Quick take: Many people remain skeptical about grid-scale storage. I believe there are numerous applications where it pencils out already. And I'm even more bullish

In announcing $43 million in new ARPA-E awards, Energy Secretary Steven Chu says  the 19 projects represent cutting-edge technologies that address remaining challenges in energy storage that could "revolutionize the way Americans store and use energy in electric vehicles, the grid and beyond, while also potentially improving the access to energy for the U.S. military at forward operating bases in remote areas."

Twelve of the projects ($30 million) are focused on maximizing the potential of existing battery chemistries to develop advanced sensing and control technologies that could dramatically improve and provide new innovations in safety, performance and lifetime for grid-scale and vehicle batteries. For example, Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, will develop an optical sensor to monitor the internal environment of a lithium-ion battery in real-time.  Here are a few of the other projects in this category:

·         Pennsylvania State University is developing an innovative design for electric vehicle battery packs that can reroute power in real-time between cells.

·         Palo Alto Research Center will develop new fiber optic sensors that are inserted into battery packs to monitor and measure batteries during charge and discharge cycles.

·         Ford Motor Company and Arbin Instruments will develop a high-precision battery testing device to improve battery-life forecasting and validation.