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ARPA-E held a workshop on “Lower Grade Waste Heat Recovery” on December 13-14, 2016 in the San Francisco area. The workshop convened leading experts in waste heat recovery, materials development, and novel solid-state materials technology (emerging compositions, materials synthesis/processing, combinatorial screening/optimization, robust module designs) to identify innovative research paths for the development of next-generation lower grade (400°C) waste heat recovery systems. Participants will lend their expertise to help ARPA-E explore innovative technology pathways and determine relevant and compelling metrics that will define a successful research program.

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ARPA-E held a workshop on “Rewiring Anaerobic Digestion” on October 27-28, 2016 in the Washington, D.C. area. The workshop brought together experts in the fields of anaerobic digestion, microbiome science, microbial consortia engineering, electrocatalysis, and chemical engineering (catalytic hydrogenation and liquid-liquid separations), to identify feasible research pathways forward for the development of disruptive technologies that can enable enhanced hydrolysis, prevention of methanogenesis, volatile fatty acid (VFA) separations, and downstream upgrading to hydrocarbons.

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ARPA-E held a workshop on the "Interconnected - Highly Utilized Grid” on September 29-30, 2016 in Bethesda, Maryland. The workshop convened leading experts in power systems, modeling, data analytics, and control systems to identify potential paths for disruptive technologies aimed at large scale deployment of renewables and distributed energy resources (DERs). The discussion focused on the challenge and promise of maximally utilizing the existing grid, while accounting for upcoming changes in Transmission and Distribution structures, as well as generation and load patterns.

ARPA-E hosted a workshop entitled “Novel Power Electronic Systems Enabled by Wide Band-Gap Semiconductors” on September 13, 2016 in the Washington, D.C. area. The workshop convened leading experts in power electronics, power systems, circuit design, wide bandgap materials, semiconductor devices, packaging and module design, and end use applications to identify innovative research paths forward for the development of disruptive advanced circuit topologies that lead to higher efficiency, more reliable, reduced size and weight, and lower cost devices and/or system architectures.

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ARPA-E hosted the “Advanced Occupancy Sensors for Better Buildings” workshop on July 12-13, 2016 in the Portland, OR area. This workshop will bring together thought leaders from distinct science, engineering, and industrial communities. Attendees collectively will discuss the impact that innovations in occupancy sensing technologies can make in curbing building heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) use without compromising the health and comfort of building occupants. Specifically, participants will lend their expertise to help inform technical metrics for advanced occupancy sensor concepts, cost targets (including for both residential and commercial settings), and identify productive avenues of research.

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ARPA-E held a workshop on "Digital Transportation" on April 26-27, 2016 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The workshop convened leading experts in telecommunications, virtual presence, game design/entertainment, robotics, and human factors technologies to identify innovative research and development paths for advanced telepresence and telelabor technologies. Participants will lend their expertise to help set technical performance and cost targets that will define a successful research program and explore novel technology pathways.

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ARPA-E held a workshop on "Safe and Secure Megawatt-Size Nuclear Power" on March 16-17, 2016 in the Washington, D.C. area. This workshop will bring together experts in nuclear reactor design, nuclear science, materials science, controls, advanced sensors and monitors, manufacturing, risk analysis, non-proliferation/safeguards, as well as potential end users, vendors, investors, and other relevant stakeholders.

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ARPA-E held its seventh annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit February 29 - March 2, 2016 at the Gaylord Convention Center just outside Washington, D.C. Over 2,000 energy innovators, investors, and policymakers gathered to discuss cutting-edge energy technologies and commercialization strategies and how to move them out of the lab and into the market.

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This workshop brought together experts in macroalgae cultivation, physiology and ecology with those from complimentary fields of plant breeding, oceanography, marine engineering, robotics, and biomass processing, as well as agronomy and the financial community.

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This workshop convened leading experts in electrochemistry, catalysis (hydrogenation and dehydrogenation), fuel cells and electrolyzers, organic synthesis and fuels to identify innovative research paths forward for the development of disruptive technologies that can bridge renewable energy production and transportation fuels and significantly reduce the cost of energy transportation from remote locations to consumers using energy dense liquid fuels.