The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $10 million in funding (DE-FOA-0003164) to support innovative energy concepts that challenge the status quo and promote groundbreaking clean energy solutions. This new effort—managed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)—would support concepts that, if successful, would represent a new paradigm in energy technology with the potential to make a significant impact toward reducing energy-related emissions, increasing energy independence, and enhancing the economic and energy security of the United States.

ARPA-E Spurring Projects to Advance energy Research and Knowledge Swiftly (SPARKS) awards are intended to be conducted over a period of 18 months or less to transform and disrupt energy technology promptly. An innovative concept alone is not enough; the idea must also have the potential to be impactful.

Awardee projects under this program may take the form of analyses or exploratory research that provides the agency with information useful for the subsequent development of focused technology programs. Alternatively, awards may support proof-of-concept research for a particular new technology, either in an area not currently supported by the agency or as a potential enhancement to an ongoing focused technology program.

Applicants will identify a primary technical category for their proposed technology from the categories below:

• Grid

• Transportation

• Buildings and Construction

• Electricity Generation and Storage

• Carbon Capture, Sequestration, and Utilization

• Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization

• Other Energy Technologies