Solid-State Energy Conversion from Heat to Electricity Request for Information (RFI)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office is issuing an RFI to gather current state‑of‑the‑art information on solid‑state direct thermal‑to‑electric conversion technologies. Respondents are asked to describe existing capabilities, identify performance limits and potential improvements, and outline high‑impact applications. The RFI is purely informational—no contract award or funding is promised at this stage. • Provide details on the most efficient solid‑state converters (efficiency, temperature range, power, SWaP). • Quantify technical barriers and potential performance gains if those barriers are removed. • Identify applications (military, space, terrestrial) that would benefit from such converters and specify required performance thresholds. • Submit a concise technical response (max 9 pages) by 4 p.m. ET on 23 Nov 2026.