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ARPA-E: a likely new funding source for polywell research?
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:09 pm
by JoeStrout
A
federal bill (see Title V) was recently passed into law that establishes ARPA-E, an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy.
ARPA-E will address long-term and high-risk technological barriers in energy through collaborative research and development that private industry or the DOE are not likely to undertake alone. Because of its autonomy within DOE, and the flexibility and resources afforded to its technical personnel, ARPA-E is structured to respond very quickly to energy research challenges, as well as terminate or restructure programs just as quickly. A fund is established in the U.S. Treasury separate and distinct from DOE appropriations, as will be the budget request for ARPA-E. With this separate fund, ARPA-E will be independent of the DOE bureaucracy, and likewise should not operate at the expense of other programs at DOE, particularly the Office of Science. The conference agreement authorizes $300,000,000 in FY 2008, and such sums as are necessary thereafter for fiscal years 2009 and 2010.
This seems like a perfect fit for EMC2's research.
Any comments?
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:24 pm
by TallDave
Heh, it does sound perfect. From the guys who brought us the Internet.
I wonder if DARPA-E's imminence was a factor in the Navy's re-funding decision. With oil at $80/bbl somebody was going to snap up Polywell, sooner or later.
It's interesting Bussard is claiming the $200M Phase II development will be funded, contingent on a successful WB-7. Even in the Navy budget, that is going to be noticed. Hell, the whole DARPA-E budget is only 1.5x that.
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:28 pm
by TallDave
Oops, no they're not DARPA-related, they're DOE. They just have similar names.
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:24 pm
by zbarlici
so i browsed their forum to see what news releases/technologies they plan to invest in.... i found nothing on fusion. nothing. So i dropped them a line
i was directed to your website from the
http://www.talk-polywell.org forum.
It seems that there is no interest to invest in the emerging advanced concept, Inertial Electrostatic Confinement fusion field.
I have browsed through your news releases and have seen absolutely nothing on it.
By the way. If this new ARPA-E dept would have any true good intentions for the citisens that pays its wages.. i mean intentions other than to divert money from true, revolutionary technologies, then you would start a "restricted" forum allowing university professors, and others that have credentials, to speak their minds on issues relating to ARPA-E.
Otherwise how do you expect to better yourselves.
And dedicate some r&d moneys to the polywell IEC technology, for crying out loud.
Thank You.
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:14 pm
by MSimon
I hear rumors.
Congress Critters and some of their staff have been sniffing at the NASA forum.
My guess is: if WB-7 looks good and the Navy says go, the project will not be hurting for funds.
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:56 am
by zbarlici
MSimon wrote:I hear rumors.
Congress Critters and some of their staff have been sniffing at the NASA forum.
My guess is: if WB-7 looks good and the Navy says go, the project will not be hurting for funds.
OoHHHHH GOD i hope you`re right!
... that would just make my day.
- and NO! ...that was not an orgasm.
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:51 am
by JD
I've allways been impressed with the Navy's research efforts. They apparently believe in serindepity. If this pans out as expected the Navy will benefit tremendously.
By rights the Army's R&D elements should be supporting this. What's in it for them? Remember Keith Laumar and can we say Bolo
Rail guns, advanced AI, solid state lasers, ablative armor and now maybe a power source for it. I may yet still be above ground long enough to see the formation of the Dynachrome Bde.
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:30 am
by tonybarry
Nitinol (shape memory alloy) composed of half-titanium and half nickel, was a development of Navy research. Now it's ubiquitous (muscle wire, etc).
Regards,
Tony Barry
Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 6:36 am
by Rick Kwan
There's article in the local paper about ARPA-E.
"U.S. sees another 'Sputnik moment'" by Frank Davis, Mercury News Washington Bureau, on page 1 of
San Jose Mercury News, March 2, 2009
The on-line version is titled: "Team Obama wants to pursue high-risk, high-reward initiatives on energy"
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11816546 It probably will remain freely available to everyone for about a week, and then revert to subscriber-only after that. Some excerpts...
Deep in the $787 billion stimulus bill that became law two weeks ago is $400 million to launch ARPA-E, the Advanced Research Projects Authority for Energy. It's modeled after the Pentagon's DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which took on Soviet technology and gave us online shopping in the process.
The goal is to pump money into high-risk, high-reward research to pursue breakthroughs in areas such as batteries for hybrid vehicles, advanced biofuels and cheaper, more powerful solar panels.
The approach is to rely on Silicon Valley-style innovation and collaboration between government, academia and the private sector, and work outside normal bureaucratic structures. Steven Chu, the new secretary of energy and former head of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, was an early proponent of ARPA-E.
"It's a terrific idea," said John Denniston, who has invested in green-tech ventures as a partner in Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the Menlo Park venture capital firm. "If we can replicate DARPA, we will see research and collaboration between government and industry that brings real benefits."
Chu envisions a focus on "transformational energy research that industry by itself cannot or will not support due to its high risk," he told Congress when he headed the Berkeley lab.
So is ARPA-E already operating or not? Are they just starting out, or is this $400 million above and beyond their existing budget?
Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:54 am
by alexjrgreen
Rick Kwan wrote:So is ARPA-E already operating or not? Are they just starting out, or is this $400 million above and beyond their existing budget?
Establishing the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) Act
H.R. 364
http://science.house.gov/legislation/le ... ewsID=1235
Stimulus: Energy Department scrambles to build new R&D agency
http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showAr ... =214502434
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 5:29 am
by MSimon
That doesn't look very promising.
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 5:10 pm
by ohiovr
if 400 million is the top end of the funds they have then I wonder how they would respond to a project asking for half of that (I see 200 million quoted as being the smallest amount needed for a functioning power generating system). Is it possible to do more with less?
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 5:21 pm
by Helius
ohiovr wrote:if 400 million is the top end of the funds they have then I wonder how they would respond to a project asking for half of that (I see 200 million quoted as being the smallest amount needed for a functioning power generating system). Is it possible to do more with less?
I think it's just good to capture attention: $20M for a Q=.3 IEC device that you could put near a molten "pile". would be nice. Or for KISS principles, an IEC device where Arpa-E pays $20M for a flood of neutrons for a given cost (in terms of Energy in and energy density) would focus attention too (the heck with Q).
The recent Darpa payment for the suborbital 'shot' didn't cover costs, but it sure got 'em plenty of publicity that they wanted!
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 6:02 am
by hanelyp
How much to answer the major outstanding questions of whether the polywell will work, starting with loss scaling?