Republican criticism of federal government efforts to fund new energy technologies has spilled over to ARPA-E, the U.S. Department of Energy's popular program for backing high-risk innovations in energy. Republican vice president nominee Paul Ryan last year voted to slash ARPA-E's budget, and presidential candidate Mitt Romney's energy plan says the program should focus on basic research.
Such views could rule out giving money to companies like tiny, 35-person startup Envia Systems, located in Newark, California. Following a $4 million grant from ARPA-E, it says it's within sight of commercializing a high-capacity battery that would cut electric car battery prices in half.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Should the Government Support Applied Research? - Technology Review
