Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) is joining the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to announce funding for 14 projects as part of ARPA-E’s newest program: Single-Pane Highly Insulating Efficient Lucid Design (SHIELD).  SHIELD project teams across the country, including at Argonne National Lab in Lemont, are developing innovative materials and structures that can reduce the heat lost through single-pane windows by more than half during the cold winter months.

“As one of the few members of Congress trained as an engineer, I'm extremely interested in supporting advanced technical research with the potential to yield lasting benefits for all Americans,” Rep. Lipinski said.  “Companies and countries around the world are racing to develop new energy technologies, and we need to make sure America is positioned to be the global leader in the field.  I will continue to push for more funding for research and development at Argonne, which will not only lead to new technologies for our nation but also lead to new companies and jobs.  This funding will help develop products that save both energy and money by improving the energy efficiency of windows during cold winter months, something we can all use in northern Illinois.”  

Many buildings have single-pane windows that do not insulate a building or its occupants well, and complete replacement of single-pane windows with efficient, modern windows is not always feasible due to cost, changes in appearance, and other concerns.  Retrofitting, rather than replacing single-pane windows, can reduce heat loss and save roughly the amount of electricity needed to power 32 million U.S. homes each year.  Argonne National Laboratory and its partners are developing a thin, transparent foam that can be manufactured with a low-cost, continuous fabrication process to improve thermal insulation and soundproofing in single-pane windows.

ARPA-E advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment.   ARPA-E awardees are unique because they are developing entirely new ways to generate, store, and use energy.