Develop and scale up a novel process to make high-purity nano- and micro-structured electrocatalyst materials for higher performance metal/air batteries and proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Requested ATP funds: $2,000 K
Est. project budget: $3,843 K
Announced: October 1998

Advance the technology of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells with radical changes in design, materials, and manufacture that will reduce the cost of production an order of magnitude, enabling the manufacture of reliable, cost-effective modular fuel cell power plants for clean, stand-alone, distributed power.

Requested ATP funds: $2,000 K
Est. project budget: $3,225 K
Announced: October 1998

Develop passive magnetic bearings to enable the design and manufacture of extremely long-lived, maintenance-free, flywheel systems used to provide backup power for sensitive, high-power applications such as equipment that would be affected severely by momentary power outages and voltage spikes.

Requested ATP funds: $800 K
Est. project budget: $1,618 K
Announced: October 1998

Develop a low-cost, high-volume process for making high-efficiency solar cells with a unique thin-film fabrication technique that allows precise control of component ratios, enabling economical use of solar cells in a variety of space and terrestrial applications.

Requested ATP funds: $1,295 K
Est. project budget: $1,541 K
Announced: October 1998

Radically improve ultracapacitors with new aerogel carbon electrodes to enable development of the next generation of personal computers and portable telecommunication devices.

Requested ATP funds: $2,000 K
Est. project budget: $3,354 K
Announced: October 1998

Create new economical, long-lived supercapacitors with unparalleled energy and power output capabilities—over 20 watt-hours and five kilowatts of power per kilogram—for uses that include wireless communications, computer backup power, and hybrid electric vehicles, outperforming batteries in many applications.

Requested ATP funds: $441 K
Est. project budget: $900 K
Announced: October 1998

Develop new materials and processes for making lightweight, highly efficient photovoltaic (PV) modules that will enable dramatic reductions in the costs of space-based PV arrays for telecommunications and other applications and enhance affordability of terrestrial PV systems.

Requested ATP funds: $2,000 K
Est. project budget: $2,792 K
Announced: October 1998

Design and demonstrate compact, highly efficient solid oxide fuel cell modules suitable for stand-alone distributed power applications, such as in providing on-site electricity and heat to homes and businesses, particularly those beset by outages or high energy-distribution costs.

Requested ATP funds: $1,991 K
Est. project budget: $3,046 K
Announced: October 1998

Develop new materials and device designs to improve the performance and reduce the costs of ultracapacitors, which could save U.S. industry billions of dollars in lost productivity, reduce fuel consumption in vehicles, and extend the life of electronic devices.

Requested ATP funds: $2,000 K
Est. project budget: $4,219 K
Announced: October 1998

Develop the new open-atmosphere combustion chemical vapor deposition thin-film process for use in a glass manufacturing line to enable the production of less expensive, better-performing thin-film photovoltaic cells, removing one of the biggest obstacles to widespread commercialization of solar electric power.

Requested ATP funds: $2,958 K
Est. project budget: $5,981 K
Announced: October 1998

Develop new, economically viable fuel cells that tolerate the high levels of carbon monoxide and that can operate with standard hydrocarbon fuels to provide power for residential and commercial service.

Requested ATP funds: $4,738 K
Est. project budget: $9,738 K
Announced: October 1998

Requested ATP funds: $3,159 K
Est. project budget: $6,377 K
Announced: October 1998

Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc. (Joplin, MO)
Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Company (Sunnyvale, CA)

Develop lithium-ion solid polymer batteries with twice the energy-carrying capacity of present batteries, potentially giving the United States the lead in the market for batteries to power portable electronic products and space vehicles.