The Energy Department’s ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit gathers innovators, academia, government and industry to discuss pressing energy issues and breakthrough technologies. In this photo, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz takes the podium to introduce journalist and author Thomas Friedman to the stage. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 10:16
On Tuesday morning, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Friedman delivered a keynote speech, touching on globalization, IT and the shifts in energy innovation that have taken place in the last 10 years. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 10:19
ARPA-E works to advance high-potential, high-impact technologies that have not yet received private sector investment, and its Energy Innovation Summit is dedicated to innovative energy solutions that could transform energy generations, storage and use as we know it. In this photo, Thomas Friedman delivers his keynote speech to the Summit’s 2,000 attendees. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 10:25
In this photo, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz sits down for a fireside chat with Counselor to the President John Podesta to discuss the administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, as well as how the administration is addressing climate change. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 12:33
Secretary Moniz’s fireside chat with John Podesta covered topics ranging from the urgency to act on climate change to the important role innovation plays in the administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 12:42
During the networking lunch break, Secretary Moniz toured the Technology Showcase, a collection of more than 300 cutting-edge technologies and innovations. The showcase participants include ARPA-E Awardees, entrepreneurs, researchers and experts in the field who are ready to collaborate with investors and decision makers to move their ideas into the marketplace. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 13:28
Energy Secretary Moniz checks out Sunfolding an innovative solar technology launched by ARPA-E awardee Otherlab. Sunfolding offers a novel approach to the design of heliostats -- the mirror devices used to reflect sunlight as part of a concentrating solar power system. Sunfolding’s heliostats are made with cheap, easily accessible materials like soda bottles and have the potential to dramatically reduce costs associated with concentrating solar power technologies. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 13:33
As part of a demonstration project with Toyota, Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc. (APEI) displays its on-board electric vehicle charger prototype in a Prius Plug-In. By using silicon carbide-based power converters, APEI developed a charger (the black raised object pictured in the photo) that is 6-7 times smaller and charges the car 3 times faster compared to current on-board vehicle chargers (the silver object in the front). | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 14:10
Pictured here are a few different heat sink plates designs by CPS Technologies. These heat sinks combine aluminum and silicon carbide to lower the thermal expansion of and mechanical stresses to power conversion devices in trains and hybrid electric vehicles. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 14:18
Pictured here is a fabric-based wind turbine blade designed by GE Power and Water in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Virginia Tech. Conventional wind turbines use rigid fiberglass blades that can be difficult to manufacture and transport. This ARPA-E supported project uses tensioned fabric as part of its blade design offering a lighter, lower-cost turbine compared to current clamshell fiberglass blade designs. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 14:25
ARPA-E awardee Columbia University demonstrates their innovative approach to producing isobutanol – a high performance biofuel. The project team combines an electrochemical and biological reactor to convert water, C02 and electricity into clean, renewable fuel. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 14:28
Pictured here is Smart Wire Grid’s innovative power flow control technology. Supported by ARPA-E funding, Smart Wire Grid developed modules that can be attached to existing transmission lines to better manage the flow of electricity. The company’s technology was sold commercially to Southern Company, a utility. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 14:33
A 60-watt flexible photovoltaic blanket developed by the Army Research Laboratory. The technology not only provides soldiers with shade when tents get hot, it is also a lighter, easily portable way to generate energy to charge essential military equipment. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 14:42
Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Insitute showcase a slippery coating that could improve the efficiency of a number of applications -- from wastewater treatment systems to marine shipping vessels. One application that shows particular promise is refrigeration equipment. Researchers demonstrate how their coating prevents frost from forming on metal. When applied to fridge coils, the coating could help reduce the need to defrost, resulting in energy savings. | Photo by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Date taken: 2014-02-25 14:52
FOLLOW THE 2014 SUMMIT
- Read our day 1 recap of the 2014 ARPA-E Summit.
- Follow @Energy, @ARPAE and #eis14 on Twitter for live updates at this year's Summit.
- Check out the ARPA-E Flickr collection for photo updates from this year's event.
- Explore ARPA-E's new videos to learn how they are changing the way we generate, store and use energy.
The message was clear on day two of the Energy Department's Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Innovation Summit: If you want to succeed at advancing energy innovation, you need to think and perform like an entrepreneur.
During fireside chats, keynote speeches and panel discussions, speakers lauded the entrepreneurial sprit clearly evident among Summit participants -- many who are leveraging the support of ARPA-E funding to lead transformative energy projects. To date, ARPA-E funded projects have attracted more than $625 million in private sector funding. At least 24 ARPA-E project teams have formed new companies to advance their technologies, and more than 16 ARPA-E projects have partnered with other government agencies for further development. As Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz put it during his introductory remarks, “you all are where ideas go to flourish.”
Day two kicked off with a keynote from Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Thomas Friedman. During his speech, Friedman shared a message of empowerment, encouraging attendees to work with passion, persistence and vigor in their efforts to bring transformative energy technologies to the market. “Always be an entrepreneur,” he advised. The Summit continued with discussions on a range of key energy topics -- from strategies to ensure congressional support for energy innovation to efforts to advance the President’s Climate Action Plan.
As the morning sessions came to a close, attendees gathered for one of the Summit’s major attractions -- the Technology Showcase. Featuring hundreds of breakthrough technologies, the Showcase gives Summit participants the opportunity to both highlight their work and identify opportunities to collaborate on new efforts. Many Showcase participants are leading projects supported by ARPA-E funding, including Otherlab, a San Francisco-based company demonstrating a smaller, low-cost heliostat for concentrating solar power systems, and Smart Wire Grid, a startup that successfully commercialized its technology to increase the resiliency and efficiency of existing transmission lines. Take a look through the slideshow above to view more of the innovative technologies on display at the Showcase, as well as highlights from the morning sessions.
After a busy day of idea-sharing, networking and showcasing of entrepreneurial work, the Summit continues tomorrow with a special networking session engaging women in the energy sector, a keynote from Secretary Moniz and presentations focused on the intersection of education and entrepreneurship as well as evolving approaches to global innovation. For live updates from the Summit, follow @Energy or @ARPAE, and for a daily wrap-up, visit Energy.gov.
