ARPA-E SENSOR Program

RFP Summary provided by the agency

Because of the enormous breadth of energy technologies solicited under an OPEN FOA, it is impossible to provide the well-defined technical targets contained in an ARPA-E FOA for a focused technology program. Rather, ARPA-E asks applicants to address the potential impact of the proposed technology on the agency’s Mission Areas: reducing imported energy, reducing energy-related emissions, and improving energy efficiency. The critical question for applicants to consider in assessing potential impact is: “If it works, will it matter?” In a FOA for a focused technology program, this question has already been answered by ARPA-E. If an applicant can demonstrate that the proposed technology can achieve the technical targets specified in the FOA for a focused program, the agency believes that the technology can have significant impact on the agency’s missions. In an OPEN FOA, the burden of demonstrating potential impact lies solely upon the applicant, who must make the strongest possible case for why the proposed technology will matter – that it has the potential to change our energy future.

What is the mission and focus of the program: research, social, economic or others?

To support high-risk R&D leading to the development of potentially disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications. ARPA-E seeks to support early-stage, but potentially transformational research in all areas of energy R&D, covering transportation and stationary applications. Areas of research include: conventional and renewable electricity generation; electricity transmission, storage, and distribution; energy efficiency for buildings, manufacturing and commerce, and personal use; and transportation. Transportation projects can include the production and distribution of both renewable and nonrenewable fuels, electrification, and energy efficiency.

How do you submit to this opportunity?

Applicants must submit a Full Application by the deadline stated in the FOA.
Registration must be completed through the ARPA-E eXCHANGE.

Who are the target applicants: cities, universities, companies, small business, nonprofits, or others?

Unrestricted: U.S. universities, national laboratories, industry and individuals.
ARPA-E is not limiting the number of submissions from Applicants. Applicants may submit more
than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

Example project(s) summaries from past RFPs:

Colorado State University (CSU), Paintable Heat-Reflective Coatings for Low-Cost Energy Efficient Windows, ARPA-E Award: $5,205,217. Colorado State University and its partners are developing an inexpensive, polymer-based, energy-saving material that can be applied to windows as a retrofit. The team will develop a coating consisting of polymers that can rapidly self-assemble into orderly layers that will reflect infrared wavelengths but pass visible light. As such, the coating will help reduce building cooling requirements and energy use without darkening the room. The polymers can be applied as a paint, meaning that deployment could be faster, less expensive, and more widespread because homeowners can apply the window coatings themselves instead of paying for a technician. The team estimates that up to 75% of the dry film could be produced from commodity plastic, which has the potential to significantly reduce the current costs associated with manufacturing window coatings.
https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=slick-sheet-project/heat-reflective-window-coating

(ii) Example project(s) summaries from past RFPs:

RedWave Energy, Inc., High Speed Diode and Rectenna for Waste Heat to Electricity Harvesting, ARPA-E Award: $3,565,018. The team led by RedWave Energy, Inc. will develop a waste heat harvesting system, called a rectenna, that converts low-temperature waste heat into electricity. Rectennas are nanoantennas that convert radiant energy to direct current (DC) electricity. The rectennas are fabricated onto sheets of flexible material in tightly packed arrays and placed near key heat sources such as the turbine’s condenser, heat exchanger, and flue gas cooling stack. Heat radiates onto the nanoantennas and energizes electrons on the antennas’ surface. These electrons are rectified by the system, resulting in DC power. This technology will target the waste heat in industrial processes and thermoelectric power generation.

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