The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has issued, on behalf of the Technology-to-Market Team in the Office of Strategic Programs, a Notice of Intent (NOI), to notify interested parties of EERE’s intention to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the 2017 Solar Decathlon. Please see the full NOI in the "FOA Documents" section below.
The Solar Decathlon is a high-profile DOE-branded education and workforce development program for university-level students. The two-year program culminates in a competition among 20 solar-powered, high efficiency houses designed and built by multidisciplinary collegiate teams. The competition also serves as a public demonstration of EERE technologies. The competition demonstrates that an aesthetically beautiful and well-designed house can generate enough thermal and electrical energy to meet the needs of a single-family household. More information about past Solar Decathlons is available at http://www.solardecathlon.gov.
It is anticipated that the FOA may include the following Areas of Interest:
Topic 1: Solar Decathlon Program Administrator Selection -
DOE intends to select one recipient to organize, manage, and conduct the Solar Decathlon competitions in 2017 and 2019. This includes identifying and providing the competition location/venue, soliciting sponsorships, hosting the competitions, awarding prize money to the competitors, and promoting the mission and goals of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy through educational programs and outreach. A key near-term requirement will be to identify a new location/venue for the Solar Decathlon. The estimated period of performance for the Solar Decathlon Program Administrator Selection award will be approximately four years.
Topic 2: Solar Decathlon College Team Selection -
The planned Funding Opportunity Announcement will seek up to 20 collegiate teams to compete in the Solar Decathlon competition. The challenge to the teams competing in the Solar Decathlon is, in less than 24 months, to safely and effectively design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. For the first time in a Solar Decathlon competition, DOE intends to offer monetary prizes. For the Solar Decathlon 2017, DOE will award up to $2,000,000 in prizes to teams that are selected to participate via the FOA, and that bring an eligible house to the Solar Decathlon competition. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. There is no financial assistance provided for selected applicants under Topic 2. The prizes will be awarded to the same 20 lead organizational entities that submit applications to DOE under Topic 2, are selected by DOE to compete, and display their houses at the Solar Decathlon 2017 competition. The estimated time commitment for the Solar Decathlon Teams will be approximately two years.
Topic 2 will be open to all postsecondary education institution teams in the United States and around the world, but the competition focus is on design solutions for the United States. For more information about the competition, please visit http://www.solardecathlon.gov.
Please note that no applications will be accepted through this NOI. Please do not submit questions or respond to this NOI. All of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. Prospective applicants to the planned FOA should begin developing partnerships, formulating ideas, and gathering data in anticipation of the issuance of this FOA. It is anticipated that this FOA will be posted to the EERE Exchange website (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov) in late August 2015. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions.