ARPA–E grants focus on energy storage

MIT Technology Review : The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects AgencyâEnergy (ARPAâE) announced the award of 66 new grants totaling $130 million. The grants show a notable shift in investment toward companies working with US natural gas deposits, but they are even more heavily focused on advancements in energy storage technology. The 20 grants for energy storage include projects developing advanced aqueous rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries, sodium-ion batteries, fuel cells, and thermal storage devices. ARPAâE grants are for potential “transformational” technologies. The high-risk investments are intended to help the companies prototype their products within two to three years, with the hope that the products will be commercialized.