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In a significant boost to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $63.5 million investment in four groundbreaking technologies through the Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy Technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program. These projects, which have demonstrated a clear path to market, focus on innovative solutions such as aerogels for energy-efficient insulated glass units, thermal batteries for combined heat and power from renewable electricity, energy-dense solid-state batteries, and decarbonization of cement production.“America is an innovation superpower, and President Biden is helping to scale up the next generation of clean energy solutions that will advance the nation even further toward our net-zero goals,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “By catalyzing the commercialization of promising technologies, we are empowering the private sector to go all in to boost American manufacturing, strengthen national security, and ensure our competitive edge.”
The SCALEUP program provides funding to previous ARPA-E awardees who have successfully de-risked their technology and established a viable route to commercial deployment. The four projects selected in the latest SCALEUP program are:
AeroShield Materials (Waltham, MA) – Developing a pilot manufacturing facility for aerogels for high-efficiency insulated glass units, enhancing energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings to meet ENERGY STAR targets for windows. (Award amount: $14,500,000)
Antora Energy (Sunnyvale, CA) – Scaling up production of thermal battery technology, converting low-cost renewable energy into reliable, on-demand heat and power for industrial facilities, facilitating rapid decarbonization of the industrial sector. (Award amount: $14,500,000)
Ion Storage Systems (Beltsville, MD) – Supporting domestic manufacturing of next-generation solid-state lithium-metal batteries, accelerating their commercialization in the electric vehicle market. (Award amount: $20,000,000)
Queens Carbon (Pine Brook, NJ) – Developing an on-site pilot facility to produce carbon-neutral supplemental cementitious materials using industry-standard raw materials, supporting decarbonized cement production. (Award amount: $14,500,000)The DOE’s SCALEUP program, now in its third cohort, has previously funded transformative projects that have progressed to commercial-scale operations. For instance, Natron Energy, a leader in sodium-ion battery technology, recently commenced commercial operations at its manufacturing facility in Holland, Michigan. LongPath Technologies, another SCALEUP awardee, has revolutionized methane detection and mitigation, earning a $189 million loan guarantee from the Loan Programs Office (LPO). Additionally, Sila, a next-generation battery materials company, received up to $100 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) for a facility in Moses Lake, Washington.
In 2021, the second SCALEUP cohort supported diverse projects, including hybrid electric aircraft, high-power density magnetic components, and efficient electric vehicle charging equipment, among others. These successes highlight the SCALEUP program’s impact when technical experts are given the commercialization support needed to bring innovative technologies to market.
This latest cohort of SCALEUP projects underscores the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to supporting American energy innovation from research and development to full-scale deployment, ensuring the U.S. remains a leader in clean energy solutions. |
