The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a significant initiative aimed at revolutionizing energy storage technology. Under the auspices of its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the DOE is funding six teams with a total of up to $15 million to develop prototypes of next-generation batteries. The goal is to create energy storage systems that possess four times the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries within the next two years.
James Seaba, program director at ARPA-E, emphasized the urgency of this endeavor. “We want to develop a system, a battery system or an energy system, that has four times the energy density of lithium-ion batteries that we have today,” he stated. If successful, this technology could significantly enhance the capabilities of military drones, robotics, and aircraft, offering advancements in performance and operational range.
JOULES-1K Initiative Targets Energy Storage Innovation
The effort, known as the Jumpstart Opportunities to Unleash Leadership in Energy Storage with 1K Energy Storage Systems (JOULES-1K), began 18 months ago with 13 competing teams. Now, only six teams are advancing to the second phase, where they will focus on developing working prototypes. During the first phase, which involved a budget of $16.9 million, these teams validated various aspects of their technologies, including chemistry and system components.
Seaba noted that the primary expectation for the second phase is to deliver systems deemed scalable by the end of the 24-month period. As batteries play a crucial role in military applications, powering everything from troop-carried systems to drones, the need for innovative energy-storage solutions is pressing. The Pentagon is particularly interested in technologies that can be produced domestically, reducing reliance on materials sourced from China, which is also advancing its own battery technologies.
Among the selected teams is And Battery Aero, a startup based in Silicon Valley, which has been awarded approximately $4 million. The company’s focus is on developing high-energy battery technology specifically tailored for drone applications. Founder Venkat Viswanathan, who is also a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan, explained their strategy. “We have multiple commercial drone partners with whom we’re going to integrate our energy storage solution into,” he said, highlighting plans to demonstrate improved endurance, payload capacity, and operational range.
Viswanathan indicated that the company had previously increased energy density by around 25 percent in a past ARPA-E program. This involved innovations in chemistry and materials science, scaling these improvements into a packaged energy storage solution. He emphasized the excitement surrounding the upcoming demonstration flights, stating, “There’s nothing like that first demonstration flight.”
Collaborative Efforts from Leading Institutions
The other teams selected for the JOULES-1K initiative represent a mix of prestigious institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland – College Park, Illinois Institute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Connecticut-based Precision Combustion. Each team is tasked with addressing the scaling challenges that accompany scientific advancements in battery technology.
As the competition progresses, the next two years will be crucial for demonstrating the feasibility of these innovative energy-storage systems. With heightened interest in energy independence and improved military capabilities, the outcomes of this initiative could have significant implications for both national defense and commercial applications in the future.
