ARPA-E Energy Innovation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At the inaugural ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit on March 2, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced $100 million in Recovery Act funding will be made available to accelerate innovation in green technology, increase America’s competitiveness and create new jobs. The announcement comes as some of the nation’s top energy leaders and members of the scientific research community have gathered to ensure U.S. leadership in clean energy technologies.

“This is about unleashing the American innovation machine to solve the energy and climate challenge, while creating new jobs, new industries and new exports for America’s workers,” said Secretary Chu.

Today’s announcement, the ARPA-E’s third round of funding opportunity, is focused specifically on three technology areas:

Grid-Scale Rampable Intermittent Dispatchable Storage (GRIDS)

Agile Delivery of Electrical Power Technology (ADEPT)

Building Energy Efficiency Through Innovative Thermodevices (BEET-IT)

ARPA-E’s first solicitation, announced in early 2009, was highly competitive and resulted in funding 37 projects aimed at transformational innovations in energy storage, biofuels, carbon capture, renewable power, building efficiency, vehicles, and other areas. ARPA-E’s second solicitation announced in December, 2009 – which has yeilded nearly 500 concept papers – focused specifically on three areas of technology representing new approaches for biofuels, carbon capture, and batteries for electric vehicles.