Top Government Contracts Won by Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)

 

The top government contracts won by Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) drive different research and development (R&D) efforts to advance energy innovation, technologies, and storage initiatives.

 

ARPA-E invests in ideas and proposals from startups, academia, small businesses, and the private sector to push the boundaries of energy, modernize market trends, and achieve mission success.

 

What are the top government contracts won by Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)?

Most of the contracts won by Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy are from the United States Department of Energy (DoE). Since 2021, many of these government deals support the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions and reduce carbon footprints by 2050.

 

Below are the prime government deals won and managed by ARPA-E.

 

The Department of Energy’s Third Iteration of SCALEUP Program Contract, $100 Million

 

• Year: 2023
• Contracting activity: Department of Energy
• Contract duration: 27 years

 

The Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy Technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) is a program that anchors on ARPA-E’s research and development expertise to fuel the development of high-risk and disruptive energy technologies. On June 8, 2023, the Department of Energy announced it would award the third iteration of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s SCALEUP program contract.

 

The first installment of SCALEUP was awarded in 2019, and the second was awarded in 2021. With a contract value of $100 million, SCALEUP 3 will continue to support the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to fund, maintain, and provide market paths for clean energy technologies.

 

The Department of Energy’s ULTRAFAST Program Contract, $48 Million

 

• Year: 2023

• Contract activity: Department of Energy

• Contract duration: 12 years

 

On February 24, 2023, the DoE announced a new program aimed at enhancing the United States power grid. Called the Unlocking Lasting Transformative Resiliency Advanced by Faster Actuation of Power Semiconductor Technologies (ULTRAFAST), the effort is managed by Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and was conceived after the agency held a workshop about power grid resiliency in 2022.

 

With a contract value of nearly $50 million, ULTRAFAST contractors will modernize the nation’s grid infrastructure by bolstering efficiency and resilience against extreme weather conditions. Added to that, the enhanced grid structures will help in delivering clean energy and transportation options across communities. It will address challenges that come with the delivery process, and streamline coordinated operations of electric supply and demand to reduce costs and outages.

 

ARPA-E’s ULTRAFAST program will run until 2035.

 

The Department of Energy’s Mineral Extraction Research and Development Projects Contract, $39 Million

 

• Year: 2022

• Contract activity: Department of Energy

• Contract duration: 28 years

 

October 2022 marked a significant milestone for the academia as universities within the United States were chosen to complete the DoE’s Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) program. Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy was tasked with the contract’s management and funding. MINER enables the development and deployment of scalable technologies that increase the supply of critical elements such as copper, nickel, lithium, cobalt, and many more.

The program also aims to decrease energy consumption and carbon footprint of mining activities as part of the Biden Administration’s advocacy for cleaner energy sources. ARPA-E will award the contract to 16 projects managed by academic and commercial organizations across 12 states, with the total agreement value of $39 million to be allocated to suit the selected contractors’ task orders.

 

The Department of Energy’s Data Center Cooling Efficiency Projects Contract, $42 Million

 

• Year: 2022

• Contract activity: Department of Energy

• Contract duration: 28 years

 

In September 2022, ARPA-E received the DoE’s contract for managing and funding data center cooling efficiency projects. The program, called Cooling Operations Optimized for Leaps in Energy, Reliable and Carbon Hyperefficiency for Information Processing Systems (COOLERCHIPS), is valued at $42 million and entails the development of servers, tools, and modular software that optimizes data center energy.

 

Data centers within the US account for two percent of the nation’s electricity production, while data center cooling systems consume around 40 percent of data center energy. Through COOLCHIPS, ARPA-E will help data centers maximize their use of data and cooling infrastructures while minimizing carbon emissions and combating climate change. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm highlighted that COOLCHIPS doesn’t just advance energy optimization and net-zero emissions but also addresses connection issues that affect network and computing structures at data centers.

 

The Department of Energy’s Better Electric Vehicle Batteries Contract, $45 Million

 

• Year: 2022

• Contract activity: Department of Energy

• Contract duration: 8 years

 

In May 2022, the Department of Energy launched its Electric Vehicles for American Low-Carbon Living (EVs4all) program to support President Biden’s goal of making electric-powered vehicles the prime transportation in the United States by 2030. Funding for EVs4ALL is authorized under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

 

Under ARPA-E’s management and with funds worth $45 million, the contract entails developing cost-effective, energy-efficient, resilient electric vehicle batteries. Energy Secretary Granholm underscored that this program will propel the U.S.’s dependence on energy and the growth of more domestic manufacturing jobs, thus driving economic growth and energy renewability.

 

The Department of Energy’s Contract to Cut Waste from Advanced Nuclear Reactors, $36 Million

 

• Year: 2022

• Contract activity: Department of Energy

 

Nuclear power is one of the largest energy sources in the United States. While power plants fuel several industries to work better and harder, they also come with wastes that are detrimental to the environment and safety of civilians.  In an effort to alleviate problems involving nuclear waste, the DoE announced that it would provide funds worth $36 million to 11 projects focused on innovating nuclear power as a clean source of energy while limiting the amount of nuclear reactor waste.

 

ARPA-E was tasked to lead this initiative under its Optimizing Nuclear Waste and Advanced Reactor Disposal Systems (ONWARDS) program. The contract value will be divided among 11 national libraries and academic institutions advocating for safe and sustainable domestic fuel stockpiles.

 

The Department of Energy’s Second Contract for ARPA-E’s INTEGRATE Initiative, $8 Million

 

• Year: 2021

• Contract activity: Department of Energy

 

FuelCell Energy Inc., a company specializing in sustainable clean energy technologies designed to solve problems involving energy, safety, and global urbanization, was chosen by ARPA-E in May 2021 to fulfill Phase 2 of its Innovative Natural-gas Technologies for Efficiency Gain in Reliable and Affordable Thermochemical Electricity-generation (INTEGRATE) initiative.

 

With a contract value of $8 million, FuelCell will expand its solid oxide fuel cell (SOEC) platform to establish a high-performing and renewable source of electrolysis. With the addition of thermal heat energy, SOEC systems can produce up to 20 kg of hydrogen daily, which is suitable for agricultural, transportation, and power generation purposes. In addition, ARPA-E’s second phase of INTEGRATE enables FuelCell to design SOEC systems that are profitable to the hydrogen market and are safe, clean, and environmentally friendly.

 

About Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy is a United States government agency that advances and funds research and development initiatives for high-impact energy technologies. Founded in 2009, ARPA-E was modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to establish a more affordable and sustainable energy environment for the United States.

 

ARPA-E’s government contracts encompass innovative and next-generation approaches to generating, storing, and utilizing energy. The agency has streamlined its award processes to enable selected contractors to act quickly and tailor areas of energy research to fit their mission requirements and further propel economic growth, homeland security, and environmental wellness