Press Release – The NASA iTech Energy competition has selected the top 10 finalists to present their game-changing technologies at a forum next month in New York. The 2018 NASA iTech Cycle II Energy is a collaborative effort between NASA and the U.S. Department (DOE) of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to find and foster innovative solutions for critical energy challenges on Earth and in space.
The 10 finalists were selected by a multi-disciplinary team of experts from NASA and ARPA E. The finalists will present June 13 and 14 at the NASA iTech Energy Forum, hosted by Citi Global at its headquarters in New York City. Representatives from NASA, DOE, other government agencies, industry, potential investors and others from across the United States will listen in as the finalists for NASA iTech share their innovative ideas.
“I look forward to seeing these 10 finalists present their ideas at the upcoming iTech forum in New York”, said Kira Blackwell, NASA iTech program executive in the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This is a unique opportunity to present their technologies at an event convening two federal agencies and hosted by a global private sector bank seeking solutions to common energy challenges.”
The competition invited applicants to submit their concepts for: Fuel Cells and Regenerative Fuel Cells, High-energy-density Batteries and Supercapacitors, Solar Power Systems, Small Fission Power Systems, Innovative Power Management and Distribution and X-Factor Energy. The final category included entries that may not fit within a specific energy focus area but clearly demonstrate the potential to fill a critical need for NASA and humans on Earth.
The top three teams selected at the forum will be recognized during a nonmonetary awards ceremony on June 14 and will be available for interviews. Media interested in covering the forum should contact Gina Anderson at gina.n.anderson@nasa.gov by June 8 to register.
The top 10 NASA iTech Energy Cycle finalists are (in alphabetical order):
- AsterTech, LLC, Beavercreek, OH
3D Additive Manufacturing of High Efficiency and Light-Weight Solar Cells for In-Space Applications - ATEIOS, San Diego, CA
Printed Batteries for Ubiquitous & Conformal Electronics - Atomos, Denver, CO
Splitting the Atom to Connect the Planets: A Commercial Nuclear Power System for Space Operations - Environment and Energy Benefit Co., West Sacramento, CA
BBB: X Factor Liquid Fuel - iFeather, Boulder, CO
In-situ Fabrication of Extraterrestrial Aerogels for Transparency, Heat, and Energy Regulation (iFEATHER) for Habitat, Aeronautic and Space Vessel, and Space Suit Applications - The Pennsylvania State University – Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University Park, PA
Lightweight Monolithic Microcell CPV for Space - Stanford University – Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford, CA
Two C: Transportation Electrification through Ubiquitous Wireless Charging - University of Michigan and Unified Solar Collaboration, Ann Arbor, MI
Photovoltaic Cell-Level Power Balancing Using Intrinsic Energy Storage for High-Efficiency, High-Reliability Solar Power - V-Glass, Pewaukee, WI
Vacuum Glass for R-10 Windows - WBGlobalSemi, Inc., Lakewood Ranch, FL
Commercializing High Power Silicon Carbide (SiC) Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs) and Power Modules for Power Management and Distributed Power Applications
NASA iTech is an initiative by the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate and managed by the National Institute of Aerospace in Hampton, Virginia.
To watch the teams present their ideas live on June 13 (9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT) and June 14 (9:10 a.m. – noon), visit: www.livestream.com/viewnow/2018nasaitechenergycycle
For information about the NASA iTech initiative, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/itech
For information about NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacetech
