EERE Funding Opportunities

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) has released Circularity for Secure and Sustainable Products and Materials: A Draft Strategic Framework. The focus of this document is addressing and overcoming the unique challenges related to recirculation of products and materials at the end-of-use (EOU) or end-of-life (EOL) back into the economy. This document aims to describe EERE’s economic and environmental impact goals related to increasing product and material circularity and to communicate EERE’s work in advancing the approaches, strategies, and technologies that contribute to achieving those goals. It identifies opportunities, challenges, and enablers for advancing circularity as well as providing an overview of current efforts across EERE. Finally, this document provides a framework for prioritization of EERE funded research and development as well as a vision for future EERE activities related to product and material circularity.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related Circularity for Secure and Sustainable Products and Materials: A Draft Strategic Framework. This feedback will help to ensure EERE’s investments in this space are optimally positioned to address opportunities and challenges related to increasing circularity.

EERE is specifically interested in information on:

• Framework for prioritization of research and development as well as ways to maximize impact of the strategy
• Information related to significant opportunities, challenges, and enablers to increase product and material circularity
• Technology advancement needed to achieve EERE objectives
• Prioritization of future EERE investments

This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). EERE is not accepting applications.

This teaming partner list is for DE-FOA-0003373, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Provision 41007(b)(2), Wind Turbine Technology Recycling

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) entitled “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Provision 41007(b)(2), Wind Turbine Technology Recycling”.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) on behalf of the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). This funding opportunity is coordinated with Innovation Fund Denmark to support U.S.-Danish consortia collaborating on shared research objectives. EERE funds will be used to support the U.S. entity work through this FOA. Innovation Fund Denmark funds will be used to support Danish entity work through Innovation Fund Denmark’s corresponding funding opportunity.

The goals of this FOA are to:

• Advance floating offshore wind energy mooring technologies and methods towards cost-effective commercialization and industry growth;
• Encourage bilateral collaboration to increase the impact of research in the United States and Denmark; and
• Support research at U.S. minority-serving colleges and universities^[1](MSI) and facilitate new relationships between MSIs, other researchers, and industry participants.

[1] Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Other Minority Institutions as educational entities recognized by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Education, and identified on the OCR's Department of Education U.S. accredited postsecondary minorities’ institution list. See https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html.

Please Note: In the event that an applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance at eere-exchangesupport@hq.doe.gov

The anticipated FOA and any related activities support BIL Section 40208, Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Recycling and Second-Life Applications Program aimed at "research, development, and demonstration of:

• second-life applications for electric drive vehicle batteries that have been used to power electrive drive vehicles; and
• technologies and processes for final recycling and disposal of the [electric drive vehicle batteries].

Through this RFI, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) seeks to gain a better understanding of photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) technologies. SETO is looking to solicit information on PVT technology, including but not limited to business, state-of-the-art, regulatory statutes, and consumer opinion. SETO aims to summarize the information gathered from this RFI and will use the stakeholder feedback obtained to inform future program development.

Application Submission Deadline 12/31/2024

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. EERE will not pay for information provided under this RFI and no project will be supported as a result of this RFI. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives. EERE may or may not issue funding based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

This program is meant to seek innovative and replicable solutions to support electrified medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs), accelerate charging infrastructure deployment, reduce grid impacts through vehicle-grid integration (VGI) strategies, and drastically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in support of the Administration goals.

This FOA supports the administration goals laid out above by identifying potential solutions to address the current gaps in electrified MHDV charging infrastructure necessary to enable greater utilization of electrified fleets, and drastically reducing GHG emissions due to MHD trucks. The outcomes of this program will lead to accelerated deployment of large-scale EV charging infrastructure with clean energy resource technologies, as well as provide greater grid resiliency and reliability.

The teaming list is for FOA DE-FOA-0003371.

DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the formation of new project teams for the FOA. All entities interested in participating as part of an applicant team can provide their contact information for the Teaming Partner List. The list allows organizations to express their interest and to explore potential partners.

• Updates to the Teaming Partner List will be available on the EERE eXCHANGE website. The Teaming Partner List will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who have provided their organization’s teaming partner information.

• SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Any organization that would like to be included on this list should submit their information to Teaming Partner List via EERE eXCHANGE.

• DISCLAIMER: By submitting a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the requesting organization consents to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating the Teaming Partner List, DOE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List #TPL-0000060. DOE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any applicants or requesting organizations for the development of such information.

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0003371 FY24 Scale-up of Integrated Biorefineries supports higher risk bioenergy technologies that are ready to scale, ultimately demonstrating feedstock-conversion variations, or production pathways, to support commercialization and meet the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge goal of 35 billion gallons per year of SAF production by 2050 and the Clean Fuels and Products Shot goal of 50% projected demand for maritime, rail, off-road, and renewable carbon-based chemicals by 2050.

The activities to be funded under this FOA will support the advancement of cost-shared research, development, and demonstration projects with partners in industry, academia, and the National Laboratories focused on the design, construction, operation, and validation of new technology and feedstock pathways for engineering scale integrated biorefineries. The intent of this FOA is to reduce technology uncertainty and risk through cost-shared pilot- and demonstration-scale biorefinery projects. The FOA would support BETO’s multi-year strategic goals to 1) decarbonize the transportation sector through the production of cost-effective SAF and other strategic fuels, and 2) decarbonize the industrial sector through cost-effective and sustainable chemicals, materials, and processes utilizing biomass and waste resources.

Topic Area 1 will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project definition, development, and execution plans for the scaling of pre-pilot (TRL 5) biofuel technologies to pilot scale (TRL 6).

Topic Area 2 will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project definition, development, and execution plans for the scaling of pilot (TRL 6) biofuel technologies to demonstration scale (TRL 7-8).

Topic Area 3 supports scale-up activities to produce organic chemicals from renewable biomass and waste feedstocks that can replace those currently derived from petroleum. Topic Area 3 will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project definition, development, and execution plans for the scaling of pre-pilot and pilot (TRL 5-6) biochemical technologies to pilot and demonstration scale (TRL 6-8).

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY24BETOScale-Up@ee.doe.gov

See the full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in the DOCUMENTS section below. 

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 11/07/2024 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 01/16/2025 at 5PM ET.

The eXCHANGE system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.
Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission that results in a late submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues (including finalizing the submission on behalf of, and with the Applicant's concurrence). DOE will only accept late applications when the Applicant has a) encountered technical difficulties beyond their control; b) has contacted the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance; and c) has submitted the application through eXCHANGE within 24 hours of the FOA's posted deadline.

EERE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the widest possible national participation in the formation of applicant teams for this potential Notice of Funding Opportunity. The list allows organizations who may wish to participate in an application to express their interest to other potential applicants and to explore potential partners, including representation from Minority Serving Institutions (e.g., Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Other Minority Serving Institutions) and partnerships with Minority Business Enterprises, Minority Owned Business, Woman Owned Business, Veteran Owned Business, and/or Tribal Nations.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Please access Teaming List - Topic and Background from the Documents section below.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the requesting organization consents to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating the Teaming Partner List, DOE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. DOE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any applicants or requesting organizations for the development of such information.

This Teaming Partner List is for the FY25 Technology Commercialization Fund Base Annual Appropriations CLIMR Lab Call Notice of Intent (DE-LC-0000124).

To facilitate multi-lab or external partnerships, DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List (TPL) on Exchange. The TPL allows organizations that may wish to participate on an application to express their interest to explore potential partnerships with National Labs.

Updates to the Teaming Partner List will be available on the Exchange website. The Teaming Partner List will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who provide their organization’s information.

Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is to:

• Update title for Topic 3

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) entitled “Advanced Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies to Drive National Decarbonization.”

Clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are important elements of a comprehensive energy portfolio, particularly for use in hard-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy (such as heavy-duty transportation and industrial applications) and to enable long duration energy storage for a clean electric grid. Advancing clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies directly supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of achieving carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050, benefiting all Americans.

This NOFO supports the vision outlined in the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap: affordable clean hydrogen for a net-zero carbon future and a sustainable, resilient, and equitable economy. The NOFO will target research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) topics critical to scaling hydrogen infrastructure and enabling increased adoption of clean hydrogen across sectors, particularly in heavy-duty (HD) vehicles and other heavy-duty transportation applications, which supports the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. Increased adoption of hydrogen technologies will help achieve economies of scale and drive down costs, directly supporting the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) Program, an $8 billion federal investment to create networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and local connective infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier and a carbon-free input to a number of chemical and industrial processes. Improvements in clean hydrogen technologies will also contribute to the long-term viability of the H2Hubs and other commercial-scale deployments. Activities funded under this NOFO will also align with the H2@Scale Initiative, which aims to advance affordable hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization to enable decarbonization and revenue opportunities across multiple sectors. The NOFO’s objectives support DOE’s Hydrogen Shot goal, which targets affordable clean hydrogen production at $1/kg within a decade.

Hydrogen and fuel cells can provide benefits and create opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved—such as improving air quality, providing resiliency, and creating jobs, including good-paying union jobs. Consistent with DOE’s commitment to benefit all Americans, this anticipated NOFO will encourage the participation of underserved communities and underrepresented groups. Applicants will be encouraged to form meaningful and substantial partnerships with Minority Serving Institutions (e.g., Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Other Minority Institutions).

To support the goal of building a clean and equitable energy economy, projects funded under this NOFO will be expected to (1) advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA); (2) contribute to the Justice40 Initiative7 and other considerations linked with energy and/or environmental justice; and (3) invest in America’s workforce. To ensure these objectives are met, applications must include an RDD&D Community Benefits Plan (CBP) that addresses the three objectives stated above.

Hydrogen and fuel cells can help create opportunities and benefits for communities that have been historically underserved, such as improving air quality, providing resiliency, and creating jobs, including good-paying union jobs. Consistent with DOE’s commitment to benefit all Americans, this anticipated NOFO will encourage the participation of underserved communities and underrepresented groups.

EERE plans to issue the NOFO before or in October 2024 via the EERE eXCHANGE website https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/. If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding this NOFO, they should register in EERE eXCHANGE. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through EERE eXCHANGE.

Navigate to TPL-0000058 in EERE Exchange to access the Teaming Partner List for this solicitation.

This notice of intent (NOI) is issued so that interested parties are aware of EERE’s intention to issue this NOFO in the near term. All the information contained in this NOI is subject to change. EERE will not respond to questions concerning this NOI. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential applicants to submit questions.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) entitled “Fiscal Year 2025 Solar Module and Solar Hardware (SMASH) Incubator Notice of Funding Opportunity.”

This NOFO seeks to address the lack of sufficient private investment that is available to successfully commercialize research and development (R&D) and research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities and bring innovative solar photovoltaic (PV) technology to market. Prime recipients of awards funded through this NOFO will be for-profit entities, with institutions of higher education, for-profit entities, nonprofit entities, state and local governmental entities, and federally recognized Indian Tribes as eligible subrecipients to provide technical expertise, technology know-how, and technical validation capabilities.

Successful applications to this NOFO will be selected from three topic areas:

1. Crystalline silicon (c-Si) module technology, covering all segments of the c-Si PV module supply chain from input materials and production equipment through module assembly.
2. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) module technology, covering all segments of the CdTe PV module supply chain, including improvements in materials, processes, manufacturing, components, metrology, demonstration, recycling, and reclamation.
3. Non-module hardware technology, including structural and electrical components and tools that improve performance, functionality, reliability, or ease of installation for PV systems.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) intends to issue its base annual appropriated Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) solicitation, a call for proposals from DOE National Laboratories, DOE Plants and Sites (DOE National Labs and Facilities).The goal of TCF is to improve America’s energy competitiveness and security by accelerating commercialization of critical clean energy technologies from National Laboratories, Plants, and Sites to the market.

The estimated FY25 DOE funding available for this Lab Call is $30.1 to $36.8 million, based on the FY24 budget. The FY25 CLIMR Lab Call represents the combined effort of fourteen distinct DOE Program Offices and OTT.

This request for information (RFI) solicits public feedback on the draft Distributed Energy Resource Interconnection Roadmap prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) program. This roadmap covers interconnection solutions for distributed energy resources (DERs) that interconnect with the distribution and sub-transmission systems. Feedback from interconnection stakeholders regarding the Roadmap’s content (e.g., challenges, solution sets and key actions) will ensure the final version provides a comprehensive set of strategies to improve the interconnection process. Interconnection stakeholders include, but are not limited to, utilities, grid operators, grid reliability organizations, Tribal governments and utilities, Federal and state regulators, state and local governments, clean energy developers, energy justice groups, nonprofits, and trade associations.Read the draft i2X Distributed Energy Resource Interconnection Roadmap:

https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-09/Draft%20DER%20Interconnection%20Roadmap%20for%20RFI.pdf

Responses are due by 10/10/2024 by 11:59pm EST

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. EERE will not pay for information provided under this RFI andno project will be supported as a result of this RFI. This RFI is not accepting applications for financialassistance or financial incentives. EERE may or may not issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

The Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) is issuing this lab call to solicit proposals for the Energy I-Corps (EIC) program. The goal of EIC is to train researchers at DOE National Laboratories, and DOE plants, and sites to identify market pathways for their technology. This call solicits proposals from DOE National Laboratory, plant, and site technology transfer offices to participate in EIC, for researchers to develop skills in commercialization, and to investigate the market potential for DOE-funded technologies at a critical juncture on the path toward commercialization.

OTT expects to award up to $500K across Topics 1 and 3 in this instance of the EIC lab call, depending on FY25 appropriations. However, additional funding may be available based on proposals' alignment with DOE program office goals. Individual DOE program offices and partner agencies, including OTT, will review and assess relevant applications for possible selection and funding.

DOE expects to select EIC projects in the following three topics:

Topic 1: EIC Pipeline Development - This topic seeks proposals for projects and programming that have the potential to directly increase participation in EIC Training Cohorts (Topic 2) in future EIC lab calls.

Deadline - October 18, 2024; 3pm (ET)

Topic 2: EIC Training Cohort (Cohort 20) - This topic seeks team applications to participate in EIC Cohort 20. Selected teams of researchers will participate in an intensive two-month, curriculum-based program to learn the principles of the business model canvas, define value proposition, and identify customer segments. Teams will develop hypotheses on these elements and interview at least 75 stakeholders as part of the customer discovery process to iterate on their business model canvas and to better understand the market’s adoption readiness of the lab technology. Application *only for Topic 2* via MS Forms. Nothing needs to be submitted to EERE Exchange.

Link: https://forms.office.com/g/hvb2HKWGN2

Deadline - October 18, 2024; 3pm ET

Topic 3: Post EIC - This Topic is an opportunity to continue advancing EIC Topic 2 technologies toward commercialization. The technology must 1) be from a DOE Laboratory or DOE plant or site AND 2) have gone through either EIC Training Cohort (Topic 2) or the U.S. National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps. EIC Training Cohort graduates and non-graduates can apply to this topic. However, non-graduates are limited to individuals who are employed by or have a contractual relationship with a DOE National Lab, DOE plant or site (e.g. Technology Transfer Office personnel).

Deadline - October 18, 2024; 3pm (ET)

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on behalf of the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO). The intent of this RFI is to solicit feedback from affected stakeholders on the EES2 Initiative in general and on the draft Microelectronics Energy Efficiency Scaling for 2 Decades (EES2) Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) Roadmap that accompanies this RFI.

The EES2 roadmap focuses on the energy efficiency of computing and the computing stack. Therefore, we have divided our roadmap into eight specialized working groups, each focusing on specific layers of the computing stack or on enabling technologies and approaches. Working group deliberations focused on identifying key emerging, energy-efficient technologies and their challenges and solutions. The EES2 working groups for version 1.0 are:

a. Materials and Devices (MnD)

b. Circuits and Architectures (CnA)

c. Advanced Packaging and Heterogenous Integration (APHI)

d. Algorithms and Software (AnS)

e. Power and Control Electronics (PaCE)

f. Manufacturing Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (MEES)

g. Metrology and Benchmarking (MnB)

h. Education and Workforce Development (EWD)

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to micro.electronics@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (EDT) on September 30, 2024. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery.

This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives. EERE may or may not issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

Please see the full RFI document in the Documents section below.

Amendment 000001:  The purpose of Amendment 000001 is to revise the Funding Opportunity Announcement to add a work performance requirement for AOI 2 eligible applicants (universities/institutions of higher education) where they must perform at least 70% of the project work.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) seeks applications to address priorities in several areas critical to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, including: development of innovative battery chemistries and component materials, reduction of cascading battery fires, and battery electrode, cell, and pack manufacturing cost reduction.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Oceans of Opportunity: U.S. Wave Energy Open Water Testing”.

This FOA supports WPTO’s efforts to advance the commercial readiness of wave energy technologies through open water testing and system validation at multiple scales, serving the broader goals of the Biden administration to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050“ to the benefit of all Americans.

Topic Area 1 leverages wave energy technologies that provide power to distributed blue economy applications.

Topic Area 2 aims to develop functional wave energy technologies for coastal and island stakeholders (may or may not be grid-connected).

Topic Area 3 allows for maturing grid connected technologies that demonstrate reliable power generation direct to a utility.

This notice of intent (NOI) is issued so that interested parties are aware of EERE’s intention to issue this FOA in the near term. All of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. EERE will not respond to questions concerning this NOI. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential applicants to submit questions.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled, entitled “Oceans of Opportunity: U.S. Wave Energy Open Water Testing,” on or about September 2024, via the EERE Program Information Center website https://epicweb.ee.doe.gov/EPICWeb.

If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding this FOA, they should register in the EERE Program Information Center. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through the EERE Program Information Center.

Register and create an account in the EERE Program Information Center at https://epicweb.ee.doe.gov/EPICWeb using your Login.gov account.

For more information, the following training materials will cover the process of registering for an account and managing user accounts (for AORs and AAs).

• Account Registration (Video)
• Account Registration: Individual (Quick Guide)
• Account Registration: Industry, Academia, Non-Profit, and Government (Quick Guide)
• How to Manage Users (Video)

Amendment 000001 - The RFI has been amended to provide additional time for interested parties to respond. The new submission deadline is September 30, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET. 

Description

Wood is an important renewable source of fuel for residential heat, with 10% of American households (approximately 13 million) burning wood for heat and 2% using wood as their primary heat source. Although wood heaters provide a small percentage of energy used in residences in the United States, the devices are a substantial source of particulate matter emissions. These emissions contain fine particulate matter (PM) along with other pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), toxic air pollutants (e.g., benzene and formaldehyde), and black carbon. Improvements in the design and automation of wood heaters have the potential to significantly reduce emissions and increase efficiency. In addition to wood heater design, proper installation and operation also determine the level of emissions and efficiency of residential wood heaters.
As innovation has driven the improved performance of residential wood stoves, they have become more efficient and cleaner burning, as proven by laboratory certification tests. Measuring stoves’ performance as they burn in residences with real user behavior (in-situ) will give more insight into the stoves’ efficiency as well as the indoor and outdoor air quality. Collecting in-situ data will provide both industry and government with information to guide further innovation of cleaner and more efficient wood stoves and the best use of renewable wood feedstocks.

Background

Since fiscal year 2019 the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), an element of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), has been the steward of funds to support the development of cleaner burning, higher efficiency residential wood heaters. These funds have supported topics in Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA), Wood Heater Design Challenge (WHDC) competition, a FY23 Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) call, and a series of workshops held in 2022. A recommendation from the March 2022 workshop series was to focus on the in-situ testing of wood heaters to better understand their actual performance as influenced by many factors, including but not limited to operator control, chimney design, climate, and wood quality. This RFI seeks further input from stakeholders to define the goals and objectives for a planned effort to collect in-situ wood heater performance data.

Purpose

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues and considerations related to testing residential wood stoves in-situ to enable the development of cleaner, more efficient wood heaters. The planned in-situ field data collection effort will monitor wood heater performance in operation by the homeowner rather than an imposed duty cycle in a laboratory environment. EERE is specifically interested in input in identifying the most important parameters to measure, considerations of in-situ test design, data collection methods, operator behavior, and other input surrounding in-situ testing.

This is solely a request for information and not a FOA. EERE is not accepting applications.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to woodheat@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on September 30, 2024. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 5 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

Please see the full RFI document in the Documents section below.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) on behalf of the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), as well as the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). The goals of this FOA are to:

• Drives accelerated U.S. floating offshore wind deployment.
• Aids the transition to fixed-bottom platform concepts that simplify port and vessel constraints.
• Advances technologies to monitor bird and bat presence and behavior to understand risk to species from offshore wind deployment.
• Leverages the strengths of the existing industrial base in the Great Lakes region to engage with the national and global offshore wind market.
• Seeds a university education and research ecosystem to support the technical needs of the U.S. floating offshore wind industry and other stakeholders and develop the next generation of technical leadership for the industry in the United States.
• Advances the understanding of lightning occurrence and mitigation at offshore wind farms to improve protection from lightning strikes.

Please Note: In the event that an applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance at eere-exchangesupport@hq.doe.gov

MOD 0001
The RFI response deadline has been extended to 9/26/2024 at 5:00pm ET.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gather input from stakeholders across the clean energy innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem regarding optimal strategies and opportunities to expand the quality, reach, impact, and equity of the Lab Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP). The information being sought under this RFI is intended to assist the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) as it considers approaches to and degrees of centralization and inter-node coordination. Resulting changes, along with other activities, will ensure LEEP is one of the nation's most recognizable, inclusive, and expansive programs to support entrepreneurs and accelerate the development and deployment of impactful clean energy technologies at scale.

This is a RFI only. EERE will not pay for information provided under this RFI and no project will be supported as a result of this RFI. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives. EERE may or may not issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

Please see the RFI document below in the Documents section.

Responses to the RFI should be submitted to: LEEP@ee.doe.gov and EERE will not accept responses after September 19, 2024 5:00pm ET.

This Teaming Partner List is for the DE-FOA-0003136 Connected Communities 2.0 FOA.

A teaming partner list may be used to facilitate the formation of new project teams for the announcement/topic area. The list allows organizations to express their interest and to explore potential partnerships, including representation from Minority Serving Institutions (e.g., Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)/Other Minority Serving Institutions); and partnerships with Minority Business Enterprises, Minority Owned Businesses, Woman Owned Businesses, Veteran Owned Businesses, or tribal nations.

Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is extend the Full Application deadline from October 10, 2024 to October 16, 2024 due to natural disaster, Hurricane Milton, impacting the ability of applicants to complete and submit an application by the deadline.

The “Connected Communities 2.0: Innovations to Manage Growing Transportation, Building, and Industrial Loads to the Grid” Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is designed to address major new loads from transportation, industry, and buildings on the electric grid by providing new tools for users, planners, and operators of the electric grid. This FOA has two major topical areas:

1. Connected Communities 2.0, focused on grid edge technical measures in buildings, industry, and transportation to prepare the electric grid for these new loads, and improve the resilience of customers and the grid; and

2. Smart Charge Management (SCM), focused on various unique urban, suburban, and rural use cases to build confidence in SCM as an effective approach for electric vehicles (EVs) to provide flexibility and value to the electric grid.

The learnings from these projects should enable electric system planners and operators, strategic planners, regulators such as Public Utility Commissions (PUCs), and other stakeholders to understand and plan for new load growth and peak loads driven by electrification, growth in manufacturing, and new computing developments; and to plan for physical and cyber threats to reliability and resilience, while keeping costs affordable for customers and ratepayers. To achieve this end, the cohort of awarded projects will pursue three primary goals. First, the cohort will demonstrate how smart and coordinated management of EVs and other distributed energy resources (DERs), including the integration of efficiency, smart electrical panels, solar, heat pumps, controls, EV charging, and storage can together provide grid support, reduce system costs, and improve the economics of customer technology adoption, at a scale sufficient to enable confidence in wide-scale adoption. The second goal is to demonstrate approaches that enable acceptance by utilities, PUCs, and communities of smart charge management, grid-edge technical measures and innovative planning strategies as valid methods towards right sizing investments in the distribution system. The third and final major goal for the cohort is to demonstrate approaches towards improved resilience for communities, end-use customers, and the overall grid in the face of growing loads, extreme weather events, cyber threats, and increasing reliance on the electric grid through the use of grid edge technical measures.

This FOA will award an estimated $65M, and is a cross office FOA co-funded by BTO, VTO, SETO, IEDO, GTO, and OE.

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to CCPilotsFOA@ee.doe.gov

MOD 0001

The FOA has been modified to remove the cost share reduction option for Topic Area 1, Area of Interest 3. Revisions have been made in Section I.B.i and III.B to delete the cost share reduction language.

To realize a clean, decarbonized economy, we must drive innovation to transform resources, materials, and manufacturing for energy applications. The U.S. ramp up of production of technologies that are needed for this energy transition will require new materials, new manufacturing processes, and new circular materials flows. The modernization of manufacturing can help bring these innovations on-line at the needed scale and quality faster. Smart manufacturing provides a systemic approach for this modernization that holds great promise to significantly improve productivity, efficiency, safety, security, and sustainability of U.S. manufacturing and energy systems.

Smart manufacturing refers to the suite of platform technologies that directly support the digital transformation of the manufacturing enterprise across the entire production lifecycle, which includes design, process, production, supply network, and enterprise levels. Platform technologies are manufacturing technologies that can be applied to manufacture multiple products. This FOA applies smart manufacturing across four topic areas:

1. Smart Manufacturing for a Circular Economy
2. Smart Manufacturing of Tooling and Equipment for Sustainable Transportation
3. Smart Manufacturing for High Performance Materials
4. Smart Technologies for Sustainable and Competitive U.S. Mining.

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to SM.FOA.FY24@ee.doe.gov.

Please note: In the event that an application experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov.

This Teaming Partner list is for DE-FOA-0003323: Water Power Innovation Network

A teaming partner list may be used to facilitate the formation of new project teams for the announcement/topic area. The list allows organizations to express their interest and to explore potential partnerships.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting information and feedback on areas relating to activities in the Conversion Research & Development (R&D) Program. This RFI is focused on understanding the supply chains for production and uses of renewable propane and other renewable gaseous intermediates. Specifically, DOE would like to understand the potential for R&D to increase the viability of renewable propane to pursue new production pathways to sustainable aviation fuel and other high-impact products from municipal waste; agricultural residue; forest resources; and fats, oils, and greases.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industrial entities that currently produce, or are considering producing, renewable propane and other renewable gaseous intermediates. EERE is specifically interested in information on the costs and benefits to a refinery that hydroprocesses biogenic fats, oils, and greases of utilizing renewable propane produced in situ as process energy compared to separation and recovery of the renewable propane for sale externally in the propane market.

This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). EERE is not accepting applications.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to RenewablePropaneRFI@ee.doe.govno later than 5:00p.m. (ET) on August 5, 2024. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Preferred responses should be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) (10 page limit) and/or Microsoft Excel (.xslx) attachments to the email. If necessary, a plain text file (.txt) may be submitted. Only electronic responses will be accepted. Please identify your answers by responding to a specific question or topic if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

Please see the full RFI document in the Documents section below.

DE-FOA-0003323: Water Power Innovation Network

AMENDMENT 00001: The purpose of this modification is to adjust the timeline for this FOA, which includes changes to the following dates and a revised Statement of Project Objectives template.

• Submission Deadline for Concept Papers
• Submission Deadline for Full Applications
• Expected Date for EERE Selection Notifications
• Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiations

AMENDMENT 00002: See details under Modifications on pages 2-4 of the FOA. Full details are included in the FOA. In summary, the purposes of this modification are to add clarity to the proposed programming and services during Budget Period 1; and clarify the Content and Form of the Concept Paper and Full Application to include language for the Technical Volume Work Plan and down-select deliverables. SOPO template included.

AMENDMENT 00003: See details under Modifications on pages 2-4 of the FOA. Full details are included in the FOA. In summary, the purposes of this modification are to update the Expected Date for EERE Selection Notifications and Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiations, add clarification to the down-select deliverables and add clear requirements to the Content for the Full Application regarding what information to include for Budget Period 1 versus Budget Period 2. Revised SOPO template included.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) is issuing this $4.8 million funding opportunity announcement (FOA) “Water Power Innovation Network” to support business creation, entrepreneurship, and regional innovation for water power systems and solutions. WPTO enables research, development, and testing of emerging technologies to advance marine energy as well as next-generation hydropower and pumped storage systems for a flexible, reliable grid.

Through this FOA, WPTO seeks to fund new and/or expanded incubator or accelerator programs that enable entrepreneurship and accelerate water power innovation, business creation, and growth in communities and regions throughout the United States. Through this FOA, new and/or expanded incubators and accelerators in water power will be able to collaborate with one another and build a stronger water power innovation network in support of accelerating water power technologies to market.

Topic Area 1: Water Power Incubation and Acceleration. This topic area will fund programs that accelerate the commercialization and adoption of water power systems and solutions through incubation and acceleration programming and services that support entrepreneurs and small businesses in marine energy and/or hydropower.

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to WPTOFOA@ee.doe.gov.

Please note: In the event that an application experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov.

This opportunity is now open for Round 2, Topic Area 4.

• Modification 0003 - Open Round 2, See the Modification table in the FOA document for additional modification actions.
• Modification 0002 - See the Modification table in the FOA document.
• Modification 0001 - See the Modification table in the FOA document.

Awards made under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The BIL is a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure, which will grow a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable economy through enhancing U.S. competitiveness, driving the creation of good-paying union jobs, and ensuring stronger access to economic, environmental, and other benefits for disadvantaged communities. The BIL appropriates more than $62 billion to the Department of Energy (DOE) to invest in American manufacturing and workers; expand access to energy efficiency; deliver reliable, clean and affordable power to more Americans; and deploy the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy demonstrations.

As part of and in addition to upgrading and modernizing infrastructure, DOE’s BIL investments will address the climate crisis and support efforts to build a clean an equitable energy economy that achieves zero carbon electricity by 2035, and puts the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050 to benefit all Americans.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Geothermal Technologies Office’s (GTO) 2022 Enhanced Geothermal Shot^TM analysis, building on the 2019 GeoVision report, concludes that with aggressive technology improvements, in areas relevant to enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), geothermal power generation could provide 90 gigawatts-electric (GWe) firm, flexible power to the U.S. grid by 2050.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems are engineered geothermal reservoirs, created where there is hot rock (175-300+°C), but little to no natural permeability and/or fluid saturation. During EGS development, subsurface permeability is enhanced via safe, well-engineered reservoir stimulation processes that re-open pre-existing fractures, create new ones, or a combination of both. These open conduits increase permeability and allow fluid to circulate throughout the hot rock. The fluid transports the otherwise stranded heat to the surface where clean, renewable electricity can be generated with current power generation technologies.

Relative to other geothermal resources, EGS have the potential to provide the most growth in the electric sector, and in the GeoVision scenarios, support noteworthy growth within the non-electric sector for district heating and other direct-use applications. This potential expands if superhot EGS resources (>375°C) are accounted for. Without significant and sustained investment in EGS technology development and demonstrations to refine our ability to access and develop these resources, however, the 90 GWe target will not be achieved.

The Topic Area addressed under this FOA is:

Topic Area 4: Eastern-US EGS Demonstrations (OPEN)

EGS stimulation demonstration located at a well-characterized Eastern U.S. site, with existing well(s) in place and near-term electrical and/or thermal power production potential.

PLEASE DO NOT upload the Letter of Intent or ANY application documents to closed Topic Areas 1, 2, or 3. These will not be accessed or reviewed, applicants risk Topic Area 4 full applications not being retrieved in the eXCHANGE system if submitted incorrectly. 

See the 'Full FOA Document' in the DOCUMENTS section below.

Teaming Partner list: Any organization that would like to be included on this list should submit the following information: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, Brief Description of Capabilities, and Area of Interest. Interested parties should email the information to BIL_EGSPilotDemos@ee.doe.gov with the subject line “Teaming Partner Information.”

Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent by 5:00pm ET on the due date listed in the FOA to be eligible to submit a Full Application. Letters of Intent and Full Applications will only be accepted through EERE eXCHANGE.

The purpose of Amendment 000002 is to revise the Funding Opportunity Announcement to revise Section I.B. Area of Interest 1 - General Requirements Item 11. - Definition of Project Progress Cells (PPCs) and Project Completion Cells (PCCs).

The purpose of Amendment 000001 is to revise the Funding Opportunity Announcement to add additional funding to Area of Interest 3, increase the total Estimated Funding total, increase the number of Estimated Funding Revised number of awards, and revise Section IV.D.vii. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) seeks research projects to address priorities in the following areas: the increase in energy density of battery cells containing phosphate-based cathodes; the development of innovative technologies capable of significantly decreasing greenhouse gases; the production and manufacturing of new high-performance E–steels using domestic resources; the advancement of state of the art Na-ion batteries; the improvement of efficiency and convenience of the mobility-system using V2X; the development of planning tools and/or models to identify, quantify, and assess the impact of convenience strategies on regions and/or communities; addressing vulnerabilities and potential cybersecurity threats posed by the nature of EVs and charging infrastructure integrated with the grid, to improve fuel economy and reduce GHG emissions with the goals of carbon pollution free electricity by 2035 and net-zero of GHG emissions by 2050.

DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the formation of project teams for this FOA. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations that may wish to participate on a project to express their interest to other applicants and explore potential partnerships.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: View the Teaming Partner List by visiting the EERE eXCHANGE homepage and clicking on Teaming Partners within the left-hand navigation pane. This page allows users to view published Teaming Partner Lists. To join the Teaming Partner List, submit a request within eXCHANGE. Select the appropriate Teaming Partner List from the drop-down menu and fill in the following information: Investigator Name, Organization Name, Organization Type, Topic Area, Background and Capabilities, Website, Contact Address, Contact Email, and Contact Phone.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the requesting organization consents to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating the Teaming Partner List, DOE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. DOE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any applicants or requesting organizations for the development of such information.

Private, for-profit manufacturing entities—the target applicants for this FOA—would benefit greatly from developing strong partnerships within this ecosystem. As such, applicants are strongly encouraged to form teams for projects under this FOA. Applicants are encouraged to partner with academia, national laboratories, other industry members, supply chain partners, equipment developers, and institutions representing a diversity of individuals, such as, but not limited to, Tribal communities, minority serving institutions,[1] minority business enterprises, minority-owned businesses, woman-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, or entities located in underserved communities. Applicants are particularly encouraged to partner with a diverse set of organizations to advance demonstration and field-testing activities.

[1] Minority serving institutions (MSIs) include historically Black colleges and universities/other minority institutions as educational entities recognized by the Office of Civil Rights and U.S. Department of Education and identified on the Office of Civil Rights' Department of Education accredited postsecondary minorities’ institution list. See www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html.

DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the formation of project teams for DE-FOA-0003346, Geothermal Technologies Office Geothermal Resources’ Value in Implementing Decarbonization (GTO GRID) FOA.

Coordination with utility entities is encouraged in support of the FOA goals. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations that may wish to participate on a project to express their interest to other applicants and explore potential partnerships.

The Teaming Partner List will be available on EERE eXCHANGE and will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who provide their organization’s information.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: View the Teaming Partner List by visiting the EERE eXCHANGE homepage and clicking on “Teaming Partners” within the left-hand navigation pane. This page allows users to view published Teaming Partner Lists. To join the Teaming Partner List, submit a request within eXCHANGE. Select the appropriate Teaming Partner List from the drop-down menu and fill in the following information: Investigator Name, Organization Name, Organization Type, Topic Area, Background and Capabilities, Website, Contact Address, Contact Email, and Contact Phone.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the requesting organization consents to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating the Teaming Partner List, DOE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. DOE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any applicants or requesting organizations for the development of such information.

The GTO GRID FOA seeks applications from teams focused on geographic regions defined within specific power pools, joint utilities groups, utility service territories, or Tribal jurisdictions in the conterminous U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories to quantify the value of geothermal power in supporting an equitable transition to a future decarbonized grid and economy. Regional grid modeling studies should use one or more analysis approaches and tools such as capacity expansion modeling, production cost modeling, Loss-of-Load based analyses, machine learning applications, and/or alternate modeling or market design approaches.

GTO’s mission is to increase geothermal energy deployment through research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of innovative technologies that enhance exploration and production. Its vision is a vibrant domestic geothermal sector that contributes to a carbon-pollution free electric sector by 2035 and a net-zero emission economy by 2050 while providing economic opportunities and environmental benefits for all Americans. GTO supports geothermal energy RD&D activities in six research areas aimed at increased access, reduced costs and improved economics, and improved education and outreach about geothermal resources. DOE’s 2023 Enhanced Geothermal Shot^TM analysis concludes that with aggressive technology improvements in areas relevant to enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), geothermal electricity generation could provide 90 GWe of firm, flexible power to the US electric grid by 2050.

Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration. This FOA will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050“ to the benefit of all Americans. DOE is committed to pushing the frontiers of science and engineering, catalyzing clean energy jobs through research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D), and ensuring environmental justice and inclusion of underserved communities.

Geothermal power offers a unique value proposition to support the United States’ target of 100% carbon-pollution-free electricity by 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. Traditionally, geothermal power is well understood as a clean, firm generation resource with a high capacity factor, 24/7 availability, and minimal land use footprint. Moreover, the advent of flexible geothermal operations and geothermal power coupled with storage technologies broadens the breadth of services that geothermal power could provide to a decarbonizing grid.

This FOA supports the administration goals laid out above by catalyzing regional grid modeling studies that quantify the potential contribution of geothermal power in supporting an equitable transition to a future decarbonized grid and economy. The research and development (R&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will quantify the value of geothermal power to a decarbonized grid.

General Topic Area:

Value of Geothermal Power Topic Area

Project teams are required to propose grid modeling and/or analysis approaches tailored to their specific grid region of interest examining one or more of the following geothermal power attributes:

a)      Firm capacity to support resource adequacy

b)      Flexible geothermal power and ancillary services to the grid and/or to a deferrable load

c)      Integrated value of geothermal power with storage technologies

d)      Total system impact of geothermal power to cost of grid decarbonization

In addition to choosing one or more of the above attributes for examination, project teams are required to incorporate elements of understanding geothermal power’s contribution to an equitable transition within the proposal.

MOD000003: The purpose of FOA Modification 000003 is to revise the page limit of the Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO) document in Section IV. Application and Submission Information.

MOD000002: The purpose of FOA Modification 000002 is to revise anticipated federal funding amounts in Section I.B ii, Section I.B.iii, and Section II.A.i.

MOD000001: The purpose of FOA Modification 000001 is to revise Section I.B.iv Topic Area 3: Solar and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Permitting Software, Outreach, Education, and Development, Section I.C.iiTopic Area 3, Section I.E Authorizing Statues, and Section II.A.i Estimated Funding.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the Fiscal Year 2024 Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator funding opportunity (FOA), which will provide up to $50.5 million for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that de-risk solar hardware, manufacturing processes, and software products across a wide range of solar technology areas.

The research and development (R&D) and demonstration (RD&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will support the DOE decarbonization goals by advancing innovative solar hardware, software, and manufacturing processes across a broad range of technology readiness levels, from laboratory-scale to pilot-scale testing and prototype demonstration.

Technologies of interest include photovoltaics (PV), systems integration, and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) technologies, as well as those that connect solar with storage or electric vehicles and dual-use PV applications like agrivoltaics and vehicle-integrated PV. SETO encourages for-profit applicants to team with diverse institutions including academic institutions, non-profits, state and local governments, and Tribal governments.

The FOA also seeks projects that provide outreach, education, or technology development for software that delivers an automated permit review and approval process for rooftop solar PV with or without energy storage. Both for-profit and non-profit entities are eligible to apply under this topic.

SETO expects to make between 11 and 23 awards ranging from $1 million to $6 million under this FOA. Learn more about past Incubator funding program awardees.

Prior to submitting a full application for this opportunity, a mandatory concept paper is due July 19 at 5 p.m. ET.

Applicants can also access free Application Education Services through the American-Made Network and can engage with Power Connectors.