scale, and energy-efficient sink for atmospheric carbon.

There are two broad categories of carbon removal via terrestrial systems: aboveground and belowground. Belowground, soil carbon sequestration via available technologies is estimated to be around 3 Gt/year globally¹, and advances in land management and related disciplines have the potential to significantly increase soil carbon uptake. Aboveground, sustainably produced biomass can offer long-term removal in place (e.g., forests), or be coupled with Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) pathways to provide negative-emissions energy resources. ARPA-E is interested in both aboveground and belowground solutions and is seeking information related to low-energy, low-cost, and large-scale technologies and strategies for terrestrial carbon dioxide removal, management, and sequestration, or “carbon farming.” ARPA-E is primarily interested in approaches targeting agricultural or fallow lands; however, any approaches that target terrestrial carbon sequestration or feedstock crop engineering for improved BECCS pathways are of interest at this time regardless of land type.

When considering the pros and cons of different CDR approaches, a significant metric for ARPA-E is the energy input requirement per ton of CO₂ removed. The energy input requirements for CDR range from practically zero, in the case of ecological carbon cycling, to up to 10 GJ per ton of atmospheric CO₂ removed for Direct Air Capture (DAC) ¹. In the case of BECCS systems, the net energy requirement could eventually go negative when enhanced terrestrial removal is combined with efficient energy production and geologic storage. Given the magnitude of negative emissions capacity required, DAC remains attractive as a guaranteed option for addressing hard-to-abate emissions, but a tremendous amount of emissions-free energy would be required for DAC to address even a fraction of the removal capacity needed to meet global climate targets. Meanwhile, billions of hectares of land are already contributing to the global carbon cycle and have the capacity to increase their carbon uptake by a substantial amount due to carbon depletion over the last 12,000 years[2]. While there is no doubt that DAC and other energy-intensive CDR approaches will be required to stay below 2 degrees Celsius, leveraging low-cost (both economically and energetically) solutions such as carbon farming and/or energy positive carbon removal via BECCS keeps the overall cost of removal low and frees up emissions-free energy resources to address other sectors in need of decarbonization. In addition to the broad climate and energy benefits of terrestrial carbon sequestration, increasing the concentration of carbon in terrestrial biomes can also ameliorate the general health and productivity of U.S agriculture, reducing the need for energy-intensive fertilizers and irrigation systems.

Increasing soil organic carbon levels is a promising and widely supported method of carbon farming; however, other technologies that seek to sequester carbon through increased plant and root biomass via enhanced photosynthesis are also of interest provided they are accompanied by management strategies that ensure net-negative emissions. For example, cover crop adoption has the potential to confer enhanced carbon removal rates, and these crops could be engineered to minimize input (e.g., fertilizer) requirements while maximizing carbon removal for net-negative emissions outcomes. Additionally, geochemical approaches that can store carbon in inorganic and/or mineral forms (e.g., charcoal, organic carbon occluded in silica phytoliths, calcium oxalate, calcium carbonate) are of interest if they have the potential to reach GT-scale negative emissions on an annual basis and align with a sustainable management strategy. For these and other carbon farming approaches, the ability to estimate the duration of carbon removal (e.g., 100 years) and identify influencing factors (e.g., management practices) is essential to determining the relative impact and value of these approaches when compared to the broader suite of CDR options.

Establishing new agriculture and bioeconomy industries around the commodification of negative emissions is a unique opportunity to address climate change while stimulating economic growth and advancing critical technologies; however, it is essential to consider how the implementation and expansion of carbon farming approaches can be designed to enable negative emissions without introducing perverse incentives that would impose a negative impact on communities, crop yields, food production, energy demand, or ecosystem services. Part of the solution to establishing a negative emissions industry that avoids perverse incentives is to pursue both parallel and exclusive approaches to carbon farming. Parallel approaches increase soil carbon indirectly via improved agricultural techniques and management practices. In this approach, farmers benefit primarily from increased productivity and improved soil quality with carbon sequestration as a positive secondary benefit. Exclusive approaches, on the other hand, target carbon sequestration directly, enabling farmers to profit primarily and explicitly from capturing carbon with the potential for secondary profits via aboveground biomass production.

ARPA-E is seeking insight into both parallel and exclusive approaches to terrestrial carbon removal and sequestration, including, but not limited to, approaches that employ recent advancements in biological, geochemical, or hybrid technologies. Additionally, ARPA-E is requesting information on how agriculture systems and feedstock crops may be engineered and bred to better feed into economically viable BECCS pathways for large-scale, near-term carbon removal opportunities.

Table 1, included in the questions below, outlines some of the broad approaches that have been identified as promising methods of carbon farming. ARPA-E requests responses to this RFI include the information specified in this table, to include innovative approaches to carbon farming that are capable of delivering significant (e.g., 2X) increases in the carbon removal potential of terrestrial ecosystems. ARPA-E is not interested in approaches that are presently available and do not present a specific technical challenge (e.g., low/no-till, rotational grazing). More detailed questions with respect to the specific mechanisms that would enhance carbon removal via terrestrial biomes can be found below Table 1. The most valuable submissions to this RFI will include non-proprietary information related to specific technical processes such as those illustrated in Table 1 as well as responses to the detailed questions about scalability and related environmental and economic impacts.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI @hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern time on October 22, 2021.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

[1] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2019. Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25259.

[2] Sanderman, Jonathan, Tomislav Hengl, and Gregory J. Fiske. "Soil carbon debt of 12,000 years of human land use." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114.36 (2017): 9575-9580.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) anticipates issuing a new Topic for the FOA “Solicitation on Topics Informing New Program Areas” in August 2020 to solicit applications for financial assistance to develop a publicly available model that enables evaluation of the benefit of various energy storage (ES) technology developments to the rail freight sector.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate collaborations among performing teams including the testing and resource support teams to respond to the upcoming Topic. The Topic will provide specific Program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria and the Topic terms. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the Topic:

US rail freight Class 1 rail system is a large transportation sector, responsible for the movement of a significant amount of freight throughout the country. It is an extremely efficient mode of transportation, accounting for 40% ton-miles of freight movement while consuming 2% of the total US transportation energy budget. Nonetheless, the GHG emissions from freight movement (not accounting for passenger trains, rail yard movement, etc.) are very large, approximately 40 MTCO₂ per year [i].

A long series of incremental advancements have made it one of the most efficient modes of transportation, and thus one of the cleanest (GHG/ton-km) today. As a result, there is limited opportunity to further reduce rail GHG emissions associated with rail freight via efficiency and logistics improvements alone. This has been borne out in recent years by the observed flattening of the efficiency curve. Moreover, the locomotive fleet is well into conversion to tier 4 emission standards and further implementation of emissions reductions may actually work against further efficiency improvements. Deep decarbonization analyses show that, as with most of the transportation sector, fuel switching represents the biggest opportunity for significant further reductions in GHG associated with rail freight.

If full de-carbonization of fleet GHG emissions is to be achieved, new propulsion and energy storage (referred to generally as ES systems) technologies, as well as the charging/fueling infrastructure, must be developed. However, this will be more difficult for the rail freight sector than for much of the rest of the transportation sector since the unique operational and financial characteristics of the rail freight sector combine to drive very challenging requirements:

• Very high energy storage requirements > GJ
• High power drive systems: Rail freight requires high propulsion power (> 10 MW provided by multiple locomotives)
• Need for widely distributed infrastructure
• Industry moving to larger trains
• High capital costs → long lifecycle for new technology
• Mostly privately owned → desire for short term ROI

Although the rail industry and government have done research to decarbonize rail freight, no comprehensive plan has emerged given the many challenges discussed above. The new ES systems studied to date are not viewed by all stakeholders to have a reasonable technical or economic viability.

A global rollout plan must be developed to replace or modify the existing fleet of approximately 25,000 locomotives and expand the fraction of cargo moving by rail if rail is to become an integral part of full de-carbonization in the next decades. Fortunately, the rail sector includes a manageable number of routes, well characterized trains and infrastructure systems, predictable schedules, and diesel-electric propulsion. As a result, at least theoretically, this enables optimal planning for potential technology infusion into the sector. Of course, a comprehensive ES rollout modeling tool must be informed by and consistent with the economic and logistical constraints of the rail freight system.

ARPA-E seeks diverse interdisciplinary teams in the development of planning and simulation tools that model deployment of new ES technologies with output values over a few time scales (e.g., 10, 20, 30 years) of GHG emissions, and levelized cost of Mt-km (LCOTKM). Optionally as a stretch goal, the simulation tool would also enable automated optimization of the technology deployment at specific target levels of GHG emissions and/or LCOTKM reductions. The LCOTKM model should be defensible based on historical analysis of investments, new technology deployment and regulatory compliance in the rail freight industry. A realistic physical model should be built for each new ES so that its performance and energy consumption on a route-by-route basis is validated.

ARPA-E envisions that inputs to the model would fall into three main classes: ES properties, rail route constraints and logistics, economic model assumptions. Since the logistics will often include consist (group of locomotives on one train), multiple EV technologies should be explored. The GHG accounting will utilize the standard DOE recommendations contained in https://greet.es.anl.gov/.

The targeted outcome of the program is a set of publicly available planning tools for identification, evaluation, and prioritization of ES-related technology developments whose deployment would significantly reduce GHG in the rail freight sector. This tool must account for the existing constraints of the rail freight system or reasonable extrapolation thereof. This analysis will inform the priorities in ES technologies development and deployment utilizing a common validated tool.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages different organizations with outstanding scientists and engineers, and across different scientific disciplines and technology sectors to participate in this Program. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (http://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in August 2020. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in August 2020, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

[i] https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/fast-facts-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in September 2019 to solicit applications for financial assistance to develop innovative technologies for the optimization of operations and maintenance (O&M) of advanced nuclear reactors.[1] As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria and the FOA terms are controlling. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA:

Advances in autonomous, efficient, and low-cost operations and maintenance are happening in many industrial sectors, largely powered by artificial intelligence (AI), advanced data analytics, distributed computing, powerful physics simulation tools, and other breakthroughs. To date, little of this advancement has been adopted by the nuclear energy industry. There is a crucial need to design and execute extremely robust and low-cost operations and maintenance procedures (O&M) for advanced reactors (AR).[2] The aim of this ARPA-E program is to make a transformational change to the current state-of-the-art in operating nuclear reactor plants, and improve AR designs with O&M in mind. ARPA-E is interested in solutions focusing on operating and maintaining the reactor core, the balance of plant (BOP), or the entire reactor plant system (including both the reactor core and BOP).

To accomplish this goal, ARPA-E is looking for interdisciplinary teams to develop digital twins (DTs),^[3] or a technology with similar capability, for an AR design as the foundation of their O&M strategy. The digital twins (or equivalent) the teams will develop will include diverse technologies that are driving efficiencies in other industries, such as AI, advanced control systems, predictive maintenance, and model-based fault detection. Teams will use the DTs to assess, diagnose, and prescribe O&M activities and needs. Because ARs are still in design phases, with no physical units operating, teams working on core operations will also develop cyber-physical systems (CPS)[4] that simulate advanced reactor core operating dynamics using a combination of non-nuclear experimental facilities (e.g., flow loops) and software. Teams will use these systems as the “real asset,” a surrogate upon which developers can test their DT platforms for operations and maintenance. CPS may also provide validation data for regimes or conditions with high uncertainty. ARPA-E will also support research for filling specific technical gaps to enable the O&M strategies. This program lays the basis for a future where ARs operate with a staffing plan and fixed O&M costs more akin to that of a combined cycle natural gas plant than that of the legacy light-water reactor fleet.

Beyond providing lower fixed O&M costs, development of DTs for ARs has multiple other benefits. In particular, ARPA-E sees DT development contributing to the following areas: generating timely reactor design feedback, enhancing regulatory efficiency, de-risking market adoption challenges, informing new quality assurance standards, and laying the basis for future personnel training.

Currently, ARPA–E anticipates that this program will have two research categories.

In order to realize the goals of the proposed ARPA-E program, expertise in the following areas may be useful: (i) artificial intelligence; (ii) industrial condition monitoring/asset performance management/predictive maintenance; (iii) advanced, autonomous control systems; (iv) multi-fidelity modeling and simulations; (v) robotics and remote maintenance systems; (vi) advanced reactor design; (vii) nuclear plant O&M activities; and (viii) harsh environment sensors and instrumentation.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov) ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in September 2019.The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided the information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields inthe following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List.ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in September 2019, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on technologies that enable high-resolution, wide-area subsurface mapping in order to identify opportunities for renewable energy technologies and the future low-carbon economy. Examples where advances in subsurface imaging will be critical include, but are not limited to, locating reservoirs for carbon capture and storage (CCS), identifying new geothermal sites, mapping natural accumulations of energy-relevant minerals, and assessing potential resources of geologic hydrogen. The goal is to better understand how subsurface imaging technologies today may need to expand, adapt, or improve beyond technologies which have been optimized for oil and gas exploration. ARPA-E is seeking information at this time regarding the state of the art in subsurface imaging technologies and transformative and implementable technologies that could:

1. Reduce frontier exploration costs for renewable energy or carbon storage projects by an order of magnitude or more, leveraging advancements in subsurface imaging, data collection, and data processing. For new renewable technologies or CCS projects, identifying potential geologic sites with the requisite properties requires honing in on sites from a much larger region, often in areas that have not been traditionally explored by oil and gas interests and where there is little prior high-quality imaging data. Isolating regions of interest could mean developing new, cost-effective wide-area subsurface exploration technologies, using a combination of imaging techniques paired with multi-physics models, using data processing or novel geostatistical methods to upgrade or augment existing datasets, and/or developing machine learning algorithms which can fill in data gaps.

2. Advance data processing to accommodate larger amounts of data and reduce processing time by orders of magnitude for wide-area and/or nationwide subsurface imaging surveys.

3. Dramatically improve project success rates. Successful technologies would result in outcomes such as reduced incidence of dry wells in geothermal energy projects or identification of new energy-relevant mineral deposits. These outcomes can be facilitated by acquiring higher-quality and/or more comprehensive data in order to discern sites with high probability factors.

4. Monitor dynamic changes in the subsurface over time (4D mapping) with more sensitive surveys techniques, more comprehensive models, and/or algorithms. ARPA-E expects that subsurface changes of interest to renewable energy or CCS projects (e.g. changes in rock morphology, active water-rock chemical reactions, fluid migration, fracture network development, biological processes) may be different than those typically modelled for the oil and gas industry and that current models may need to be expanded to include these processes.

5. Reveal opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, combining the expertise of groups that traditionally do not interact, in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of dynamic geologic processes.

Note that some approaches may accomplish several of the listed items above. For example, reducing frontier exploration costs could help de-risk new energy projects. Likewise, interdisciplinary collaboration could result in a paradigm shift that would introduce new technologies or methodologies for subsurface exploration.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI @hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern time on December 1, 2021.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in November 2019 to solicit applications for financial assistance to develop lower-cost fusion-energy concepts.¹ Based on numerous studies examining the cost challenges facing advanced nuclear energy,² which shares some attributes with fusion such as unit size and capital cost, ARPA-E believes that a commercial fusion power plant should target an overnight capital cost (OCC) of <US$2B and <$5/W. Furthermore, if fusion energy can be commercialized in about 20 years, then, as a firm low-carbon energy source, it can contribute to meeting global, growing low-carbon energy demand and cost-effective deep decarbonization³ in the latter half of the century.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the planned FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria, and the FOA terms are controlling. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA.

Building on the ALPHA program⁴ and synergies with the growing private fusion industry,⁵ the key objective of this program will be to increase the number and performance levels of lower-cost fusion concepts. Presently, ARPA–E anticipates that this program may have three research categories:

A. Concept Development: projects will develop lower-cost fusion concepts as measured against specific milestones (to be detailed in the FOA), from theoretical/numerical assessment of net-energy-gain potential to experimental demonstration of fusion-triple-product⁶ increases toward the notional energy-breakeven requirement of ~3x10²¹ keV·s/m³.Concepts that have already demonstrated triple products >10¹⁹ keV·s/m³ are not eligible for this category but may be eligible for Component Technology Development (Category B) below.ARPA-E may support multiple concepts in this category at a range of entry and exit milestones.Concepts from the full range of thermonuclear parameter space⁷ (i.e., from lower-density magnetically confined to higher-density inertially confined systems) will be eligible.Proposers will be required to fill in a spreadsheet (to be included with the FOA) to estimate the cost of a short-pulse or single-shot, net-gain experiment based on their concept.Proposals will be evaluated, in part, based on whether the estimated cost for the net-gain experiment is less than ~$100M.

B. Component Technology Development: projects will develop a component technology with the potential to reduce the capital cost of costlier, more mature fusion concepts, such as the tokamak, stellarator, or inertial confinement fusion (ICF).Proposers will be asked to make a quantitative argument (e.g., relative to relevant past reactor studies) that a grid-ready demonstration power plant enabled by the new component technology could satisfy the metrics of OCC <$2B and $5/W.

C. Capability Teams: projects will improve/adapt and apply an existing capability to support multiple Concept Development projects (Category A). Priority needs include (but are not limited to) (i) theory, modeling, and validation for a range of lower-cost fusion concepts, including pulsed, intermediate-density fusion concepts (e.g., magneto-inertial fusion and Z pinches) and magnetic-confinement concepts with reduced magnetic-field strength/complexity and/or linear geometry; (ii) creative application of machine learning to accelerate the development of lower-cost fusion concepts; and (iii) expert engineering design, fabrication, or other support to accelerate progress for multiple projects and lower the overall costs for the program.

In order to realize the goals of this ARPA-E program, expertise in the following areas may be useful: (i) fusion plasma physics; (ii) multi-physics modeling and simulations of fusion plasmas; (iii) design, construction, and/or operation of plasma/fusion experiments; (iv) machine learning; (v) pulsed-power systems; (vi) high-temperature superconducting magnets; (vii) high-field permanent magnets; (viii) plasma-heating systems; (ix) high-efficiency, high-bandwidth, high-average-power lasers for ICF; (x) enabling the use of advanced fusion fuels; and (xi) advanced manufacturing. As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in October 2019. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in November 2019, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

1 https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=workshop/enabling-timely-and-commercially-viable-fusion-energy; this workshop discussed both “lower-cost fusion concept development” and “fusion enabling technologies.” This Teaming Partner List and planned FOA are only for the former.

2 e.g., The Future of Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World, An Interdisciplinary MIT Study, MIT Energy Initiative (2018).

3 N. A. Sepulveda et al., “The Role of Firm Low-Carbon Electricity Resources in Deep Decarbonization of Power Generation,” Joule 2, 2403 (2018).

4 Accelerating Low-cost Plasma Heating and Assembly; C. L. Nehl et al., “Retrospective of the ARPA-E ALPHA Fusion Program,” J. Fusion Energy, published online Oct. 8, 2019.

5 See, e.g., member companies of the Fusion Industry Association.

6 The “Lawson” fusion triple product is a metric for comparing the rate of fusion energy production to the rate of energy lost from the fusion fuel. Above a threshold value of the triple product, fusion energy exceeds the energy lost. This is typically required in a practical fusion power plant.

7 I. R. Lindemuth and R. E. Siemon, “The fundamental parameter space of controlled thermonuclear fusion,” Amer. J. Phys. 77, 407 (2009).

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that seeks to enable the accurate, spatially scaled and temporally persistent measurement and validation of marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) techniques (which includes “direct ocean capture” or “DOC”), in which CO₂ is captured from the atmosphere and surface oceans before sequestration at depth. While direct air capture (or “DAC”) approaches can be validated easily through direct measurement of CO₂ collected, the same cannot be said for mCDR techniques, which may involve complex reactions over a very large surface or volume of the ocean over comparatively long periods of time, during which a fraction of the carbon drawn down may be re-emitted to the atmosphere. The envisioned program aims to vastly expand our ability to measure carbon flux parameters in the ocean, enabling comprehensive Measurement, Reporting and Validation (MRV) of mCDR and the creation of a data-driven, model-based marine carbon accounting framework. This program effort would consist of a primary technical area focused on new sensor development and a supporting technical area focused on the development of targeted regional-scale marine CDR models and accompanying carbon accounting processes. Scalable, cost-effective technologies that perform MRV for various mCDR approaches are a critical need in this highly active space where claims of efficacy and permanence cannot yet be rigorously substantiated. Such technologies could also ensure that the quantity and quality of removals are correctly valued in carbon markets and support any economic incentive to accelerate the adoption of mCDR to remove historic emissions. Validation of sequestered carbon will promote the commercialization of mCDR techniques that are most effective and energy efficient in carbon removal rather than those that are merely easiest to implement but may not actually be as effective or may be so energy intensive themselves that they result in poor overall net lifetime carbon removal.

<additional content included in PDF Document>

ARPA–E held a workshop on these topics on June 15-16, 2022. Information from this workshop can be found at the event webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/marine-carbon-sensing-workshop). The component information remains consistent, but the scope and structure of the program have been updated from that presented in the workshop slides.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting November 18, 2022. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in February 2023, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Update as of 02/16/2023: The FOA associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIdb1b3992f-760d-4e21-a6c3-77e81de98cd3

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) is considering issuing a new Exploratory Topic under Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) DE‐FOA‐0002784 and DE‐FOA‐0002785 to solicit applications for financial assistance in pursuit of hypotheses-driven approaches toward realizing diagnostic evidence of Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) that are convincing to the wider scientific community. A goal of this Exploratory Topic will be to establish clear practices to rigorously answer the question, “should this field move forward given that LENR could be a potentially transformative carbon-free energy source, or does it conclusively not show promise?”

ARPA-E acknowledges the complex, controversial history of LENR beginning with the announcement by Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons in 1989 that they had achieved deuterium-deuterium (D-D) “cold fusion” in an electrochemical cell.[1] DOE reviews in 1989 and 2004 both concluded that the body of evidence to date did not support the claim of D-D fusion, but that research proposals on deuterated heavy metals should be evaluated under the standard peer-review process. This has not happened, in part because LENR was largely dismissed by the scientific research community by 1990.[2] Nevertheless, many groups from around the world continued to conduct varied LENR experiments on minimal budgets and to report evidence of excess heat and nuclear reactions (including neutrons, tritium, ³He, ⁴He, transmutation products, and isotopic shifts) in hundreds of reports/papers.[3] However, repeatability of the key evidence over multiple trials of seemingly the same experiment remains elusive to this day.[4] This may be due to limitations in experimental or diagnostic techniques, lack of awareness and/or control of the key triggers and independent variables of LENR experiments, or other reasons. Furthermore, results were typically not reported with the level of scientific rigor required by top-tier research journals. As a result, LENR as a field remains in a stalemate where lack of adequate funding inhibits the rigorous results that would engender additional funding and more rigorous studies.

For these reasons, ARPA-E has over the past 2+ years revisited the history of LENR as a field, studied the literature, released a general RFI[5] on nonconventional fusion approaches (that received many LENR-related responses), and held a LENR workshop.[6] The workshop was attended by 100+ people, including long-time and newer LENR researchers, non-LENR researchers from adjacent research disciplines, and other interested stakeholders. Institutions represented at the workshop included government laboratories/FFRDCs, top research universities, and private companies. The information gathered and received by ARPA-E, including from reputable experts at prestigious U.S. academic institutions, laboratories, and private corporations, supports the decision to proceed with the announcement of this Teaming Partner List.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate multi-disciplinary teaming, especially among but not limited to LENR researchers and nuclear diagnostic experts. ARPA-E believes that such teaming will improve the chances of advancing the field of LENR. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria. The FOA terms will be controlling. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA:

Based on its claimed characteristics, LENR may be an ideal form of nuclear energy with potentially low capital cost, high specific power and energy, and little-to-no radioactive byproducts. If LENR can be irrefutably demonstrated and scaled, it could potentially become a disruptive technology with myriad energy, defense, transportation, and space applications, all with strong implications for U.S. technological leadership. For energy applications, LENR could potentially contribute to decarbonizing sectors such as industrial heat and transportation (~50% of U.S. and global CO₂-equivalent emissions).

This forthcoming ARPA-E Exploratory Topic program aims to build on recent progress in the field,[7] with strong emphases on testing/confirming specific hypotheses (rather than focusing only on replication), identification and verifiable control of experimental variables and triggers, more comprehensive diagnostics and analysis, access to broader expertise and capabilities on research teams, and an insistence on peer review and publication in top-tier journals. To accomplish this goal, ARPA-E is looking for diverse interdisciplinary teams to obtain convincing empirical evidence of nuclear reactions in an LENR experiment through two possible categories:

A) LENR Experiments: The goal of this potential category would be to conduct LENR experiments through careful selection of specific, testable hypotheses that can be supported or retired upon the collection of correlated, multi-messenger nuclear diagnostics. Proposed LENR experiments would have a well-articulated connection to prior published LENR evidence. Principal Investigators would be expected to have a strong publication record of experimental work in leading journals, and at least one seasoned LENR practitioner (e.g., someone who has conducted and published results on LENR experiments) should be included on the team. Organizations and project teams interested in this potential category would either directly incorporate specialist capabilities described below or anticipate collaborating with one or more Capability Teams.

B) Capability Teams: The goal of this potential category would be to provide specialist support to LENR experiments, including but not limited to nuclear diagnostic detectors and capabilities, materials fabrication, elemental/isotopic sample analysis, statistical analysis, experimental design and related modeling, and calorimetry (note, however, that calorimetry would likely not be acceptable as a sole or primary diagnostic).

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organization, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to participate in this Exploratory Topic. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in July 2022. Once posted, The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; and brief description of your Background, Interest, and Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement). ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final Exploratory Topic, expected to be issued in August 2022 under the FOAs noted at the beginning of this Teaming Partner List, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

[1] M. Fleischmann and S. Pons, “Electrochemically induced nuclear fusion of deuterium,” J. Electroanal. Chem. Int. Electrochem. 261, 201 (1989); https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0728(89)80006-3.

[2] For historical accounts of LENR, see, e.g. J. R. Huizenga, Cold Fusion: The Scientific Fiasco of the Century (University of Rochester Press, Rochester, NY, 1993); E. Storms, The Science of Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (World Scientific, Singapore, 2007); S. B. Krivit, Hacking the Atom (Pacific Oaks Press, San Rafael, CA, 2016); and S. B. Krivit, Fusion Fiasco (Pacific Oaks Press, San Rafael, CA, 2016).

[3] See, e.g., https://lenr-canr.org and the bibliographies of the books by Storms and Krivit in footnote 2.

[4] See, e.g., the books by Huizenga and Krivit in footnote 2 for critical discussions of LENR evidence.

[5] https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx?Search=nonconventional%20fusion&SearchType=.

[6] https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/low-energy-nuclear-reactions-workshop.

[7] See C.P. Berlinguette et. al., “Revisiting the cold case of cold fusion,” Nature 570, 45 (2019) and references therein, and presentations at the ARPA-E LENR Workshop: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/low-energy-nuclear-reactions-workshop.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in late October 2019 for carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies applied to fossil-fueled power generators, with a focus on the implications of changing patterns in the time-dependent value of electricity – as represented by a locational marginal price (LMP) – brought about by the increasing penetration of variable renewables such as wind and solar power. ARPA-E is interested in developing CCS technologies with cost and performance attributes that could enable a net-zero carbon electricity grid at a system levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of $75/MWh. The technology focus would be to develop CCS processes that enable fossil-fueled power plants to be responsive to a grid with a large share of renewables; this includes retrofits to existing power plants as well as greenfield systems with a fossil fuel input and low-carbon electricity as an output (i.e. a “black box” in which the nature of the fuel-to-electricity conversion process is not prescribed).

Based on trends in the electricity grid, especially the falling cost of variable renewable generators and energy storage, ARPA-E expects that compelling process attributes could include, but are not limited to:

• Lower CCS capital costs, even if that entails some increase in marginal cost including parasitic load (given general trends towards lower capacity factors for fossil fuel plants)
• CCS processes that enable maximal power plant flexibility such as ramp rate, turndown, and startup and shutdown time
• CCS systems that include additional processes that enable a power plant to shift the export of electricity to the grid, thereby allowing the power plant and CCS plant to operate under more steady-state conditions even when subjected to fluctuating LMPs. Examples include but are not limited to energy storage and hydrogen production; the latter would be constrained to a scale compatible with current combustion turbine and pipeline infrastructure
• CCS processes that can cost-effectively achieve high CO₂ capture rates from flue gas (e.g. greater than 90% removal) and/or vary their capture rate based on market conditions
• Designs that increase the utilization of a point-source CCS process, such as integration with direct air capture (DAC) systems
• Processes that are designed primarily to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, but can change modes to export electricity to the grid in times of high demand

ARPA-E anticipates a two-phased program. Phase I would focus on designing innovative CCS processes that maximize the net present value (NPV) of a fossil-fueled power generator with CCS across several carbon pricing scenarios (e.g. $100-300 per ton), given LMP price signals that reflect a grid with a deep penetration of renewables. These LMP signals would be provided as an input from ARPA-E.

Teams would develop steady-state and dynamic models of the power generator, CO₂ capture plant, and CO₂ compression system; validate those models; vary the process configuration and design and operational variables to optimize the NPV; and provide estimates for the capital cost, marginal cost, and fixed operations & maintenance costs. Teams would use LMP signals and carbon prices provided by ARPA-E and propose the dispatch of the power plant, thereby defining the capacity factor. Phase I would thus focus on process designs and computational modeling; experimental validation would be encouraged but not required.

At the end of Phase I, ARPA-E plans to hold an engineering design review with third-party reviewers to analyze the processes designed by awardees. In addition, ARPA-E intends to analyze the market potential of the proposed technologies with a capacity expansion modeling tool that estimates the build-out and utilization of each technology under a range of possible scenarios.

Based on the results of the capacity expansion modeling analysis and engineering design review, ARPA-E anticipates a Phase II that would build components, unit operations, and small systems to reduce the technical risk and cost associated with these CCS systems. Phase II projects would have a longer period of performance and larger budget than Phase I.

ARPA–E held a workshop on this topic in July 2019; information on this workshop can be found at the webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=workshop/flexible-carbon-capture-workshop)

In order to realize the goals of this program, expertise in the following areas may be useful:

• CCS technology development 
• Innovative fuel-to-electricity conversion technologies that are inherently amenable to CCS
• Process modeling of power plants, CO₂ capture processes, and CO₂ compression systems
• System dynamics and controls
• Engineering cost modeling of capital and operational costs
• Advanced optimization techniques that allow for a wide range of process configurations and design and operational variables to be considered in a computationally-efficient manner
• Processes that enable a power plant to shift output with minimal capital expense, such as energy storage or hydrogen production at a scale compatible with existing power plant and pipeline infrastructure
• DAC systems that could be integrated with point-source CCS plants and/or export power to the grid

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists, engineers and innovators from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in October 2019. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List.  ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in late October 2019, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience, and Security (GOPHURRS & GOPHURRS SBIR/STTR) to solicit applications for financial assistance to fund technologies to transform the construction of underground medium voltage power distribution grids in urban and suburban areas by rapidly drilling shallow subsurface along the terrain and concurrently installing conduits, while avoiding hidden underground obstacles (e.g., geologic anomalies, existing infrastructure) with advanced look-ahead sensors, and reducing human errors for cable splice installations.

The program's overarching goal is to significantly reduce the cost, increase the speed, reduce errors, and improve the safety of the undergrounding operations and the surrounding community, resulting in rapid expansion and conversion of the distribution grid to an underground system, providing greater reliability, resilience, and security of power infrastructure in the United States.

To achieve this goal, GOPHURRS intends to fund innovative underground civil construction technologies that are minimally disruptive to the surface (e.g., small rig footprint, fast mobilization/demobilization, low power requirement, low noise and hazardous wastes), automated to the greatest extent possible (with the ultimate goal of autonomous drilling, concurrent construction of conduits, ducts, vaults, and automated cable splicing), and equipped with enhanced situational intelligence (e.g., real-time detection of other buried utilities and obstacles, steerable drilling tools to avoid damages) will need to be developed.

ARPA-E held a workshop on this topic in July 2022; Information on this workshop can be found at https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/undergrounding-workshop.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming GOPHURRS FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria; and the FOA terms are controlling. For purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA:

ARPA-E anticipates that the FOA will target research of three technical categories with an option to develop an integrated system of more than one category:

Category 1: Construction tools with high speeds (complete conduit installation within boring time of conventional tools) and maneuverability in order to create >5" I.D. conduits suitable for pulling medium voltage power cables at depths of up to 6 feet with minimal disruptions to the surface.

Category 2: Sensors that characterize near-surface geology, existing underground infrastructure and obstacles in order to provide real-time, look-ahead underground intelligence to assist underground construction operations with required speed and minimal risk of utility strikes and cross borings.

Category 3: Automated cable splicing machines that can fully or partially automate steps involved in cable splicing in order to eliminate human errors and to further improve the reliability of underground power lines. Advanced splices with maching operable designs and/or improved performance.

Expertise in the following Technical Areas may be useful in responding to the FOA: (i) drilling tools and operations (e.g. experience in drilling for infrastructure installation, oil and gas, mining, geothermal exploration), (ii) robotics and remote operations, (iii) underground civil construction and engineering, (iv) materials, coatings, liners for power conduit construction, (v) additive/subtractive manufacturing, (vi) integrated multi-sensor platforms, (vii) AI/ML, data analytics, and digital twin, (viii) near-surface characterization (ix) novel underground sensors based on emerging technologies (e.g., quantum sensors).

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

ARPA-E is compiling a Teaming Partner List for GOPHURRS & GOPHURRS SBIR/STTR as an optional tool that potential applicants may choose to utilize to facilitate the formation of new project teams and identify potential collaborations. Teaming partners include organizations and individuals who can offer expertise, facilities, or other complementary resources toward a potential ARPA-E project. The teaming list identifies partners' capabilities as well as their areas of interest, understanding that expertise and experience in one field can often be applied successfully to a new field. This list is completely voluntary to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearding whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the GOPHURRS & GOPHURRS SBIR/STTR FOAs.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting in November 2022. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement). ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in March 2023, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Update as of 3/30/23: The FOAs associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at GOPHURRS FOA and GOPHURRS SBIR/STTR FOA.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency –Energy (ARPA‐E) in the U.S. Department of Energy is seeking comments on the draft technical section of a potential future Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the CURIE program. This new program would focus on innovative technologies and approaches that will significantly improve the economics of commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities, improve reprocessing material accountancy while decreasing materials attractiveness, and drastically reduce the volume of high-level waste (HLW) requiring permanent disposal. An ARPA-E workshop was held in July 2021 to help identify and refine metrics for this contemplated program; presentations can be found here. Such technological advancements would enable a 1¢/kWh fuel cost for a secure 200 MTHM/yr facility that does not generate pure plutonium streams while significantly reducing the volume of high-level waste requiring disposal. ARPA‐E seeks input from experts in the fields of separations chemistry (e.g., solvent extraction, pyroprocessing, halide volatility, etc.); head-end processing (e.g., voloxidation, Kr/Xe capture, etc.); process intensification; material accountancy/online monitoring; project engineering; techno-economic analysis; digital engineering; systems analysis and risk assessment; advanced manufacturing and construction (including modular fabrication); artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital twins; and sensors, instrumentation, autonomous operation, and robotics.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below and note in particular: the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME. Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Purpose and Need for Information:

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input about the scope of the draft technical section of the CURIE FOA for ARPA-E consideration. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broader research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions regarding the technology and economics of reprocessing facilities.

This RFI previews only the draft technical section for a possible future program solicitation. If respondents are interested in other sections, including general format and requirements of an ARPA-E FOA, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/. DE-FOA-0002212: Breakthroughs Enabling Thermonuclear-fusion Energy (BETHE) is a sample FOA to reference. A few common sections include but are not limited to:

• III.A: Eligible Applicants (e.g., domestic entities)
• III.B: Cost-Sharing IV.C: Content and Form of full applications
• VI.C: Reporting (e.g., cost)
• VIII.B: Government Rights in Subject Inventions
• VIII.C: Rights in Technical Data

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES:

A summary of RFI responses will be presented by Program Director Jenifer Shafer on February 23-24, 2022, at ARPA-E’s CURIE Industry Day. Individuals interested in attending the CURIE Industry Day event should indicate this in the RFI response.

ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM eastern time on February 21,2022. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

Please insert “Responses for CURIE” in the subject line of your email, and include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g., university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise in the body of your email. Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 5 pages in length (12-point font size). Respondents are strongly encouraged to include preliminary results, data, and figures that describe their potential methodologies.

Questions: ARPA-E encourages responses that address any subset of the following questions and encourages the inclusion of references to important supplementary information.

1. For elements/radioisotopes present in used nuclear fuel that could be valuable for recovery, what are the estimated potential demand and prices for these elements/radioisotopes?

2. Are there specific technical research topics being considered that may fall under the “other” category of the draft technical section?

3. What is an envisioned timeline for gaining the requisite approvals and materials access necessary to use actual used nuclear fuel (UNF) for research experiments?

4. What other considerations (e.g., site use or transportation restrictions) should ARPA-E be aware of regarding the use of actual UNF in CURIE project proposals?

5. Any other issues, questions, or feedback regarding the draft FOA.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in December, 2019 to support the development of novel energy conversion technologies with extremely high power density and conversion efficiency. The envisioned FOA represents part of a wider ARPA-E effort in developing high efficiency and power density systems that could enable electrified, low- or zero-emissions, long-range aviation. There is a separate and complementary announcement targeting high power density, efficient electric motors and power electronics (see link for separate teaming partner list for that program). The overarching goal of the set of proposed programs is to reduce emissions from and increase the efficiency of commercial aviation by developing cost competitive systems for the efficient conversion of the chemical energy of carbon neutral liquid fuels (CNLFs) to delivered electric energy, which is further converted to thrust using power electronics, electric motors and propulsors—the former being the specific focus of this thrust.

Current battery energy storage options for electric aviation technologies are expensive, have low energy density and can only support the power and energy requirements for short range, few passenger aircrafts. The proposed program approach of combining a relatively small high power density energy storage device to provide power for takeoff/climb with a high efficiency CNLFs conversion engine(s) (e.g., different types of fuel cells, advanced combustion engine such as gas turbines, reciprocating internal combustion engines, etc.) to provide cruise power. Charging the battery during the flight at the peak efficiency will further enable long distance all-electric, net zero carbon aviation. To achieve the intended goal, new cost- effective and energy-efficient technologies for conversion of sustainable fuels to electric power must be developed and successfully hybridized with commercial high power energy storage devices while running on a commercially viable, technically feasible CNLF (e.g. bio fuels, ethanol, etc.); this could enable long range zero-carbon aviation for a narrow-body aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 family, at analogous missions, while ensuring commercial viability. This program will likely operate at the intersection of electrochemistry, catalysis, engine development, advanced combustion, materials development, chemical engineering, computational modeling and device integration. ARPA–E held a related workshop on fuel cell and engine hybridization technologies for ground transportation in December 2017; information on this workshop can be found at the webpage: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=workshop/high-efficiency-hybrid-vehicles.

Currently, ARPA–E anticipates that this program will have two major focus areas:

1. Hybrid energy storage and conversion system based on fuel cells

2. Hybrid energy storage and conversion system based on advanced combustion engines

In order to realize the goals of this program, expertise in the following areas may be useful: (i) fuel cells and electrocatalysis, (ii) heterogeneous catalysis, (iii) gas turbine and/or reciprocating internal engine combustion operating with alternative fuels, (iv) chemical engineering with emphasis on catalytic reactor design, (v) electrochemical cell and stack design and manufacturing, (vi) material chemistry including ion-conducting, sealing and multi-functional materials, (vii) process engineering, (viii) batteries and supercapacitors, (ix) system integration and scale up, etc.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, October 25, 2019. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in December 2019, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) is considering issuing a new Exploratory Topic under Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) DE‐ FOA‐0002784 and DE‐FOA‐0002785 to develop transformational technologies enabling real-time monitoring and predictive modeling of aviation condensation trail (contrails) that lead to the development of persistent cirrus clouds.[1] At cruise, jet engines from commercial aircraft may produce ice water contrails. Recent studies have indicated that contrail emissions may contribute to the creation of anthropogenic cirrus clouds that can be barriers to heat leaving the earth and contribute to global warming.[2] Proposals funded under this ET FOA will focus on ARPA-E’s mission areas:

1. Emissions Reduction: Projects will develop the diagnostics and predictive tools needed to explore further mitigation of contrail-related global warming. If successful, a total radiative forcing emission equivalent to all CO₂ emissions from aviation can potentially be mitigated².

2. Increase Efficiency: As we consider potential future programs that explore the use and production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), this program will be important in increasing our understanding of water emissions from aviation jet engines.

Most contrails dissipate in a period of under 10 minutes and are of no concern. In rare occasions, when nucleation sites and specific atmospheric conditions exist (in particular ice super-saturated regions (ISSR)), the introduction of engine exhaust can result in persistent contrails, and further result in persistent cirrus clouds known as aircraft-induced cirrus (AIC).[3] These upper atmospheric clouds can last for hours and grow to span several hundreds of kilometers and are of specific interest.

ARPA-E envisions that an Aviation Contrail Predictive System, or Systems, capable of detecting and informing in real-time pilots and flight planning ground control whether an airplane is likely to produce persistent AIC could lead to R&D of a) future avoidance strategies – allowing re-direction of airplanes by ground control to more favorable (non-contrail) flight trajectories – and/or b) mitigation technologies to enable pilots to engage on-board contrail mitigation technologies. An Aviation Contrail Predictive System is particularly challenging, as AIC can form several hours after an aircraft has passed through a region.

The aim of this new Exploratory Topic is to develop a predictive model that in “real-time” and with high confidence could inform a pilot or flight operator whether an aircraft is producing an aircraft induced cirrus cloud, even hours before it is fully developed. It is anticipated that three technology areas need to come together to develop an Aviation Contrail Predictive System:

1. Aircraft and environmental data and sensor development: relevant data factors need to be identified and measured with sufficient accuracy. This might be a combination of aircraft speed, altitude, aircraft/engine model, fuel type, aerodynamic, humidity, pressure, weather forecast, or other relevant atmospheric data. If current sensors are insufficient, new sensors might need to be explored.

2. Predictive modeling approaches: It is anticipated that advanced predictive analytical methods are required or need to be developed to identify relevant parameters and develop correlations which can target a reasonably high accuracy, e.g., F₁-score > 0.8, strongly reducing the amount of false positives and false negatives.

3. Observer data to validate and train the predictive model: relevant observer methods need to be deployed, developed, or invented to provide feedback on whether aircraft contrails lead to AIC. This can be a set of ground observer systems near relevant flight corridors, aircraft mounted observing sensors, or space-based observer data. For the purposes of this new Exploratory Topic, limited relevant test flights for data gathering and model validation might be required.

Aircraft, Environmental Data and Sensor Development

New sensors or environmental data sources may be needed to provide sufficient training and validation data for the envisioned predictive capabilities. Contrail forming conditions are identified by the Schmidt-Appleman criterion: where water vapor content reaches liquid saturation under specific temperature and saturation conditions in the presence of nucleation sites.[4]^,[5],[6] Especially important are persistent contrails formed when airplanes travel through atmospheric ice super saturated regions (ISSR), leading to persistent aircraft induced cirrus (AIC) clouds.³ As the persistent contrail formation regime is a combination of Schmidt-Appleman and ISSR criteria, sensors capable of identifying these parameters are of particular interest, e.g. sensor systems capable of measuring upper atmospheric humidity at or below 10 ppm.

Predictive Modeling

Advanced machine learning computational methods developed in the past decade allow the exploration of larger sets of input data and explore more complex multivariate correlations to solve complex problems than ever before. ARPA-E plans to explore if such methods can be used to develop a real-time predictive system for AIC development. To inform avoidance and mitigation strategies, it is important that developed predictive models give reasonably accurate results, minimizing false positive (type I) and false negative (type II) errors. This can be captured in the balanced F-score (F₁-score) which is the harmonic mean of precision and recall. A target for an F₁-score for AIC prediction system might be greater than 0.8 such that sufficient confidence exists to inform avoidance and mitigation solutions.

Observer Data

A predictive model needs to be trained and validated. For an Aircraft Contrail Predictive System this will likely require observers and additional sensors. It is anticipated that teams will need to obtain sufficient relevant flight and observer data from publicly available sources or dedicated flight observer tests to provide true AIC observations and validation rather than theoretical studies alone. Additionally, ARPA-E envisions a contrail reporting and observational data aggregation mechanism that mimics current tools for turbulence reporting and could further serve to continuously refine and improve AIC predictive modeling capabilities going forward.

ARPA-E seeks new and transformative solutions that can only be achieved by interdisciplinary teaming. Expertise in the following technical areas may be useful in responding to the potential Exploratory Topic FOA: Aerospace design, Aerospace Operations, Atmospheric Science, Sensing Technologies, Radar/Lidar systems, Flight Test capability, Aviation Propulsion, Aerosol Sciences, Combustion Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Observation Technologies, Machine Vision, Satellite Observation Systems, Machine Learning, Data Sciences, Predictive Modeling.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with these project teams, with the goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of the innovative technologies these projects teams develop.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E Exchange (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in December 2022. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner List should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement.) ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted by any means other than via the link provided above will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final Exploratory Topic, expected to be issued in February 2023 under the FOAs noted at the beginning of this Teaming Partner List, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Update as of 2/23: The FOAs associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId521a7aa4-b255-4c3b-a211-b128d2a4a0e4 and https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId440dd93d-dd8d-48e9-bbc6-7112453728c2.

[1] De Bock, P, “Leave No Trace!.… ….In the Sky”, ARPA-E Innovation Summit 2022, https://youtu.be/lZ6iQHolab0?t=1487

[2] Lee, D.S., Fahey, D.W., Skowron, A., Allen, M.R., Burkhardt, U., Chen, Q., Doherty, S.J., Freeman, S., Forster, P.M., Fuglestvedt, J. and Gettelman, A.The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018. Atmospheric Environment, 244, p.117834 (2021).

[3] Kärcher, B. Formation and radiative forcing of contrail cirrus. Nat Commun 9, 1824 (2018).

[4] Appleman, H., 1953: The formation of exhaust condensation trails by jet aircraft. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 34, 14–20.

[5] Schumann, U., 1996. On conditions for contrail formation from aircraft exhausts. Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 5, pp.4-23.

[6] Teoh, R., Schumann, U., Majumdar, A. and Stettler, M.E., 2020. Mitigating the climate forcing of aircraft contrails by small-scale diversions and technology adoption. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(5), pp.2941-2950.

Introduction

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on technologies related to harvesting high value metals essential for the clean energy transition from terrestrial environments using metal hyperaccumulators (HAs). The goal is to establish economic, sustainable, and low carbon-footprint domestic supply chains of high value metals to promote an accelerated clean energy transition without supply chain constraints. ARPA-E is seeking information at this time regarding transformative and implementable technologies that could:

(a) Identify or develop hyperaccumulators suitable for economically viable phytomining in the United States. Examples include agronomic techniques to domesticate hyperaccumulating species, yield higher biomass, and to control the seed dispersal; systems biology approaches to gain desired phenotypes such as high rates of growth, fast metal uptake, and accumulation of optimal metal compounds in parts of the plant that are optimal for extraction with low carbon-footprint approaches. ARPA-E's interest includes perennial species with high biomass and high metal uptake, including tree species, and any hyperaccumulators that could be grown on high-metal, nonarable lands in the US such as ultramafic serpentine soil and mine tailings.

(b) Increase total metal uptake in hyperaccumulators that can be grown at large commercial scales in the United States. Examples include microbiome engineering to dissolve metals and engineering hyperaccumulators to grow deeper roots to expand the pool of metals available without strip mining. System-level approaches are encouraged to address the questions in this RFI. For example, employing integrated rhizosphere engineering, metal transport, and accumulation to desired locations in the plants such as saps, accumulation of metals in desired chemical forms, and monitoring/analysis tools.

(c) Extract metal from hyperaccumulators using processes that produce the lowest possible carbon emissions, ideally even carbon-negative. Examples include pre-treatment of biomass before or after drying to increase the yield, new metallurgical routes to extract metals with high yields and low impurities, and novel approaches to extract metals in desired chemical forms. ARPA-E is seeking information regarding extraction strategies without emitting carbon accumulated in the biomass back into the atmosphere. System-level approaches are encouraged to address the questions in this RFI. For example, employing integrated treatment of biomass to utilize accumulated carbon while extracting metals, co-processing of more than one type of biomass, integration with existing biomass processing routes, and recycling and recovery towards circular processes and economy.

(d) Produce high-value, high-purity chemical forms of metals directly from phytomining, which can enter the value chain of battery manufacturing and other clean-energy technologies without further processing. ARPA-E is seeking information for shortening the routes to clean energy-relevant mineral forms that can be used with minimal additional cost (CAPEX, energy, processing).

Note that some approaches may fit several of the technology categories described above. For instance, systems biology optimization of hyperaccumulators could be used to develop hyperaccumulators that are suitable for the climate and soil in the United States, while also increasing biomass, increasing metal uptake, and yielding the desired physical or chemical form of the metals of interest. Using nickel as an example target metal, ARPA-E is seeking information for new approaches that could reach at least 500 kg Ni/ha per year and >90% net greenhouse gas reduction compared to the state-of-the-art HPAL (high pressure acid leaching) process based on a lifecycle analysis.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential..

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on May 26, 2022. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

• Please insert “Response to <insert RFI name> - <your organization name>” in the subject line of your email.
• In the body of your email, include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g. university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise.
• Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 12 pages in length (12-point font size).
• Responders are strongly encouraged to include preliminary results, data, and figures that describe their potential processes.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on technologies to improve the resilience, reliability, and security of the medium voltage (MV) electric power distribution system by undergrounding power lines. The goals of this research effort would be to develop 1) reliable and safe construction and installation technologies for underground MV distribution systems that are cost-competitive to constructing overhead systems, 2) technologies for robust health monitoring and predictive maintenance of existing and new underground power distribution systems, and 3) approaches to enable rapid repair with minimal surface disruptions. ARPA-E is seeking information at this time regarding transformative, scalable, and rapidly deployable technologies that could:

a) Reduce the cost of civil works associated with overhead-to-underground conversion or the construction of new underground power lines close to existing buildings and active surface use (e.g. road traffic) while minimizing surface disruption.

b) Construct underground vaults and install conduits in various terrain types and geologic conditions cost-effectively while avoiding damage to existing underground infrastructure such as subways, gas pipes, potable water and sewer pipes, and telecommunication wires.

c) Dramatically reduce errors in the underground cable installation processes where failures are prone to occur (e.g. cable splices, installation of cables).

d) Improve the performance of installed systems with advanced sensing and data tools (e.g. monitoring and analyzing system health, locating point of failure quickly and precisely, detecting and categorizing incipient failures before they cause a catastrophic failure).

e) Repair a point of failure quickly and safely with minimal surface disruption for prompt power restoration in the event of a failure.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Purpose and Need for Information

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future research programs. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broad research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on March 31, 2022 Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in December, 2019 to support the development of novel high power density and efficiency electric motors and power electronics (electric powertrains). The envisioned FOA represents part of a wider ARPA-E effort in developing high efficiency and power density systems that could enable electrified, low- or zero-emissions, long-range aviation. There is a separate and complementary announcement targeting high power density, energy storage and conversion to power system (see link for separate teaming partner list for that program). The overarching goal of the set of proposed programs is to reduce emissions from and increase the efficiency of commercial aviation by developing cost competitive systems for the efficient conversion of the chemical energy of carbon neutral liquid fuels to delivered electric energy, which is further converted to thrust using power electronics, electric motors and propulsors—the latter being the specific focus of this thrust.

Currently the electric powertrain machines suffer from low power densities and low overall efficiency that are necessary to enable a competitive and fully decarbonized aviation for a representative narrow-body class of aircraft. Furthermore, existing electric powertrains are not fully or optimally integrated systems, which lowers the system level performance.

The specific goal of the envisioned FOA is to develop novel and enabling electric powertrain technologies that benefit from novel design topologies, advanced thermal management and co-design of the thermal, electromagnetics, and power electronics as key enablers. Such powertrain technologies developed under the envisioned program will require specific power density, efficiency, voltage, and operational reliability metrics, among others, to enable long range zero-carbon aviation for a narrow-body aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 family, at analogous missions, while ensuring commercial viability.

ARPA–E held a workshop on electric powertrain for aviation in August 2019. Information on this workshop can be found here: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=workshop/electric-motors-aviation.

Currently, ARPA–E anticipates that this potential FOA will have two major focus areas:

1. Development of high specific power density and efficiency electric motors that meet prescribed operational and reliability metrics.

2. Development of associated high specific power density and efficiency power electronics that can be integrated with the electric motor and deliver the system level operational and reliability metrics.

In order to realize the envisioned program goals, expertise in the following areas may be useful: (i) advanced materials and manufacturing, (ii) thermal management, (iii) electric machinery, (iv) electromagnetics, (v) power electronics, (vi) design optimization, (vii) system integration and scale up, (viii) testing at relevant operating conditions, (ix) and techno-economics and technology to market analysis, among others.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, October 25, 2019. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information. A separate and concurrent Teaming list will be posted for the energy storage and conversion portion of the broader zero-carbon aviation initiative.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in December 2019, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) is considering issuing a new Exploratory Topic under Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) DE‐ FOA‐0002784 and DE‐FOA‐0002785 to evaluate the feasibility of extracting rare-earth and other high-value trace critical minerals from macroalgae cultivated in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) are critical to the manufacture of modern energy and national security technologies, such as electric vehicles, high-efficiency lighting, and wind turbines. While demand for these elements and metals continues to increase, economically and environmentally viable deposits are difficult to realize, and especially within the US. Research suggests that macroalgae may be an effective bioaccumulator of critical minerals.[1][2][3][4] However, the environmental and biological variables influencing the capacity of macroalgae as a bioaccumulator are poorly understood. In addition, while extraction methods exist, the ability to extract minerals efficiently and selectively from macroalgae in an environmentally sustainable manner (e.g., reduced carbon generation and/or water use) alongside the valorization of other macroalgal components is limited.

To quantify the efficacy of macroalgae as a critical mineral source, exploration and innovation are needed to evaluate the influencing factors and ultimate capabilities of macroalgal varieties to accumulate these minerals and the ability to efficiently extract these minerals in an economically viable form. If issued, this Exploratory Topic will likely consist of two complementary tasks.

(1) Macroalgal Composition: Focused on identifying mechanisms and maximizing the bioaccumulation of REE/PGM elements in brown or red marine macroalgal species with examination of the influence of environmental inputs, seasonal effect and macroalgal species type, and with expectation to provide 10kg of optimized macroalgal biomass containing the targeted hyperaccumulated REE/PGM for efforts under Task 2.

(2) Element Extraction: Focused on the development of new processes for the efficient extraction and processing of REE/PGM elements into usable forms for energy applications from macroalgal biomass alongside valorization of other macroalgal components (i.e., carbon content, nitrates, etc.), demonstrated with macroalgal biomass samples developed under Task 1.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with these project teams, with the goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of the innovative technologies these projects teams develop.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E Exchange (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in December 2022. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner List should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement). ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted by any means other than via the link provided above will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final Exploratory Topic, expected to be issued in January 2023 under the FOAs noted at the beginning of this Teaming Partner List, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Update as of 4/28/2023: The FOA associated with this ET Teaming List can be found at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId521a7aa4-b255-4c3b-a211-b128d2a4a0e4.

[1] Nora Shenouda Gad, Biosorption of rare earth elements using biomass of Sargassum on El-Atshan Trachytic sill, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt, Egyptian Journal of Petroleum, Volume 25, Issue 4, 2016, Pages 445-451, ISSN 1110-0621, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpe.2015.10.013.

[2] Jéssica Jacinto, Bruno Henriques, A.C. Duarte, Carlos Vale, E. Pereira, Removal and recovery of Critical Rare Elements from contaminated waters by living Gracilaria gracilis, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 344, 2018, Pages 531-538, ISSN 0304-3894, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.10.054.

[3] João Pinto, Bruno Henriques, José Soares, Marcelo Costa, Mariana Dias, Elaine Fabre, Cláudia B. Lopes, Carlos Vale, José Pinheiro-Torres, Eduarda Pereira, A green method based on living macroalgae for the removal of rare earth elements from contaminated waters, Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 263, 2020, 110376, ISSN 0301-4797, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110376.

[4] Thainara Viana, Bruno Henriques, Nicole Ferreira, Cláudia Lopes, Daniela Tavares, Elaine Fabre, Lina Carvalho, José Pinheiro-Torres, Eduarda Pereira, Sustainable recovery of neodymium and dysprosium from waters through seaweeds: Influence of operational parameters, Chemosphere, Volume 280, 2021, 130600, ISSN 0045-6535, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130600.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on enabling technical advances which could lead to subsurface chemical reactors and gas separations. ARPA-E is seeking information to test the hypothesis that the subsurface can be used as a reactive environment to produce hydrogen at $1/kg, per DOE’s Hydrogen Shot target[1], and helium with no carbon emissions.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on July 11, 2022. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

• Please insert “Response to Hydrogen-Helium Geochemistry - <your organization name>” in the subject line of your email.
• In the body of your email, include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g. university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise.
• Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 10 pages in length (12-point font size).
• Respondents are strongly encouraged to include preliminary results, data, and figures that describe their potential processes.

[1] Hydrogen Shot | Department of Energy

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research and development program focused on supporting new technologies to measure, report, and verify distributed carbon dioxide removal (CDR) processes in the deep ocean. ARPA-E is seeking information at this time regarding transformative and implementable technologies that could:

• Enable physics-based or reagent-less carbon sensing rapidly and/or in wide swaths to track the formation of carbon-rich plumes in the water column created through one or more CDR processes, as well as its journey to and deposition/fate on the seafloor, if applicable. Technologies could be applicable to both in-water and seabed sensing.
• Facilitate full-ocean-depth carbon flux sensing by enabling inexpensive, scalable, depth-agnostic, autonomous sensor platforms that can operationally persist via energy harvesting in the pelagic deep ocean environment.
• Provide regional ocean modeling to incorporate new sensor data streams for improved estimation accuracy in tracking carbon fates and other environmental effects.

The goal of this potential program is to support the nascent marine CDR industry by developing sensor technologies and approaches to quantify and verify the full-ocean-depth carbon flux from marine CDR systems. This validation is critical to assign certifiable value to CDR technologies, which would otherwise have no quantifiable financial value and be unable to participate in a carbon market.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential..

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on April 14, 2022. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

• Please insert “Responses for Marine Carbon Sensing RFI” in the subject line of your email, and include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g., university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise in the body of your email.

• Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 10 pages in length (12-point font size).

• Responders are strongly encouraged to include preliminary results, data, and figures that describe their potential processes.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E), concurrently with this Teaming Partner List Announcement, is issuing new Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) DE‐FOA‐0002250 & DE-FOA-0002251 to deploy and demonstrate the functionality of technology solutions capable of producing effective quantification of (1) feedstock-related N2O emissions and/or (2) soil carbon storage at the field level. ARPA-E anticipates such quantification will require a “system of systems” to include, but not be limited to, in-field sensors, UAV and satellite imagery, agronomic data, and modeling/simulation tools. The objective of the Systems for Monitoring and Analytics for Renewable Transportation Fuels from Agricultural Resources and Management (SMARTFARM) program is to bridge the data gap in the biofuel supply chain by funding technologies that can replace national averages and emissions factors for feedstock-related emissions with field-level estimates.

U.S. agriculture has the potential to produce ~5 quads of energy in the form of biofuels, and with new innovations throughout the biofuel supply chain, these fuels could become carbon negative. Reaching this potential and achieving greater carbon reductions requires that feedstock producers adopt new technologies and management practices that simultaneously improve yield, drive down production associated emissions, and enhance carbon sequestration in soils. To facilitate the adoption of these new technologies and practices for improved carbon management, feedstock producers need incentives beyond yield. While carbon management incentive structures exist elsewhere in the biofuel supply chain, they do not extend to feedstock production because monitoring and verification of feedstock production emissions is too costly to conduct at the field level. Instead, all feedstock producers are assumed to produce the same amount of emissions— the national average —despite significant variations in actual emissions when moving to state or regional averages, let alone field-level estimates.

ARPA-E intends to provide financial support to teams proposing to deploy novel sensing systems for quantification of feedstock-related N2O emissions or soil carbon storage that meet the metrics specified in the FOAs. If successful, the technologies funded by this phase of the SMARTFARM program are expected to catalyze new market incentives for efficiency in feedstock production and carbon management, reducing annual U.S. emissions by ~1%. A precursor to the SMARTFARM program is an ARPA-E effort -- described in Topic H of DE-FOA-0001953 -- which aims to fund the establishment of publicly available, high-resolution datasets to support testing and validation of emerging monitoring technologies. The sensor technologies developed under the SMARTFARM program will be subjected to rigorous testing in relevant deployment scenarios (> 80 acres), and the project teams funded under SMARTFARM will have the opportunity to partner with project teams funded under Topic H of DE-FOA-0001953 to deploy and validate the new sensor technologies. ARPA–E held a workshop on the anticipated SMARTFARM program in February 2018; information on this workshop can be found at the webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=workshop/energy-smart-farm-distributed-intelligence-networks-highly-variable-and-resource).

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with teams, with the ultimate goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of a new risk-driven operational and planning paradigm.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in December 2019. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a FOA. Applicants must refer to DE‐FOA‐0002250 & DE-FOA-0002251 for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled Unlocking Lasting Transformative Resiliency Advances by Faster Actuation of power Semiconductor Technologies (ULTRAFAST), targeting development and demonstration of semiconductor material, device and/or power module technologies to create more capable power electronics building blocks for the future grid. More specifically, ARPA‑E is looking for semiconductor material, device and/or power module level advances to enable faster switching and/or triggering at higher current and voltage levels for improved control and protection of the grid.

Separate categories targeting faster switching semiconductor devices or power modules for higher-bandwidth control, and/or higher current and voltage slew rates for triggering and protection, both at higher voltage and current ratings, are envisioned to allow for the broadest range of approaches, although technology developments that can simultaneously address both necessary functions are preferred.

ARPA-E held a workshop on this topic in October 2022; Information on this workshop can be found at https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/ultra-fast-triggered-devices-workshop.

Individual semiconductor devices and/or modules operating at high voltages and current ratings are desired to reduce the number of stacked devices in power modules, stacked modules in power cells (half-bridge, full-bridge, flying capacitor, etc.), and stacked cells in multi-level converters for medium- and high-voltage applications. Reducing the required number of devices and modules will be necessary to improve overall system reliability, complexity, and (eventually) cost. Increasing the switching speed is desired to continue the trend of reducing passives’ volume and increasing overall converter power density. Furthermore, decreasing the switching times (increasing slew-rates) leads to a reduction in switching losses thus relaxing the critical thermal management requirements but worsening the electromagnetic interference (EMI) which directly impacts the converter reliability. One way to minimize these issues is to wirelessly trigger semiconductor devices and modules (some examples are Photoconductive Semiconductor Switch (PCSS) and Light-Triggered Thyristor (LTT) that utilize optical energy for switching, but there may be other wireless means to do so). Hence, ARPA-E desires solutions which mitigate EMI issues while simultaneously providing semiconductor devices and/or modules capable of operating at high switching frequencies, and featuring high slew-rates, current and voltage levels. Of interest is also wirelessly powered gate driver, associated voltage and current sensors, as well as wireless transfer of control signals and data, all of which can significantly mitigate EMI problems.

Similarly, ARPA-E is interested in new device concepts that promise performance at the required levels. Novel device concepts that span across categories are encouraged, as are ideas that allow incorporation of protection functions within a device or module.

Program category one seeks device and/or module technologies targeting protection functions at high current and voltage levels. As such, ARPA-E desires functionality that enables, very fast by-pass, shunt, or interrupt capability at as low level of integration as possible with nanosecond-level reaction time (and corresponding slew rates). Depending on the type of operation, there are different requirements on the efficiency and reliability. For example, protection device/module operating in-line (normally-on) is expected to function with higher efficiencies to minimize conduction loss and consequent thermal management requirements. For protection devices that are shunt-connected (normally-off), voltage withstand capability, very low leakage current, and extremely fast turn-on are essential attributes. For both types of protection device reliability of fault handling will be demonstrated through the number of operating (on-off) cycles. Because advances in category one target protection functions, their temporal performance is characterized by how quickly they can reach their final state, that is by the current and voltage slew rates, rather than by switching speed. Temporal and efficiency requirements of this program point to an all-solid-state solution, although other innovations are possible.

Category two addresses the need for high switching frequency devices and/or modules which enables high-power, high-speed power electronics converters for future grid. High efficiency is paramount, while reliability will be assessed through a device/module lifetime (hours of continuous operation). Category two devices or modules can additionally feature some or all protection functions from category one, offering a switch with unparalleled performance specifications.

Demonstration of device and/or module technologies developed under category one and two is expected. This can encompass verification of performance at the next level of system integration, such as a circuit, for example a buck, boost, half/full-bridge or other, relevant, converter structure. Teams should have a demonstration plan and justification in light of a potential technology application.

Category three targets supporting technologies for category one and category two, such as wireless sensing of device voltage and current, high-density packaging of multi-die power modules with the integration of wireless actuators and device/module-level protection, power cell-level capacitors and inductors, thermal management strategies, etc. While category three is distinct, it is expected that capabilities developed therein will be demonstrated in a system context corresponding to the next level of integration, such as devices/modules developed in categories one and two, or via suitable alternatives and overall demonstration strategy. Thus, performance targets for category three encompass and support those for categories one and two.

Due to a complex cross-disciplinary nature of the intended program, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors with expertise in power electronics, optoelectronics, photonics, and other related fields, to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting December 2022. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement). ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in early 2023, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Update as of 2/24/23: The FOAs associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId271e6ddc-b639-44aa-9c97-7eb5e7b635bc and https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIdee37c915-189b-41f7-bbca-4f3b1ac77ba3.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled Replacement Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR). The purpose of this announcement is to facilitate formation of diverse project teams to respond to REPAIR. ARPA-E invites interested parties to submit their information to the Teaming Partner List.

REPAIR addresses the high costs to replace cast iron, wrought iron, and bare steel natural gas distribution pipes. Gas utilities operate 60,000 miles of these older pipes. Excavating and replacing these pipes costs $1-10 million per mile. REPAIR will reduce costs by creating a new pipe inside the old pipe, using smart coatings to achieve a 50-year life. The FOA will target pipes with 10-inch and larger diameters.

Success requires several technology advances, including new pipe testing methods and models; advanced coatings; tools that can deposit coatings, inspect coatings, and map pipes; and 3-D data visualization and management software. There are two metrics for REPAIR: obtain regulatory approval for REPAIR processes, and rehabilitate pipes for $1 million per mile, including costs for gas service interruptions.

As outlined below, REPAIR has five tasks: one for test development and testing, and four to develop system components – coating materials, coating deposition tools, coating integrity/inspection tools, and pipe mapping tools. Applicants may respond to an individual task or multiple tasks. Applicants will need to address plans for integrating system components in tasks 2-5 into comprehensive solutions. ARPA-E encourages partnering across tasks, and forming teams with diverse skills, such as engineering, chemistry, material science, physics, and data processing/visualization, for all tasks.

Tasks 1 -Testing models/protocols/hardware

In order to confirm the required 50-year lifespan there is a need to define failure modes and establish the performance criteria for “coated pipe in a pipe” with cast iron and bare steel pipes. Modelling will be used to characterize failure modes, establish ranges of physical properties for Task 2 coatings, develop test methods, and design/build test hardware. Applicants will be responsible for testing 10-20 inch diameter coated pipes, and use results to develop correlations for failure mechanisms.

Task 2 - Structural coating materials

Legacy pipes will be rehabilitated by applying a structural coating to the inside of the pipe, forming a “coated pipe in a pipe.” Materials will be coated with a coating deposition tool discussed in Task 3, and inspected with an integrity/inspection tool discussed in Task 4. REPAIR will advance the state of gas distribution pipelines by incorporating “smart” (i.e. self-healing and self-reporting) features. Coating materials need to be compatible with pipeline operations. ARPA-E prefers materials that can be deposited without interrupting gas service.

Task 3 - Coating deposition tools

There are several techniques for depositing structural coatings, such as spraying, casting, and printing/additive manufacturing. The coating deposition tool will record operating parameters, quality control metrics, and material traceability by location, with location precision within 10 cm over its operating range. As an option, the coating tool could use in-pipe mapping tools discussed in Task 5. Critical issues include linear speed, deposition rate, uniformity of coating thickness, and impact on gas service during coating operations. Task 3 Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with Task 2 Applicants to optimize deposition processes.

Task 4 - Pipe integrity/inspection tools

Integrity/inspection tools are needed to assess the legacy pipes prior to coating, and assess the coating after deposition. Ideally the same techniques and tools can be used for pre- and post-coating inspections, implying the inspection technique can “see” through the coating. Task 4 Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with Task 2 Applicants to screen and select the optimal inspection technique(s). The integrity tool needs to be able to record locations within 10 cm over its operating range. As an option, it could use in-pipe mapping tools discussed in Task 5. ARPA-E anticipates different inspection techniques and tools may be required for cast iron and bare steel pipes.

Task 5 - 3D mapping hardware, data management, and data visualization

Applicants for Task 5 will develop tools that create 3D maps of the rehabilitated gas mains, pipeline components, and adjacent underground infrastructure. Applicants can propose in-pipe or surface-based pipe mapping technologies, or a combination of technologies. These maps will also incorporate data from leak reports, integrity/inspection tools, and coating deposition tools. REPAIR processes (coating, inspections, mapping) will generate large data sets that need to be compatible with GIS-enabled enterprise systems used by gas utilities. Given the large data sets, real-time data visualization will be required to facilitate real-time decisions in the field as mapping, coating, and inspection processes are underway.

The ARPA-E workshop on REPAIR occurred October 2019; details are available at https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=events/rapid-encapsulation-pipelines-avoiding-intensive-replacement-workshop. Key stakeholders from technical areas of interest gathered to further define REPAIR’s problem statement and explore possible solutions. Based on feedback from the workshop, ARPA-E is hosting an Industry Day on January 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. The event will provide an opportunity to address contracting and technical questions of the RFI (to be released, along with a draft version of the FOA, ahead of the event), and promote formal and informal partnering discussions. ARPA-E recommends Applicants complete the Teaming Partners information prior to the Industry Day.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, December 20, 2019. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in late January 2020, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

SUMMARY:

ARPA-E is seeking information to help frame a potential new funding opportunity for public-private partnerships supporting the further refinement, scaling, and piloting of successful ARPA-E technologies. The potential program would collaborate with investors and private sector partners to advance promising technologies developed under ARPA-E awards (both prior and ongoing) to pre-pilot and pilot R&D projects. The projects would need to demonstrate scalability, reliability, and manufacturability. Success of these scale-up/pilot projects will establish the path forward to continued private sector development and deployment of these transformational technologies. In addition to the energy-related benefits, this development would establish a new manufacturing base for energy technologies in the U.S.

Through this RFI, ARPA-E seeks to:

• Identify successful ARPA-E technologies that have established proof of concept and are ready for scaling R&D projects in manufacturability, reliability, etc. 
• Identify the companies that propose to lead the next stage of development for these ARPA-E technologies. 
• Gauge interest from potential investors and industry partners to support and participate in scale-up/pilot projects. 
• Frame the structure and management for potential funding opportunities to support scale-up/pilot projects of ARPA-E technologies with investor and industry participation. 
• Facilitate engagement between innovators and partners, specifically to make connections in advance of the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in July 2019.

More detailed information follows on the background of the technology and competitiveness challenges ARPA-E seeks to address, the different groups of stakeholders ARPA-E hopes to engage, and the potential next steps for such a funding opportunity.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION DOCUMENT and GUIDELINES below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on June 20, 2019.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) is considering issuing a new Exploratory Topic under Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) DE‐ FOA‐0002784 and DE‐FOA‐0002785 to develop modeling tools to assist in the optimization of the national intermodal freight transportation system. These tools will provide guidance in both deployment of future low-carbon infrastructure and assets, as well as operational logistics improvements to minimize transportation-related energy and emissions while maximizing resiliency.

The intermodal freight industry has a good sense for what technology options will be available (e.g., battery energy storage, hydrogen fuel cells, zero carbon fuels), and approximate costs – but the execution and rollout strategy, on both spatial and temporal dimensions, is still unclear. These are significant financial decisions, and upcoming choices, such as on which fuel to commit a fleet to, could accelerate or delay national decarbonization timelines by years. It is vital that the industry work together and coordinate to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of this deployment. There are currently no comprehensive models of the intermodal system’s energy demands and supplies, especially including overlap and shared infrastructure between modes. This will require synthesis and coordination of many different information streams.

Previous ARPA-E programs such as LOCOMOTIVES and TRANSNET have addressed route optimization for single modes (rail freight and light duty passenger vehicles, respectively). Other government, academic, and private modeling efforts have targeted portions of the freight system and specific modes, but none so far have addressed its deeply interconnected nature, including the challenges and opportunities the intermodal system presents. An ideal model should provide the optimum route for moving goods across maritime, rail and road transportation systems with the lowest CO2 emissions. Considering the interwoven yet fragmented nature of logistics and freight transportation, with limited data sharing, misaligned incentives, and many different stakeholders, there is a need for top-down modeling efforts that cross intermodal boundaries. More information on the ongoing ARPA-E LOCOMOTIVES program may be found here.

Given the many challenges associated with modeling the extreme complexity of the freight system, there exists no comprehensive plan to direct how freight decarbonization should be achieved. Innovation within and across sectors will be required to identify new optimal strategies. If issued, this Exploratory Topic will likely consist of two complementary tasks.

(1) Intermodal Infrastructure Model: Develop models of the national intermodal freight transportation network (i.e., moving freight by two or more modes of transportation -- e.g., trucks, trains, and cargo ships) that enable prioritization for energy infrastructure deployment, along with data required for the effective deployment of this optimized distribution system

(2) Intermodal Logistics Model: Develop models of the national intermodal freight transportation system that enable predictive and responsive optimization of modal choice, inter- or intra- modal transfer, or routing.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, ARPA-E strongly encourages involving industry partners to advise and collaborate with these project teams, with the goal of achieving successful industry adoption and integration of the innovative technologies these projects teams develop.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E Exchange (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in January 2023. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner List should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ApplicantProfile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Announcement, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement). ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted by any means other than via the link provided above will not be considered.

This Announcement does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final Exploratory Topic, expected to be issued in January 2023 under the FOAs noted at the beginning of this Teaming Partner List, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Update as of 02/08/2023: The FOA/Exploratory Topic associated with this Teaming Partner List can be found at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId521a7aa4-b255-4c3b-a211-b128d2a4a0e4. 

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) and the Office of Science – Fusion Energy Sciences (SC-FES) of the Department of Energy intend to issue a new joint Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in February 2020 named GAMOW. This FOA will solicit applications for financial assistance to support innovative research and development (R&D) in a range of enabling technologies (beyond confinement plasma physics) that will be needed in commercially attractive fusion energy systems. Related to this planned FOA, a “Teaming Partner List” – described below - is being compiled to facilitate the formation of project teams that will submit applications in response to the FOA.

Key attributes for any commercially attractive energy system include economics, safety, RAMI (reliability, availability, maintainability, inspectability), and environmental sustainability. The GAMOW Program will prioritize R&D that will help establish both the technical and commercial viability of technologies in the following anticipated technical research categories:

A. Fusion Energy Subsystems

• Integrated first-wall and tritium-breeding blanket
• Plasma-facing components (PFC) and divertor
• Tritium fuel cycle
• High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets
• High-efficiency, high-duty-cycle electrical drivers

B. Cross-Cutting Research

• Novel fusion materials, including methods to enable accelerated testing/qualification
• Advanced and additive manufacturing to revolutionize fusion R&D and system attractiveness

The high-level program objectives are:

• Substantial progress toward demonstrating technical feasibility and/or increases in performance in the technical categories listed above compared to present state-of-the-art
• Enabling significant device simplification or elimination of entire subsystems, in one or more commercially motivated fusion energy concepts
• Reduction in fusion energy system cost (capital and/or operations/maintenance) and/or development time/cost, including those of critical materials and component testing/qualification facilities
• Improvements in safety, RAMI, and/or environmental attractiveness of fusion energy systems.

As a general matter, ARPA–E and SC-FES strongly encourage outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of GAMOW project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in February 2020. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information.By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E / SC-FES do not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E / SC-FES will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in February 2020, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

ARPA-E is interested in surveying bio-based ideas across the entire supply chain of critical materials and other metals (Ni, Cu), including exploration, mining, extraction, processing, refining and recycling/recovery of such materials. ARPA-E requests responses focusing on the feedstock supply for successfully meeting the domestic demand, economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of critical materials.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Purpose and Need for Information

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future research programs. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broad research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents should clearly mark any information in the response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential. Information labeled proprietary or confidential will not be released by DOE, but may be used to inform ARPA-E’s planning.

Depending on the responses to this RFI, ARPA‐E may consider the rapid initiation of one or more funded collaborative projects to accelerate along the path towards commercial deployment of the energy technologies described generally above.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on December 17, 2019. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

• Please insert “Responses for Critical Minerals RFI” in the subject line of your email, and include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g. university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise in the body of your email.
• Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 10 pages in length (12 point font size).
• Responders are strongly encouraged to include preliminary results, data, and figures that describe their potential methodologies.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled Revolutionizing Ore to Steel to Impact Emissions (ROSIE), targeting new technology pathways to enable zero direct process emissions in ironmaking (i.e., zero-process-emission ironmaking) and ultra-low life cycle emissions for steelmaking at scale.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming ROSIE FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria; and the FOA terms are controlling. For purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA.

ARPA-E has identified two Technical Categories for ROSIE’s low emission iron and steel opportunities. Technical Category A ends with an iron product; Technical Category B ends with a steel product. Proposers in both categories must address emissions associated with ironmaking while producing either a relevant iron or steel product. An iron product may be a final product for direct use or it may be iron designed to be used in further steelmaking; the steel product must be a deliverable product in an existing or projected steel market.

ARPA-E held a workshop on this topic in September 2021; Information on this workshop can be found at https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/zero-emission-iron-steelmaking-workshop.

The draft technical section FOA language is included as Attachment A to this document and the draft Cost and LCA Estimator Tool is included as a separate Attachment B. NOTE: THE ISSUED FOA, INCLUDING TECHNICAL SECTION AND LCA ESTIMATOR TOOL, WILL BE CONTROLLING, NOT THESE DRAFT DOCUMENTS, THOUGH NO MAJOR CHANGES ARE ANTICIPATED.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of the technologies that will be of interest for the ROSIE Program. All technologies must satisfy specified zero-emissions-ironmaking criteria.

• Aqueous electrowinning of ores: in acidic, basic, or neutral media; including the potential for the acids/bases to be produced on-site and recycled;
• Non-aqueous electrolysis of ores: using electrolytes of molten salts and eutectics; innovations in novel electrodes that will withstand operating conditions;
• H₂ plasma-based ironmaking: using microwave, arc, or other plasma generation methods;
• Biomass-based ironmaking: the use of low-cost emerging bio-feedstocks; innovative ways to process these feedstocks into bioreductants for specific utility in ironmaking;
• Biological and biomimetic ironmaking: siderophore derivatives or other catalyst mimics that selectively bind iron cations from ore and reduce them;
• Novel thermochemical ironmaking: methods to use nontraditional reductants, recycled carbon, or other new thermochemistry to process realistic feedstocks;
• Ironmaking from unconventional ores: mine tailings and other wastes; especially, taconite or other ores found substantially in the United States; co-production of iron and other metals or byproducts as enabled by using mixed-metal ores; and
• Other novel technologies: to produce iron from raw iron resources with zero greenhouse gas (GHG) process emissions.

The scope of the ROSIE program is framed to advance high-potential, high-impact technologies with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ironmaking to zero. Submissions that do not represent a significant innovation in ironmaking technology are out of scope. These are examples of technology concepts that would not meet the success criteria of this program:

• More efficient blast furnace technologies or direct reduced iron (DRI) - electric arc furnace (EAF) processes
• Adding carbon capture with sequestration to blast furnaces
• Transitioning from DRI using natural gas to DRI using hydrogen (H2)
• Ore beneficiation for blast furnace or DRI processes
• Biomass to make biocoke followed by standard blast furnace ironmaking
• Enabling increased quality and availability of scrap metal feedstock
• Reducing or removing carbon emissions in existing pre-processing stages such as sintering and induration

The ROSIE program goals are to develop low emissions ironmaking technologies that have the potential to scale to meaningful production levels at cost parity with existing technologies. The performance metrics will include the amount of non-biogenic greenhouse gas emissions from ironmaking process; the cradle-to-gate lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions; the process and product scalability; the target cost per tonne of product; and the target lab scale prototype at end of the project.

Several additional considerations will also be used for proposal evaluation, including the energy per tonne of iron or steel product; the process byproducts or waste streams; the process flexibility; the product viability; the pathway to scale from lab (grams/hour) to pilot plant (tonnes/year); and the final product qualification requirements.

ARPA-E project teams are required to construct and execute a commercialization strategy that is unique to their technology. Technology-to-market risks that may be addressed include the availability of the reductant for a chosen process, which may be electricity, hydrogen, sustainable carbon, or other technology-specific reagents. Other underlying cost and risk drivers that may be addressed include availability of the appropriate domestic ore feedstock and uncertainty in electricity pricing. To assist in assessing the potential for technology development and application, a basic Ironmaking Cost and Life Cycle Assessment Estimator Tool has been provided along with this announcement (Attachment B). The goal of this tool is to enable fair comparison of technologies using input data (e.g., CO₂ footprint of grid electricity) from a standard library.

ARPA-E is not interested in projects that exclusively consider the reduction of relatively pure iron oxide to iron. Successful applications need to demonstrate the reduction of iron oxide feedstock under conditions that will be industrially relevant to the commercial deployment of the proposed technology.

Due to a complex cross-disciplinary nature of the intended program, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors with expertise in power electronics, optoelectronics, photonics, and other related fields, to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting May 2023. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement). ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in June 2023, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The draft technical section and LCA tool included as attachments to this Teaming Partner List will be discussed by ARPA-E Program Director Jenifer Shafer on June 15, 2023, at an ARPA-E Industry Day.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E program focused on energy storage technologies that can deliver a specific energy equivalent to, or exceeding, 1000 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg). Of particular interest are technologies that are not extensions of current mainstream electrochemical device thinking or short-term technology road maps. The goal is to gauge the potential to realize exceptionally high-energy storage solutions that would be capable of catalyzing broad electrification of the aviation, railroad, and maritime transport sectors. ARPA-E is seeking information at this time regarding transformative and implementable technologies that could accelerate electrification of transport including the following industries:

• Aviation: “Battery 1K” can enable regional flight on aircraft transporting up to 100 people.
• Railways: “Battery 1K” can enable cross-country travel in the United States (U.S.) with fewer stops while also reducing the amount of infrastructure needed for charging/refueling.
• Maritime: This is a diverse category, but higher energy density options will open up additional electrification possibilities.
• Trucks: Strategies and plans to electrify this sector are in place, however, “Battery 1K” would enable longer range and higher freight loads.

Upon consideration of metrics discussed in the RFI, the traditional energy storage device “playbook” must be cast aside. An overwhelming majority of batteries “live” in boxes, are “plugged-in” to charge, and in the case of personal passenger electric vehicles (EVs) are used only 5% of the time. For the remaining 95%, EVs are typically parked with a battery that is either idle or charging slowly. In sharp contrast, for the transportation sectors of interest to this RFI, the energy storage device may be required to (1) operate continuously over extended periods of time, (2) refuel/recharge/reset rapidly, and (3) achieve exceptional longevity. It is also worth noting that constraints on volumetric energy density are reasonably anticipated to be dependent on the specific application, although perhaps less important than gravimetric energy density in the case of aviation, for example. Certainly, an energy storage technology that can deliver ≥ 1000 Wh/kg and ≥ 2000 Watt-hours per liter (Wh/L) would represent a >3x improvement relative to today’s state-of-the-art (SoA) lithium-ion battery (LiB) solutions, and which may be necessary for electrifying the sectors of interest identified in this RFI. As the constraints of classical energy storage thinking are reconsidered, operating temperature, fuels versus oxidizers and the physical boundaries of the energy storage system are all up for grabs. Think less “out of the box”, and more that there is no box.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

Objective:

The chemical process to synthesize ammonia – produced in huge amounts for its vital role in world agriculture – needs mitigation of its substantial negative energy and environmental consequences. To address these consequences, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) of the US Department of Energy seeks information that could inform ARPA-E’s potential research and development (R&D) funding of a pre-production, integrated system involving a skid-mounted ammonia synthesis system connected to an intermittent renewable energy source at a production scale of several hundred kg to 1 metric ton of ammonia per day.

For this targeted application, ARPA-E is interested in addressing key challenges of integrating various technologies emerging from the ARPA-E REFUEL program - and related awards from other ARPA-E programs (both prior and ongoing) - that are ready for scaling and would comprise a system for the production of ammonia as described above. Specifically, ARPA-E seeks information about:

• Capabilities and needs of organizations to provide or evaluate such ARPA-E funded technologies (e.g. advanced catalysts for low pressure and temperature synthesis, novel ammonia separation methods, etc.);
• Capabilities and needs of organizations to integrate, build and test the ammonia synthesis system describe above;
• Ability of organizations – on their own, or by forming and leading a consortium of research teams - with investors and private sector partners to advance promising ammonia synthesis and related technologies to market.

The goal is to integrate developed technologies and validate their reliability under variable load and start/stop operations, manufacturability, and favorable economics at scale. Successful integration of ammonia synthesis technologies would establish a path forward to continued private sector development, scaling and deployment of these distributed ammonia synthesis technologies. Ideally, the designed and constructed ammonia synthesis unit would serve as a test site for future improved subsystems for the ammonia synthesis process.

This research effort, if successful, would reduce the energy intensity and carbon emissions of ammonia synthesis and establish a new manufacturing base for energy technology in the U.S.

More detailed information on the background of the technology and competitiveness challenges ARPA-E seeks to address can be found in the REFUEL FOA. The REFUEL program is supporting projects focused on specific components of ammonia synthesis, e.g. improved catalysts or separation technologies, at scales up to 1 kg/day of ammonia. To prove that these technologies are viable, further work is required, including combining individual technologies, testing them at a larger scale, and subjecting them to intermittent power.

This RFI focuses only on integration R&D of promising ammonia-synthesis technologies that ARPA-E has funded for which technology verification and integration at a relevant scale would substantially build upon innovations achieved under the ARPA-E awards. Potential new research would be based upon inventions/technologies resulting from those ARPA-E awards, with the intent to advance the innovation to practical application. Cooperation between existing and former ARPA-E awardees is highly encouraged in responses to this RFI and any subsequent R&D work.

ARPA-E recognizes that new business and research arrangements may be needed to fund larger-scale research than the smaller proof of concept efforts supported under REFUEL. If sufficient interest and capability to integrate and test REFUEL technologies exist, ARPA-E may consider funding a public-private innovation collaboration or consortium to that end. For such a project, ARPA-E would expect significant industry participation, as well as an increased cost share (compared to the 5%-20% cost share typical of ARPA-E awards.)

In addition to greater financial commitments, ARPA-E seeks information that also addresses:

• Requiring substantial US manufacturing of resulting technologies for use/sale worldwide, subject to reasonable waiver requests that may be submitted before, during, or after completion of the pilot effort.
• Forming teams with more diversified professional engineering and management capabilities needed for large projects, in contrast to typical ARPA-E projects that tend to focus heavily on bench-scale research or early, small-scale proof-of-concept prototypes.
• Encouraging engagement with industry stakeholders providing in-kind support to the system integration effort. These stakeholders could be state development agencies, potential customers, investment diligence organizations, project financiers, or others with the ability and interest to facilitate the eventual translation of technology from the bench to commercial scale.

Purpose and Need for Information:

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E’s consideration, and to inform the possible initiation of the next generation ammonia synthesis research described above.

ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broader research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions regarding the current state of the art of ammonia synthesis research and development.

Carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below. In particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Request for Information Guidelines:

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on April 6^th, 2020. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

• Insert “Response to Ammonia RFI 2307 - <your organization name>” in the subject line of your email.
• In the body of your email, include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g. university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise.
• Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 10 pages in length (12 point font size).

Responders should provide the following information though a response to each item on the list is not required:

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

1. What is the optimal size (kg/day ammonia and related total power and material requirement) for a system validation that would adequately address technical and market risks? Is in-field testing (i.e., on or near agricultural sites or other ammonia consumer) required, and if so, what integration, ruggedness, transportability, and infrastructure requirements does this impose on a test system?
2. Describe the current state of the art in electrolyzer systems (available size, power consumption, reliability, unit cost) that could be provided under commercial terms. Also describe any breakpoints associated with cost.
3. Describe the current state of the art in air separation systems (size, nitrogen purity, power consumption, reliability, unit cost) that could be provided under commercial terms. Also describe any break points associated with cost.
4. Describe what you view as the major technical risks associated with integration of multiple technologies to produce ammonia from air, water and renewable energy?
5. What are the major challenges in industrial production using intermittent power and how can they be overcome? What duty cycles are appropriate for different regions, use cases, or customers? How do these transients affect the performance requirements for the individual components (e.g., ASU, reactor, and separations train)?
6. What are ranges of capacity factors for renewable sources of power? Provide duty cycle details by source and geography.

ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION

1. Describe your organization’s ability to evaluate and integrate different chemical processing technologies (both established and emerging) including access to appropriate manufacturing and/or testing facilities.
2. Describe your organization’s ability and experience to perform or supervise the construction of modular, flexible chemical systems.
3. Describe your organization’s ability to perform preliminary and detailed design of skid-mounted chemical systems and working with 3^rd parties as required.
4. Describe your organization’s ability to secure a site for field testing of the system. The site should be capable of housing a skid-mounted system that produces ammonia at a rate of up to 1 ton per day from air and water. The site should have access to a source of intermittent renewable energy with enough power to support the target ammonia productivity. Data on power generation daily/seasonal variability should be available for modeling purposes. Experience in ammonia handling is highly desirable.
5. Describe your organization’s experience with field testing of new technologies, including securing permits from relevant authorities and managing on-site construction/commissioning, operation and decommissioning.
6. Describe your organization’s experience in developing and packaging new technologies, particularly from multiple sources, for licensing.
7. Assess the ability of potential research organizations to secure or provide 30% -50% cost share on a project for the above-described research that may cost up to $15 million total. It is reasonable to expect that all team members would contribute to the cost share.
8. Describe your organization’s plans, if any, for the utilization of ammonia produced from a project of this nature (e.g. use as a fertilizer, generation of heat or electricity). Multiple uses at different scales can be proposed.
9. Describe your organization’s experience in managing of multi-partner projects including IP management (e.g. building and running a consortium).

Topics not of interest:

ARPA-E is not interested in integrators seeking to deploy established technologies that are already available for license.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications for financial assistance to develop innovative technologies for the design and proof-of-concept of economically attractive tidal and riverine hydrokinetic turbines[1]. The program seeks to leverage large multi-disciplinary teams to apply co-design and control co-design (CCD) methodologies to the technology development. Co-design brings together scientists and engineers from different disciplines to work concurrently, as opposed to sequentially, and considers the coupled design space from the outset, including dynamics and feedback control (CCD). Projects in this future program are envisioned to develop both a conceptual design, as well as perform proof-of-concept experimentation in physical environments (in the water) to confirm the technology’s capability. As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams with multi-disciplinary expertise to respond to the upcoming FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA:

The national and global resource and market available for clean energy from tidal streams, rivers, and canals are vast yet largely untapped. The growth of the industry has been inhibited by technical challenges and the associated high levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Technical challenges include: harsh operating environments, risk of environmental damage, inaccessibility for installation or repairs, difficulty of extracting power at low flow speeds, low generation efficiency, high operation and maintenance costs, high installation costs, high turbulence intensity and high torques among others. The aim of this future ARPA-E program is to make a transformational change in the hydrokinetic industry by designing and de-risking new systems with a significant reduction in LCOE compared with today’s standard. This includes proof-of-concept experimentation to reduce the technical risk of the technology. This program will lay the foundation for widespread adoption of inexpensive, clean, reliable, hydrokinetic energy.

To accomplish this goal, ARPA-E is looking for multi-disciplinary teams to develop new hydrokinetic turbine designs for either tidal or riverine applications. Teams are encouraged to use co-design, control co-design, and designing-for-OpEx approaches to develop and perform proof-of-concept testing for new devices with radically lower LCOE. Each team will demonstrate that the proposed design meets the LCOE targets based upon a metric space supplied by ARPA-E. It is envisioned that teams will be required to reduce the LCOE through a number of approaches including increased device efficiency, a lower equivalent mass-to-swept area ratio, and a significant reduction in operation and maintenance costs. Given the low technical readiness level of hydrokinetic technology, and the inherent coupled physics within the design space, the teams will demonstrate the technology viability in a number of ways, including paper studies, simulation methods, and experimentation of scaled systems in the water. Each team will have to propose an in-water proof-of-concept that demonstrates the system’s performance and/or the viability of the enabling concepts. The wide range of tasks ARPA-E will request for this proposed program makes large multi-disciplinary teams necessary.

In order to realize the goals of the proposed ARPA-E program, teams may find expertise in areas including, but not limited to, the following: (i) hydrodynamics; (ii) systems and control engineering; (iii) mechanical engineering; (iv) electrical generators; (v) power electronics; (vi) electrical connection; (vii) experimental testing (viii) numerical simulation; (ix) system identification; (x) anchoring and mooring systems; (xi) cavitation analysis; (xii) techno-economic analysis; (xiii) blockage and array efficiency optimization; (xiv) environmental impact attenuation; (xv) fish presence sensing; (xvi) data analysis; (xvii) experimentation; (xviii) rapid deployment in water; (xix) operation and maintenance; (xx) control co-design; (xxi) efficiency; (xxii) materials; (xxiii) corrosion. As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of these new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (http://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in February 2020. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities and Interests related to the hydrokinetic turbine designs for tidal and riverine applications.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in March 2020, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

[1]Link to HYDROKINETIC Industry Day Materials : https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=site-page/2020-hydrokinetic-industry-day

ARPA-E intends to issue a FOA focused on developing technology for the exploitation of Geologic Hydrogen as a sustainable source of hydrogen. The goal of this program is production at the lowest cost and emissions through the stimulation and extraction of hydrogen from subsurface mineral deposits.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming Geologic Hydrogen program. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria; and the FOA terms are controlling. For purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the program.

ARPA-E has identified two major technical categories and two supporting categories. Technical Category 1 is related to the investigation of stimulation methods to rapidly enhance the natural rate of hydrogen production from mineral sources. Technical Category 2 deals with the technologies in subsurface engineering, including the ways to contain, concentrate, and economically transport hydrogen to the well-head. Among these categories, ARPA-E has identified several modeling, characterization, and risk management needs that need to be associated with the technology development in Categories 1 and 2. Supporting these needs are categories focused on developing new ways to model and characterize the subsurface for the purposes of geologic hydrogen production (Category 3), and technologies to understand, predict and mitigate risks associated with the exploitation of geologic hydrogen as a resource (Category 4).

ARPA-E held a workshop on this topic in April 2023; information on this workshop can be found at https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/geologic-h2-workshop. An Industry Day was held by ARPA-E Program Director Douglas Wicks on June 29, 2023.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of the technologies that will be of interest for the Geologic Hydrogen program. Within this list includes possible risk management, modeling, and characterization needs which should be addressed.

• Stimulation and generation: Technologies which enhance the natural rate of serpentinization or other equivalent hydrogen producing geochemical reactions (e.g., reduction of iron bearing minerals in banded iron formations, etc.).
• Subsurface engineering: Technologies which are related to engineering or creating subsurface hydrogen reservoirs, or technologies which can achieve a higher concentration/pressure of hydrogen prior to the well-head.
• Down-hole gas separation: Down-hole/upstream of well-head systems capable of separating subsurface gases to enable transport of higher purity hydrogen (in the case of production of coevolved or liberated gases). An example includes low cost, high flux, high selectivity membrane systems.
• Risk mitigation methods: Technologies that can predict, model, or prevent harmful side effects associated with enhanced stimulation of hydrogen generating mineralogical processes (e.g., serpentinization of ultramafic rocks). Focus should be given to understanding and addressing volumetric expansion, seismicity, hydrogen leakage and associated impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biological effects, and subsurface contamination.
• Modeling approaches: Methods to predict the viability of subsurface resources for stimulated hydrogen generation, inform reservoir management, or assist with stimulation efforts.
• Characterization: Methods to map subsurface and ocean floor resources (ultramafic formations or other candidate formations) and quantify physiochemical properties of interest, specifically total Fe content, Fe(II) concentration, Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio, specific surface area, permeability, or other parameters relevant to stimulated hydrogen generation.

The scope of the Geologic Hydrogen program is to uncover how underutilized mineral resources in the subsurface can be used as a new source of hydrogen with the lowest cost and emissions. Several other methods of subsurface hydrogen production or extraction are not in the scope of this program, such as:

• Gasification of existing hydrocarbon storages in the subsurface (e.g., coal, oil reserves).
• Subsurface conversion of methane into hydrogen.
• Technologies focused solely on extraction of naturally occurring/accumulating hydrogen.
• Methods of producing hydrogen that require carbon sequestration to meet program wide metric of GHG.
• Proposals focused on generating subsurface hydrogen through electrolysis of water.
• Technologies that are fully mature in other sectors (e.g., geothermal or oil & gas) and do not require substantial innovation to support subsurface hydrogen production.

The Geologic Hydrogen program goals are the development of technologies that can lead to hydrogen at the well-head of $1/kg H₂ with emissions <1 kg CO₂e/kg H₂ and deposit potential >1 million m³ of H₂ (per deposit). To achieve the program goals, performance metrics include enhancing the natural hydrogen producing reactions and producing downhole hydrogen that is sufficiently pure and concentrated. Technologies will also have to perform sufficient modeling, characterization, and risk management approaches that result from their stimulation or extraction methods.

ARPA-E project teams will be required to construct and execute a commercialization strategy that is unique to their technology.

Due to the complex cross-disciplinary nature of the intended program, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors with expertise in catalysis, subsurface engineering, geophysics, and other related fields. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, respondents consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement). ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in August 2023, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on the integration of nuclear reactor facilities into industrial processes to enable their provision of carbon-free heat and/or power. ARPA-E is seeking information regarding transformative and implementable technologies to facilitate this integration.

The recent focus on decarbonization and sustainability has created new opportunities for novel combinations of existing, or emerging, technologies in new sector applications. Industrial processes, which generate 24% of our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, remain difficult to decarbonize due to their large heat requirements. The potential to integrate advanced nuclear reactors with industrial processes (such as those in oil and gas, petrochemicals, and steel and aluminum production) offers a potential pathway to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions from this sector.

This request for information aims to gather information from interested and relevant stakeholders on general, technical, technology-to-market, and regulatory issues related to the coupling of nuclear heat and power to industrial processes beyond pure power production.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, March 30, 2023.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in April 2020 to solicit applications for financial assistance to develop and demonstrate ultrahigh temperature materials for gas turbines, targeting power generation and aircraft engine applications.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate collaborations among performing teams including the testing and resource support teams to respond to the upcoming FOA. The FOA will provide specific Program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria and the FOA terms. For the purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA:

Gas turbines are widely used for electric power generation and aircraft propulsion, among other industrial applications. Today, natural gas fueled turbines produce approximately 35% of the total electricity production in US. Air travel is responsible for 2% of carbon emissions and is expected to double in the next two decades globally. Improving the efficiency of gas turbines is thus a very important issue for energy savings, carbon emissions, and the economy of not only those industries, but a broad breath of sectors. Based on thermodynamic principles governing the operation of thermal mechanical systems such as turbines, the efficiency of a gas turbine depends to a large degree on the peak temperature of the working fluid (e.g. air or combustion products). The higher the peak temperature, the higher the efficiency and specific core power. The motivation of this Program is to improve the efficiency of gas turbines by increasing the temperature capability of the materials used in the most demanding environments such as the turbine blade. Currently, turbine blades are made of single crystal nickel-based superalloys with maximum operating temperature capability of 1100 °C. Thus, there is a strong need to discover, develop, and implement novel materials that work at temperatures significantly higher than that of the Ni or Co-based superalloys if further efficiency gains are to be realized.

The ULTIMATE Program seeks to support the development and demonstration of ultrahigh temperature materials that can operate continuously at 1300 °C in a standalone material test environment (or with coatings, enabling gas turbine inlet temperatures of 1800 °C) or higher, targeting gas turbine applications in the power generation and aviation industries. It is expected that the development of novel ultrahigh temperature materials in combination with compatible coatings and manufacturing technologies will enable the efficiency of gas turbines to be improved by up to 7%, which will result in significant reductions in wasted energy and carbon emissions.

To accomplish this goal, ARPA-E is looking for interdisciplinary teams to foster research and development of refractory metal-based alloys, including refractory metal high entropy alloys, as well as necessary coatings, for high temperature turbine blade applications. Another key objective of this Program is that the materials and manufacturing processes shall be developed concurrently as an integrated package of technology. Currently, ARPA–E anticipates that this Program will have research needs in the following topics: (1) Novel Alloy Development; (2) Coating Development; (3) Manufacturing Process Development; (4) Comprehensive Solutions; and (5) Testing and Resource Support for Topics 1-4 awardees

Presently, ARPA–E anticipates that this Program may have two research award categories:

      A) Projects to conduct research on the topics 1-4 specified immediately above

      B) Testing and resource support for topics 1-4 awardees (Topic 5), to include one or more of the following areas: (i) Testing and evaluation of mechanical properties and environmental damage resistance at ultrahigh temperatures (1300 °C or higher) (ii) Advanced Manufacturing, (iii) Materials Modeling and (iv) Cost Modeling. Individuals participating on a Topic 5 project team will not be permitted to participate on a Topic 1-4 project team.

As a general matter, ARPA–E strongly encourages different organizations with outstanding scientists and engineers, and across different scientific disciplines and technology sectors to participate in this Program. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (http://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, starting in April 2020. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect the addition of new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name; Contact Name; Contact Address; Contact Email; Contact Phone; Organization Type; Area of Technical Expertise; and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted via email or other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in April 2020, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support the development of novel high energy density energy storage systems (ESS) for emissions-free planes, trains, and ships. Transformational targets including 1000 watt-hour per kilogram (Wh/kg) and 1000 watt-hour per liter (Wh/L), equivalent to 5x state-of-the-art (SOA), at the net system level, are required to achieve a meaningful impact in these heavy-duty applications.

Planes, trains, and ships require large ESS (e.g., 1 to 100 megawatt-hour [MWh]) and are required to perform both safely and reliably over decades in harsh operational environments. Moreover, they are expected to operate continuously since “idleness” translates directly into lost revenue. 1000 Wh/kg or 1000 Wh/L is considered transformational and expected to enable (1) electrification of regional aviation up to 1000 miles and 100 passengers, (2) 100% electrification of U.S. railroads, and (3) electrification of a majority of U.S. marine vessels that operate in territorial waters.

Strategies that may have merit, either individually or as part of a total solution, include the following:

• Swappable batteries/energy boxes that can be rapidly and seamlessly interfaced with vessels and vehicles;
• Mechanically rechargeable solutions;
• Platforms that separate energy and power;
• Pumpable electroactive slurries, “goops,” and metals;
• High temperature electrochemical systems;
• Systems that utilize external catholytes (air or seawater, for example);
• Revisiting the past (making primary battery chemistries rechargeable, for example);
• Combining electrochemical function with mechanical structure.

ARPA–E hosted a “Transformational Energy Storage Solutions for the Electrification of Planes, Trains & Ships (ESS-1K) Workshop” on May 10-11, 2023. Information from this workshop can be found at the ARPA-E events webpage (https://arpa-e.energy.gov/events/transformational-energy-storage-solutions-electrification-planes-trains-ships-workshop). In addition, ARPA-E issued a Request for Information (RFI) on Rethinking Energy Storage Technologies for Planes, Trains & Ships: “Battery 1K” (DE-FOA-002972, https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx?foaId=fb3ceb8e-8bf7-47ba-8dc3-93501610a927). A slide deck on this subject was presented during the “Transportation Systems” Fast Pitch Panel at the 2022 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit and is posted online (https://www.arpa-e.energy.gov/sites/default/files/5-Fast_Pitch_Final_CHEESEMAN.pdf). Finally, a video of the entirety of the “Batteries & Storage” Fast Pitch Panel from the 2023 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit can be viewed online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye_yZNcAj30).

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to a potential FOA for the development of high energy density energy storage systems for electrification of planes, trains, and ships. In this case, interdisciplinary collaboration is highly recommended. Expertise in the following areas may be useful in responding to a potential future FOA: advanced energy storage chemistries/materials/components research and development, computational modeling, system architecture, technoeconomic analysis (TEA), and safety, including Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA).

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, in July 2023. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the closing of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields at the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating and publishing this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E reserves the right to remove any inappropriate responses to this Announcement (including lack of sufficient relevance to, or experience with, the technical topic of the Announcement). ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in August 2023, for instructions on submitting an application, the desired technical metrics, and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on achieving a circular and domestic battery supply chain for various types of electric vehicles including scooters, cars, buses, trucks, trains, ships, and aircrafts.

The potential program is not concerned with supplies of critical minerals or with existing battery recycling processes. Instead, it focuses on alternative strategies that can be implemented to achieve circularity including servicing, upgrading, refurbishing, and remanufacturing of batteries. The primary goals are (1) to identify materials (e.g., electrode materials, electrolytes, adhesives) amenable to in-cell regeneration to prolong the life of batteries, (2) to develop sustainable design and manufacturing of battery cells, modules, and packs that facilitate serviceability, disassembly, refurbishing, and recovery of materials and/or components at the end of life, and (3) to minimize waste, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions during the battery lifecycle. Such transformation should be achieved without affecting the performance and safety of the battery packs.

ARPA-E is seeking information at this time regarding transformative and implementable technologies that can:

• Extend the life of battery materials, cells, modules, and/or pack through regeneration, servicing or maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, and remanufacturing. Examples include selection of electrode materials that can be regenerated through thermomechanical, chemical, and/or electrochemical treatments,
• Develop designs and manufacturing processes for cells, modules and packs that can be easily disassembled to enable servicing, reuse, refurbishing, or remanufacturing, and
• Minimize the overall amount of waste generated, energy consumed, and greenhouse gas emitted throughout the battery manufacturing, servicing, and recycling processes. Examples include designs that avoid permanent bonding or any fabrication that requires destructive disassembly (e.g., shredding).

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Monday, April 3, 2023.

Introduction

ARPA-E has as one of its goals the development of energy technologies that improve the management, cleanup, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. To meet this goal, ARPA-E has established a suite of programs (GEMINI, MEITNER, ONWARDS, CURIE) that have the potential to reduce the volume of radioactive waste by a factor of 10 or more and the needed time for storage by a comparable amount. Nuclear transmutation of key fission products and actinides in the remaining radioactive waste has the potential to reduce the volume and storage time by additional orders of magnitude. The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E program focused on the development of technologies to support advances in nuclear transmutation with the desired goal to reduce the volume, radiotoxicity, and storage time of spent nuclear fuel. Generation of valuable isotopes, semiconductor production, and radioisotopes are also of interest to this RFI.

Consistent with the agency’s mission, ARPA-E is seeking novel and disruptive technologies that are early in the R&D cycle. ARPA-E seeks to include input from the developers and end-users of such technologies, including national laboratories, universities, private industry, and the medical community. ARPA-E is particularly interested in transmutation enabling technologies, and it is specifically interested in how such technologies can improve the reliability and duty cycles of transmutation systems while reducing capital and operating costs.

Understanding the economic factors that would lead to a transmutation facility are invaluable to a potential program. Reprocessing of waste may be needed for efficient transmutation. The location of this reprocessing facility, whether located at the waste generating sites, or at the transmutation location will impact the economics. Additionally, depending on the size of the transmutation facility, there may be several facilities constructed in order to reduce quantities of waste to the desired metric. Funds for the decommissioning of reactors as well as the nuclear waste fund may be available for these types of activities.

The questions below are intended to allow relevant stakeholders a mechanism to provide input on:

(i) metrics to gauge the success of transmutation of spent nuclear fuel;

(ii) advancements in transmutation enabling technologies, including accelerator-driven systems and current and advanced generation reactors, and non-neutron sources; and

(iii) economic factors for the operation of transmutation facilities.

Responses to the questions below will help ARPA-E to refine its success metrics for a potential program aimed at the reduction of radiotoxicity, volume, and storage time of spent nuclear fuel through the use of transmutation. ARPA-E does not expect any one respondent to answer all, or even many, of these prompts. Simply indicate the group and question number in your response. Appropriate citations are encouraged. Respondents are also welcome to address other relevant avenues/technologies that are not outlined below.

Areas that are not Considered for this RFI:

• General discourse on nuclear energy and waste disposal strategies
• Transmutation initiated by fusion processes
• Fission-fusion hybrid devices
• Separations of minor actinides from used nuclear fuel
• The use of transmutation to produce medical radioisotopes

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on June 12, 2023.

Fusion energy has the potential to provide a safe, abundant, firm, zero-carbon-emitting source of primary energy, electricity, and heat. In order to achieve its potential and meaningfully contribute to the target of global net-zero emissions, fusion must demonstrate competitive economics on a short timeline. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a technological pathway to economical fusion power plants (FPP).

This RFI seeks broad input on two overarching themes: (A) Improving fusion power plant performance and (B) Increasing fusion power plant availability. While power plant performance and availability are intertwined in determining the cost of electricity, theme (A) includes technologies targeting the efficiency of plasma heating schemes, and advanced laser driver technologies, as well as economic and high-gain targets for inertial fusion energy (IFE). Theme (B) focuses on “designer” materials for plasma-facing and structural components. Candidate materials (solid and self-healing) should include, but not be limited to, the following features: minimized half-lives of materials, reduced dust formation, minimized fuel retention (e.g., hydrogen), minimized displacement per atom due to neutron irradiations, and high heat resistance (> 600 °C). Specifically, this RFI focuses on three technology areas for developing this pathway towards economically competitive fusion energy. The areas are:

• Efficient and low-cost drivers for plasma heating and assembly
• Novel first-wall and structural materials
• Low-cost, high-performance targets for inertial fusion energy (IFE)

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the US Department of Energy seeks information that could inform ARPA-E's potential research and development (R&D) funding for these three areas.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on 11/28/2022.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research and development program focused on development of materials and device technologies to support advances in grid resiliency and reliability. ARPA-E seeks input from power electronics, optoelectronics, photonics, and other related communities regarding the development and demonstration of next-generation ultra-fast semiconductor devices (potentially light controlled/triggered) for enhanced resiliency and reliability of power electronics systems ranging from kilowatts to gigawatts of power. Consistent with the agency’s mission, ARPA-E is seeking clearly disruptive, novel technologies, early in the R&D cycle, and not integration strategies for existing technologies.

ARPA-E desires input from a broad range of disciplines and fields, including, but not limited to power electronics, photonics, optoelectronics, optical science and microsystems, electrical engineering, circuit design, wide-bandgap and ultra-wide-bandgap materials, semiconductor devices, packaging, module, gate drive design, and others. This includes input from the developers and end-users of such technologies, such as automotive, data centers, solar and wind-interface converter systems, electric motor-driven systems, high/medium voltage transmission/distribution, rail/ship propulsion, HVDC/FACTS, and many others. ARPA-E is particularly interested in how light-triggered, ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors can help U.S. to realize more reliable, resilient, and efficient systems.

This RFI is focused on potential solutions at material/device/module level rather than circuit or system topology development and integration, although system context is desirable.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on 9/9/2022.  

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on technologies that could enable buildings to be transformed into carbon sinks to reduce their embodied emissions while also providing a pathway for expanding carbon utilization approaches. This vision entails manufacturing novel materials derived from feedstocks including forestry and other purpose-grown raw materials, agricultural residues, as well as direct use of greenhouse gases (e.g., carbon dioxide, methane). The aim is to use these materials in place of existing building construction materials wherever possible, as well as to enable more efficient building designs.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI @hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern time on April 21, 2021.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that could be considered proprietary or confidential.

Introduction:

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on technologies to prevent and/or abate methane emissions. The goal is to reverse the rate of accumulation of methane in the atmosphere, resulting in a decrease in atmospheric methane concentration. ARPA-E is seeking information at this time regarding transformative and implementable technologies that could:

(a) Prevent methane emissions from anthropogenic activities. Examples include addressing improperly abandoned coal mines and oil and gas wells; plugged oil and gas wells that leak; uncontrolled landfill gas; and agricultural-related emissions from farming and ruminants.Emphasis will be on preventing energy-related emissions, but ARPA-E is interested in approaches that could be broadly applied which intervene before methane escapes into the atmosphere.

(b) Abate methane emissions at the source (stack, vents, leaks, etc.).Sources may have steady or variable flow rates and/or concentration.Source temperatures may range from ambient to elevated (i.e. >200 C).System-level approaches are encouraged (i.e. integrated methane collection/capture, reactor, and monitoring/control system).

(c) Remove methane from the air. Examples include approaches which enhance methane oxidation reactions in the troposphere, mineralization (i.e. biological oxidation of methane to CO₂) in soils, or recover methane for use as a fuel or chemical reactant.

Note that some approaches may fit several categories. For example, biological enhancement of methanotropes could be used to prevent methane emissions from coal mines, abate emissions from leaks, and remove methane from air. Priority is oxidation of methane to CO₂. Technologies that recover or beneficially use methane will need to show ability to address at least 1 billion standard cubic feet/yr economically.

ARPA-E is interested in processes that reduce methane emissions by >90% on a life-cycle basis. Inputs, including energy and water, need to be quantified. The performance metrics for cost[1] and water inputs[2] are intended to allow comparison of methane prevention and abatement processes to CO2 control processes. Performance targets include:

a) Net greenhouse gas reduction >90% based on a lifecycle analysis, calculated using 100 year greenhouse gas warming potentials for all relevant species.

b) Freshwater consumption <3 m³/ton CO₂ equivalent

c) Methane reduction cost $150/ton CO₂ equivalent

d) No emission of toxic or environmentally harmful substances

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Purpose and Need for Information

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future research programs. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broad research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents should clearly mark any information in the response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential. Information marked proprietary or confidential will protected from public release by DOE to the maximum extent permitted by law, such as Exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act.

Depending on the responses to this RFI, ARPA‐E may consider the rapid initiation of one or more funded collaborative projects to accelerate along the path towards commercial deployment of the energy technologies described generally above.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on October 15, 2020. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

• Please insert “Responses for Methane Prevention and Abatement RFI” in the subject line of your email, and include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g. university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise in the body of your email.
• Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 10 pages in length (12-point font size).
• Responders are strongly encouraged to include preliminary results, data, and figures that describe their potential processes.

[1] https://netl.doe.gov/projects/files/CostandPerformanceofBituminousCoalandNGPlantswithCCSRev4_091020.pdf

[2] Rosa, L., et al. Nat Sustain 3, 658–666 (2020).

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration for potential future ARPA-E research programs focused on highly energy efficient conversion of e-waste into usable manufacturing materials. ARPA-E is interested e-waste management/conversion ideas across the entire supply chain of e-waste and its impact on municipal solid waste, including classification, collection, identification, sorting, and reclamation of materials. Such e-waste reclamation research and development could result in the development and deployment of advanced energy technologies, enhancing the economic and energy of the United States, while reducing imports of foreign-sourced energy, and reduction of energy-related emissions.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

Purpose and Need for Information

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future research programs. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broad research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents should clearly mark any information in the response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential. Information labeled proprietary or confidential will not be released by DOE but may be used to inform ARPA-E’s planning.

Depending on the responses to this RFI, ARPA‐E may consider the rapid initiation of one or more funded collaborative projects to accelerate along the path towards commercial deployment of the energy technologies described generally above.

• Please insert “Responses for e-waste RFI” in the subject line of your email, and include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g. university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise in the body of your email.
• Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 10 pages in length (12-point font size).
• Responders are strongly encouraged to include preliminary results, data, and figures that describe their potential methodologies.
• ARPA-E is not interested in information related to topics such as process logistics improvement, manual separation etc.

Objective:

The Advanced Research Projects Agency –Energy (ARPA‐E) in the U.S. Department of Energy is seeking comments on a draft technical section for a possible future program solicitation, which focuses on the suite of technologies required to rehabilitate cast iron, wrought iron, and bare steel natural gas distribution pipes by creating a new pipe inside the old pipe. The new pipe will meet utilities’ and regulatory agencies’ requirements, have a minimum life of 50 years, and have sufficient material properties to operate throughout its service life without reliance on the exterior pipe. ARPA‐E seeks input from experts in the fields of pipeline testing, advanced coating materials, biomimetic materials, smart materials (e.g., self-healing, or self-monitoring), robotic coating deposition tools, material inspection techniques, pipeline mapping tools, 3-D data visualization and data management, control and systems engineering, and gas pipeline operation; as well as service providers who replace, inspect, and locate natural gas utility pipelines.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below and note in particular: the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME. Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Purpose and Need for Information:

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration, to inform the possible formulation of future programs intended to help create transformative technology to rehabilitate cast iron, wrought iron, and bare steel natural gas distribution pipes by crafting new pipes inside pre-existing pipes. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broad research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions regarding the rehabilitation of legacy natural gas pipelines.

This RFI previews only the draft technical section for a possible future program solicitation. If respondents are interested in other sections, including general format and requirements of an ARPA-E FOA, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/ . DE-FOA-0002212: Breakthroughs Enabling Thermonuclear-fusion Energy (BETHE) is a sample FOA to reference. A few common sections include but are not limited to:

• III.A: Eligible Applicants (e.g. foreign entities)
• III.B: Cost-Sharing
• IV.C: Content and Form of full applications
• VI.C: Reporting (e.g. cost)
• VIII.B: Government Rights in Subject Inventions
• VIII.C: Rights in Technical Data

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES:

A summary of RFI responses will be presented by Program Director Jack Lewnard on January 22, 2020 at ARPA-E’s REPAIR Industry Day. Individuals interested in attending Industry Day please indicate so in RFI response for more information.

ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on January 20,2020. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

Questions: ARPA-E encourages responses that address any subset of the following questions and encourages the inclusion of references to important supplementary information.

1. The target pipeline diameter is 10 inches and larger.Please comment on ability to develop robotic coating deposition and inspection tools for smaller diameter pipes.

2. Task 1 identifies a preliminary list of testing for “pipe in pipe”.Please comment on the suitability of the list and other potential tests ARPA-E should include.

3. The legacy pipelines are made from cast/wrought iron, and bare (uncoated) steel.Please comment:

     a. on the ability of a single coating, or family of coatings to be suitable for both types of pipes

     b. on the ability of pipe inspection technologies to be suitable for both types of pipes

4. Component developers need to collaborate with system integrators to demonstrate integrated products.Advanced materials, robotics, and inspection tools must be tailored to work together.ARPA-E is recommending component developers and system integrators form teams to produce integrated systems.ARPA-E is interested in alternative approaches that will lead to the demonstration of integrated systems at the end of the program.For example, is it better to form teams at the start, so components are developed concurrently; or delay team formation to allow component developers maximum flexibility in optimizing their technologies?

5. Task 6 seeks to develop 3D maps that incorporate data from REPAIR processes as well as utility data such as leak reports.Utilities are increasing the use of GIS-enabled databases for managing operations data.Are there preferred platforms for data storage/management in order to integrate coating data, inspection data, and mapping data? Should the FOA specify data format(s)?

6. Any other issues, questions, or feedback regarding the draft FOA

ARPA-E seeks input regarding the development of next-generation hydrokinetic energy converters, specifically tidal stream, riverine, and ocean current turbines, with significantly reduced operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, reduced installation costs, and optimized mass and efficiency. ARPA-E desires input from a broad range of disciplines and fields, including, but not limited to: developers of tidal, riverine, and/or ocean current energy systems, hydrodynamics, structural dynamics, controls engineering, design optimization, civil and environmental engineering, offshore and marine engineering, predictive maintenance, robotics, unmanned underwater vehicles, and others. Consistent with the agency’s mission, ARPA-E is seeking information regarding clearly disruptive, novel technologies, early in the research and development (R&D) cycle, and not integration strategies for existing technologies.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below, and note in particular: the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME. Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Objective:

The Advanced Research Projects Agency –Energy (ARPA-E) in the U.S. Department of Energy is seeking comments on a draft technical section for a possible future program solicitation, which focuses on Control Co-Design of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines. In particular, the draft technical section is appended hereto as Attachment A. ARPA-E seeks input from experts in the fields of control and systems engineering, co-design, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, electrical and mechanical systems, power electronics, electrical generators, structural engineering, naval engineering, modeling, optimization, economics, multi-scale and multi-physics computer algorithms, parallel computing, distributed sensors, intelligent signal processing and actuator networks; as well as developers of offshore wind energy systems and electrical utilities.

All of the information in this RFI and Attachment A is subject to change. Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME. Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Purpose and Need for Information:

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration, to inform preparation of the draft technical section of a possible future program solicitation prior to its release. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broad research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions regarding the draft technical section in Attachment A.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES:

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. [Note: Responses to this RFI may be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests.] Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on January 8^th, 2019. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

• Please insert “Comments on Draft CCD FOWT Technical Section”” in the subject line of your email, and include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g. university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise in the body of your email.
• Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 3 pages in length (12 point font size).

Questions: ARPA-E encourages responses that address any subset of the following questions, and encourages the inclusion of references to important supplementary information.

• The draft Technical Section proposes three fundamental areas (see Section C.4). The first area (C.4.1. New Designs) enumerates a list of examples (cases 1 to 5) where CCD techniques can enable cheaper FOWTs. Please expand these cases and provide additional examples.
• The second area (C.4.2. Computer Tools) details a list of elements (e1 to e10) that are critical for a new generation of computer tools. Please prioritize these elements and provide additional ones.
• The third area (C.4.3. Experiments) describes some key components to collect real data from FOWT. Please provide additional information or critical ideas in this area.
• Section D introduces a new metric space to evaluate the new FOWT designs. The second metric (M2) of this space depends on three factors: a material factor f_t, a manufacturing factor f_m and an installation factor f_i. Table 3 suggests some values for the material factors, f_t. Please analyze these values and provide new ones if necessary. Also, should some additional materials be included? If this is the case, please provide the corresponding material factors. 
• Simultaneously, Table 4 suggests some values for the manufacturing and installation factors, f_m and f_i. Please analyze these values and provide new ones if necessary. 
• Section D.3 proposes a list of conditions (a to h) to validate each new FOWT design. Please analyze these conditions and provide additional ones if necessary.
• Section C.2 describes three CCD techniques. Please expand these proposed techniques and provide some additional methodologies.
• Section C.1 emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of the program, with the concurrent control engineering aspects of the control co-design approach. Also, Section E.2 describes the program and project interactions needed to develop a successful CCD approach. Please analyze the aspects (a) to (e) described in the Section (e.g., IP issues, etc.), identify potential hurdles (collaboration challenges, etc.), propose solutions, and suggest how ARPA-E can facilitate these team and multi-team collaborations.

Objective:

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) of the US Department of Energy is seeking information concerning the current state of development of advanced, high-efficiency internal combustion engines (ICEs) suitable for light truck and SUV applications, as well as an indication of the potential of these engines to meet future vehicle performance, fuel efficiency and emissions requirements. The target vehicle application of interest for the ICEs is in the light-duty 6,001-8,500 lbs GVWR range (in the EPA LDT classification), and includes full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs).

ARPA-E seeks information on (i) the current status of technical development of any high-efficiency ICE that is suitable for, and capable of meeting the performance, utility and emissions requirements of the above target vehicle application, and (ii) what further technical developments are required before such an engine can be successfully integrated into a target vehicle, as a necessary technical demonstration before the commercialization of that engine can be achieved.

ARPA-E is seeking information on ICEs that currently exist at an advanced level of development, albeit still prior to commercialization and full-scale production. ARPA-E is not interested in unproven ICE technologies, or technologies that have not yet been reduced to practice in the form of operating engines, or engines that do not yet exist in the size and power range suitable for the target vehicle application. Depending on the responses to this RFI, ARPA-E may consider the rapid initiation of one or more funded collaborative research projects to advance the state of the art of high-efficiency ICEs with the potential for substantial fuel savings in light-duty trucks and SUVs.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES contained in the RFI document below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the development of heat exchangers that operate in extreme environments (i.e. temperatures in excess of 800°C and pressures in excess of 100 bar). It is expected that recent advances in topological design methodologies, materials, and manufacturing techniques will enable the realization of an extreme-environment-durable heat exchanger capability that was heretofore unattainable. It is expected that this capability will serve as a critical enabling platform technology for next-generation, high efficiency modular power generation systems in a number of industrial sectors.

The primary focus of the upcoming FOA will be to push the boundaries of design for manufacturability, materials, and manufacturing technologies pertinent to highly effective, low pressure drop, low cost, and durable heat-exchangers. Consequently, given the diverse collection of skill sets that are expected to be required for the successful achievement of the FOA goals, multi-party proposing teams are encouraged.

Challenges on the materials side include use of materials capable of withstanding extreme temperature and pressure conditions while featuring attractive thermo-mechanical and manufacturability properties. On the design side, novel advanced topologies compatible with the selected materials will facilitate enhanced performance and low cost manufacturing. Even more transformative, the performance metrics of this FOA may require new advances in the machine and manufacturing features and process monitoring and control parameters to overcome some of the existing challenges such as the smallest feature size, surface finish quality, and economy-of-scale constraints, among others. Accordingly, ARPA-E anticipates that a dedicated and specifically budgeted portion of the efforts in respective projects be focused on enhancing the capabilities of materials and manufacturing machines and processes to achieve the broader goals of this FOA.

The platform technologies that will be developed in this FOA can lead to substantial technical advancements in fields of significance to U.S. national interests. The push for higher operating temperatures in a typical power generation cycle directly translates to higher energy conversion efficiencies and technology development. While high temperature heat exchangers are key components of most power conversion systems, a few industrial sectors can particularly benefit from such heat exchangers. Examples include conventional and hybrid space and aerospace applications, advanced nuclear and concentrated solar power generation systems, and high efficiency modular thermo-electric power conversion systems.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, selection criteria, and other terms and requirements. However, for purposes of the Teaming Partner List, a summary of the currently anticipated scope is provided below.

In order to realize the program goals, ARPA‐E aims to bring together diverse engineering and scientific communities, including researchers in the fields of materials, thermal fluids, thermo-mechanical modeling and design topologies, and advanced manufacturing, to develop enabling materials and manufacturing capabilities to model, design, develop, and demonstrate heat exchanger performance and durability. The FOA will encourage the development of heat exchangers at the demonstration scale of 30 kW with a set of prescribed performance metrics.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting June 06, 2018. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in July 2018, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Objective:

The Advanced Research Projects Agency –Energy (ARPA-E) in the US Department of Energy is seeking information concerning technologies to produce hydrogen and elemental carbon from the thermal decomposition of methane (also known as methane pyrolysis, methane cracking, or methane splitting). Recognizing that the value of the carbon product would be a key factor in the economic feasibility of such processes, ARPA-E seeks input from experts in the fields of materials science (including advanced carbon fiber synthesis), process engineering, methane pyrolysis, plasma chemistry, and chemical engineering regarding potential mechanisms for the bulk conversion of carbon materials, specifically from less valuable forms (e.g. amorphous carbon) or mixtures, to more valuable single allotropes or controlled mixtures of high-value carbon structures. Consistent with the agency’s mission, ARPA-E is seeking insights on clearly disruptive, novel technologies for such conversions, early in the R&D cycle, and not integration strategies for existing technologies.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below. Please note, in particular, that the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME. Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Background:

The United States produces ~10 million tons of hydrogen annually, primarily for use on-site at petroleum refineries, and for the production of ammonia or methanol. However, the opportunity for hydrogen utilization in the future is vast, with potential applications in electricity production, transportation, and novel chemical processes. Already, hydrogen use in the transportation sector has seen rapid growth with 500 megawatts of fuel cells shipped worldwide in 2016.¹ Today, the vast preponderance of hydrogen produced in the US is derived from natural gas in a reforming reaction that produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Options for producing hydrogen without the release of carbon dioxide include reforming with carbon capture and sequestration, electrolysis of water to hydrogen and oxygen, and methane pyrolysis to hydrogen and elemental carbon.

ARPA-E is interested in transformative technologies for methane pyrolysis. Processes capable of methane pyrolysis include (but are not limited to) the following: thermal decomposition (both catalytic and non-catalytic, including solar thermal), non-thermal plasma, fluidized catalyst and molten metals. Carbon products produced via methane pyrolysis include metallurgical coke, carbon black, graphite, carbon nanotubes, and carbon fiber.²

The economics for methane pyrolysis are made more favorable when the carbon byproduct is valuable.³ However, processes that are optimized for hydrogen production may not produce valuable carbon products directly. Optimizing processes for both hydrogen and valuable carbon products is a daunting challenge. Technology that can economically convert less valuable forms of carbon to more valuable forms, either in-situ during the pyrolysis process or in a subsequent step, could enable large-scale hydrogen production from methane without the release of carbon dioxide.

In this RFI, ARPA-E is specifically interested in the conversion of existing carbon materials (which may be derived from the pyrolysis of methane) into higher value carbon materials.

In the context of hydrogen production from methane on an energy-relevant scale, it is important to recognize that the volumes of co-produced carbon would be very large. For example, the amount of hydrogen required to produce 1 quadrillion BTU (quad) of energy would be associated with over 22 million tonnes of co-produced carbon. Therefore, potential applications for the resulting carbon products have to be on a correspondingly large scale, e.g., on the scale of the construction sector or large-scale manufacturing industries. These applications will require the carbon materials to have useful macroscopic properties with regard to thermal, electrical and/or mechanical performance. The functional performance of the carbon materials will be determined by the molecular structure of the carbon, as well as by the arrangement and alignment of substructures at the nano-or meso-scale. Processes capable of changing the molecular structure, e.g. via rearrangement of carbon-carbon bonds, or of changing the solid phases (i.e. crystal structure or molecular ordering) may have the potential to convert a lower value carbon into a higher value carbon product. Examples include, respectively, conversion of amorphous carbon to carbon nanotubes or graphene, or the dispersion of carbon nanotubes and subsequent spinning to carbon fiber like materials.⁴

Purpose and Need for Information:

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration, to inform the possible formulation of future programs intended to help create transformative technology for producing valuable carbon materials from less valuable forms of carbon. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI without any attribution to the source. This RFI provides the broad research community with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions regarding the interconversion of carbon forms.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES:

No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E may contact respondents to request clarification or seek additional information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be considered, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on June 4^th, 2018. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

• Please insert “Responses for Upgrading Carbon Derived from Methane Pyrolysis” in the subject line of your email, and include your name, title, organization, type of organization (e.g. university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO), etc.), email address, telephone number, and area of expertise in the body of your email.Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 10 pages in length (12 point font size).Responders are strongly encouraged to include preliminary results, data, and figures that describe their potential methodologies.

Questions: ARPA-E encourages responses that address any subset of the following questions and encourages the inclusion of references to important supplementary information.

What are recent developments in understanding and characterization of the required molecular, micro- and meso-scale properties of carbon materials for desired thermal, mechanical, or electrical performance in high-performance, high-value carbon materials?

a) To what extent is the fundamental chemistry of carbon-carbon bond rearrangements understood? This includes thermodynamics, mechanisms, and catalysis.

b) What is the state of the art in bulk-scale molecular transformations of elemental carbon species (single carbon allotropes or mixtures)?

a) To what extend is intermolecular carbon aggregation and/or realignment understood? This may range from changes in crystal structure to spinning of fibers.

b) What processes are known to modify carbon aggregation, crystal structure or alignment of carbon particles? Are the outcomes of these processes predictable?

c) What is the state of the art in bulk separations of different carbon structures?

d) What is the current understanding of the scalability of the possible transformation and separation processes?

a)What are recent advances in characterizing bulk samples of different carbon species, especially mixed samples with regard to their molecular and structural composition?

b) What new methods or approaches need to be developed to better characterize carbon rearrangement products and to improve the underlying processes?

Topics not of interest:

ARPA-E is not interested in approaches that use carbon materials primarily as filler in composites where the performance properties of the composite are defined primarily by the binder and not the carbon filler.

References:

1. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Fuel Cell Technologies Market Report 2016. [https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/10/f37/fcto_2016_market_report.pdf]
2. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. R&D Opportunities for Development of Natural Gas Conversion Technologies. [https://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-26726.pdf]
3. Keipi, T., Hankalin, V., Nummelin., and Raiko, R.,Techno-economic analysis of four concepts for thermal decomposition of methane: Reduction of CO2 emissions in natural gas combustion. Energy Conversion and Management, 2016. 110: p 1-12. 
4. Behabtu, N., et al., Strong, Light, Multifunctional Fibers of Carbon Nanotubes with Ultrahigh Conductivity. Science, 2013. 339: p 182-186.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue an OPEN Funding Opportunity Announcement (OPEN FOA) to support high-risk R&D leading to the development of potentially disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications. ARPA-E seeks to support early-stage, but potentially transformational research in all areas of energy R&D, covering transportation and stationary applications. Areas of research responsive to this intended FOA include (but are not limited to) electricity generation by both conventional and renewable means; electricity transmission, storage, and distribution; energy efficiency for buildings, manufacturing and commerce, and personal use; and all aspects of transportation, including the production and distribution of both renewable and non-renewable fuels, electrification, and energy efficiency in transportation.

ARPA-E aims to bring together different technical communities to solve big energy challenges and fill the gaps or “whitespace” in a field. We strongly encourage researchers from different disciplines and technology sectors to come together for interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries. This enables and accelerates the achievement of extremely hard-to-reach outcomes.

ARPA-E is compiling a Teaming Partner List for OPEN 2018 as an optional tool that potential applicants may choose to utilize to facilitate the formation of new project teams and identify potential collaborations. Teaming partners include organizations and individuals who can offer expertise, facilities, or other complementary resources toward a potential ARPA-E project. The teaming list identifies partners’ capabilities as well as their areas of interest, understanding that expertise and experience in one field can often be applied successfully to a new field. This list is completely voluntarily to participate in and utilize. ARPA-E will not identify or facilitate connections through the teaming list and participation in the list has no bearing whatsoever on the evaluation of applications submitted to the OPEN 2018 FOA.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting November 30, 2017. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in December 2017, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

OPEN 2018 Webpage: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/open2018

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the development of hybrid fuel cell and engine systems for the ultra-high efficiency conversion of natural gas to electricity. The objective of this FOA will be to encourage the development of commercial-scale (>100 kW) Distributed Generation (DG) systems that have fuel to electric power conversion efficiencies in excess of 70% on a Lower Heating Value (LHV) basis. ARPA-E anticipates that the deadline for submission of Concept Papers to this FOA will occur 30 days after its issuance.

The long-term goal of the program will be to reduce the cost and increase the primary energy efficiency associated with the provision of electric power to commercial and industrial customers. The achievement of the aggressive efficiency (>70%) and installed cost (<$1800/kW) goals required to enable a targeted >1 Quad/year of fuel energy savings will require the development of new component technologies and systems approaches for the integration of fuel cells with heat or reactive engines.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, selection criteria, and other terms and requirements. However, for purposes of the Teaming Partner List, a summary of the currently anticipated scope is provided below.

The primary focus of the FOA will be the development of enabling component and sub-system technologies pertinent to the fuel cell or the engine or both of the sub-systems. Such technologies may include (but are not limited to) novel fuel cell stack designs, cost-effective and high efficiency engine/turbine component designs, highly integrated balance of plant designs, and demonstrations of system controls. If the development of these technologies proceeds at the desired rate, ARPA-E may also continue support through full-scale (≥ 100 kW) hybrid system development.

In order to realize the program goals, ARPA‐E aims to bring together diverse engineering and scientific communities, including researchers in the fields of electrochemistry, mechanical/thermal systems design and modeling, and systems integration and controls so that they can model, design, develop, and demonstrate the required component and system performances and engage the stakeholders required to introduce the new hybrid systems technologies into the marketplace.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting May 26, 2017. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in June 2017, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Webinar:  In this webinar, ARPA-E Program Director Rachel Slaybaugh provides an overview of the Modeling-Enhanced Innovations Trailblazing Nuclear Energy Reinvigoration (MEITNER) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=video-other/arpa-e-meitner-foa-overview-webinar

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support R&D on advanced nuclear reactor technologies that enable safe, secure, and flexible energy production by nuclear fission with dramatically lower capital and operating costs. These technologies are expected to be deployed for electricity production and/or uses such as production of industrial process heat or desalination.

Nuclear power plants currently provide nearly 20% of the total U.S. electricity generation with 99 operating nuclear reactors for a total installed capacity of 98.7 GW. These nuclear plants are all conventional, light-water cooled reactors (LWRs), which have been the workhorse of the nuclear industry for several decades now. However, nuclear power in the U.S. is facing significant challenges of high operational and maintenance costs, the impending retirement of power plants as reactors near the end of their operational lifetimes, and very slow, expensive construction of new LWR power plants to replace retirements or supplement the existing fleet.

The U.S. and many other countries around the world have explored new reactor types beyond LWR technology, including different coolants, moderators, fuels, and reactor core designs. These advanced reactor concepts are commonly called “Gen IV” nuclear reactors. While there is great promise for advanced Gen IV designs, there remain a large number of technical challenges – ranging from understanding of fundamental issues in materials to systems-level engineering for safe, practical, and economical construction and operation – before they are ready for deployment.

ARPA-E is planning a new R&D program seeking innovative designs of advanced nuclear power plants and computational validations of these designs that can achieve safe, secure, and economical power production. The envisioned program seeks transformative designs and manufacturing technologies to achieve semi-autonomous “walk-away safe” and secure operation; extremely low construction capital costs; and dramatically faster construction and commissioning times based on technologies such as modular assemblies and factory manufacturing. The program seeks cross-disciplinary teams of innovators from the nuclear community and other scientific and engineering disciplines to instill new, creative approaches in solving fundamental challenges in nuclear power plant design, construction, and operation. Success in this program will establish a set of high-fidelity designs of new advanced nuclear reactors and set a path for the U.S. to lead the world in “Gen IV and beyond” nuclear power technologies.

In order to realize the goals of this program, expertise in the following areas may be useful:

Major experimental activities will not be funded under this program. However, it is the intent of ARPA-E to identify key experiments that need to be performed to validate the innovative designs in order to retire the key technical risks associated with the nuclear power plant designs. The proposal teams are encouraged to leverage other DOE Office of Nuclear Energy programs such as the GAIN (Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear) initiative (https://gain.inl.gov) to perform such experiments either during or after completion of the program.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting May 26, 2017. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in July 2017, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) tentatively entitled Saving Energy Nationwide in Structures with Occupancy Recognition (SENSOR) to fund the development of novel occupancy and people counting sensors. Such hardware can lead to significant energy savings for heating and cooling in both residential and commercial scenarios, with additional energy savings possible via enabling demand controlled ventilation in the commercial scenarios. In addition, methods and facilities to accurately validate the sensor performance and resulting energy savings in quasi- and real- world scenarios is included.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming SENSOR FOA. The anticipated FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, selection criteria, and other terms and requirements. The anticipated FOA terms will be controlling. ARPA-E anticipates that the deadline for submission of Concept Papers will occur 30 days after issuance of the anticipated FOA. For purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the anticipated FOA:

The technical goals of the anticipated FOA will be centered on the development of novel sensor systems that can be validated to return occupancy and people counting data with certainty (i.e. high-accuracy and low-failure rates) at cost suitable for market adoption. “Sensor” as used here means the actual hardware sensor component(s), any on-board algorithms or hardware needed to turn the sensing signals into an accurate binary (for residential) or occupant count (for commercial, as described below); an industry accepted open-source method for communicating that information outside of the sensor system including encryption (wi-fi, BLE, or the like); a power source; and any additional nodes (in the case of a wireless sensor networks) needed to compile and transmit the information to building controls, such as a thermostat or a building automation system (BAS).

Two use cases have been identified. For the residential case, a whole home binary occupation signal is required, with this requirement the system must distinguish between humans and their pets. This occupancy signal will be used to change the temperature setbacks to “away” mode, and then automatically back to “occupied” mode when the home is again occupied. The user will not need to ever interact with the thermostat’s scheduling function as the occupancy controlled auto-scheduling will be “correct” almost all of the time, in accordance with the technical program metrics. In the commercial case where buildings are ventilated, there is an additional opportunity; energy used for ventilation is as least as significant as that used for heating and cooling, and the required ventilation level for a commercial space can be vary depending on how many people are occupying a specific HVAC (“heating, cooling, and ventilation”) zone, according to building standards. If the number of people are known for each zone, the ventilation can be tailored to be adequate without massively over-ventilating the space. In order to enhance user adoption, the development of similarly low cost, stable, and easy-to-deploy CO₂ sensors is in scope of this work to address concerns regarding indoor air quality (IAQ), even if they cannot be used to accurately measure occupancy directly.

In order to realize the goals of the SENSOR program, ARPA‐E aims to bring together diverse engineering and scientific communities, including but not limited to sensor materials development, sensor device development, ultra-low power electronics platforms, distributed sensing systems, distributed wireless networks, advanced algorithm development, automated buildings, smart buildings, energy efficient buildings, indoor air quality (“IAQ”), HVAC control systems, and others. This includes input from the end-users of such technologies in the HVAC space, such as HVAC system fabricators, building managers, energy utilities, and the like. In addition, communities regarding the real-world testing and validation of such sensors, including validating the energy saved, are sought.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

This Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting November 2016. This list will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in January 2017, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) tentatively entitled: Creating Innovative and Reliable Circuits Using Inventive Topologies and Semiconductors (CIRCUITS) to fund the development of disruptive advanced circuit topologies using fundamentally higher performing wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices that lead to more efficient, more reliable, smaller, lighter, and lower cost electric power conversion systems. The overall goal of the CIRCUITS program will be to improve the efficiency of electric power conversion across a wide range of applications by overcoming the limitations of conventional silicon-based circuits through the holistic development of circuit topologies, controls, packaging, and application specific architectures that take full advantage of the inherent energy efficiency of WBG devices.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming CIRCUITS FOA. The anticipated FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, selection criteria, and other terms and requirements. The anticipated FOA terms will be controlling. ARPA-E anticipates that the deadline for submission of Concept Papers will occur 30 days after issuance of the anticipated FOA. For purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the anticipated FOA:

The technical goals of the anticipated FOA will be centered on the development of electric power converters with advanced circuit topology, control & drive electronics, and packaging that take full advantage of WBG devices to demonstrate transformational improvements over state-of-the-art in relative loss, size, weight, reliability, and cost while maintaining EMI compliance. Additionally, application specific architectures that take advantage of transformational electric power converters to improve the energy efficiency in wide range of applications areas including, but not limited to: solar & wind, high/medium voltage DC distribution, hybrid/electric vehicles, EV chargers, data centers and power supplies, motor drives and HVAC, solid state lighting, aerospace, and rail & ship propulsion are of interest in the FOA. It is envisioned that the desired efficiency improvement may be achieved directly, through inherently more efficient and cost-effective electric power conversion circuit designs, and indirectly, by enabling the accelerated adoption of higher efficiency sources and loads.

Currently, ARPA-E anticipates that the FOA will target research in: (1) innovative circuit topologies, (2) advanced gate drive and control electronics, (3) 3D or other novel packaging, (4) advanced thermal design with passive/active cooling, (5) application specific system architectures, and (6) electromagnetic modeling.

In order to realize the goals of the CIRCUITS program, ARPA‐E aims to bring together diverse engineering and scientific communities, including but not limited to circuit designers, power electronics engineers, application engineers, RF engineers, IC designers, software and firmware engineers, system architects, system installers, grid power electronics, pulsed power scientists and engineers, thermal management and mechanical engineers, packaging and module engineers, electromagnetic interference-compliance engineers, physicists, test engineers, product engineers, WBG device engineers, and facilities and operations engineers.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting November 16, 2016. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in December 2016, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Overview and Purpose:

ARPA-E is focused on funding new, transformational energy technologies and facilitating awardees’ efforts to bring those technologies to market. Most successful ARPA-E performers will eventually need private capital to bring their inventions and innovations to market. Traditional “Venture Capital” funding has decreased by over 50% in the past 5 years for early-stage clean energy ventures^[1]. However, there is significant private capital in the U.S. economy that could be available to support this sector^[2].

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from the broader private sector community and other stakeholders on their actual experiences related to: 1) either investing or declining to invest private capital in an early-stage energy enterprise; 2) either succeeding or failing to obtain private capital as an early stage enterprise; and 3) how government grant based capital either assisted or hindered the process. ARPA-E intends to use information that is responsive to this RFI on a non-attribution basis 1) to guide planning and execution of an upcoming ARPA-E public workshop on private capital financing mechanisms (venture, corporate and other funding); 2) for potential dissemination to the broader energy enterprise and stakeholder community; and 3) to strengthen potential new ARPA-E initiatives that would facilitate more private investment in emerging energy technologies.

Interested persons are encouraged to submit comments. In particular, ARPA-E is interested in receiving responses from the following types of experienced experts: 1) for-profit investors and 2) energy technology firms seeking post-grant phase funding from for-profit investors. For-profit investors include “angels”, venture capital, corporations, family offices, multilaterals and developmental institutions that have made recent investments or are considering making investments in early stage energy technologies/companies. ARPA-E welcomes factual information/comments specified in the questions below.

ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI. This RFI is not seeking/accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives, and a response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the ideas discussed. No material submitted for review will be returned. ARPA-E intends to summarize, for public release, the information submitted to response to this RFI on a non-attribution basis. ARPA-E will not publish a public compendium of each response received. ARPA-E has no obligation to respond to those who submit comments, and/or give feedback on any decision made based on the responses received.

Background:

Over the past seven years, ARPA-E has awarded over $1.25 billion applied research investments aimed at transformational energy inventions and innovation. Private capital is needed to usher these technologies into the marketplace. While ARPA-E project teams have demonstrated success in moving their early-stage energy technologies beyond their ARPA-E funded outcomes^[3], the available private capital is trending negative (Figure 1). On the other hand, there are several new for-profit and nonprofit investment trends in both early and later stage energy investments that portend innovation in this capital sector.

Figure 1 – Cleantech investment funding by stage each quarter 2011-2014, PWC CleanTech[4] (see Document)

What is the opportunity?

ARPA-E believes that the stakeholders’ interest in participation has grown significantly since 2015 with new financial intermediaries, new hard technology venture capitalists, growing end user awareness and local governmental initiatives on energy resiliency. There is also interest in the role of public policy to encourage and sustain the continuous progress of innovative energy technologies throughout this cycle by reducing or eliminating pervasive obstacles to the flow of capital[5].

Figure 2 – Energy Innovation Cycle (see Document)

In an attempt to understand the implications of the up-trending curve, ARPA-E has initiated a strategic review of private capital financing mechanisms among the prevailing practices and experiences of vintage investors and energy technology firms to evaluate the risks and opportunities within the current system. Responses to the RFI will assist ARPA-E in specifying the problems its technically successful project teams face in the existing “valley of death”[6] in available investment capital, and from this developing options for ARPA-E to consider in its role as a critical enabler in the technology maturation value chain.

In January 2017, ARPA-E plans a public workshop of experts in financial engineering to address mechanisms (venture, corporate and other funding) that would facilitate more private investments in emerging energy technologies. The anonymized responses to this RFI will enable ARPA-E to characterize an investment framework to share with the participants in an open discussion of relevant mechanisms that represent all the stakeholder objectives. A goal of the workshop will be examination of framework mechanisms that are related to financial engineering mechanisms, investment criteria, infrastructure, public policies and other capacity related enablers. Additionally, components of a new investment framework will be developed and debated by the participants for potential dissemination to the broader Government and private sector community.

Invited participants will include a broad spectrum of stakeholders to participate at the workshop: 1) capital sources (coalition groups, single family offices, endowments and public pension funds, multilateral and development institutions); 2) financial intermediaries (tax experts, insurance, credit enhancement, investment bankers, etc.); and 3) commercialization ecosystem (entrepreneurs, corporate executives and accelerators/ incubators, etc.).

ARPA-E’s objective for this work is to strategically understand and act on opportunities for delivering the best value through its projects during a time of evolving structure in investments for clean energy technology. The first step in the process after the workshop will be to communicate the results of this RFI and the workshop at the ARPA-E Innovation Summit in Feb/March 2017. Subsequently, empirical evidence will be presented in the form of whitepapers or published articles that highlight what was learned about the new frameworks and/or mechanisms that could mobilize capital into early stage energy technology development and commercialization.

Guidelines:

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in Word format by e-mail only to ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time on January 13, 2017 February 24, 2017.

Categories of Interest:

ARPA-E is interested in receiving information on the two categories outlined below. Responses should present facts based on actual experiences. Opinions on relevant topics (improving funding mechanisms, best investment conditions, best valuation methods, etc.) will be addressed separately at the planned public workshop and other forums/means.

Category A: For-Profit Investment Considerations for Venture, Corporates, Institutional, Family Offices etc.

Category B: Considerations for For-Profit Energy Technology Entities that have received or sought Investments from For-Profit Investors:

[Grant] What factors lead to an early technology entity receiving a federal, state, or local grant or financial resources? Please address the following related issues using a specific example (or examples) from your experience:: What are the details of the federal, state, or local grants received including the amount, purpose, and government organization that provided funding?

How did the government grant process occur? What was the grant impact on your firm’ ability to innovate early stage CR/EE technologies? How did the early stage government grant assist in achieving later stage private capital? How did the process differ from the follow-on funding from for-profit investors?

[1] Venture Capital and Cleantech: The Wrong Model for Clean Energy Innovation, An MIT Energy Initiative Working Paper July 2016

[2] Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016, Frankfurt School-UNEP Centre/BNEF. 2016.

[3] https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=news-item/arpa-e-projects-receive-more-125-billion-private-follow-funding-transformational-energy

[4] PwC Cleantech Moneytree Report: Q4 2014. http://www.pwc.com/cleantech

[5] Jenkins, J. & Mansur, S. “Bridging the Clean Energy Valleys of Death”, Breakthrough Institute, November 2011.

[6] Hartley, P. R., & Medlock III, K. B. (2014). The Valley of Death for New Energy Technologies. University of Western Australia, Economics.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), tentatively entitled: Digital Transportation. The final FOA is expected to be issued in November 2016. When the FOA is issued, ARPA-E anticipates that the deadline for submission of Concept will occur 30 days after issuance. The overall goal of the Digital Transportation program will be to develop communication technologies that are preferable to physical travel, consistent with ARPA-E’s statutory goals including development of energy technologies that improve energy efficiency, reduce energy-related emissions, and reduce energy imports from foreign sources. To achieve the Digital Transportation program goals, technologies are needed that enable the real-time capture and digitization of extremely detailed communicative information, which, after having been transmitted over a digital information network, can then be reconstructed and displayed in a highly natural and immersive way to a remote observer. As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming FOA. The forthcoming Digital Transportation FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, selection criteria, and other terms and requirements. For purposes of this Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA:

The technical goals of the anticipated FOA will primarily focus on real-time capture and digitization of extremely detailed communicative information, which can then be reconstructed and displayed in a highly natural and immersive way to a remote observer. All communicative information must be captured, including, but not limited to, shared gaze, facial expressions and microexpressions, all body language, and spatialized audio. This digital reconstruction must be able to be ported across many display modalities, have lighting conditions and viewing angles changed in real time, and enable the comfortable meeting of many individuals at the same time in a split screen or digital environment. The motion capture must be done conveniently, at low cost, and must have the potential to be display-integrated. The digitization and encoding must be done in real time to foster simultaneous live communication, with capture-to-display latencies below 150 ms (including network latencies across the United States). The encoded information is expected to be highly bandwidth efficient, allowing beyond-human-perception levels of resolution and refresh-rate on the display side, both aurally and visually, for less than 1 Mbps of transmitted information per conversation member. The anticipated FOA will also enable the development of complementary technologies that the community justifies as being necessary for the realization of digital transportation. Finally, the anticipated FOA will include a call for studies that aim to definitively and quantitatively establish the set of requirements for digital transportation technologies to be preferable to physical travel, and methods to test and validate progress of these technologies towards travel-reduction. It is envisioned that accomplishing these objectives will allow users to leverage information networks for their communication-based travel needs instead of physically travelling, saving at least one order of magnitude of energy in the process, and potentially saving the United States several percent of the nation’s yearly energy consumption.

ARPA-E anticipates that the FOA will target research in: (1) real-time capture, digitization, and reconstruction of extremely detailed communicative information, of a fidelity commensurate with travel-replacement, with cross-platform display compatibility; (2) complementary technologies proposed as necessary for travel reduction, including but not limited to server-side communication environments, novel display modalities, and stationary capture and digitization tools; and (3) third party testing and validation of digital transportation technologies which will yield clear and quantitative results regarding system performance necessary to replace physical travel and save energy.

In order to realize the goals of the Digital Transportation program, ARPA‐E aims to bring together diverse engineering and scientific communities including, but not limited to, computer-generated imagery and image processing, modular software architectures, machine perception and motion capture technologies, visual display technologies, human movement physiology, real-time communication server-side management, parallel processing and GPU-based visual rendering, user interface and user experience, telecommunication companies, internet companies, scholarly validation of travel-replacement criteria, and business management and other related researchers that can develop and test the new digital transportation technologies such that they are successful in the marketplace in ultimately replacing travel and saving energy.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting in November 2016. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx.  Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in November 2016, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

On November 7, ARPA-E hosted a webinar on this RFI. To view a recording of the webinar and the slides presented, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbOBzwbxXCwAs.

ARPA-E seeks input on the design of a competition (carried out in multiple phases) to accelerate the development and comprehensive evaluation of new solution methods for grid optimization. Specifically, ARPA-E seeks to provide a platform for the identification of transformational and disruptive methods for solving power system optimization problems including Security Constrained Optimal Power Flow (OPF) and Security Constrained Unit Commitment (UC). Algorithms that perform well in the proposed competition will enable increased grid flexibility, reliability and safety, while also significantly increasing economic and energy security, energy efficiency and substantially reducing the costs of integrating variable renewable generation technologies into the electric power system in the United States.

With this RFI, ARPA-E is soliciting opinions regarding various details of the competition design—including the baseline problem specifications, competition rules, eligibility for participation, scoring metrics, criteria for winning, prize structure and online competition computational platform design details. ARPA-E is anticipating total prize money in this competition of $3,500,000, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Designing a competition that identifies and validates the most promising new grid optimization solution methods in a fair and transparent manner is critically important.

Background:

Reliable operation of electric power systems requires the real-time matching of instantaneous electricity generation and demand. Achieving a continuous match between supply and demand requires utilities, grid operators, and other stakeholders to use a variety of sophisticated optimization algorithms operating across a wide range of timescales. A number of emerging trends, including the integration of high penetrations of renewable electricity generation, changing electricity demand patterns, and the improving cost effectiveness of distributed energy resources (including storage), will substantially alter the operation and control of electric grids over the next several decades. This expected growth in system complexity will require the development of substantially improved software optimization and control tools to assist grid operators, and deliver the societal benefits of improved grid performance.

Many new grid optimization methods have been proposed in the research community in recent years.[1],[2],[3],[4] In addition, many claims have been made regarding the possible practical benefits that these new algorithms might offer utilities and grid system operators. Today, it is extremely difficult to compare strengths and weaknesses of different proposed approaches. The vast majority of reports only test new algorithms on relatively small-scale models that often must be heavily modified to satisfy the modeling requirements for each algorithm. Computational experiments are also typically conducted on a wide range of computational systems (ranging from commodity laptops to large-scale clusters with many thousands of nodes). Variations in modeling assumptions further complicate the comparability of algorithm testing results (for example, what types of contingency constraints are included and/or how normal vs. emergency ratings are considered). Even small changes in how specific constraints are modeled or which constraints are considered can have significant implications for algorithm performance and solution quality. A new paradigm for the testing and evaluation of emerging grid optimization algorithms is needed to accelerate the adoption of these transformational techniques by industry.

This competition seeks to lay the foundation for that change. In particular, ARPA-E is considering filling this gap through the establishment of a prize competition, executed in multiple phases, using a common computational platform for the fair and consistent evaluation of new algorithms. The existence of this platform will accelerate the use and widespread adoption of new power system optimization and control approaches. As currently envisioned, success will require competitors to demonstrate the applicability and strength of new algorithms across a wide range of system operating conditions.

Initially, the competition is expected to focus on the central optimization challenge underlying a wide range of grid planning and operations tools: the security constrained Optimal Power Flow (OPF) problem. Simply stated, the OPF problem is that of finding the optimal dispatch settings for power generation, flexible customer demand, energy storage, and grid control equipment that maximize one or more grid objectives.[5],[6],[7] In order to be deployable, the recommended settings must satisfy all physical constraints of electric power infrastructure and applicable operating standards (including, for example, minimum/maximum voltages at each bus, minimum/maximum power generation from all generators, thermal transmission constraints, and constraints related to the security of the system when contingencies occur). For a more complete history and formal problem formulation, we refer the reader to a history authored by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).[8]

The core OPF solution methods predominantly used in industry today were designed in an era when computers were far less capable and more costly than they are currently and formal general purpose optimization solvers were in their infancy. Grid operators, power system software vendors, and the research community were required to make a range of simplifying assumptions, most commonly a set of linearizing assumptions which ignore voltage and reactive power optimization, referred to as “DC-OPF.”[9] Many proprietary variations on these algorithms have been developed over the past several decades by industry vendors. Despite improvements in DC-OPF formulations and solvers, there are no tools currently in widespread use in industry that use the full AC power flow equations (without linearizing assumptions) and simultaneously co-optimize both real and reactive power generation (known as “AC-OPF”).

The OPF tools in use today often result in conservative solutions that additionally must be iteratively checked for physical feasibility before implementation. The development and demonstration at scale of OPF solution methods providing physically feasible solutions and capable of optimizing both real and reactive power generation and demand within the time limits required for practical application remains an open, unsolved problem. Achieving these capabilities are expected to become increasingly critical in the future as electricity systems evolve, especially as OPF becomes increasingly important in the context of electric distribution systems.

Improved OPF algorithms could yield significant benefits. For example, recent studies have suggested that enhanced OPF algorithms could offer as much as 5–10% reductions in total U.S. electricity cost due to the alleviation of grid congestion (corresponding to $6–$19B saved depending on energy prices).[10] In addition, the full realization of the potential benefits of renewable generation as well as recently developed electric transmission power-flow controllers, distribution automation technologies, distributed generation, energy storage, and demand-side control will require more complex grid operation optimization and dispatch algorithms. Further, as the number of controllable resources connected to electric power systems (at both transmission and distribution voltages) grows substantially, distributed or decentralized versions of OPF algorithms could become increasingly important. The importance of new “AC-OPF” methods was also recently recognized by the National Academies.[11]

There are reasons to believe that recent advances could enable significantly improved OPF software. Dramatic improvements in computational power and advancements in optimization solvers in recent years have prompted research on new approaches to grid operation and new approaches to solving OPF and other grid optimization problems.[12] Since the turn of the millennium, the performance of the most powerful supercomputers has increased by almost four orders of magnitude (while the cost per computational step has dropped by approximately the same factor).[13],[14] Improvements in optimization and search methods have evolved similarly, especially those related to Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) and heuristic-based optimization methods. The relative speed of commercial general-purpose solvers such as CPLEX and GUROBI has also increased by over three orders of magnitude on fixed hardware.[15],[16] Cloud computing which can be used to leverage many of these gains, has also started to gain more widespread interest within the power system engineering community.[17]

In tandem, many new approaches to solving OPF problems have been proposed in the literature in recent years; it appears increasingly likely that scalable and more accurate approaches to solving the OPF problem may be within reach. For example, fast and accurate convex relaxations have been formulated where the global minimum can be found efficiently using semi-definite and second order cone programming.[18],[19],[20],[21] Often it can be shown that these relaxations give global solutions to the original, non-convex problem.[22],[23] Distributed and parallelizable OPF algorithms have also been proposed, for example, using the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM), suggesting that OPF solution algorithms can be designed that leverage more advanced computational hardware.[24],[25],[26] These same algorithms could enable the real-time coordination and/or optimization of large numbers of distributed energy resources. Finally, many unique methodologies using techniques such as genetic algorithms, neural networks, fuzzy algorithms and holomorphic embedding have also emerged, claiming, in many cases, to revolutionize solution methods for OPF. [27],[28]

Looking beyond OPF, the Unit Commitment (UC) problem is also critically important and relies, in part, on an OPF solver.[29] The UC problem focuses on making multi-period (typically 24-72 hour ahead) generation commitment decisions such as generator start-up and shutdown while also respecting generation ramp and other intertemporal constraints. Similar to OPF, Unit Commitment has also been the subject of intense research over the past decade and many new solution methods have been proposed, particularly focusing on solving the problem in the context of higher uncertainty due to growth in renewable generation.[30],[31] Traditionally, the UC problem has been viewed as a more difficult problem to solve since it involves binary decisions. Though, as more equipment with discrete controls are taken into account by OPF algorithms, the differentiation between those two problems is becoming less distinct. ARPA-E envisions that a UC algorithm competition would naturally follow and extend an OPF competition.

Despite numerous recent research projects and papers on improved OPF and UC solution strategies, most new advances have struggled to mature past the early-research stage. Few mechanisms currently exist to allow for the direct comparison of different solution methods; most recent advances remain non-validated on realistic, large-scale test models. It is difficult to know the precise relative strengths, weaknesses and operational limits of different algorithms.

Formal prize competitions appear to be an attractive mechanism for facilitating the development and comprehensive evaluations of new OPF and UC algorithms. Many other optimization and algorithm-intensive technical domains have successfully employed prize competitions to accelerate algorithm development and validation.[32],[33],[34] When objectives are clear and measurable and there exists a large population of potential solution providers, competitions have a number of advantages over traditional research grants. When employed properly, they can result in better solutions, more efficient use of funding, and engagement across broad communities of stakeholders. [35] Indeed, research at Harvard Business School has provided strong evidence that prize competitions can lead to faster, more efficient, and more-creative problem solving.[36] Prizes often also attract surplus investment, time, and talent from motivated participants. For example, teams competing for the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE collectively spent over $100 million to develop reusable manned spacecraft. Successful prize competitions that produce vetted solutions can also create momentum towards more ambitious programs and greater financial involvement from the private sector. Since the Ansari X PRIZE concluded in 2004, $1.5 billion has been invested in the nascent space taxi industry.[37] Prize competitions can also increase the number and the diversity of entities that are addressing difficult challenges.

By bridging across disciplines and involving the private sector through problem definition, financial sponsorship, judging, and commercialization, prize competitions create communities in ways that grants cannot achieve.

Purpose and Need for Information:

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of a future competition related to grid optimization algorithm development.[1] ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use information submitted to this RFI on a non-attribution basis. This RFI provides the broad research community and industry stakeholders with an opportunity to contribute views and opinions regarding the design of multiple phases of a grid optimization algorithm focused competition. Based on the input provided in response to this RFI and other considerations, ARPA-E may decide to launch a substantial prize competition and/or decide to release a separate “Proposal Track” FOA related to this competition (to support algorithm development). If a separate FOA is published related to the competition, it will be issued under a new FOA number. No FOA or competition exists at this time. ARPA-E reserves the right to not issue a FOA in this area and not initiate a prize competition in this area.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDLINES:

ARPA-E is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives, or competition entries under this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be viewed as any commitment by the respondent to develop ideas discussed or enter any future competition. ARPA-E may decide at a later date to issue a FOA or initiate a prize competition based on consideration of the input received from this RFI. No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E reserves the right to contact a respondent to request clarification or other information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be taken into consideration, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF or Word format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on November 22, 2016. ARPA-E will not review or consider comments submitted by other means. Emails should conform to the following guidelines:

Please insert “Responses for Grid Optimization Competition RFI” in the subject line of your email, and include:

Responses to this RFI are limited to no more than 50 pages in length (12 point font size). Though, shorter, concise responses are encouraged.Responders are strongly encouraged to include preliminary results, data, and figures that support their perspectives but shall not include any information that might be considered proprietary or confidential. Responses to this RFI may be shared with organizations supporting ARPA-E’s efforts in designing the competition including national laboratory partners and academic subcontractors.[1]

On November 29, ARPA-E hosted a webinar on this RFI. To view a recording of the webinar and the slides presented, please visit https://vimeo.com/193881420 (password: arpae)

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA–E) intends to issue anew Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in November, 2016, for the development of advanced cultivation technologies that enable profitable and energy efficient production of macroalgal-biomass (seaweeds) in the ocean. These technologies are expected to be deployed and support cultivation of macroalgal-biomass feedstocks at a scale relevant for the production of commodity fuels and chemicals. The primary challenge is to dramatically reduce capital and operating cost of macroalgae cultivation, while significantly increasing the range of deployment by expanding into more exposed, off-shore environments.

Specifically, ARPA-E is interested in new designs and approaches to macroalgae cultivation and production with integrated harvesting solutions. These systems may leverage new material and engineering solutions, autonomous and/or robotic operations, as well as advanced sensing and monitoring capabilities. In addition to “field-type” cultivation, ARPA-E is also interested in unconventional approaches, for example “ranching” where free floating macroalgae are harvested at locations predicted/determined by satellite imaging and current/drift modeling. Given the enormous size and geographic diversity of the U.S. marine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), we expect that there will be different system solutions based on the intended area of deployment, macroalgal species to be cultivated, and downstream processing. To support and accelerate the development of these advanced cultivation systems, ARPA-E is also interested in hydrodynamic and ocean current models that can predict the mechanical stresses on a cultivation system as well as the flow and distribution of nutrients through a macroalgae “field”. Furthermore, to validate the performance of macroalgae cultivation systems, appropriate sensors to measure in situ biomass production and composition as well as nutrient concentrations will be required. Finally, to complement the new system design approaches, ARPA-E is also looking for advanced breeding tools that can help in the development of new, highly productive macroalgae cultivars. ARPA-E has determined that, at this time, biomass conversion is not a limiting factor for profitable and wide-spread production of fuels and chemicals from macroalgae, and consequently will not support work in that area at this time. However, an understanding of macroalgae conversion processes are expected to inform and guide the development of cultivation and harvest strategies, or other tools described below.

Overall, this program will address marine system design/engineering and integration with biomass production, hydrodynamic and ocean modeling, marine spatial planning, sensor technology development, macroalgae breeding tools, and field testing of cultivation systems and sensor technologies. The program will also address emerging markets necessary as “stepping stones” to a thriving marine macroalgae-to-fuels and chemicals industry.

ARPA–E held a workshop on this topic in February 2016; information on this workshop and other supporting material including a summary of the workshop output can be found at the webpage (http://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=workshop/macroalgae-workshop).

ARPA–E anticipates that this program will have four areas of interest.

In order to realize the goals of this program, expertise in the following areas may be useful:

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. ARPA-E intends to make the Teaming Partner List available on ARPA–E eXCHANGE (http://ARPA–E-foa.energy.gov), ARPA–E’s online application portal, in September 2016. Once posted, the Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Expertise, and Background. For larger organizations, multiple entries for subgroups with distinct areas of expertise and capabilities are acceptable. Under the category, “Background”, please list verbatim any and all areas of expertise listed above (if “other,” please provide additional detail).

ARPA-E recognizes the significant international efforts currently underway in macroalgae cultivation. However, there are limitations and stipulations regarding the amount of work that can be performed outside of the United States. Please keep this in mind during this team building period.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA–E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List.ARPA–E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in November 2016, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled: Power Nitride Doping Innovation Offers Devices Enabling SWITCHES (PNDIODES) to fund the development of a selective area doping process that can be used to fabricate high quality p-n junctions in the III-Nitride material system for achieving high-performance and reliable vertical power electronic semiconductor devices. The PNDIODES program will address one of the biggest road blocks for the viability of vertical GaN power electronic devices, namely, the lack of a GaN selective area doping or selective area epitaxial regrowth process that yields material of sufficiently high quality to enable a defect-free p-n junction on patterned GaN surfaces. Hence, the program will seek solutions that overcome the limitations of the current selective area doping technologies.

The overall goal will be to demonstrate randomly placed, reliable, contactable, and generally usable p-n junction regions in Gallium Nitride and other III-Nitrides for the purpose of enabling high performance and reliable vertical power electronic devices.

As described in more detail below, the purpose of this announcement is to facilitate the formation of new project teams to respond to the upcoming PNDIODES FOA. The FOA will provide specific program goals, technical metrics, and selection criteria; and the FOA terms are controlling. ARPA-E anticipates that the deadline for submission of Full Applications to this FOA will occur 60 days after its issuance. For purposes of the Teaming Partner List, the following summarizes current planning for the FOA:

The technical goals of the anticipated FOA will be centered on providing a pathway, based on fundamental science and technology, to fabricating high quality p-n junctions using selective area doping in Gallium Nitride and other III-Nitrides that are electrically equivalent to state-of-the-art as-grown p-n junctions. A secondary goal is the development of fundamental understanding of dopant incorporation, activation, diffusion, and defect passivation or elimination in the selectively doped regions along with an understanding of the impurities, defects, dislocations, and vacancies that are introduced by the selective area doping process. Efforts addressing a fundamental understanding of selective area doping must be clearly targeted toward developing actionable outcomes in addressing the goal of fabricating p-n junctions (using selective area doping techniques) that are electrically equivalent to state of the art as-grown p-n junctions with breakdown voltages exceeding 600V and commensurate forward characteristics on bulk GaN substrates.

Currently, ARPA-E anticipates that the FOA will target research in: (1) Selective area etching and epitaxial regrowth of doped regions using various growth techniques (MOCVD, MBE, etc.); (2) Ion implantation and dopant activation using various annealing schemes (rapid thermal anneals, laser anneals, etc.); (3) Solid-state diffusion of dopants; (4) Neutron transmutation doping, (5) Other novel experimental or theoretical doping schemes and studies; and (6) Electrical and material characterization of the selective doped regions using various techniques (Hg-probe, I-V, C-V, TEM, AFM, EPR, RBS, cathodoluminescence, photoluminescence, XRD, X-Ray topography, sub-Å microscopy and atomic imaging, 3-D electron tomography, positron annihilation, etc.) and other novel diagnostic methods .

In order to realize the goals of the PNDIODES program, ARPA‐E aims to bring together diverse engineering and scientific communities, including epitaxial growth specialists, semiconductor defect scientists, condensed matter theorists and experimentalists, electrical and nano-scale material characterization experts, chemists, semiconductor equipment engineers, semiconductor process specialists, and power electronics researchers.

As a general matter, ARPA-E strongly encourages outstanding scientists and engineers from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form new project teams. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration spanning organizational boundaries enables and accelerates the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes that were previously viewed as extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Teaming Partner List is being compiled to facilitate the formation of new project teams. The Teaming Partner List will be available on ARPA-E eXCHANGE (http://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov), ARPA-E’s online application portal, starting September, 2016. The Teaming Partner List will be updated periodically, until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should complete all required fields in the following link: https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Applicantprofile.aspx. Required information includes: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

By submitting a response to this Notice, you consent to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, ARPA-E does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify for placement on the Teaming Partner List. ARPA-E will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any respondents for the development of such information. Responses submitted to other email addresses or by other means will not be considered.

This Notice does not constitute a FOA. No FOA exists at this time. Applicants must refer to the final FOA, expected to be issued in October 2016, for instructions on submitting an application and for the terms and conditions of funding.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below, and note, in particular, the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME. Respondents shall not include any information in their response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Background:

Waste heat recovery is a significant opportunity – in 2015, 59.2 quadrillion BTU of energy was wasted mainly in the form of heat[1]. Much of the waste heat has been characterized by its source and its temperature, particularly in the transportation and power generation sectors[2], as well as in the industrial sector[3]; only very limited waste heat characterization has been applied to the buildings sector. In total, approximately 71% of all waste heat sources have been well characterized, as shown in Table 1.

Through aggregated analysis of waste heat data from the literature, ARPA-E found that most waste heat (~75%) is low-grade (≤230^oC). This temperature regime is not easily converted to usable work as its exergy is roughly a third of the total heat generated (Figure 2); a Carnot analysis yields a maximum efficiency of only ~40% (e.g. 25°C cold-side). A majority of the higher grade waste heat resides in the 230°C to 400°C range. This can be seen in Figure 2, which shows the cumulative percentage of total waste heat as a function of temperature differential. Figure 2 also illustrates the cumulative percent of the total maximum work potential at each temperature difference. The maximum work potential is defined here as the amount of waste heat available at any temperature multiplied by the Carnot efficiency at that temperature. From Figure 2, it can be seen that approximately 85% of work potential from waste heat sources across all sectors in the United States comes from waste heat sources at or below 400°C. Thus, ARPA-E is keenly interested in waste heat conversion in this temperature range.

Several technologies exist to realize the opportunity of lower-grade waste heat recovery, and are typically either mechanical, solid state, or hybrid systems. Examples of mechanical systems include the Organic Rankine cycle, and Kalina cycle, while examples of solid-state devices include thermoelectric generators, piezoelectrics, and multiferroics among others. Mechanical systems are often limited by their complexity, large footprint (e.g. size/mass), and parasitic power requirements. These are particularly challenging limitations for waste heat recovery in the transportation or mobile sectors, where a majority of the opportunity lies (Table 2). Solid-state devices have advantages in mobile applications due to their small footprint and lack of complexity and parasitic power requirement. Unfortunately, existing solid-state technologies have low efficiency and high cost. However, there may exist an opportunity to greatly improve most solid-state technologies.

For example, one might seek to improve the performance per unit cost of a thermoelectric generator (TEG). To date, TEG devices remain very inefficient (<6%) and costly. If their figure of merit for TEGs (ZT, a surrogate for device efficiency), were to be improved from current state-of-the-art values of around 0.8 – 1.4 up to 3, device efficiencies could reach approximately 20%. With that level of performance, if device costs could also drop to $1/W, TEGs could significantly penetrate the waste heat recovery market[1]; this would include a significant portion of the work potential in Table 2. Similar transformative performance and cost goals can be envisioned for the other solid-state waste heat recovery systems.

Thus, ARPA-E is seeking input from the broader research and development community regarding lower grade waste heat recovery systems and, in particular, solid-state recovery opportunities. Since preparing technologies for an eventual transfer from lab to market is a key element of ARPA-E's mission, concepts should eventually be commercializable with reasonable operational systems costs (e.g. $1/watt).

Purpose and Need for Information:

The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E’s consideration to inform the possible formulation of future programs intended to help create transformative waste heat recovery systems. ARPA-E will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this RFI, and ARPA-E may use the information submitted to this RFI on a non-attribution basis. This RFI provides the broader research community with an opportunity to contribute their views and opinions regarding the needed development path for waste heat recovery technologies, including energy use and adoption consideration in relevant end-use applications. Based on the input provided to this RFI and other considerations, ARPA-E may decide to issue a Funding Opportunity Agreement (FOA). If a FOA is published, it will be issued under a new FOA number. No FOA exists at this time. Additionally, ARPA-E reserves the right to not issue a FOA in this area.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES:

ARPA-E is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives under this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be viewed as any commitment by the respondent to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed. ARPA-E may decide at a later date to issue a FOA based on consideration of the input received from this RFI. No material submitted for review will be returned and there will be no formal or informal debriefing concerning the review of any submitted material. ARPA-E reserves the right to contact a respondent to request clarification or other information relevant to this RFI. All responses provided will be taken into consideration, but ARPA-E will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. Respondents shall not include any information in the response to this RFI that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Friday, September 30th, 2016. ARPA-E will not review or consider comments submitted by other means. All emails should conform to the following guidelines: