The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $100 million in funding to support clean energy technologies by providing a path to market for promising technologies. Developing and deploying innovative energy technologies is key to delivering a clean energy future and achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050.
Between the 2019 and 2021 cohort, ARPA-E has awarded 17 projects with more than $167M in federal funds. The portfolio below illustrates the breadth of sectors SCALEUP is currently supporting. SCALEUP teams are developing technologies that span a range of industries from energy storage to aviation, power electronics, grid integration, and more. Additionally, through the SCALEUP’s U.S. manufacturing requirements, ARPA-E is preventing valuable IP funded by U.S. tax dollars from falling vulnerable to adoption by foreign competitors, ultimately supporting a strong domestic supply chain.
The Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program builds on ARPA-E’s primary research and development focus to support the scaling of high-risk and potentially disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications.
The goal of the program is to help ARPA-E-funded technologies, past and present, transition from proof-of-concept prototypes to commercially scalable and deployable versions of the technology and be well-positioned for investment from the private sector.
The DOE has three core elements that are required of project teams:
* Projects must focus on scaling-up transformative technologies that ARPA-E has previously funded and which would substantially build upon the innovations achieved under an original award;
* Applicants must own/control IP (patents, subject inventions, software, etc.) arising from ARPA-E awards; and
* Applicants must include commercial partners, such as potential customers, end-users, suppliers, etc.
Core attributes of a competitive SCALEUP project include demonstration of technical merit and project feasibility, a clear commercial strategy, and a strong team with proven experience and capabilities to scale. Featured below are a few SCALEUP performers, from both the 2019 and 2021 cohorts, that exemplify the qualities and characteristics of a SCALEUP project.
SCALEUP 2021 performer CorePower Magnetics is establishing a pilot line to produce the first scaled domestic manufacturing of high-power density electronic components based on permeability engineered soft magnetics. Following technical development during the ARPA-E ADEPT project by Carnegie Mellon University, CorePower will use this funding to scale its compact and efficient next generation magnetic solutions for electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging, and the grid. Additionally, the company intends to establish its Pittsburgh headquarters as the manufacturing hub, contributing to industry growth in the area. Throughout their SCALEUP project, CorePower will work with commercialization partners, including John Deere and Eaton, to develop inductor and transformer products to aid a wide range of applications.
Ampaire, another SCALEUP 2021 performer, is commercializing its hybrid electric aircraft platform. The company is utilizing their flight-ready aircraft testbed, created during the ARPA-E CIRCUITS program, to develop and validate components that will be commercially certified. The company recently achieved the longest flight leg ever of a hybrid electric aircraft, spanning over 1,000 miles. Ampaire’s SCALEUP project focuses on performance, safety, and functionality testing of the company’s powertrain controller, fully electric motor drive, and battery-based energy storage system.
The goal is FAA certification leading to incorporation of these components in Ampaire’s hybrid aircraft system. In turn, this will enable potential savings of over 50% on fuel and emissions for the company’s target 9-passenger hybrid electric Caravan aircraft.
From 2019 SCALEUP cohort, Bridger Photonics has developed the next generation of methane leak detection and quantification, Gas Mapping LiDAR™. This innovative technology is transformational for emissions reduction in the oil and gas industry, scanning infrastructure to detect, locate, and quantify methane leaks throughout the entire natural gas value chain. Bridger uses a proprietary laser-based measurement system that is attached to the underside of an aircraft to scan hundreds of oil and gas sites a day, streamlining the methane mitigation process with the most sensitive aerial leak detection technology available.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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Lining pockets is the whole point of this and most other programs. And don’t forget 10% for The Big Guy.
I notice none of these companies produce any power…
@ Brett. Neither do wire manufacturers or transformer manufacturers, but we need those components for power production, don’t we?
But we need the power, too, or else the wire is useless. “New Clean Energy Technology”; Why wouldn’t somebody expect that to mean technology to produce energy? It’s not like using electricity is a major source of pollution.
If there’s one thing government bureaucrats are excellent at, it is picking winner and loser technologies…
@vboring
If that’s some kind of passive aggressive way of referencing the DOE’s old Advanced Technology Program, I’m happy to inform you that program ended in the black, with interest. There were over a dozen success stories, all still in business, employing American workers and adding to the economy. NBF’s favorite Tesla is one of them. But you mouth breathers always like to forget all that success and immediately pivot to Solyndra. It’s mostly a waste of time debating with you people.
The program is decoupled from economic reality and is just one of a long line of DOE programs lining the pockets of the DOE while producing nothing of any particular value to the country.
Government bureaucrats do not live in the competitive world and are not in a position to pick market place winners and losers, contrary to the popular belief of many liberals.
We would be better off with some form of tax credit for innovation activities, with the DOE not involved.
In passing, the DOE programs actually discriminate against small businesses as the the 20% cost share requirement is financially lethal to small firms. Bottom line is that the engines of innovation in the country are effectively excluded from the DOE grant programs – that includes ARPA-E by the way.