Title: ARPA-E: Supporting transformational energy technologies from early R&D to pilot

Abstract: The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. The teams ARPA-E supports are unique because they are developing entirely new ways to generate, store, and use energy with a mandate to support transformational technologies that reduce energy imports, improve energy efficiency, and reduce emissions. Since 2009, ARPA-E has supported almost 1700 projects with over $4B of funding. This talk will present an overview of the Agency and examples of the areas it has supported which including, low carbon pathways to fuels and materials, grid technologies to improve resilience and long duration energy storage to name a few. It will also present an overview of the SCALEUP program which supports ARPA-E technologies bridge the lab to pilot challenge, de-risking the technologies and positioning them for further growth and private investment.

Bio: Daniel Cunningham is the Deputy Director for Technology at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy, where he oversees their program portfolio and helps prepare innovative energy technologies for the transition to commercialization.

Before ARPA-E, he worked at BP PLC in the Chief Scientist’s Office in the role of Emerging Technology Advisor evaluating new energy technologies in areas such as energy storage, alternative fuels pathways and remote sensing, assessing their impact on future business. Dr. Cunningham also worked at BP Solar Inc., serving in multiple capacities, including Director of Product Development leading a multidisciplinary team to develop new technologies for BP Solar’s product line. He also took on the role of Director of Technology where he led an R&D engineering team develop and manufacture electrochemically deposited, thin-film CdTe devices for use in photovoltaic applications. He received a Research Partnership Award in 2001 from the U.S. Department of Energy for work in this area. He has extensive experience in semiconductor crystal growth and processing, including PV module packaging and product reliability. Dr. Cunningham has authored over 70 publications, 12 patent publications, and co-editor of the 2023 Springer book, “Direct Current Fault Protection”.

He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry specializing in electrochemistry and in-situ reflectance spectroscopy, and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry, both from the University of Southampton, UK. He is also a Senior Member of the IEEE and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry with Chartered Chemist (CChem) status.