The Expeditionary Energy program seeks breakthrough technologies to support the future of hybrid and expeditionary warfare. The research portfolio is balanced among basic and applied research and advanced technology development. Investments include disruptive technologies in low-cost photovoltaics, energy scavenging and power generation, energy storage, energy planning, and energy-efficient small-scale water purification — all to support the sustainment and logistics of Sailors and Marines deployed in austere environments.
Research Concentration Areas
- Scalable energy harvesting and scavenging technologies (mW to kW)
- Next-generation photovoltaics (applied research, demonstrations and scale-up)
- Hydrogen as an alternative fuel for portable, light-weight applications
- Logistics decision support tools relevant to energy
- Beyond traditional Li-ion batteries for Navy and Marine Corps applications (anionic redox batteries, non-Li chemistries and arctic batteries)
- Energy efficient water purification at expeditionary scales
- Energy-efficient ferroic and multiferroic materials
Research Challenges and Opportunities
- Design and demonstrate energy scavenging technologies to passively power equipment and charge batteries for individuals and small units
- Demonstrate environmentally stable, flexible, high-specific power solar cells
- Investigate hydrogen and ammonia as alternative fuels for small unit applications, especially as they are derived and generated from a diversity of sources
- Develop software and energy planning tools to plan for and reduce energy consumption across elements relevant to Naval operations
- Research and demonstrate new, high-specific energy/power storage devices and reliable, low- to no maintenance, high-specific power generation technologies for individuals and small units, in traditional and arctic environments
- Explore multiferroic materials that exhibit coupling between magnetic and ferroelectric parameters, increase logic states, and enable energy-efficient and tunable electromagnetic devices
- Conduct applied research on next-generation water-purification technologies to fill the necessary gaps suitable for expeditionary scales
Type of Funding Available
✅ Basic Research
✅ Applied Research
✅ Advanced Technology Development
How to Submit
For detailed application and submission information for this research topic, please refer to our broad agency announcement (BAA) No. N0001425SB001.
Contracts: All white papers and full proposals for contracts must be submitted through FedConnect; instructions are included in the BAA.
Grants: All white papers for grants must be submitted through FedConnect, and full proposals for grants must be submitted through grants.gov; instructions are included in the BAA.