ARPA-E Archived Funding Opportunities

REMEDY (Reducing Emissions of Methane Every day of the Year) is a 3-year, $35MM research program to reduce methane emissions from three sources in the oil, gas, and coal value chain. The goal is to reverse the rate of accumulation of methane in the atmosphere, decrease atmospheric methane concentration, and thus ameliorate climate change. The target sources are:

• Exhaust from natural gas-fired lean-burn engines, used to drive compressors, generate electricity, and increasingly, repower ships; 
• Flares required for safe operation of oil and gas facilities; and
• Coal mine ventilation air methane (VAM) exhausted from operating underground mines.

These sources are responsible for at least 10% of US anthropogenic methane emissions.

The REMEDY program seeks highly replicable system-level technical solutions that achieve an overall methane conversion of 99.5%, reduce net greenhouse gas emissions > 87% on a life-cycle basis, have a levelized cost of carbon less than $40/ton CO₂^e, and address techno-economic issues related to commercialization. Systems must incorporate technologies that can operate at lean- and ultra-lean methane concentrations integrated with sensors and/or control algorithms to quantify emission reduction and ensure consistent operation. Stage 1 of the program will be used to screen concepts, and projects selected to continue in Stage 2 will confirm metrics in a limited field test or larger, extended-lab-scale test.

The REMEDY program addresses methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, and complements programs focused on CO₂ reduction. REMEDY metrics will facilitate comparison of methane reduction processes with CO₂ reduction processes.^{[1, 2]}

REMEDY augments and extends but will not duplicate existing initiatives focused on methane reduction, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Natural Gas Star program and Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP), the DOE Fossil Energy Flare Reduction program, and the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative. Recovery or conversion to high-value products is allowed, provided techno-economic and environmental metrics are met.

[1] See, e.g., https://netl.doe.gov/projects/files/CostandPerformanceofBituminousCoalandNGPlantswithCCSRev4_091020.pdf.

[2] Gillingham, K. and Stock, J.H., “The Cost of Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions”, J Economic Perspectives, Vol. 32 (4), p. 73-72, Fall 2018.