U.S. DOE to spend USD100 million for R&D in clean energy technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to USD100 million in funding for transformative clean energy technology research and development via its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) OPEN 2021 funding opportunity. The first of billions of dollars of DOE R&D opportunities to be announced this year, this funding will help identify cutting-edge, disruptive clean energy technologies to address the climate crisis.

The Department of Energy will also participate in the National Climate Task Force’s Climate Innovation Working Group announced on February 11 by the White House. The working group will coordinate federal government-wide efforts to foster affordable, game-changing technologies that can help America achieve President Joe Biden’s goal of net zero economy-wide emissions by 2050, and emphasize research to bolster and build domestic clean energy supply chains and strengthen American manufacturing.

“Today we are inviting scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs and creative thinkers around America to join us in developing the energy technologies we need to tackle the climate crisis and build a more equitable clean energy economy,” said DOE Chief of Staff Tarak Shah. “The Department of Energy is committed to empowering innovators to develop bold solutions that will help America achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 while creating millions of good-paying jobs that benefit all Americans.”

Since its founding in 2009, ARPA-E has provided USD2.4 billion in R&D funding, and ARPA-E projects have attracted more than USD4.9 billion in private sector follow-on funding to commercialize clean energy technologies and create sustainable clean energy jobs. Previous ARPA-E awardees have also gone on to achieve breakthroughs in commercializing a variety of energy solutions, including in the development of transformative solar, geothermal, batteries, biofuels and advanced surface coating technologies.

Potential applicants can visit ARPA-E’s newly launched OPEN 2021 website to access useful information and resources, including a teaming partner list for help forming new project teams and identifying potential collaborations, and webinars featuring Program Directors discussing technical areas they hope to pursue. To apply, go to https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/.