EERE Funding Opportunities

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 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.

In September 2022, the U.S. Departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency executed an historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the signatory agencies to accelerate our nation’s affordable and equitable clean transportation future.¹ As a result of the comprehensive decarbonization strategy called for in the MOU, those agencies issued the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, which set the goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the transportation sector – including off-road equipment – by 2050^2. The Transition to net-zero emission technologies requires coordination among all aspects of the supply chain, including feedstock supply, alternative fuel production, equipment manufacturers, safety implementation, customer demand, and government regulation. To develop a national strategy to decarbonize the sector, three critical questions must be addressed:

1. What is the current state of the off-road vehicle fleet?
2. Which powertrain technologies are most promising for decarbonization of off-road vehicles?
3. What is the timeline for the off-road sector to transition to net-zero emission GHG technologies?

“Off-road vehicles are primarily designed to operate away from existing roadways. This category contains a disparate and very diverse set of vehicles and use cases, including construction and mining equipment, industrial equipment, agriculture equipment, lawn and garden equipment, and recreational vehicles.”¹

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to understand the off-road sector alternative propulsion technology preferences, which technologies seem most promising, and what are the key barriers to achieving the transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. The propulsion technologies under consideration for this RFI are: biodiesel, renewable diesel, renewable natural gas, battery electric, direct electrification (catenary), electric hybridization, hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cells. Currently, no one alternative propulsion technology is a clear choice for sector decarbonization. This RFI is an attempt to aggregate knowledge from stakeholders to help guide actions regarding future propulsion technologies, research and infrastructure investments, and coordination among key stakeholders to ensure that the off-road sector is meeting or exceeding U.S. decarbonization milestones.

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 CleanMachines@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00p.m. (ET) on June 7, 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.

[1]https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/mou-doe-dot-epa-hud-final_09-15-2022.pdf

[2] https://www.energy.gov/eere/us-national-blueprint-transportation-decarboniation-joint-strategy-transform-transportation

Amendment 000001 - DOE is amending this FOA to extend the Full Application Submission Deadline, update the Replies to Reviewer Comments deadline, update the Expected Date for DOE Selection Notifications, and update the Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiations. 

Inflation Reduction Act Funding for Advanced Biofuels FOA

DE-FOA-0003178

BETO’s 2024 Systems Development and Integration (SDI) FOA is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. IRA Section 60108(b) authorized funds to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for new grants to industry in advanced biofuels. EPA and DOE entered an Interagency Agreement to transfer the funds to DOE and allow DOE to manage a FOA with substantial involvement from EPA. The FOA’s topic areas are of mutual interest for both the EPA’s priority in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program and DOE BETO’s priority in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge as well as SDI’s priority in supporting four demonstration-scale integrated biorefineries by 2030. For both topic areas of this FOA, the application must discuss how the proposed technology would meet the RFS definition of advanced biofuel, which means using allowable feedstocks, producing allowable fuel types, and with lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions of at least 50% compared to petroleum baseline.

Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden Administration. This FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals 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. For over a decade, EPA’s RFS program has helped develop the market for advanced biofuels, including the current production of billions of gallons of biomass-based diesel and renewable natural gas. These fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% compared to the petroleum fuels they replace.

As shown in the RFS Program: Standards for 2023-2025 final rule, the RFS continues to expand by increasing renewable volume obligations, while monitoring how renewable fuel production impacts the environment, national energy security, national infrastructure, the cost of fuels to consumers, and the impacts on job creation, agricultural commodity prices and supplies, rural economic development, and food prices.

There is a need for more feedstocks and conversion technologies to enable more advanced biofuels with the lowest cost of production and the greatest reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. 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. This FOA will support the Biden Administration’s action items to produce 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) per year and reduce aviation emissions by 20% by 2030 towards unlocking the potential for a fully zero-carbon aviation sector by 2050.

This FOA also supports high-impact technology R&D to accelerate the bioeconomy. BETO is focusing on applied RD&D to improve the performance and reduce the cost of biofuel production technologies and scale-up production systems in partnership with industry. By reducing cost and technical risk, BETO can help pave the way for industry to deploy commercial-scale integrated biorefineries and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sectors, such as the aviation industry. Additionally, this FOA will reduce risks in processing or co-processing biointermediates in legacy refinery infrastructure.

• Topic Area 1: Pre-pilot Scale-Up of Integrated Biorefinery Technologies
• Topic Area 2: Biointermediate Processing Toolbox

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

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.

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 03/22/2024 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 6/14/2024 at 5PM ET.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is issued by the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) to advance transformational cross-sector technologies and innovations needed to reduce industrial energy use and GHG emissions through high-impact applied research, development, and pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration projects. The RD&D activities to be funded under this FOA will advance the strategies identified in DOE’s Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap and will support the goals of the Industrial Heat Shot, ultimately helping put the nation on a pathway to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The Topic Areas included in this FOA are:

• Topic Area 1: Electrification of Industrial Heat
• Topic Area 2: Efficient Energy Use in Industrial Systems
• Topic Area 3: Decarbonizing Organic Wastewater and Wet Waste Treatment

IEDO expects additional funding opportunities to focus on transformational technologies to address subsector-specific challenges in energy- and emissions-intensive industries.

This FOA is part of DOE’s Technologies for Industrial Emissions Reduction Development (TIEReD) Program. This program leverages resources across DOE’s applied research offices to invest in fundamental science, research, development, initial pilot-scale demonstrations projects, and technical assistance and workforce development. Rooted in the principles identified in the 2022 Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, DOE is building an innovation pipeline to accelerate the development and adoption of industrial decarbonization technologies. The TIEReD Program leverages resources, expertise, and investments from the Offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), Nuclear Energy (NE), ARPA-E, and Science (SC) to achieve deep decarbonization across the U.S. industrial sector. The program complements the demonstration and large-scale deployment efforts led by DOE's Offices of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) and the Loan Programs Office (LPO).

MOD0001

Changes include an update to the following section:

In Section I.B. on page 9, within Topic Areas, the description of Tier 2 projects was updated to eliminate phases and to require 50% cost share.

MOD0002

Changes include updates to the folloing sections:

In Section I.B on page 11, within Topic Areas, an edit was made in the Note on IEDO FY23 Multi-Topic FOA paragraph. “…anticipated to be covered…” was removed in the first sentence.

In Section III.iii on page 34, within Topic Area Eligibility, an edit was made to the bulleted list of entities eligible as subrecipients but not eligible as prime recipients. “whether for profit or otherwise” was removed in the second bullet, Foreign Entities.

In Section III.B.vi. on page 37, within the first paragraph of the Cost Share Payment section, the last sentence was deleted.

MOD0003

Changes include updates to the following sections:

In Section I.B on page 28, within Topic Area 3, “Applications that employ algae in any part of the treatment process” was added to the Not of Interest statement.

MOD0004

Changes include updates to the following sections:

On the cover page of the FOA, the Submission Deadline for Full Applications has been updated to 3/26/2024 at 5:00 PM ET.

On the cover page of the FOA, the Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments has been updated to 5/3/2024 at 5:00 PM ET.

On the cover page of the FOA, the Expected Date of EERE Selection Notifications has been updated to 7/30/2024.

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).

Amendment 000001 - DOE is extending the submission deadline for this Request for Information to August 18th, 2023. 

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

The maritime industry set a goal to transition to net-zero emission fuels by 2050. This transformation requires coordination among all aspects of the shipping supply chain including feedstock supply, alternative fuel production, ship and engine manufacturers, port management, safety implementation, and government regulation. One of the largest and most nuanced discussions around emissions reduction is which alternative fuel(s) to utilize, which have primarily included biofuels (biodiesel, renewable diesel, bio-intermediates/residuals), renewable natural gas (RNG), methanol, hydrogen, and ammonia. Each fuel comes with its own set of regionally-sensitive advantages and disadvantages. This has made selection of future fuels extremely difficult and is one reason why the Mission Innovation: Zero Emission Shipping Mission (ZESM), which the United States co-leads with Norway, Denmark, the Global Maritime Forum, and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, was formed.

To date, the ZESM created and published our Industry Road Map and Action Plan. The purpose of this RFI is to understand the maritime industry’s current alternative fuels trajectory, the driving forces behind it, and the key barriers to achieving this transition to ensure the current ZESM Industry Road Map and Action Plan still align. ZESM co-lead, the Global Maritime Forum recently released the results of a 2022 survey, titled “The shipping industry’s fuel choices on the path to net zero”, which focused on shippers and a subset of alternative fuels. This RFI intends to supplement this survey and is an attempt to aggregate knowledge from stakeholders to help direct actions regarding future fuels. This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to ZESM@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on August 18th, 2023. 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 10 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

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

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

MOD 0001

Changes include updates to the following sections:

1. Section I.B. on page 36, within Topic 4: Technology Focus, correct the NAICS code reference: Change “basic organic chemicals (NAICS 325519)” to “all other organic chemicals (NAICS 325199)”.

2. Section III.F. on page 64, within Limitation on Number of CPs and full apps eligible for review, change language allowing for multiple CPs and applications to be submitted to the FOA by a single entity.

______________________________________________________________________

This Funding Opportunity (FOA), issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, on behalf of the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) will advance the strategies identified in the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap and Industrial Heat Energy Earthshot and will focus on cross-sector approaches for industrial decarbonization (such as thermal processing, low-carbon fuels utilization, and exploratory cross-sector topics), along with high-GHG-emitting subsectors (such as chemicals, iron and steel, food and beverage, cement and concrete, and forest products). By accelerating the development and adoption of sustainable technologies that increase efficiency and eliminate industrial GHG emissions, the research, development, and prototype or pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration activities to be funded under this FOA will contribute to a clean and equitable energy economy, bolster the technological and economic competitiveness of domestic manufacturing, and boost the viability and competitiveness of U.S. industrial technology exports.

This FOA is part of an integrated industrial decarbonization technology development strategy for DOE’s basic and applied research offices. Rooted in the principles identified in the 2022 Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, DOE is building an innovation pipeline to accelerate the development and adoption of industrial decarbonization technologies with investments spanning foundational science; research, development, and demonstrations (RD&D); and technical assistance and workforce development. DOE’s highly coordinated RD&D investments – leveraging resources and expertise from the Offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), Nuclear Energy (NE), and Science (SC) – are designed to achieve deep decarbonization across the industrial sector, targeting both industry-specific innovations and crosscutting technologies. This technology development strategy complements the demonstration and deployment efforts led by DOE's Offices of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) and the Loan Programs Office (LPO). This FOA and its associated projects are distinct from any existing or forthcoming efforts funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or Inflation Reduction Act, including activities related to Industrial Demonstration Projects..

The topics included are:

Topic 1: Decarbonizing Industrial Heat

Topic 2: Low-Carbon Fuels Utilization R&D

Topic 3a: Enabling Flexible Industrial Energy Use

Topic 3b: Enhanced Thermal Conductivity Materials

Topic 4: Decarbonizing Chemicals

Topic 5: Decarbonizing Iron and Steel

Topic 6: Decarbonizing Food and Beverage Products

Topic 7: Decarbonizing Cement and Concrete

EERE eXCHANGE is designed to enforce the deadlines specified in this FOA. The “Apply” and “Submit” buttons will automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. Should applicants experience problems with EERE eXCHANGE, the following information may be helpful.

Applicants that experience issues with submission PRIOR to the FOA deadline: In the event that an applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the applicant should contact the EERE eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (EERE-eXCHANGESupport@hq.doe.gov). The EERE eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE system administrators will assist applicants in resolving issues.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy intends to issue, on behalf of the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO), a funding opportunity announcement titled “IEDO FY23 Multi-topic FOA.”

This FOA will advance the strategies identified in the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap and Industrial Heat Energy Earthshot and will focus on cross-sector approaches for industrial decarbonization (such as thermal processing, , low-carbon fuels utilization, and exploratory cross-sector topics), along with high-GHG-emitting subsectors (such as chemicals, iron and steel, food and beverage, cement and concrete, and forest products). By accelerating the development and adoption of sustainable technologies that increase efficiency and eliminate industrial GHG emissions, the research, development, and prototype or pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration activities to be funded under this FOA will contribute to a clean and equitable energy economy, bolster the technological and economic competitiveness of domestic manufacturing, and boost the viability and competitiveness of U.S. industrial technology exports.

This FOA is part of an integrated industrial decarbonization technology development strategy for DOE’s basic and applied research offices. Rooted in the principles identified in the 2022 Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, DOE is building an innovation pipeline to accelerate the development and adoption of industrial decarbonization technologies with investments spanning foundational science; research, development, and demonstrations (RD&D); and technical assistance and workforce development. DOE’s highly coordinated RD&D investments – leveraging resources and expertise from the Offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), Nuclear Energy (NE), and Science (SC) – are designed to achieve deep decarbonization across the industrial sector, targeting both industry-specific innovations and crosscutting technologies. This technology development strategy complements the demonstration and deployment efforts led by DOE's Offices of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) and the Loan Programs Office (LPO).

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

EERE plans to issue the FOA in or about March 2023 via the EERE eXCHANGE website: https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/. If applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding this FOA, they should register in EERE eXCHANGE. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through EERE eXCHANGE.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs. The intent of this request is to inform DOE on best practices for the Home Energy Rebate programs to support durable market demand for installations that improve housing energy performance nationwide. The Home Energy Rebate programs are comprised of two provisions authorizing $8.8 billion in spending from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Sec. 50121 and Sec. 50122 of Pub. L. 117-169). Responses to this RFI will be used to create program guidance that will assist states, territories, and Indian Tribes in designing, managing, and improving Home Energy Rebate programs. The goal is to collect information that will ultimately support states, territories, and Indian Tribes in creating Home Energy Rebate programs that effectively serve U.S. households with technology products and services that reduce energy bills, increase home comfort, improve indoor air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. DOE will not pay for information provided under this RFI and no project will be supported because of this RFI. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives. DOE will consider responses to this RFI as it develops program guidance, expected to be issued as an Administrative and Legal Requirements Document (ALRD) in 2023.

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, DOE is not currently accepting applications. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to applicants to future funding opportunities regarding the subject matter.

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Responses to this RFI may be submitted in two ways. DOE prefers responses that are submitted via this online form: https://forms.office.com/g/iuwKCbKpJK. The form includes response boxes for all 60 questions included in this RFI. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish. Using this online form will allow DOE to sort and compare responses by question, which will help agency staff to more easily analyze the responses to inform program guidance.

Responses may also be submitted by email to IRAHomeRebates@hq.doe.gov. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, with no more than 10 pages in length, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. If submitting responses via email, please identify the specific question number and topic area to which your response is directed, if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

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Please find the full RFI in the DOCUMENTS section below..

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling.”

The activities to be funded under this FOA support Sec. 40314 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or BIL[1]), which amended Title VIII of the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005 to include a new section 815, “Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling” and a new section 816, “Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program.” Through these provisions, the BIL will invest $500 million for the development of manufacturing and recycling of clean hydrogen technologies, and $1 billion for electrolyzer development for the five (5) year period encompassing Fiscal Years (FYs) 2022 through 2026. This FOA will be an integral part of the programs developed under these provisions. In addition to this FOA (which includes up to $750M of the total $1.5B), other activities included in the programs will include funding for national laboratories, Small Business Innovative Research projects, Prizes, and additional FOAs or other funding mechanisms. These activities will support the broader government-wide approach to accelerate progress in clean hydrogen technologies and maximize the benefits of the clean energy transition as the nation works to curb the climate crisis, empower workers, and advance environmental justice.

[1] Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58 (November 15, 2021). https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684. This FOA uses the more common name “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

This notice of intent (NOI) is issued so that interested parties are aware of EERE’s intention to issue this FOA in the nearterm. 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) is issuing, on behalf of the Building Technologies Office (BTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled “Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) – 2022/2023”.

The 2022/2023 BENEFIT FOA will invest up to $15.35M - $45.2M across 5 topic areas to allow all interested parties to research and develop high-impact, cost-effective technologies and practices that will reduce carbon emissions, improve flexibility and resilience, as well as lower energy costs.

Topic 1: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning and Water Heating: Technologies with improved materials, components, equipment design and engineering, lower cost manufacturing processes, and easier installation.

Topic 2: Thermal Energy Storage (TES): Development and validation of next generation plug-and-play TES products with improved cost and performance and ease of installation to accelerate adoption of TES in HVAC applications.

Topic 3: Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): Development, validation, and demonstration of product innovations that reduce the cost of BESS integration, improve the coordination between distributed BESS and the electrical grid, as well as help meet building decarbonization targets.

Topic 4: Plug Loads/Lighting: Integration of plug load controls with connected lighting systems in commercial buildings with minimal cost and complexity to support building electrification.

Topic 5: Opaque Building Envelope: Development, validation, and demonstration of high-impact, affordable. opaque building envelope retrofit and diagnostic technologies.

BTO is compiling a “teaming” partner list to facilitate widespread participation in this FOA. This list allows organizations with expertise in the topics to express their interest to potential applicants and to explore potential partnerships. Please see the Teaming List section of the FOA document for more information.

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.

The Energy Policy Act of 19921 authorized the Secretary of Energy to establish a fund with the stated purpose of providing competitive grants to federal agencies to assist them in meeting the energy and water conservation requirements of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA), 42 U.S.C. 8253 (a)-(b). Through this authority, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) created the Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) program to provide direct funding to federal agencies for the development of capital projects to initiate, supplement, improve or otherwise increase the viability and deployment of widespread energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate change mitigation and adaptation-resilience technology at U.S. federal government-owned facilities. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 8256 (b) (3), FEMP will make selections and awards through a competitive process detailed in the Federal Agency Call (FAC).

FEMP will be seeking to make awards that support achievement of the Administration’s goals for federal leadership in clean energy, climate, environmental justice and equity as described in Executive Order (E.O.) 14057, Catalyzing America’s Clean Energy Economy Through Federal Sustainability, E.O. 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, and section 543 of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (Pub. L. 95-619), as amended through the Energy Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 117-58; EA2020), codified at 42 U.S.C. 8253.

Applications are sought from federal agencies for technical solutions that are in alignment with three Topic Areas:

Topic Area 1: Projects Under Development Facing Reductions in Scope Due to Adverse Changes in Fiscal/Economic Conditions.

Topic Area 2: Load Management Projects (Energy Performance Contracts)

Topic Area 3: Load Management Projects (Other Procurement Mechanisms)

-----------------------------

Please see the full text for the Federal Agency Call (FAC) in the DOCUMENTS section below.

Questions regarding the FAC must be submitted to AFFECT2022Approp@hq.doe.gov.

Answers to the questions will be posted to an excel spreadsheet found in the DOCUMENTS section below.

-----------------------------

EERE Exchange is designed to enforce the deadlines specified in this FAC. The “Apply” and “Submit” buttons will automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. Should Applicants experience problems with EERE Exchange, the following information may be helpful.

Applicants that experience issues with submission PRIOR to the FAC deadline:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the applicant should contact the EERE Exchange helpdesk for assistance (EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The EERE Exchange helpdesk and/or the EERE Exchange system administrators will assist Applicants in resolving issues.

Modification 0001:

This modification updates section references under Section IV.F. In addition, an “Energy Justice Report” template has been provided in the Application Forms and Templates section below under this FOA posting, and referenced in sections IV.C and IV.D.vi of the FOA document.

_______________________________________________________________________

The Office of State and Community Energy Programs is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled Energy Improvements at Public K-12 School Facilities - Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) - Renew America's Schools.

The activities to be funded under this FOA support BIL section 40541 and the broader government-wide approach to support projects that enable replicable and scalable impacts, create innovative, sustaining partnerships, leverage funding and economies of scale, focus on disadvantaged communities, improve student, teacher, and occupant health, enrich learning and growth, assist schools that serve as community assets (e.g., neighborhood cooling centers or disaster recovery shelters), and are crafted thoughtfully within the context of public school facilities (e.g., procurement restraints, construction windows, etc.).

Topic Area 1 – High-Impact Energy Efficiency and Health Improvements

Proposals contemplated under this topic area will include energy improvements that result in direct reduction to school energy costs, increase energy efficiency, and lead to improvements in teacher and student health, including indoor air quality. Energy cost savings may be realized by reduced loads and/or by demand flexibility and demand response approaches.

Topic Area 2 - Innovative Energy Technology Packages

Proposals contemplated under this topic include innovative energy technology packages. Applicants may include any improvement, repair, or renovation to a school that incorporates two or more of the following energy improvements:

DOE expects to make a total of approximately $80,000,000 of federal funding available for new awards under this FOA, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. DOE anticipates making approximately 20-100 awards under this FOA. DOE may issue one, multiple, or no awards. Individual awards may vary between $500,000 and $15,000,000.

Link to Energy Justice Dashboard: https://energyjustice-schools.egs.anl.gov/

Link to Needs Assessment Tools: School Needs and Benefits Assessment Resources | Department of Energy

SCEP is compiling a “teaming” partner list to facilitate widespread participation in this initiative. This list allows organizations with expertise in the topic to express their interest to potential applicants and to explore potential partnerships. Please see the Teaming List section of the FOA document for more information.

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.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Building Technologies Office (BTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) - 2022”.

This potential FOA is expected to support the development, validation, and demonstration of novel building technologies and retrofit practices that have significant potential for equitable carbon savings through building electrification, energy efficiency, and demand flexibility. The FOA will also enhance building and grid resilience, affordability of efficient technologies and practices, and ensure environmental justice and inclusion of underserved communities.

It is anticipated that the FOA may include the following Areas of Interest:

• Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Water Heating (WH)
• Thermal Energy Storage (TES)
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
• Plug Loads/Lighting
• Opaque Building Envelope

BTO is compiling a “teaming” partner list to facilitate widespread participation in this FOA. This list allows organizations with expertise in the topics to express their interest to potential applicants and to explore potential partnerships. Please see the Teaming List section of the NOI document for more information.

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of the 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 Notice. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions.

The State and Community Energy Program (SCEP) intends to issue Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Renew America's Schools FOA”. This potential FOA supports the implementation of Section 40541 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provides $500 million in grants for energy improvements through fiscal years 2022 - 2026 at public school facilities. DOE aims to facilitate substantial additional investment, prioritize schools with high needs, minimize administrative burden, and build enduring capacity in local educational agencies (LEAs) and the states to maximize impact equitably and efficiently.

DOE will encourage eligible applicants to consider projects that enable replicable and scalable impacts, create innovative, sustaining partnerships, leverage funding and economies of scale, target disadvantaged communities, improve student, teacher, and occupant health, enrich learning and growth, target schools that serve as community assets (e.g. neighborhood cooling centers or disaster recovery shelters), can be completed quickly, and are crafted thoughtfully within the context of public-school facilities (e.g. procurement restraints, construction windows, etc.). Project partners may include, but are not limited to, governmental entities such as states, local governments, and tribes; for-profit entities such as utilities and companies that provide energy services or manufacture energy systems; and non-governmental organizations such as community-based organizations, national associations, labor unions, workforce training providers, and energy-focused groups.

SCEP is compiling a “teaming” partner list to facilitate widespread participation in this initiative. This list allows organizations with expertise in the topic to express their interest to potential applicants and to explore potential partnerships. Please see the Teaming List section of the NOI document for more information.

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

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law FOA to Address Key Deployment Challenges for Offshore, Land-Based, and Distributed Wind.”

The activities under this FOA support Bipartisan Infrastructure Law section 41007(b)(1): Wind Energy and the broader government-wide approach to enable the innovations needed to advance U.S. wind systems, reduce the cost of electricity, and accelerate the deployment of wind power, maximize the benefits of the clean energy transition as the nation works to curb the climate crisis, empower workers, and advance environmental justice.

It is anticipated that the FOA may include the following Topic Areas:

1. High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) for Offshore Wind

2. Advancing Deployment of Distributed  Wind (ADD)

3. Wind Energy Social Science Research

4. Bat Deterrent Technology Development

EERE plans to issue the FOA on or about November 2022 via the EERE eXCHANGE website https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/. If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding this FOA, they should register in EERE eXCHANGE. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through EERE eXCHANGE. Please note that these dates are tentative and subject to change.

This is a NOI only. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein, or EERE may not issue a FOA at all.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the new Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Office Technologies Office (AMMTO) and the Building Technologies Office (BTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “FY22 Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies—Building Technologies Office Multi-topic Funding Opportunity Announcement.”

EERE’s AMO collaborates with industry, small business, universities, national laboratories, state and local governments and other stakeholders on emerging manufacturing technologies to drive U.S. industrial decarbonization, productivity and economic competitiveness. AMO has a mission to develop technologies that 1) reduce manufacturing energy intensity and industrial carbon emissions, 2) increase the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing sector with a focus on clean energy manufacturing and 3) reduce the life cycle energy and carbon impact of manufactured goods in industry, buildings, transport, power, and agricultural sectors.

EERE’s BTO develops, demonstrates, and accelerates the adoption of cost-effective technologies, techniques, tools and services that enable high-performing, energy-efficient and demand-flexible residential and commercial buildings in both the new & existing buildings markets, in support of an equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system by 2050, starting with a decarbonized power sector by 2035.

This FOA supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities to enhance manufacturing competitiveness through technological innovation by focusing in three main areas: 1) Next Generation Materials and Manufacturing, 2) Secure and Sustainable Materials, and 3) Energy Technology Manufacturing and Workforce Development. The FOA integrates identified research opportunities across Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies AMO into a single funding opportunity and is intended to fund high-impact, applied research and development and pilot demonstration projects.

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT (NOI) ONLY. This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of the EERE’s intention to issue this FOA in the near term. All of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different from the FOA described herein, or EERE may not issue a FOA at all.

EERE will not respond to questions concerning this Notice. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions.

Prospective applicants to the FOA should begin developing partnerships, formulating ideas, and gathering data in anticipation of the issuance of this FOA. EERE plans to issue the FOA in mid-November, 2022 via the EERE Exchange website https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), on behalf of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office (EERE). The intent of this RFI is to obtain public input regarding research priorities, partnership interest, the solicitation process, and structure of a potential DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to fund activities to reduce the impacts of wind energy facilities on bat populations in accordance with section 41007(b)(1) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Specifically, this RFI seeks input on the following topics:

• The current state of bat deterrent technologies and market interest

• Research and development activities necessary to advance deterrent technologies

• Barriers to deployment of deterrents

• Conditions under which technology vendors and wind energy operators would participate in field validation studies

• Solicitation Process, FOA structure, and Implementation Strategy

• Employment: Expanding Union Jobs and Effective Workforce Development

• Equity, Environmental and Energy Justice (EEEJ) Priorities

• Market Adoption and Industry/Sector Sustainability

Information collected from this RFI will be used by DOE for planning purposes to develop a potential FOA. The information collected will not be published.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to WETOBATRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on 09/16/2022. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email.

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 a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) is seeking information to better understand the barriers to deploying onsite clean energy and storage technologies at industrial facilities and pathways for accelerated adoption. These technologies include, but are not limited to, solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal, wind power, renewable fuels, geothermal, bioenergy, battery storage, and thermal storage technologies. This request for information (RFI) is focused on understanding the current state of knowledge and uptake of these technologies by industrial energy users, opportunities and barriers for technology integration at industrial facilities, existing technical assistance and resources available for technology evaluation and deployment, and pathways to accelerate the adoption of onsite clean energy technologies.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, utilities, and other stakeholders on issues related to the deployment of onsite clean energy and storage technologies, including solar, solar thermal, wind power, renewable fuels, geothermal, battery storage, and thermal storage, at industrial facilities. EERE is specifically interested in information on the key barriers that manufacturers are encountering during technology evaluation and implementation of clean energy projects. EERE is also interested in the current state of knowledge and uptake of onsite clean energy technologies, existing technical assistance and resources for project evaluation and deployment, and potential pathways for accelerating the integration of clean energy technologies in the industrial sector. This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). EERE is not accepting applications.

The intent of this request for information (RFI) is to obtain public input regarding the research priorities, managing mechanisms, and partnering opportunities for a Critical Materials RDD&CA Program, expanded by section 41003(c) and supported by section 41003(d) of the BIL and authorized respectively by sections 7002(g) and 7002(h) of the Energy Act of 2020. Specifically, this RFI seeks input on:

• Critical Materials RDD&CA Program to integrate:

• DOE annual appropriations for critical minerals and materials, including Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 directed appropriations[1] and FY2023 requested appropriations
• BIL 41003(c): Critical Material Innovation, Efficiency, and Alternatives – Priorities & Implementation Strategy
• oBIL 41003(d): Critical Material Supply Chain Research Facility – Priorities & Implementation Strategy

• Community Benefits: Job Quality and Equity including (a) community and labor engagement, (b) quality jobs, (c) diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and (d) Justice40 Initiative.

• Market Adoption, Scale up, and Industry/Sector Sustainability

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, DOE is not accepting applications at this time. DOE may issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, DOE may also elect not to issue a FOA. There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this RFI.

MOD 000003: Extended the Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments from 12/15/2022 to 12/20/2022. Updated the FOA timeline on the FOA cover page to accomodate this change.

MOD 000002: Extended the Concept Paper Submission Deadline from 9/1/2022 to 9/15/2022. Updated the FOA timeline on the FOA cover page to accommodate this change.

MOD 000001: A broken link was fixed in Section I.A.vi - Teaming Partner List.

The U.S Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Projects awarded under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58,1 also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The Systems Integration Solar and Wind Grid Services and Reliability Demonstration FOA will provide funding to demonstrate the capability of large-scale solar and wind plants to provide grid services to the bulk power grid as well as improving grid reliability.

Topic 1: Wind and Solar Grid Services Design, Implementation, and Demonstration

This topic area supports full-scale demonstration projects that seamlessly integrate renewable generation with other large-scale or aggregated distributed energy resource (DER) technologies to provide ancillary (grid) services and improve reliability.

Topic 2: Protection of Bulk Power Systems with High Contribution from Inverter-Based Resources

The goal of this topic area is to develop a better understanding of how protection systems will operate under very-high IBR scenarios through advancements in modeling and simulation capabilities and to develop and validate strategies and new technologies that can maintain system protection at any level of IBR penetration and improve reliability.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Funding Opportunity in Support of the Hydrogen Shot and a University Research Consortium on Grid Resilience,” that will address two unique areas of interest: one with topic areas focused on supporting the DOE Hydrogen Shot on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office and a second EERE-wide topic area focused on grid resilience through a university research consortium.

EERE anticipates that the FOA may include the following five topics under two Areas of Interest, as follows:

Area of Interest 1: Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies in Support of Hydrogen Shot

Topic 1) HydroGEN: Solar Fuels from Photoelectrochemical and Solar Thermochemical Water Splitting

Topic 2) Development and Validation of Sensor Technology for Monitoring and Measuring Hydrogen Losses

Topic 3) Materials-based H₂ Storage Demonstrations

Topic 4) M2FCT: High Performing, Durable, and Low-PGM Catalysts/Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs) for Medium- and Heavy-duty Applications

Area of Interest 2: Improving Electricity Grid Resilience

Topic 5) University Research Consortium on Grid Resilience

EERE plans to issue the FOA on or about August 2022 via the EERE eXCHANGE website https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/. If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding this FOA, they should register in EERE eXCHANGE. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through EERE eXCHANGE.

The Teaming Partner List has moved to EERE Exchange at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId47252393-c846-4779-9760-86414eddda9f under FOA number DE-FOA-0002792.

DISCLAIMER: This “Notice of Intent” is for informational purposes only; the Department of Energy is not seeking comments on the information in this notice and EERE will not respond to questions concerning this Notice. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions. Applications are not being accepted at this time. Any information contained in this notice is subject to change.

MOD 000001: Extend the RFI response date to September 16, 2022

This request for information (RFI) is intended to inform the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), on the development of a new platform to manage the enrollment, use, and monitoring of community solar subscriptions for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) recipients. SETO is interested in responses from all stakeholders, including:

• Community-based organizations

• Community solar subscription managers and developers

• State and local governments

• Researchers

• LIHEAP implementation organizations

• Organizations representing and serving environmental justice and fossil fuel-transitioning communities

• Groups that work with individuals and organizations with high energy burdens

Modification 00001: Extended the Full Application Submission Deadline from 12/6/2022 to 12/16/2022 5:00pmET. Updated the FOA timeline on the FOA cover page to accommodate this change. Updated Section IV.E.v – Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO) to show maximum number of pages for SOPO (5 pages).

Background and Context

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Awards made under this 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).

Under Section 41007(c)(1), the BIL provides funding to carry out research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activities relating to solar energy technologies, which includes conducting workforce development activities.

The activities to be funded under this FOA support the broader government-wide approach to addressing the climate crisis and maximize the benefits of the clean energy transition as the nation works to curb the climate crisis, empower workers, and advance environmental justice.

Program Purpose

This FOA supports the administration goals laid out above by supporting the development of workforce programs and partnerships that will facilitate the continued deployment of solar energy technologies, while supporting an inclusive workforce with opportunities for career advancement, including through union membership. As part of the whole-of-government approach to advance equity and encourage worker organizing and collective bargaining, this FOA and any related activities will seek to encourage meaningful engagement and participation of labor unions and underserved communities and underrepresented groups, including consultation with Tribal Nations.

Areas of Interest

SETO will consider and evaluate a variety of multi-stakeholder high-road training partnership proposals under this FOA. Projects should primarily relate to PV solar deployment and associated careers including in installation, system design, operations and maintenance (O&M), electrical work, project management, sales, and business operations. Proposals focused on manufacturing for solar PV modules and other equipment will be considered, but is not expected to be the primary area of focus for the funding program. Proposals related to CSP or other solar-thermal heating systems will not be considered.

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) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). This funding program seeks to invest in innovative research and development (R&D) as well as research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that enable continued cost reductions, while developing next-generation solar technologies and boosting American solar manufacturing, especially in cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaics. These projects will support the scaling of affordable solar generation and facilitate secure, reliable integration of solar electricity into the nation’s energy grid to ultimately benefit the U.S. 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 the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will develop and demonstrate new technologies enabling fast deployment of large amounts of solar generation into the grid.

Modification 00001: Extend Letter of Intent deadline to 8/5/2022

This FOA seeks to fund projects to reduce photovoltaics hardware costs and environmental impacts; and increase perovskite module performance. These research areas will support increased photovoltaics deployment needed to meet the Biden administration’s goal of a carbon emissions free electricity sector by 2035. The FOA will have two topics:

Topic Area 1 seeks to fund up to ten research projects at a maximum of $1.5M per project in federal funds to produce low-cost, high-throughput photovoltaics module designs and processing methods to reduce the environmental burden; materials usage, market price, and availability in the metallization and contacting steps; and end-of-life handling of photovoltaic modules to support the transition to a decarbonized electricity system by 2035. Projects under this topic will be funded for two to three years.

Topic Area 2 seeks to fund up to two projects that will bring together teams of researchers from multiple institutions and/or companies to improve coordination among domestic researchers and address the major issues in perovskite solar cell devices that limit the durability, scale-up, and efficiency. Projects are expected to be funded at an annual federal rate of up to $3 million per year to support collaborations between multiple research groups. Projects selected under this topic area will be funded for three to five years.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) are requesting information on technical and commercial challenges and opportunities for vehicle-integrated photovoltaic systems.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) is requesting information and feedback from stakeholders on issues related to the development of hydroelectric incentive programs authorized under sections 243 and 247 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-58) (EPAct 2005), as amended by sections 40332 and 40333 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. See 42 U.S.C. 15882 and 15883.^[1]

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. GDO 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. GDO may or may not issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to WPTORFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 11:59pm (ET) on Tuesday, September 6, with subject line “Organization/Name: Response to RFI on Hydroelectric Incentive Programs.” Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. In lieu of or in addition to providing written responses to this RFI, respondents may request a 30-minute individual unrecorded discussion with a DOE staff member regarding the content of their written responses to the RFI questions. Requests for an individual discussion must be requested no later than 5:00pm (ET) on Friday, August 19, 2022 .

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) or Adobe PDF (.pdf) attachment to the email, and no more than 15 pages in length, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

On Tuesday, August 9, 2022, from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm ET, DOE will hold an informal webinar to discuss general feedback from interested parties regarding the content of this RFI. To register for this informational webinar, please sign up at: https://bit.ly/RFI_HydroIncentiveProgram. Additional webinar information, participant instructions, and information about the capabilities available to webinar participants will be published on https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/hydropower-incentives-funding-bipartisan-infrastructure-law. Participants are responsible for ensuring their systems are compatible with the webinar software.

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

^[1] Section 243 (Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives Program) and Section 247 (Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives Program) will be referred to as the Hydroelectric Incentive Programs.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS NOI POSTING IS PURELY INFORMATIONAL.

THE ASSOCIATED FOA WILL BE PUBLISHED THROUGH THE OCED FUNDING OPPORTUNITY EXCHANGE PORTAL. (https://oced-exchange.energy.gov).

ALL CONCEPT PAPERS AND FULL APPLICATIONS IN RESPONSE TO THE FOA, WHEN PUBLISHED, WILL BE SUBMITTED THROUGH OCED EXCHANGE.

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs” (H2Hubs) in collaboration with the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) and the DOE Hydrogen Program, which includes multiple offices engaged in hydrogen related technologies across DOE. OCED anticipates issuing the FOA in the September/October 2022 timeframe, and the FOA will be funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The specific provisions for regional clean hydrogen hubs are set forth in Section 40314 of the BIL, which amends Title VIII EPAct 2005 by adding a new “Section 813 – Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs.” Section 813(a) defines the term “regional clean hydrogen hub” as “a network of clean hydrogen producers, potential clean hydrogen consumers, and connective infrastructure located in close proximity.”

Investment in building out the hydrogen (H2) economy is a significant portion of the BIL funding at DOE. The BIL authorizes and appropriates $8.0 billion over the five-year period encompassing fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to support the development of at least four H2Hubs that:

• Demonstrably aid achievement of the clean hydrogen production standard developed under section 822(a) of Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005);
  
  
• Demonstrate the production, processing, delivery, storage, and end use of clean hydrogen; and
  
  
• Can be developed into a national clean hydrogen network to facilitate a clean hydrogen economy.

The FOA will incorporate a range of equity considerations including energy and environmental justice, labor and community engagement, consent-based siting, quality jobs, and inclusive workforce development to support the Biden Administration’s decarbonization goals of a 50-52% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2005 levels by 2030, a carbon-pollution-free power sector by 2035, and a net-zero GHG emissions economy by 2050. The H2Hubs will be a key part of the National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, also required in the BIL, and will be instrumental in meeting national decarbonization goals, including the development and deployment of clean hydrogen technologies.

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

See attached NOI document for further details.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS NOI POSTING IS PURELY INFORMATIONAL.

THE ASSOCIATED FOA WILL BE PUBLISHED THROUGH THE OCED FUNDING OPPORTUNITY EXCHANGE PORTAL. (https://oced-exchange.energy.gov).

ALL CONCEPT PAPERS AND FULL APPLICATIONS IN RESPONSE TO THE FOA, WHEN PUBLISHED, WILL BE SUBMITTED THROUGH OCED EXCHANGE.

This Request for Information (RFI) is soliciting feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to building energy management systems (hardware, software, cybersecurity, and interoperability). This information will be used by BTO to update its R&D strategy and support energy savings, emissions reduction, and cost reduction goals, and inform future strategic planning and adjustments to its R&D portfolio. This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). BTO is not accepting applications.

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, EERE is not accepting applications at this time. EERE may issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, EERE may also elect not to issue a FOA. There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants if EERE chooses to issue a FOA regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the anticipated award size, quantity, and timing of EERE funded awards, will be subject to Congressional appropriations and direction.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to emcs_rfi@ee.doe.gov no later than 11:59 pm (ET) on July 18, 2022. Responses must be provided as attachments to an e-mail. 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 e-mail, and no more than six pages in length, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. 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.

EERE will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.

Respondents are requested to provide the following information at the start of their response to this RFI:

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

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 a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

Amendment 000001:The purpose of this amendment is to clarify the intent of Topic Area 4’s allowable product under Section I.D: Applications Specifically Not of Interest “Applications whose primary fuel product is not intended for aviation, long-haul trucking, marine, or rail usage.” This modification clarifies that along with aviation, long-haul trucking, marine, and rail fuels, ethanol is an allowable product for TopicArea 4 applications only. See FOA DE-FOA-0002638/000001 for details.

This FOA supports high-impact technology RD&D to accelerate the bioeconomy and, in particular, the production of low-carbon fuels for the aviation, marine, rail, and long-haul trucking industries. BETO is focusing on applied RD&D to improve the performance and reduce cost of biofuel production technologies and scale-up production systems in partnership with industry. By reducing cost and technical risk, BETO can help pave the way for industry to deploy commercial-scale integrated biorefineries and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sectors, such as the aviation industry. Additionally, this FOA will strengthen current first generation (Gen-1) corn ethanol production facilities by reducing their overall carbon footprint. Under the current BETO vision, these biomass feedstocks will be developed for use in the production of sustainable aviation fuel through a variety of conversion technologies. BETO is focused on developing and demonstrating technologies that are capable of producing low-carbon, cost-effective biofuels and co-products by 2030, as well as biofuel production pathways that can deliver at least 70% lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum. BETO further aims to support the demonstration of 4-5 fully integrated biorefineries, thereby increasing the number of proven pathways to produce sustainable aviation fuels, as well as sustainable marine, long-haul trucking, and rail fuels, by 2030.

Under this funding opportunity, BETO is interested in the following Topic Areas:

Topic Area 1: Pre-Pilot Scale-Up of Integrated Biorefineries

Topic Area 2: Pilot Scale-Up of Integrated Biorefineries

Topic Area 3: Demonstration Scale-Up of Integrated Biorefineries

Topic Area 4: Gen-1 Corn Ethanol Emission Reduction

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY22BETOScaleUp@ee.doe.gov.

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.

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 07/08/2022 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 09/09/2022 at 5PM ET.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Vehicle Technology Office, a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) entitled “Fiscal Year 2022 Vehicle Technologies Office Program Wide FOA”.

The RDD&D activities to be funded under this anticipated 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 advance RDD&D in several areas critical to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, including: advancement of electric drive technologies using less rare-earth metal, reduction of weight of battery electric vehicle (BEV) technologies, electrification of non-road vehicles, improvements in off-road vehicle charging, improved efficiency of engines using low-carbon fuels, and deployment of these technologies among diverse communities.

DE-FOA-0002777 Request for Information (RFI) BIL Section 41001 Energy Storage Demonstration Projects

Subject: Long-Duration Energy Storage for Everyone, Everywhere (ESEE) RFI

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

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to sec. 41001 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which appropriated $505 million “to advance energy storage systems toward widespread commercial deployment by lowering the costs and increasing the duration of energy storage resources.” The RFI lays out a proposed structure for three provisions within Sec. 41001 in line with a strategy for energy storage technology commercialization.

The intent of this RFI is to obtain public input regarding DOE’s proposed implementation possibilities of the energy storage demonstration programs and crosscutting issues related to the energy storage demonstration landscape:

Category 1: BIL 41001 Energy Storage Program-Specific Requirements and Implementation Strategy

Category1A: Long-Duration Demonstration Initiative

Category 1B: Energy Storage Demonstration Projects

Category 1C: Energy Storage Pilot Grant Program

Category 1D: Rapid Operational Validation Initiative (ROVI)

Category 2: BIL 41001 Energy Storage Program Crosscutting Topics

Category 2A: Storage Technology Opportunity Readiness Evaluation (STORE)

Category 2B: BIL Provision, Requirements, and Proposed Implementation

Category 3: Employment: Expanding Union Jobs and Effective Workforce Development

Category 4: Equity, Environmental and Energy Justice (EEEJ) Priorities

Category 5: Additional Input

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 EnergyStorage41001RFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on June 16, 2022, with subject line “BIL 41001 RFI response.” 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 20 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.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is issuing, on behalf of the Vehicle Technologies Office, this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Projects awarded under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Public Law 117-58, also 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 in the world, creating good jobs, ensuring stronger access to these economic benefits for disadvantaged communities. The BIL appropriates more than $62 billion to DOE to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people.

The BIL will invest more than $7 billion in the batteries supply chain over the five year period encompassing fiscal years (FYs) 2022 through 2026. This includes sustainable sourcing and processing of the critical minerals used in battery production without new extraction or mining all the way through end-of-life battery collection and recycling.

This FOA and any related activities support BIL section 40208. The sections are focused on Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Recycling and Second-Life Program which includes second-life applications for electric drive vehicle batteries that have been used to power electric drive vehicles; and technologies and processes for final recycling and disposal of the electric drive vehicle batteries.

Reviewer Comments were emailed to the Business Point of Contact and the Technical Point of Contact (who are listed in Exchange) on August 24, 2022.

The Reply to Reviewer Comments is ONLY being accepted in Exchange from August 24, 2022, 5:00 PM ET until September 1, 2022, at 5:00 PM ET.

Your submission must conform to the content and form requirements, including maximum page lengths, described in Section IV.E of the FOA. Please note – it is not a mandatory requirement to provide a Reply to Reviewer comments.

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The purpose of this amendment is to change the Letter of Intent from required to strongly encouraged; to clarify the content and process for a Letter of Intent; and to clarify the requirements for AOIs 3,4, 5, and 10; and to correct language in Criterion 2a. Section V.A.

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The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) are issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) No. DE-FOA-0002678 entitled Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing Funding Opportunity Announcement.

The FOA supports the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation (BIL) goals of delivering more clean energy, create new, good-paying jobs and lowering costs for American families and workers by guiding the Nation towards a one hundred percent carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035 and net-zero economy by 2050.

For complete details on the FOA, please download the PDF. Please be sure to use the latest version of Adobe to avoid potentiial download issues. If you are still having issues, please try a different browser.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy on behalf of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO). The intent of this RFI is to obtain feedback on Section 41007 (a) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which authorizes activities under section 615(d) (Enhanced Geothermal Systems Demonstrations) of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17194(d)). Specifically, this RFI seeks input on: 1. Section 41007 (a) Enhanced Geothermal Systems Pilot Demonstrations Structure and Implementation Strategy and Requirements, 2. Employment: Expanding Union Jobs and Effective Workforce Development, 3. Equity, Environmental and Energy Justice (EEEJ) Priorities, and 4. Build America, Buy American Requirements. Information collected from this RFI will be used by DOE for planning purposes to develop the EGS Pilot Demonstrations FOA. The information collected will not be published.

Request for Information Response Guidelines

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to BIL_EGSPilotDemos@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on 5/13/22. 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 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. EERE will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed. Respondents are requested to provide the following information at the start of their response to this RFI:• Company / institution name;• Company / institution contact;• Contact's address, phone number, and e-mail address.

Disclaimer and Important Notes

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, EERE is not accepting applications at this time. EERE may issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, EERE may also elect not to issue a FOA. There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants if EERE chooses to issue a FOA regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the anticipated award size, quantity, and timing of EERE funded awards, will be subject to Congressional appropriations and direction. Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the Government on a non-attribution basis for planning and strategy development; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as information only. EERE will review and consider all responses in its formulation of program strategies for the identified materials of interest that are the subject of this request. EERE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that EERE is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind EERE to any further actions related to this topic.

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

This Request for Information (RFI) is being issued by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program, on behalf of the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy (EERE) Building Technologies Office (BTO). The intent of this RFI is to obtain public input regarding the solicitation process and structure of a potential DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to fund sustained cost-effective implementation of building energy codes, in accordance with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This RFI seeks input on:

· Energy Code Implementation Criteria and Requirements for Key Topic Areas

· Advanced Energy Codes and Building Resilience

· Methods to Support Sustained State Energy and Building Resilience Code Implementation

· Funding, Partnerships, Eligible Entities, and Evaluation Criteria

· Energy and Environmental Justice (EEJ) Priorities

Information collected from this RFI will be used by DOE for planning purposes to develop a potential FOA. The information collected will not be published.

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, EERE is not accepting applications at this time. EERE may issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, EERE may also elect not to issue a FOA. There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants if EERE chooses to issue a FOA regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the anticipated award size, quantity, and timing of EERE funded awards, will be subject to Congressional appropriations and direction.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to RECI_RFI@hq.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on May 20th, 2022. 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 12 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. 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.

EERE will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.

Respondents are requested to provide the following information at the start of their response to this RFI:

Company / institution name; Company / institution contact; Contact's address, phone number, and e-mail address.

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

Through this Request For Information (RFI), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) seeks input regarding the implementation of Section 40541 of the IIJA, which provides $500 million for grants for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and alternative fueled vehicles improvements at public school facilities. DOE aims to facilitate substantial additional investment, prioritize schools with high needs, minimize administrative burden, and build enduring capacity in local educational agencies (LEAs) and the states to maximize impact equitably and efficiently. DOE is seeking information amongst these six categories of questions:

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, EERE is not accepting applications at this time. EERE may issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, EERE may also elect not to issue a FOA. There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants if EERE chooses to issue a FOA regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the anticipated award size, quantity, and timing of EERE funded awards, will be subject to Congressional appropriations and direction.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to SchoolsRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on May 18th, 2022. 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 10 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. 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.

EERE will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.

Respondents are requested to provide the following information at the start of their response to this RFI:

Company / institution name; Company / institution contact; Contact's address, phone number, and e-mail address.

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

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 a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

This request for information is intended to inform the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on promising, innovative, and best practices for designing revolving loan funds (RLFs). DOE is seeking to create program guidance that will assist States, as well as potentially other entities, in designing, managing, and improving RLFs. The goal is to collect information that will ultimately support creation of RLFs that effectively serve a wide array of borrowers with beneficial energy efficiency products and services and enable private sector capital to scale access to energy efficiency financing.

On November 15, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; Public Law 117-58), which appropriated $250 million to DOE to make funds available to States to implement energy efficiency revolving loan fund capitalization grant programs (Sec. 40502, or 42 U.S.C. 18792). These capitalization grants enable States to establish a RLF to provide loans and provide grants for commercial and residential energy audits, energy upgrades, and retrofits among other activities. Many States have experience running RLFs, such as through use of funds made available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law No. 111-5). The IIJA offers a new opportunity to support establishment of new RLFs where they do not currently exist, or to augment and diversify offerings of existing RLFs. Section 40502 of the IIJA offers States flexibility in designing and implementing these RLFs, within limits set by the statute and the Secretary of Energy. More information about RLFs can be found here: https://www.energy.gov/eere/slsc/revolving-loan-funds

Please see the full text for the request for information (RFI) in the DOCUMENTS section below.

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 a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and Building Technologies Office (BTO) are requesting information on technical and commercial challenges and opportunities for building integrated and built environment integrated photovoltaic systems.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to bipv@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on April 1, 2022.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) seeks input on priority areas that will advance domestic manufacturing and recycling of clean hydrogen technologies, including fuel cells, storage equipment, and other hydrogen related components as specified below; and on priority areas that will advance electrolyzer technologies for affordable clean hydrogen production, in alignment with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the mission of DOE’s Hydrogen Energy Earthshot to reach the goal of $1 per 1 kilogram in 1 decade (“1 1 1”). This Request for Information (RFI) was developed in coordination with the Advanced Manufacturing Office. This RFI is issued to obtain feedback on the status of and opportunities for technologies that support goals in BIL section 40314, amending the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT). The BIL added a new section 815 on clean hydrogen manufacturing and recycling research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) and a new section 816 for the establishment of the Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program to EPACT. The EPACT Sec. 815 activities are grouped into a Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing Initiative (815a) focused on enhancing domestic manufacturing of clean hydrogen use, storage, and related equipment and a Clean Hydrogen Technology Recycling RD&D Program (815b) that covers recycling of equipment for clean hydrogen processing, delivery, storage, and use, including fuel cells. The Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program in section 816 expands on DOE’s existing, comprehensive Program on electrolysis and is a research, development, demonstration, commercialization, and deployment program aimed at improving efficiency, increasing durability, and reducing capital costs of electrolyzers, thus facilitating the commercialization of clean hydrogen electrolyzer technology.

DOE does not intend to publish information collected through this RFI; input will be used to develop and refine the programs.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to H2RFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. (ET) on March 29th, 2022. If possible, please copy and paste the RFI questions and use them as a template for your response. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25 MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (*.docx) or Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) attachment to the email. Only electronic responses will be accepted. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

Respondents are requested to provide the following information at the start of their response to this RFI:

• Company / institution name
• Company / institution contact
• Contact's address, phone number, and e-mail address

DOE will not respond to individual submissions or publicly publish a compendium of responses. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrogen Program, on behalf of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), and in collaboration with DOE’s newly formed Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). The intent of this RFI is to obtain public input regarding the solicitation process and structure of a DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to fund regional clean hydrogen hubs, as required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

Specifically, this RFI seeks input on:

Information collected from this RFI will be used by DOE for planning purposes to develop the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs FOA. The information collected will not be published.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to H2Hubs@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on March 21, 2022, with subject line “H2Hubs RFI response.” 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) or Adobe PDF (.pdf) attachment to the email, and no more than 15 pages in length (plus any additional pages necessary to include the original questions), 12-point font, 1-inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted. For ease of replying and to aid categorization of your responses, please copy and paste the RFI questions, including the question numbering, and use them as a template for your response. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

Respondents are requested to provide the following information at the start of their response to this RFI:

DOE will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.

MODIFICATION 0001: Change the language around the page limit.

MODIFICATION 0002: Change the submission deadline to March 21, 2022, 5:00pm (ET).

EERE National Laboratory Guiding Principles require all offices to pursue a merit review of direct-funded National Laboratory work. In line with these principles, the Building Technologies Office (BTO) is issuing this Lab Call for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) funding. This Lab Call solicits both new and continuing work proposals in six technology areas:

• AREA 1: HVAC&R and Water Heating
• AREA 2: Thermal Energy Storage
• AREA 3: Windows
• AREA 4: Supervisory Building Controls
• AREA 5: Building Electric Appliances, Devices, and Systems
• AREA 6: Building Energy Modeling

DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) develops technologies that convert domestic biomass and waste resources into fuels, products, and power to enable affordable energy, economic growth, and innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production. This FOA specifically seeks to increase the carbon utilization efficiency of algal growth systems. The impact of this FOA outcomes will be to lower the cost of fuels and products made from algal feedstocks while increasing the positive greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts that can be achieved through the deployment of algae-based technologies.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) has two topic areas, each funded separately by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), Carbon Utilization Program (CUP) in response to specific language in each Office’s respective appropriations as issued by Congress and in accordance with each Office’s strategic plans.

Under this funding opportunity, BETO is interested in the following Topic Areas:

Topic Area 1: Carbon Utilization Efficiency from Biomass- or Atmospheric-Based Sources of Carbon Dioxide

Topic Area 2: Algae-Based Technology to Utilize Anthropogenic CO2 from Utility and Industrial Sources

An informational webinar will be held on February 17^th, 2022 at 3:00 PM ET. Please note, there are no particular advantages or disadvantages to the application evaluation process with respect to participating in the webinar. Your participation is completely voluntary. The webinar may be accesed via this link: Feb 17th Informational Webinar

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY22CarbonUtilizationFOA@ee.doe.gov.

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.

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 03/18/2022 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 05/27/2022 at 5PM ET.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from academia and researchers, state and local governments, non-profits, industry, environmental justice organizations, community-based organizations, and others on research needs relating to the effects of offshore wind development on communities, in the context of a clean and just energy transition. Respondents to this RFI may respond to one or more of the topics, or any number of the questions outlined in the RFI Document.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to weto_rfi2022@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00 pm (ET) on Friday, March 11, 2022. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email.

This is a Request for Information 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.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) to invest in innovative research and development (R&D) that accelerates the large-scale development and deployment of solar technologies to support an equitable transition to a decarbonized electricity system by 2035 and decarbonized energy sector by 2050. Achieving this goal will support the nationwide effort to meet the threat of climate change and ensure that all Americans benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy.

This Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) FOA solicits seedling R&D projects for both photovoltaic and concentrating solar thermal power technologies. The funding opportunity is designed to streamline the application process and to encourage a applicants with a diverse range of backgrounds.

Modification 000001 - See the Modification table in the FOA. Changes from modification 000001 are highlighted in yellow.

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) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) to invest in innovative research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) that accelerates the large-scale development and deployment of solar technology to support an equitable transition to a decarbonized electricity system by 2035 and decarbonized energy sector by 2050. Achieving this goal will support the nationwide effort to meet the threat of climate change and ensure that all Americans benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy. To support these objectives, applications are solicitied for two Topic Areas:

Topic Area 1: Concentrating Solar Thermal for Industrial Decarbonization

The focus of this topic is to enable concentrating solar thermal (CST) energy generation coupled with thermal energy storage (TES) to be integrated with high-temperature process technologies to produce economically important products, like steel, cement, ammonia, fuels, and other chemicals and fuels.

Topic Area 2: Concentrating Solar-thermal Particle Technologies for Generation 3 CSP and Beyond (Gen3++)

This topic area builds on learnings from the Solar Energy Technologies Office's Gen3 CSP program. Within the Gen3 CSP program, systems using particles as the heat transfer media have been shown to be viable for operation at temepratures avove 700°C. Responsive applications to this Topic Area will describe the development of particle based CST technologies.

Modification 000002 - See the Modification table in the FOA. Changes from modification 000002 are highlighed in green.

Modification 000001 - See the Modification table in the FOA. Changes from modification 000001 are highlighted in yellow

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

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to Community Programs for Organic Waste.

EERE is seeking to understand which of these economic, environmental, and social impacts are of highest priority to communities. EERE is also seeking additional information about how to make this program more effective and identify additional technical assistance needs that are most in demand by rural communities.

Note that for the purposes of this RFI, BETO is particularly interested in the following organic waste streams:

• dairy manure
• swine manure
• food waste
• municipal wastewater residuals
• fats/oils/greases

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 CommunityWasteRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on March 11, 2022. 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 6 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

In addition to providing written responses to this RFI, respondents may request a 30-minute individual discussion with a BETO staff member regarding the content of their written responses to the RFI questions. Similarly, if a respondent is unable to submit written responses, or would otherwise prefer to do so, he/she may request a 30-minute individual discussion with a BETO staff member to verbally provide responses to the RFI questions. If a respondent wishes to participate in an individual discussion for either of these reasons, please submit your request to CommunityWasteRFI@ee.doe.gov and you will be contacted by a BETO staff member to schedule a time for the discussion. Requests for an individual discussion must be requested no later than 5:00pm (ET) on March 11, 2022.

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

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

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to Microbial Cell and Catalyst Robustness, and State-of Technology Analyses. This information is necessary for DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) to plan appropriate Conversion Research and Development activities and to ensure that techno-economic and life-cycle analyses remain valuable for the research and industrial community.

EERE is specifically interested in information about:

Category 1: Improving Robustness of Microbial Cells

Category 2: Improving Robustness of Catalytic Processes

Category 3: State of Technology (SOT) Analyses in the BETO Research Portfolio

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 FY22ConversionRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on March 11, 2022. 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 6 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 RFI seeks input from biofuels producers and technology developers about their readiness to scale process technologies to pilot- and demonstration-scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel and renewable marine fuels. This information is necessary for DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) to chart the potential growth of domestic renewable fuels production by 2030 and to understand the barriers in scaling renewable fuel production pathways. This RFI also seeks information on how DOE can best assist biofuels production stakeholders in their research and development (R&D) and scaling up of their technologies through demonstration scale.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to the scale-up of renewable fuel production technologies. EERE is specifically interested in information about:

Category 1 - Biofuel Pathway Scale-up Forecasts

Category 2 - Barriers to Scale-up of SAF, Marine, and Renewable Diesel Technologies

Category 3 - Leveraging First Generation Ethanol and Other Incumbent Industries

Category 4 - BETO Scale-up of Biotechnologies Strategy

Category 5 - Leveraging National Laboratory Process Development Units (PDU) to Scale-up Renewable Fuels

Category 6 - Feedstock Production & Supply

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 Biofuels_FY22_RFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on January 31, 2022. 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 10 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

In addition to providing written responses to this RFI, respondents may request a 30-minute individual discussion with a BETO staff member regarding the content of their written responses to the RFI questions. Similarly, if a respondent is unable to submit written responses, or would otherwise prefer to do so, he/she may request a 30-minute individual discussion with a BETO staff member to verbally provide responses to the RFI questions. If a respondent wishes to participate in an individual discussion for either of these reasons, please submit your request to Biofuels_FY22_RFI@ee.doe.gov and you will be contacted by a BETO staff member to schedule a time for the discussion.

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

Modification 0001:

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) was created in 1976 with the primary purpose to increase the energy efficiency of dwellings owned or occupied by low-income persons, reduce their total residential energy expenditures, and improve their health and safety, especially low-income persons who are particularly vulnerable such as the elderly, the disabled, families with children, high residential energy users and households with a high energy burden.[1] A network of 57 Grantees and 700 local organizations (Subgrantees) working with private contractors delivers WAP services to eligible residents in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian lands of the Federally recognized tribes, and five U.S. Territories.

Within Public Law 116-260, signed December 27, 2020, Congress directed the DOE to establish a competitive program for “WAP Enhancement and Innovation” (E&I). Financial assistance is available to state, local, tribal and non-profit organizations[2]. A total of $18.6 million is available from the FY 2021 appropriation with a maximum award amount of $2 million. Through partnerships and leveraging of the DOE WAP and other funding sources, these awards will enable deep energy retrofits of low-income housing[3] in four topic areas: 1) place-based initiatives; 2) multifamily housing; 3) single family and manufactured housing; 4) workforce development. Applicants are encouraged to use awarded E&I funds in conjunction with DOE WAP formula awards and other funding sources to deploy demonstration projects that have potential to be scaled nationally, enhance the benefits realized by underserved communities, and ensure an equitable transition to a clean-energy economy.[4]

Building a clean-energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden Administration. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and “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”¹ 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 disadvantaged communities.

The 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 energy efficiency retrofits and clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will support the goals of carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and net zero GHG emissions by 2050 while also supporting quality jobs and economic growth by:

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[1] Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” January 27, 2021.

[2] 42 U.S.C. 6864d(b)

[3] See 10 CFR 440.3 for the definition of low-income. Each Grantee defines low income for their service territory in the annual Weatherization Grant Application (Master File Section V.1 Eligibility).

[4] 42 USC 6864d.(e)(4)

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

Answers to the questions will be posted to an excel spreadsheet found in the announcement "Documents" section of the FOA posting.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Scale-Up of Integrated Biorefineries.”

The FOA will support the highest priority research and development (R&D) areas identified for funding in fiscal year 2022 (FY22) by BETO within biofuel and bioproduct technologies. The FOA will cover two BETO Programs: Advanced Algal Systems and Systems Development and Integration. All topic areas support the White House’s priority for advancing the domestic bioeconomy and support BETO’s Program Goal to achieve $2.50/gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) Minimum Fuel Selling Price (MSFP) and at least a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (vs. petroleum baseline) by 2030.

The R&D activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovations that lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies. Specifically, this FOA will support high-impact R&D focusing on the production of low-GHG fuels for the aviation industry, the long-haul trucking sector, and marine industries by soliciting proposals to scale-up promising technologies. The FOA intends to provide a continuation of R&D priorities and strategies identified under BETO’s FY21 Scale-up and Conversion FOA (DE-FOA-0002396).

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of the 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 Notice. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions.

EERE plans to issue the FOA in or about December 2021 via the EERE Exchange website https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/. If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding this FOA, they should register in EERE Exchange. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through EERE Exchange.

This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to inform the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) on the overall technical research, development, and demonstration opportunities in solar manufacturing and hardware product commercialization. SETO is seeking specific feedback on:

• Technical areas with opportunities to invest in innovative research and development (R&D) as well as research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that enable solar to continue to drive down costs, while developing next-generation solar technologies, supporting the scalability of solar as deployment increases across the country, and boosting American solar manufacturing;
• Removal of the Concept Paper stage from the funding opportunity process to better align it with the needs of a fast-moving industry and community and in an effort to streamline the application process and reduce the time from application deadline to selection notification; and
• Ways to better engage and support partnerships between institutions representing diverse entities such as, but not limited to, Tribal communities; minority-serving institutions (MSI); minority business enterprises; minority-, woman-, and veteran-owned businesses[1]; entities located in an underserved community or through linkages with Opportunity Zones.

[1] Opportunity Zones were added to the Internal Revenue Code by section 13823 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, codified at 26 U.S.C. 1400Z-1. The list of designated Qualified Opportunity Zones can be found in IRS Notices 2018-48 (PDF) and 2019-42 (PDF). Further, a visual map of the census tracts designated as Qualified Opportunity Zones may also be found at Opportunity Zones Resources. Also see, frequently asked questions about Qualified Opportunity Zones.  

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) seeks information to help it refine the scope and structure of its commercialization programs. These programs are intended to address specific challenges in the commercialization process as ideas move across the research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D) continuum.

OTT would like to learn:

• Your feedback on its programs
• Commercialization challenges that its programs do not currently address
• Ideas for programs that are applicable to a variety of technologies
• Ways to better promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in all programs

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to ott.rfi@hq.doe.gov no later than 3:00pm ET on January 19, 2022.

----------------------

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

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) advances the H2@Scale concept. The focus of H2@Scale is to enable affordable and reliable large-scale hydrogen generation, transport, storage, and utilization in the United States across multiple sectors.

By producing hydrogen when power generation exceeds load, electrolyzers can reduce curtailment of renewables and contribute to grid stability. Hydrogen produced from existing baseload (e.g., nuclear power) assets can also be stored, distributed, and used as a fuel for multiple applications. Such applications include transportation, stationary power, process or building heat, and industrial sectors such as steel manufacturing, ammonia production and petroleum refining. Key challenges to the H2@Scale concept include affordability, reliability, and performance of emerging hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

Topics under this FOA to advance H2@Scale include:

Topic 1: Advanced hydrogen storage and infrastructure R&D including novel materials or hydrogen carriers for transporting and storing hydrogen, and materials for hydrogen infrastructure components.

Topic 2: Innovative concepts for hydrogen production and utilization including advanced water splitting materials, affordable domestic hydrogen production technologies, co-production of hydrogen for additional sources of revenue, and reversible fuel cell technologies.

Topic 3: H2@Scale Pilot - integrated production, storage, and fueling systems including innovative approaches that successfully integrate and optimize the complete system encompassing hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and use.

Please carefully review the complete Funding Opportunity Announcement, which can be accessed under the "Documents" heading below.

FOA Q&A can also be accessed under the "Documents" heading. Please review the Q&A before submitting a question, as a similar question may already have been answered.

To apply to this FOA, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through EERE Exchange (this website), EERE’s online application portal.

The Exchange system enforces 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 should contact the Exchange Helpdesk for assistance at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Applicants are responsible for meeting each submission deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their Concept Papers and Full Applications at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline.

Modification 0001: EERE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the widest possible national participation in the formation of applicant teams for Topic 3. Information about the Topic 3 Teaming Partner List is included in the full text of the NOI. The Topic 3 Teaming Partner List is available in the Documents section below.

-----------------------------------

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO), Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002022 entitled “Fiscal Year 2019 H2@Scale Funding Opportunity Announcement.”

Hydrogen is one part of DOE’s all-of-the-above energy portfolio, and can offer options for affordable and secure energy for transportation, as well as for stationary and industrial applications. The United States produces over 10 million metric tons of hydrogen per year, used primarily for petroleum refining and fertilizer production, but there are a number of opportunities to increase hydrogen generation and utilization across the country.

“H2@Scale” is an initiative to enable affordable and reliable largescale hydrogen generation, transport, storage, and utilization in the United States across sectors. For example, electrolyzers can produce hydrogen by splitting water when power generation exceeds demand. This can reduce or prevent curtailment of renewables, optimize baseload (e.g., nuclear power) assets, and enable grid stability and resiliency, while also producing hydrogen as a fuel or feedstock for end users. In addition, hydrogen produced from existing baseload assets can be stored, distributed, and used as a fuel for transportation, stationary power, process or building heat, and industrial sectors (e.g. steel manufacturing), creating an additional revenue stream for those assets.

Please see the full text of the Notice of Intent in the Documents section below.

This notice of intent (NOI) is issued so that interested parties are aware of the EERE’s intention to issue this FOA in the near term. All of 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.

EERE plans to issue the FOA in February of 2019 via the EERE Exchange website https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/. If applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding this FOA, they should register in EERE Exchange. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through EERE Exchange.

The purpose of Modification 000001 is to update page 8, under Section I.c, "Applications specifically not of interest," the following bullet was deleted: "Applications that propose to develop technology that relies on purely heterotrophic algae cultivation."

The Bioenergy Technologies, MegaBio: Bioproducts to Enable BioFuels Informational Webinar was held on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 and standard procedures were discussed. Due to technical difficulties the video version of the  webinar presentation could not be posted. The slides and transcript have been provided in the Documents section of this announcement.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announces a notice of availability of funds for financial assistance addressing the development of flexible biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can be modified to produce advanced fuels and/or products based on external factors, such as market demand. These pathways could consist of a route to a platform chemical that could be converted to products or fuels or a route that coproduces chemicals and fuels.

BETO has a goal of meeting the 2022 cost target of $3/gallon gasoline equivalent (gge) for the production of renewable hydrocarbon fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. One approach BETO has taken previously to achieve this goal is to focus on conversion pathways that produce biofuels, with little or no emphasis on coproducing bioproducts. As BETO increasingly focuses on hydrocarbon fuels, it is examining strategies that capitalize on revenue from bioproducts as part of cost-competitive biofuel production.

A variety of technology pathways can be used to produce renewable hydrocarbon biofuels, but many of them require the production of value-added chemicals and products in the near-term to achieve an attractive rate of return on cost-competitive fuels. Value-added chemicals and products can also incentivize the de-risking of “front end” processes (from feedstock logistics through to deconstruction) which are also necessary for fuel production. It is important to note that while bioproducts are seen as a valuable strategy for enabling fuels, the BETO is not interested in pursuing R&D solely on bioproducts without a fuels component.

The intent of this FOA, therefore, is to identify R&D projects that develop biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels and products based on external factors, such as market demand. These pathways could consist of a route to a platform chemical that could be converted to products or fuels or a route that coproduces chemicals and fuels. Successful applications will include a clear justification for producing the target molecule(s) from biomass, a compelling narrative explaining how the target product(s) will enable biofuels, and supporting techno-economic analysis and life cycle analysis.

The eXCHANGE system enforces 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 (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/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 (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/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.

The Bioenergy Technologies Office's (BETO) Advanced Algal Systems Program seeks projects that will develop technologies that are likely to succeed in producing 3,700 gallons of algal biofuel intermediate (or equivalent dry weight basis) per acre per year (gal/acre/yr) on an annualized average basis (not peak or projected) through multiple batch campaigns or on a semi-continuous or continuous basis, in an outdoor test environment by 2020. In general, “biofuel intermediates” are biomass-based feedstocks that can replace petroleum-based feedstocks in downstream refining. Biofuel intermediates should be able to be treated as commodities and passed from a producer to a refiner through the supply chain. Biofuel intermediates can be refined into a variety of liquid transportation fuels such as, but not limited to: ethanol, renewable diesel, and renewable jet fuel. The average yield target of 3,700 gal/acre/yr of intermediate must be achieved under conditions that result in favorable lifecycle greenhouse gas reductions and techno-economic analyses (energy return on investment – energy content of final products/energy input, assuming mature scale deployment of technologies).

BETO’s Advanced Algal Systems Program has a goal of demonstrating, at a process development unit scale, algal biofuel intermediate yield of 2,500 gallons per acre per year by 2018 and 5,000 per acre per year by 2022. This FOA is directed at the interim yield between the two target yields and target years. It is expected that projects selected under this FOA will be well on their way to demonstrating the 2,500 gal/acre/yr (at a minimum, projects must be able to produce between 1,900 and 2,500 gal/acre/yr on an annualized average basis at the beginning of the proposed project – the project baseline) with a reasonable and realistic plan to produce 3,700 gal/acre/yr by the end of the performance period.

The eXCHANGE system enforces 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 (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/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 (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/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.

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Replies to Reviewer Comments

Expected time frame: May 11, 2016 12:00PM to May 13, 2016 11:59PM Eastern Time

During this time period, EERE will provide eligible applicants with reviewer comments and an opportunity to provide a short reply. This is an optional submission. Review Sections IV.A and IV.E of the FOA for content and form requirements.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “MEGA-BIO: Bioproducts to Enable Biofuels”.

This FOA supports BETO’s goal of meeting its 2022 cost target of $3/gallon gasoline equivalent (gge) for the production of hydrocarbon fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. One approach BETO has taken previously to achieve this goal is to focus on conversion pathways that produce biofuels, with little or no emphasis on coproducing bioproducts. As BETO increasingly focuses on hydrocarbon fuels, it is examining strategies that capitalize on revenue from bioproducts as part of cost-competitive biofuel production.

A variety of technology pathways can be used to produce hydrocarbon biofuels, but many of them require the production of value-added chemicals and products in the near-term to achieve an attractive rate of return on cost-competitive fuels. Value-added chemicals and products can also incentivize the de-risking of “front end” processes (from feedstock logistics through to deconstruction) which are also necessary for fuel production. It is important to note that while bioproducts are seen as a valuable strategy for enabling fuels, the BETO is not interested in pursuing R&D solely on bioproducts, without a fuels component.

The intent of this FOA, therefore, is to identify R&D projects that develop biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels and products based on external factors, such as market demand. These pathways could consist of a route to a platform chemical that could be converted to products or fuels or a route that coproduces chemicals and fuels. Successful applications will include a clear justification for producing the target molecule(s) from biomass, a compelling narrative explaining how the target product(s) will enable biofuels, and supporting technoeconomic analysis and life cycle analysis.

It is anticipated that the FOA may include the following Areas of Interest:

Area of Interest 1: R&D to optimize one unit operation of the proposed conversion pathway

Area of Interest 2: R&D to optimize and integrate multiple unit operations of the proposed conversion pathway
EERE envisions awarding multiple financial assistance awards in the form of cooperative agreements. The estimated period of performance for each award will be approximately three years.

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of the 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 Notice. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions.

EERE plans to issue the FOA in or about January, 2016 via the EERE Exchange website https://eereexchange.energy.gov/. If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding this FOA, they should register in EERE Exchange. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through EERE Exchange.

Expected Deadline Change for Replies to Reviewer Comments Period:

DOE EERE expects to make reviewer comments available in Exchange on 12/14/2015 at 8:00 AM ET. Because reviewer comments are being provided one day earlier than anticipated, replies are due on 12/16/2015 by 5:00 PM ET (which is one day earlier than the expected submission deadline noted on the cover page of Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0001320). Replies to reviewer comments must follow the content and length requirements set forth in the FOA, Section IV.F (page 31). DOE will not review or consider ineligible Replies to Reviewer Comments.

The purpose of Modification 000002 is to delete Section III.E.2.v Limit on FFRDC Effort:

The purposes of Modification 000001 are to make the following changes:

Additional clarification of areas of non-interest was added in the highlighted sections on pages 4-5 of the FOA to include the following:

The following types of applications will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (See Section III.D of the FOA):

• Applications that propose exploratory, basic science research (earlier than TRL 2).
• Applications that are at the demonstration and deployment phase (later than TRL 5).
• Applications that use food or feed carbohydrates, lipids, or proteins (e.g. maize or wheat dextrose, beet sucrose, sugar care or grain sorghum syrup, soybean oil or meal), and/or derivatives (e.g. amino acids from maize dextrose, glycerol from the transesterification of soybean oil).

For Topic 1 (Algae Feedstocks R&D), the additional areas of non-interest were added:

• Applications that propose to develop technology that relies on purely heterotrophic algae cultivation.
• Applications that propose mixotrophic algae cultivation strategies that utilize food-based sugars (i.e., derived from food-based crops including but not limited to corn, beets, sorghum, and sugar cane).
• Applications that propose to develop technology for the artificial lighting-based cultivation of algae for energy products (other than as an enabling tool for high-throughput laboratory-based screening).
• Applications that propose to work on biomass other than algae biomass (e.g. lignocellulosic biomass, non-algae micro-organisms, fungi, etc.).

The overall strategic goal of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is to develop commercially viable bioenergy and bioproducts to enable sustainable, nationwide production of biofuels that are compatible with today’s transportation infrastructure, can reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions relative to petroleum-derived fuels, and can displace a share of petroleum-derived fuels to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and encourage the creation of a new domestic bioenergy industry.

BETO has targeted a performance goal of validating, at pilot scale, at least one technology pathway for hydrocarbon biofuel at a mature modeled cost of $3/GGE (gasoline gallon equivalent) with GHG emissions reduction of 50% or more compared to petroleum-derived fuel by 2017, and validating two additional pathways by 2022.

These high level strategic and performance goals are expanded in further detail in BETO’s multi-year program plan (MYPP). BETO most recently updated its MYPP in March 2015 . The MYPP identifies many technical barriers that must be overcome through research, development and deployment in order for BETO to meet these overall strategic and performance goals. BETO has issued several Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) to address the technical barriers delineated in the MYPP, and has done so in a way to focus its resources in a limited number of pathways/approaches to ensure that the program initiatives are supported at a critical mass (both in terms of dollars and time) for maximum impact and for the highest probability of success. BETO has communicated its project portfolio in public via the 2013 Peer Review and 2015 Peer Review.

However, BETO recognizes that there may be very novel and potentially disruptive ideas that do not necessarily satisfy the requirement of specific FOAs yet still meet BETO’s goals and mission. The Bioenergy Incubator Program is intended to identify these potentially impactful ideas that are not meaningfully addressed in BETO’s strategic plan or project portfolio. It is NOT intended to fund projects that are incremental improvements to current products or processes or for established work in BETO’s strategic plan or current portfolio.

BETO is issuing this Incubator 2 FOA to support innovative technologies and solutions that could help meet existing goals but are not currently represented in a significant way in the BETO’s MYPP and current project portfolio.

To apply to this FOA, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through EERE Exchange at https://eere-Exchange.energy.gov, EERE’s online application portal. Frequently asked questions for this FOA and the EERE Application process can be found at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/FAQ.aspx.

The eXCHANGE system is 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 &/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 &/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.

The Innovative Technologies for Bioenergy Technologies Incubator 2 FOA Informational Webinar will be held Wednesday, September 2, 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. ET. Standard application questions regarding the EERE Office and FOA procedures will be discussed. Please register for the webinar at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8577701794294175233

For a recorded version of the webinar session held Wednesday, September 2, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp9WC4OYjF0

Amendment 000003 to DE-FOA-0000793.  To view the changes associated with amendment, please refer to the FOA document below.

The mission of the Vehicle Technology Program (VTP) is to develop more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies for highway transportation vehicles (cars and trucks) that will meet or exceed performance expectations and environmental requirements, and enable America to use significantly less petroleum and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  The VTP focuses on highway vehicles, which account for 55 percent of total U.S. oil use ─ more than all U.S. domestic oil production.  Cost-competitive, more energy-efficient and fuel diverse vehicles will enable individuals and businesses to accomplish their daily tasks while reducing consumption of gasoline and diesel fuels. This will reduce U.S. demand for petroleum, lower carbon emissions, and decrease energy expenditures.

The VTP funds the advanced technology Research & Development (R&D) needed to achieve these goals. In the near to mid-term, transportation energy use can be reduced through improved vehicle energy efficiency from more efficient advanced combustion engines, Hybrid-Electric Vehicle (HEV), Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), and Electric Vehicle (EV) powertrains, and through reduced vehicle weight and ancillary load requirements.

This FOA supports the President’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge with the goal of enabling U.S. companies to be the first in the world to produce electric vehicles that are as affordable for the average American family as today’s gas-powered vehicles within the next 10 years (by 2022).

Electric drive vehicles such as HEVs, PHEVs, and EVs have been identified as one important way to address the challenges of the nation’s dependence on imported oil and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  VTP’s specific goals in this area include enabling the use of advanced electric drive technologies in vehicles by developing low-cost batteries, advanced power electronics and electric motors, along with the development and validation of models and simulation tools to predict the performance of advanced conventional and electric-drive vehicle systems. 

Advanced materials are essential for reducing vehicle weight to boost the fuel economy of modern automobiles, while maintaining safety and performance. Replacing cast iron and traditional steel components with lightweight materials such as high-strength steel, magnesium, aluminum, and polymer composites allows vehicles to carry advanced emissions-control equipment, safety devices, and integrated electronic systems, without an associated weight penalty. Using lighter materials also reduces a vehicle’s fuel consumption, because it takes less energy to accelerate a lighter object. For example, a 10% reduction in vehicle weight can yield a 6%–8% fuel-economy improvement.

Increasing the electric operating range of electric-drive vehicles is one of the keys to achieving mass market adoption in the U.S.  High efficiency occupant heating and cooling systems have the potential to significantly increase vehicle electric driving range while providing superior occupant comfort. Because of the higher efficiency of electric-drive vehicles, auxiliary loads such as passenger cabin heating, cooling, and window defrosting/defogging have a more significant impact on efficiency than in vehicles using internal combustion engines as their primary source of power.  Improving heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems is an essential component in the development of widely-accepted electric-drive vehicles.

As reflected in the FOA document, this FOA contains a total of 12 areas of interest in the general areas of advanced lightweighting and propulsion materials; advanced battery development; power electronics; advanced heating, ventilation, air conditioning systems; and fuels and lubricants.

The objective of the Advancements in Algal Biomass Yield (ABY) funding opportunity is to demonstrate, at a process development unit scale of one (1) acre cultivation equivalent, algal biofuel intermediate yield of 2,500 gallons of biofuel feedstock (or equivalent dry weight basis) per acre per year by 2018. The Biomass Technologies Office believes this target is an important milestone in reducing the cost of algal biofuels to cost-competitive levels on the way to achieving 5,000 gallons per acre by 2022.

This FOA will focus on a longer-term (up to 60 months) effort to integrate research and development on comprehensive mid-scale processes from strain development to production of biofuel intermediates. This will complement and build upon the current body of research to support enhanced algal biomass yields. The FOA establishes one comprehensive topic area encouraging integrated research that focuses on the following three main priority areas:

1 – Improvements in Algal Biomass Productivity;

2 – Improvements in Preprocessing Technologies; and

3 – Technical Advances that Enable Integration of Algal Biomass Unit Operations.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only.  DOE 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.  DOE may or may not issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI. 

DOE is issuing this RFI to obtain input from all interested stakeholders and the research community regarding efficient strategies and technologies for reducing the delivered cost of lignocellulosic biomass, increasing industry-accessible biomass volumes, and ensuring input quality specifications required by a variety of biorefinery processes are met.  This area is considered extremely important to achieving the 2022 biofuels goals for the Biomass Program under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA, 2007).

Responses to this RFI must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format and attached to an email addressed to Logistics_RFI@go.doe.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on November 21, 2012.

The U.S. Department of Energy is requesting applications to support outdoor phototrophic algae research and development in two areas: 1) nutrient and water use in algal production systems and 2) the development of algal technology testbed facilities. This research will support the Biomass Program’s goals to model pathways for significant (>1 billion gallons per year) volumes of cost-competitive algal biofuels by 2022.