Making electric energy efficient at bargain prices

So long, kilowatt-hours lost. Hello, energy found. To enhance efficiency in electric energy transfers from high-voltage grids to your home's toaster and television, the U.S. Department of Energy's ARPA-E program awarded a $3.2 million grant in October to Monolith Semiconductor, an Ithaca-based startup company. Monolith Semiconductor exclusively uses the Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility (CNF) to make state-of-the-art silicon carbide MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor) switches, which can amplify or reduce large volumes of power during energy transfer. The MOSFET switches step down electricity from the grid to your home and office - with almost no energy loss. This means, for example, that future electric cars plugged into your carport likely will be easier to charge, travel longer distances on cheaper electricity and become less expensive to manufacture, says Kevin Matocha, Monolith Semiconductor president. Within four years, the company hopes to sell silicon carbide switches at today's cheap silicon prices.