Energy Harvesting Technology Development at DARPA
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Energy Harvesting Technology Development at DARPA Viktoria Greanya1, Cynthia Daniell1, Colleen Nehl2 1 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Sciences Office, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714 2 Booz Allen Hamilton, 3811 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1707 ABSTRACT Programs in the Defense Sciences Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) bridge the gap from fundamental science to applications by identifying and pursuing the most promising ideas within the science and engineering research communities and transforming these ideas into new DoD capabilities. The Department of Defense (DoD) recognizes that our dependence on fossil fuel must be reduced and is actively supporting new technical solutions to this challenge. Moreover, advancements in alternative energy generation and storage technologies will render the warfighter more efficient, capable and mobile. Energy harvesting is a central pathway to solving this critical need. This paper will highlight two DARPA DSO programs which are making significant strides in the advancement in materials to improve energy harvesting technology with a focus on rapid transition to the end user. The Nanostructured Materials for Power (NMP) program is developing high performance thermoelectric materials and devices for energy harvesting with goals of energy conversion of 30%. The Low-Cost, Lightweight Portable Photovoltaics (PoP) program is developing integrated PV technologies with high power conversion efficiency (20%) in a form factor capable of being produced at low cost on flexible substrates. The paper will review the goals of the programs, discuss their implications, and highlight some of the research strategies underway. INTRODUCTION The rising cost of fuel and the recognition of limited fossil fuel resources have primarily motivated energy harvesting R&D at a wide range of institutions across the United States. Energy harvesting has the potential to significantly impact the use of existing fuel resources, as well as open new potential avenues of energy production. Within the commercial sector, efficiency and cost drive the energy harvesting research. For the DoD, efficiency and cost are also significant performance needs. Specifically, point-of-use power generation is a high priority because the cost to transport fuel may outweigh the cost of the fuel itself by four hundred to one.1 However, the technological needs of DoD applications require consideration and, in some cases, prioritization of other performance parameters over those prioritized for commercial applications. For example, weight, durability, and potential operating environment tolerances are often important requirements. DARPA DSO is advancing energy harvesting technologies with two current areas of investment in thermoelectric materials (TE) and photovoltaics (PV). Thermoelectrics will enable the use of heat as an energy source, and photovoltaics capitalizes on the ubiquitous energy source Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited
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