by Brianna Crandall — April 25, 2011—U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced April 20 that up to $130 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will be made available to develop five new program areas that could spark critical breakthrough technologies and secure America’s energy future.
This funding opportunity announcement comes two months after ARPA-E announced six of its projects have secured more than $100 million in outside private capital investment, which DOE says indicates that the business community is eager to invest in truly innovative solutions to the country’s energy challenges.
ARPA-E’s fourth round of funding opportunities covers five technology areas:
- Plants Engineered To Replace Oil (PETRO)
- High Energy Advanced Thermal Storage (HEATS)
- Rare Earth Alternatives in Critical Technologies (REACT)
- Green Electricity Network Integration (GENI)
- Solar Agile Delivery of Electrical Power Technology (Solar ADEPT)
The announcement marks ARPA-E’s fourth round of funding opportunities. The five technology areas just announced will join ARPA-E’s seven existing programs in power electronics (ADEPT), battery technologies (BEEST), building cooling (BEETIT), non-photosynthetic biofuels (Electrofuels), grid energy storage (GRIDS), carbon capture (IMPACCT),and its initial open solicitation.
