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.