Penn will receive $2.4 million in funding to research turning buildings into carbon storage structures.

The Department of Energy recently awarded $39 million in grant funding to 18 universities and labs across the United States that are working to cut down the carbon footprint of various construction materials. The labs are trying to create replacements for things like concrete, wood, insulation, and paneling.

Led by DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), selectees for the Harnessing Emissions into Structures Taking Inputs from the Atmosphere (HESTIA) program will prioritize overcoming barriers associated with carbon-storing buildings, including scarce, expensive and geographically limited building materials. Decarbonization goals for the HESTIA program mirror President Biden’s plan to reach zero emissions by 2050 and aim to increase the total amount of carbon stored in buildings to create carbon sinks, which absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than released during the construction process.   

“There’s huge, untapped potential in reimagining building materials and construction techniques as carbon sinks that support a cleaner atmosphere and advance President Biden’s national climate goals,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This is a unique opportunity for researchers to advance clean energy materials to tackle one of the hardest to decarbonize sectors that is responsible for roughly 10% of total annual emissions in the United States.” 

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with material manufacturing and construction, renovation, and disposal of buildings at the end of their service life are concentrated at the start of a building’s lifetime, making them essential to address given the urgency of meeting national energy and environmental challenges. The following teams —representing universities, private companies and national laboratories — are set to develop and demonstrate building materials and net carbon negative whole-building designs. While this is a snapshot of the selectees, please check out the full list and detailed HESTIA project descriptions.

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