Jennifer M. Granholm, the United States secretary of energy, visited a team of interdisciplinary and interinstitutional researchers led by Georgia Tech’s Lukas Graber at this week’s ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (The Summit) taking place this week in Washington, D.C.

Granholm and the team discussed the researchers’ current work on two ARPA-E funding projects, as well as the electrification of the economy in general.

“This was a wonderful opportunity to discuss the many exciting research areas our team is currently exploring,” said Graber, an associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “We share in Secretary Granholm’s vision of preparing and equipping the country with the tools needed to create a future where power distribution is more sustainable and resilient.”

At The Summit, the team is showcasing WattEDGE, a startup company emerging from Graber's lab with the goal of commercializing the cutting-edge research and tech developed in the lab. This week, the WattEDGE team presented on ARPA-E sponsored projects in collaboration with the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS) at Florida State University and University of Wisconsin– Milwaukee. Their EDISON project is developing hybrid direct-current circuit breakers for large electric ships and airplanes, while their TESLAproject aims to reduce sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) emissions in electrical power systems, respectively.

ARPA-E, or Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, is a United States government agency tasked with promoting and funding research and development of advanced energy technologies. The Summit serves as a platform for experts from various technical fields and professional communities to collaborate and brainstorm creative solutions to America's energy-related issues.