The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $100 million in funding for new projects as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA‑E) latest OPEN funding opportunity. OPEN will support America’s top innovators through dozens of early-stage research and development projects as they build technologies to transform the nation’s energy system.
“The Department of Energy plays a critical role in keeping the United States safe and secure. One of the ways we do this is by promoting energy innovations that make us more competitive and keep us ahead of the technology curve,” said Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “With OPEN 2018, we are asking American energy entrepreneurs and researchers to show us the next breakthrough in energy security.”
ARPA-E has issued previous OPEN solicitations in 2009, 2012, and 2015. Open solicitations enable ARPA-E to support transformational projects outside the scope of existing ARPA-E focused programs. The projects selected under OPEN in 2018 will pursue novel approaches to energy innovation across the full spectrum of energy applications. The agency collaborates across the Department’s extensive research enterprise, providing support that complements existing DOE-wide initiatives. ARPA-E has highlighted the following geothermal topics of interest for the OPEN funding opportunity:
Category 5: Power Generation: Renewable: Subcategory C: Geothermal heat technologies including pumps, proppants, induced seismicity, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), drilling, resource identification (sensors, models, tracers), zonal isolation techniques, robust equipment, low temperature generation, etc.
The deadline to submit a concept paper is February 12, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. E.T.
