EERE Funding Opportunity Announcements

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 fund innovative solar photovoltaics (PV) R&D that reduces the cost of PV modules, reduces carbon and energy intensity of PV manufacturing processes, and optimizes PV technology for new, specialized markets.

SETO’s PVRD program works to accelerate the deployment of solar energy technologies by funding innovative R&D in PV cell and module technologies, balance-of-system components, reliability tracing and tracking, metrology, and other key research questions in PV. To accelerate toward these deployment targets and augment SETO’s ongoing PV research portfolio,12 this FOA will fund R&D on innovative cell- and minimodule-level technologies focused on three major goals:

•Enable cost reduction on an LCOE basis through development of durable, high-efficiency cell and module PV technology

•Identify pathways to reduce the carbon intensity and energy intensity of industrial processes required to fabricate PV cells and modules

•Increase technical viability of PV cells and modules tailored for emerging integrated PV sectors, such as building-integrated PV (BIPV) and vehicle-integrated PV.

This FOA will fund innovative R&D projects that aim to advance the state of the art in various cell and module technologies to accomplish these goals of cost reduction, lower carbon intensity, and viability of dual-use markets. This FOA is separated into two topic areas:

•Photovoltaic Advances in Cell Efficiency, Reliability, and Supply Chain (PACERS): Applications in four PV supply chain, cell, and module technology spaces are of particular interest: low-carbon synthesis of metallurgical-grade silicon (MGS, here defined as silicon that is 98% pure as defined by the 5/5/3 standard)13 production, crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV, III-V PV, and organic PV (OPV). However, proposals for any industrial process, cell, or minimodule-level research that enables the goals of this FOA will be considered, excluding areas specified as not of interest in Section I.C., such as perovskite technology, which is addressed in other funding programs, and CdTe technology, which is addressed in Topic Area 2.

•Building Academic Capabilities in Cadmium Telluride: Applications describing advanced R&D projects requiring the procurement or upgrade of CdTe equipment are of interest. Proposals should detail work that will enhance fabrication, characterization, or analytical capabilities while also benefiting the larger CdTe PV research community.

DE-FOA-0003072: WASTE: Waste Analysis and Strategies for Transportation End-uses

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 aid communities with resource and energy recovery strategies associated with their organic waste streams. Organic waste streams represent major sources of fugitive methane emissions, volatile organic compounds, and other pollutants. The White House set a goal of reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030. By developing strategies that can prevent the landfilling of these wastes, one of the major sources of fugitive methane can be mitigated. Holistic waste management strategies can also benefit communities by reducing other impacts associated with waste collection and processing infrastructure including reducing truck traffic, odors, litter, and other air, water, and health impacts.

Topic Area 1 is focused specifically on helping communities beyond a conceptualization phase by supporting more in-depth feasibility or scoping analysis. Oftentimes, staff and organizational capacity in communities (particularly in rural, remote, Tribal, or smaller communities) is limited. While technical assistance programs can accomplish some of these objectives, direct financial assistance can close this capacity gap.

Topic Area 2 is targeted towards communities that have previously completed feasibility analysis and are seeking funding to further refine their project concept. Municipal and non-profit staff capacity and availability of funding often makes detailed design work out of reach for many communities and this topic aims to close that gap. Projects selected under Topic Area 2 will have an opportunity to construct and operate their designed pilot facility based on the down-select process described in the FOA.

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY24WASTEFOA@ee.doe.gov.

Note: DE-FOA-0003072 is a competitive solicitation and private discussions, while the announcement is open, are prohibited. All questions regarding this FOA must be submitted via email to FY24WASTEFOA@ee.doe.gov no later than three business days prior to the application due date. All questions and answers related to this FOA will be posted in EERE eXCHANGE under DOCUMENTS for DE-FOA-0003072.

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.

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. This FOA is funded by two Department of Energy (DOE) offices: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM) Carbon Conversion Program.

BETO’s primary focus is on developing technologies that convert domestic biomass and/or waste resources to affordable biofuels and bioproducts that significantly reduce carbon emissions on a life-cycle basis as compared to equivalent petroleum-based products. These bioenergy technologies can enable a transition to a clean energy economy, create high-quality jobs, support rural economies, and spur innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production. The activities funded by BETO through this funding opportunity will mobilize public clean energy investment by addressing research and development (R&D) challenges in the conversion of various seaweeds and blends of seaweeds (with wet waste feedstocks such as waste microalgae) to low-carbon fuels and chemicals. These activities can also help develop solutions for communities that are affected by harmful algal blooms to reduce the costs associated with managing these wastes.

The priority of FECM’s Carbon Conversion Program is to develop multiple pathways by which captured and concentrated carbon dioxide (CO₂) is converted into economically viable and environmentally sustainable products. The near-term objective of this program’s R&D is to accelerate deployment of carbon management technologies through the conversion of CO2 into value-added products. Under this FOA, applications are sought that use anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions in the cultivation process and then convert macro and/or micro algae into low carbon products. Conversion for agricultural products such as animal feed are of particular interest.

Algae is a promising type of renewable biomass-based feedstock with the potential to contribute to BETO’s and FECM’s missions and help meet the aggressive clean energy goals being pursued by DOE. For purposes of this FOA, “algae” includes microalgae, cyanobacteria, and macroalgae (also referred to as seaweed). All types of algae may be of interest to this FOA, subject to the topic-specific requirements described in each Topic Area.

• Topic Area 1: Conversion of Seaweeds to Low-Carbon Fuels and Bioproducts
• Topic Area 2: Conversion of Algal Biomass for Low-Carbon Agricultural Bioproducts

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to MacroFOA@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 view the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 05/10/2024 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 6/27/2024 at 5PM ET.

To apply, please register with the online application portal, HeroX, at https://www.herox.com/renewschoolsprize. Rules and required documents for application packages are available on the HeroX website.

2024 Renew America’s Schools PRIZE to Cooperative Agreement Overview:

The 2024 Renew America’s School Prize will provide up to $6.9M in cash prize awards of $300,000 each, followed by cooperative agreement awards between $7.5M and $15M.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE’s) Renew America’s Schools program provides investments to transform decaying public school infrastructure into healthier, more energy efficient learning environments. The program supports the implementation of infrastructure improvements in schools, with a focus on local educational agencies (LEAs) that qualify as rural and/or high poverty. Through Renew America’s Schools, DOE will help create healthier learning environments, lower utility costs, and redirect funds to support students and teachers.

Submission Deadlines

Application Submission Deadline: Thursday, June 13 by 5pm ET.

Applications must be submitted on HeroX, not through Exchange.

This program consists of three phases:

PRIZE (PHASE 1)

PHASE 1 (PRIZE): Portfolio + Team = Up to 23 Winners at $300,000 cash prize each

In Phase 1 (“Portfolio + Team”), competitors will identify a minimum of 10 schools/school facilities to be included in their application. The portfolio may span multiple LEAs. The portfolio should exhibit a high need for energy assessments and, ultimately, energy improvements. The goal of Phase 1 is for competitors to successfully assemble their project team, assemble their portfolio of school facilities, demonstrate the need for energy improvements at schools and school facilities in the defined portfolio, and outline their process to complete the tasks in Phase 2. Based on successful completion of Phase 1, winners may be invited to enter into negotiations with DOE for a Cooperative Agreement.

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT (PHASE 2 and PHASE 3)

PHASE 2 (COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT): Strategic Plan + Energy Audits = $500,000 to $1,000,000 per grantee

ONLY winners from the Phase 1 Prize will be eligible to negotiate with DOE to receive a Cooperative Agreement for Phase 2 and Phase 3 funding.

Phase 2 (“Strategic Plan + Energy Audits”) will be synonymous with Budget Period 1 of the Cooperative Agreement. Funding in Phase 2 will reimburse Grantees for costs associated with energy audits and strategic planning and design. DOE will allocate a set amount of funding per Grantee, determined by the number of schools or school facilities submitted in their Phase 1 application [see Table 1 below]. In Phase 2, Grantees conduct The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level 2 energy audits of all the schools/school facilities in the portfolio and develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan for implementing energy improvements. Energy audits and the Strategic Plan should provide schools with clear pathways to prioritize energy improvements, access private sector funding and/or tax credits, and realize high-impact health and safety benefits.

PHASE 3 (COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT): Implementation = $7,000,000 to $14,000,000 per grantee

Phase 3 (“Implementation”) will be synonymous with Budget Period 2 of the Cooperative Agreement. In Phase 3, DOE will allocate a set amount of funding per grantee, determined by the number of schools/school facilities submitted in their Phase 1 application. In Phase 3, Grantees oversee implementation of the energy improvements identified at the end of Phase 2. DOE will work with Grantees to ensure high-priority energy improvements are implemented within the allotted budget for Phase 3. Phase 3 should directly advance the measurable goals of energy savings and high impact health and safety benefits outlined in Phase 1.

Webinar Details

DOE will Host the following Informational Webinars:

• Thrusday, March 21 at 3pm ET
• Tuesday, March 26 at

DOE will Offer Office Hours related to the prize on:

• Wednesday, April 24 at 1pm ET
• Wednesday, May 29 at 2pm ET

Teaming Partner List

DOE is continuing to gather information for the “Teaming Partner List” to facilitate the formation of project teams for this Prize. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations who may wish to participate on an application to express their interest to other competitors, explore potential partnerships, and form project teams.

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

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Any organization that would like to be included on the Teaming Partner List should fill out this Microsoft form or email the information to Schools@doe.gov with the subject line “Teaming Partner Information.”

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

Contact Information & Questions

Submit questions to Schools@DOE.gov. Please refer to the HeroX website to find the answer to your emailed question. 

The research and development (R&D) activities to be funded under this lab call 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 lab call will enable innovation in research areas aligned to the WPTO Hydropower Program. In addition, this lab call will emphasize increasing diversity of research staff, increasing diversity of voices in research design, and or increasing quantification and emphasis on supporting underserved communities

This lab call solicits proposals in seven topics that cover three of the five core activity areas in the Hydropower Program, including one program-wide topic supporting the Federal Hydropower Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and DOE’s MOU with the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The three Hydropower Program activity areas and their supporting topics are:

HydroWIRES (Water Innovation for Resilient Electricity System) Activity Area (4 topics)

Topic 1: Modeling Gaps

In partnership with Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), an ongoing HydroWIRES Modeling Gaps project is focusing on developing new models and implementing them with the goal of creating public tools to include robust and updated scenarios for utility planning. Previous work identified seven top modeling gaps to representation of hydropower in power system models. This topic solicits proposals that focus on continued partnership with WECC model users and other practitioners to improve hydro generation representation in power system studies for operation and planning.

Topic 2: Future Grid Strength

HydroWIRES work has highlighted the role of hydropower in providing primary frequency response, ramping, and other benefits during contingency events. While previous studies have offered valuable anecdotes and modeling frameworks, a more comprehensive look at the unique benefits of hydropower at the timescales of grid stability has not been developed yet. This topic solicits proposals that will be comprehensive, national-scale modeling efforts (but with regional insight) that address the unique benefits of hydropower at the timescales of grid stability.

Topic 3: US-Norway Collaboration

Norway is a world leader in hydropower technology, operations, and modeling, which inspired a 2020 US-Norway MOU and international research summit. As HydroCen, the flagship Norwegian research consortium under which these projects were started, concludes, there are new Norwegian and/or European initiatives being launched with similar research themes that may lead to new fruitful international collaborations. This topic solicits new research projects aligned with the HydroWIRES roadmap that are not captured in the existing portfolio or other topics in this call, which are performed in collaboration with Norwegian researchers and/or partners.

Topic 4: Open Topic

This open topic solicits new ideas not captured in the existing HydroWIRES portfolio. Proposals should clearly further the goals of HydroWIRES as described in the research roadmap, and the application should explain how they do this. Collaborations with industry or other external entities outside the labs to co-design, validate, and implement National Lab results are highly encouraged.

Hydrologic Systems Science Activity Area (1 topic):

Topic 5: Extreme Weather and Climate Events:

Extreme events can have devastating effects on the country’s infrastructure, including power generation facilities, and climate change is only increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme events like heat waves, droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, inland flooding, and heavy precipitation. This topic solicits new research projects addressing extreme weather and climate events and their effects on hydropower infrastructure, operation, and planning. Proposals of interest will focus on one or more of the following: event classification, modeling, impact quantification, and mitigation and resilience strategies.

Fleet Modernization, Maintenance, & Cybersecurity Activity Area (1 topic):

Topic 6: Smart Maintenance Implementation Assistance

Traditionally, hydropower owners and operators’ maintenance programs have followed prescriptive, time-based maintenance and inspection programs. These programs may lose asset value by conducting maintenance earlier than needed or may not properly adapt to changing operating conditions (e.g., due to increased need for turbine flexibility) leading to increased failure rates. Predictive maintenance mitigates these challenges by using instrumentation, modeling, and data analytics to understand the remaining useful life and failure probabilities of an asset in real time. This topic solicits projects that accelerate the transition to smart maintenance methodologies by streamlining the implementation of new and existing maintenance analytics resources at existing hydropower facilities through programmatic assistance to hydropower asset owners and operators.

The one Hydropower Program-wide topic is:

Topic 7: Federal Hydropower MOU

Federally owned hydropower represents approximately half of the U.S. hydropower nameplate capacity, including many of the largest facilities in the fleet. Maintaining and modernizing this federal fleet requires significant investment and coordination. WPTO supports this coordination through two Memorandums of Understanding (MOU):

This pilot effort topic solicits “quick win” collaborative projects that minimize bandwidth required and solve targeted challenges within the federal hydro fleet.

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.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled MACRO: “Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity”.

If issued, this FOA will support BETO’s research and development (R&D) priorities in the Conversion Technologies Program and FECM’s R&D priorities in the Carbon Dioxide Conversion Program. BETO’s Conversion Technologies Program supports R&D in technologies for converting biomass feedstocks into finished liquid transportation fuels—such as renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel along with co-products or chemical intermediates. FECM’s Carbon Dioxide Conversion Program invests in R&D of technologies that convert captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) into economically valuable products such as chemicals, fuels, building materials, plastics, and bioproducts.

The 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. A diverse range of feedstocks will be required to reach 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.”[1]

Seaweeds, also known as macroalgae, represent a significant biomass resource potential of 3.3 billion dry metric tons that will be newly described in BETO’s upcoming Billion Ton Report. Rapid growth of the seaweed cultivation industry, in part inspired by the DOE ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy) MARINER (Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources) program efforts, has spurred new interest in working with seaweeds as a renewable biomass feedstock. Due to the expansion of domestic cultivation and the potential of seaweeds to contribute to DOE’s mission areas, this announcement is the first time BETO and FECM have specifically called for research into converting seaweeds to fuels and products.

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

Topic Area 1: Conversion of Seaweeds and Waste Algae to Low Carbon Fuels and Products

Topic Area 1 aims to address gaps in storage, mobilization, and conversion of seaweeds and other wet algal feedstocks to low-carbon products and enable these readily available feedstocks to access new markets. Applications would be sought that will develop laboratory or bench scale technologies and/or processes for utilizing: macroalgae (seaweeds); blends of macroalgae and wet wastes, and/or wet algal wastes for conversion to fuels and products with significant, on a national scale, potential to displace fossil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Applications will be required to demonstrate that the utilization of these feedstocks to generate products at commercial scale has the potential of at least 50% GHG reductions compared to conventional fuel and/or products.

Topic Area 2: Conversion of Algal Biomass for Low Carbon Agricultural Products

The goal of Topic Area 2 is to utilize carbon dioxide emissions streams from utilities or industrial sources to grow algae for source material and create value-added products. Applications would be sought that use anthropogenic (e.g., fossil fuel derived) carbon dioxide emissions to be used in the algae cultivation process and then convert those macro- and/or micro algae into low-carbon agricultural applications or products such as animal feed. Applications will be encouraged to focus on optimization of the technologies and processes for the conversion of cultivated algae biomass to products and clearly describe the end use products targeted. Applications will be required to show a reduction in CO₂ emissions through life cycle analysis and demonstrate that the targeted products provide benefits compared to current, commercially available products. Applications proposing animal feed as products should describe requirements for necessary testing or demonstrations of the resulting product. Developing successful conversion technologies can further improve, the economics and carbon utilization efficiencies of these products, resulting in additional market share that encourages further algae biomass cultivation and carbon dioxide utilization.

Please note: If a FOA is published, DOE’s government-owned, government-operated (GOGO) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will not be eligible for award under the FOA and may not be proposed as a Subrecipient on another entity’s application. An application that includes NETL as a Prime Recipient or Subrecipient will be considered non-responsive. Additionally, DOE/NNSA and non-DOE/NNSA Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) will be restricted from applying for funding as a Prime Recipient but are eligible to participate as a Subrecipient. The FFRDC effort, in aggregate, shall not exceed 50% of the total estimated cost of the project, including the applicant’s and the FFRDC’s portions of the effort.

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 around March 2024 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.

Amendment 000001 - The FOA has been amended in sections I.B. and Appendix H.

Significant RD&D is required to reach the goal of affordable, low-carbon Intensity transportation fuels and chemical products. The RD&D activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to addressing the climate crisis by driving innovation and deployment of clean energy technologies.

The 2024 Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose-Grown Energy Crops FOA supports the focus of the BETO Renewable Carbon Resources Program in developing strategies and supporting technology development to reduce the cost, improve the quality, increase the quantity, and maximize the environmental benefits of using renewable carbon resources. The FOA addresses enabling the mobilization of low carbon intensity purpose-grown energy crops across varied agronomic and geographic landscapes through the generation of data and research findings. The FOA seeks applications that will support resource mobilization, including improvements to quality, yield, cost, mechanization of propagation/planting systems, pest management, carbon intensity reduction, ecosystem services, and more from the cultivation of purpose-grown energy crops. Data generated over the course of four to ten years will be used to improve modeling projections, adapt crops and/or crop management strategies to address varying climates, understand variations in soil and belowground carbon storage, quantify ecosystem services, and reduce the carbon intensity for specified purpose-grown energy crop systems. There is a single Topic Area in this FOA with four Subtopic Areas, each focusing on different feedstock categories.

The Topic Area in this FOA seeks to address the following R&D needs:

Topic Area 1: Purpose-Grown Energy Crops

The objective this Topic Area is to fund projects that will enable the mobilization of low carbon intensity purpose-grown energy crops across varied agronomic and geographic landscapes through the generation of data and research findings. Each application selected from this FOA will become a member of the larger Regional Biomass Resource Hub Initiative (RBRH) that will work together with BETO’s established Regional Resource Hub Initiative Coordinator, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), to coordinate experimental plans, report data, and collectively achieve the FOA and Initiative objectives. Each submitted application must specify only one of the following Subtopic Areas.

Subtopic Area 1a. Algae

The objective of Subtopic Area 1a is to support projects that seek to cultivate and harvest as much algae from their given system(s) as possible each year for at least three years. The deliberate cultivation of algae with non-potable water, including all types of microalgae, cyanobacteria, and macroalgae, and algae grown to treat wastewaters is of interest.

Subtopic Area 1b: Herbaceous Energy Crops

Subtopic Area 1b is centered on enhancing the mobilization of low-carbon intensity herbaceous energy crops across varied agronomic landscapes. For the purposes of Subtopic Area 1b, “herbaceous energy crops” is defined as perennial plants and grasses that live for more than two years and are harvested annually after taking two to three years to reach full productivity. Examples of herbaceous energy crops include, but are not limited to, switchgrass, miscanthus, high-biomass sorghum, wheatgrass, and energycane.

Subtopic Area 1c: Intermediate Energy Crops

For the purposes of Subtopic Area 1c, “intermediate energy crops” are defined as crops planted between the harvest of a main crop and sowing of the next crop. Typically grown for environmental benefits such as increasing soil carbon or reducing nutrient leaching and soil erosion, intermediate energy crops have the additional potential to be harvested for conversion into low carbon intensity fuels and products.

Subtopic Area 1d: Short-Rotation Woody Crops

Subtopic Area 1d is focused on enhancing the mobilization of short-rotation woody crops across various geographic landscapes by performing regional field trials to examine long term yield and sustainability. For the purposes of Subtopic Area 1d, “short-rotation woody crops” is defined as fast-growing trees that are harvested within five to eight years of planting. Such trees include, but may not be limited to, species such as, hybrid poplar and shrub willow.

Please note: Due to INL’s role as Initiative Coordinator and involvement in FOA strategy discussions, INL is not eligible to apply for funding as a Prime Recipient under the FOA and may not be proposed as a Subrecipient on another entity’s application. Any application that includes INL as a Prime Recipient or Subrecipient will be deemed ineligible, non-responsive, and will not be further considered.

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

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY24RRHCropsFOA@ee.doe.gov.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 3/14/2024 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 06/13/2024 at 5PM ET.

As stated in the Notice of Intent (search DE-FOA-0003233 in XCHANGE), a Teaming Partner List has been compiled to encourage collaboration and facilitate the formation of new project teams. Visit: TPL-0000037: Teaming Partner List for FOA DE-FOA-0003209 Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose-Grown Energy Crops.

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.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is being issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO). The goals of this FOA are to advance manufacturing platform technologies in the following specific areas:

• Platforms for next generation battery manufacturing - focusing on manufacturability and scalability of critical battery components and system architectures as well as the role of machines for battery techonlogies (i.e., sodium-ion batteries (NIBs), flow batteries, and nanolayered films)
• Smart manufacturing platforms for battery production - developing innovative ways to revolutionize battery prouction by maximizing the benefits of smart manufacturing

This FOA will support activities to advance platform techonologies that enable flexible, scalable, and highly controllable battery manufacturing processes. Topics include:

1. Platforms for Next Generation Battery Manufacturing

     1.1 Processes and Machines for Sodium-ion Batteries

     1.2 Processes and Design for Manufacturability of Flow Batteries

     1.3 Scalable Manufacturing of Nanolayered Films for Energy Storage

2. Smart Manufacturing Platforms for Battery Production

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.

Modification 0002: The purpose of this modification is to:
1) Update the expected timeframe for first round award negotiations to 11/2023.
2) Correct the SOPO page limit to 12 pages.

Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is to:
1) Change the full application deadline date to 06/16/2023.

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 Areas addressed under this FOA are:

Topic Area 1: EGS Proximal Demonstrations: EGS demonstrations utilizing existing infrastructure proximal to existing geothermal / hydrothermal development with immediate potential for electrical power production.

Topic Area 2: EGS Green Field Demonstrations: Sites with no existing geothermal development and potential for shallow sedimentary, igneous and/or mixed metamorphic rock EGS with near-term electrical power production potential. ​

Topic Area 3: Super-hot / Supercritical EGS Demonstrations: Super-hot/ supercritical EGS demonstrations located at well-characterized sites with existing well(s) in place and with near-term electrical power production potential.

Applications for Topic Area 4 will not be accepted at this time.

Please 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 Concept Paper by 5:00pm ET on the due date listed in the FOA to be eligible to submit a Full Application. Concept Papers and Full Applications will only be accepted through EERE eXCHANGE.

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 applicants with a diverse range of backgrounds.

This FOA is expected to be re-issued on an annual basis and will provide applicants the opportunity to submit new applications for consideration. EERE intends to modify this FOA at a future time to solicit applications for subsequent fiscal years.

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The current issuance of this FOA solicits applications for fiscal year 2024.

The activities to be funded under this FOA support BIL section 40208, Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Recycling and Second-Life Applications Program, and the broader government-wide approach to strengthen domestic supply chains for critical materials to maximize the benefits of the clean energy transition as the nation works to curb the climate crisis, empower workers, and advance environmental justice. This BIL section is focused on research, development, and demonstration of:

· 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 electric drive vehicle batteries

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 “Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose-Grown Energy Crops”.

If issued, this FOA will support the Bioenergy Technologies Office’s research and development (R&D) priorities in the area of Renewable Carbon Resources (RCR). The RCR subprogram develops science and engineering-based strategies and technologies to cost-effectively transform renewable carbon resources into high-quality, environmentally sustainable, conversion-ready feedstocks for biofuels and bioproducts. These strategies and technologies are designed to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and reliability of feedstock production, harvesting or collection, storage, preprocessing, and transportation, and identify the key feedstock quality and operational variables for conversion performance.

Developing a domestic supply chain of purpose-grown energy crops is critical to decarbonizing the U.S. transportation and industrial sectors and can contribute to decarbonization of adjacent sectors of the economy, such as the agricultural and power sector. The Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose-Grown Energy Crops FOA will address the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization by funding high-impact R&D focused on mobilizing low carbon intensity, purpose-grown energy crops. These crops will support the Clean Fuels and Products Shot™ and contribute to the 2050 sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production targets of the SAF Grand Challenge. In order to verify greenhouse gas benefits and encourage grower adoption and deployment, long-term yield and sustainability of production crop varieties need to be demonstrated along with the agricultural and silvicultural practices that can provide low carbon intensity feedstocks for the production of renewable fuels and products.

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

Area of Interest (AOI) 1: Purpose-Grown Energy Crops

The goal of this AOI will be to demonstrate the long-term yield and sustainability of purpose-grown energy crops across varied agronomic and geographic landscapes that will accelerate feedstock supply chain development through the generation of data for use by analysts, policy makers, and industry. Verification and validation of the effectiveness of improved agronomic practices on reducing the carbon intensity of biomass resources across multiple regions, feedstock types, and growing seasons will also be essential to meet the 85% GHG emission reduction goal of the Clean Fuels and Products Shot™ compared to fossil-based sources by 2035. Feedstocks of interest include, but are not limited to, algae (microalgae, macroalgae, and cyanobacteria), herbaceous crops (switchgrass, miscanthus, energy cane, sweet sorghum, and high-biomass sorghum), short-rotation woody crops (hybrid poplars and shrub willows), and intermediate crops (carinata, pennycress, and camelina). Each application selected from this FOA will become a member of the Regional Biomass Resource Hub Initiative that will work together with DOE’s established Regional Biomass Resource Hub Initiative Coordinator, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), to coordinate experimental plans, report data, and collectively achieve the FOA objectives. Selected projects will be mapped to a Regional Biomass Resource Hub (RBRH) based on the proposed feedstock(s) and region(s) included in their application.

Please note: Due to INL’s role as Initiative Coordinator and involvement in FOA strategy discussions, INL is not eligible to apply for funding as a Prime Recipient under the FOA and may not be proposed as a Subrecipient on another entity’s application. Any application that includes INL as a Prime Recipient or Subrecipient will be deemed ineligible, non-responsive, and will not be further considered.

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 around January 2024 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.

Modification 0002: The purpose of this modification is to:

• Update the minimum non-federal cost share amount for Topic 1; and
• Provide clarification on blended cost share.

Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is to:

• Update estimated funding for Topic Area 4;
• Clarify the requirements for DOE/NNSA and Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs regarding a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA);
• Add language to the Content and Form of the Full Application for Topics 4 and 5;
• Add the Community Benefits Plan template;
• Clarify RDD&D Community Benefits Plan language for Topics 2 and 3;
• Add reporting requirements to track progress toward key departmental goals.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0003213 on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), which coordinates hydrogen activities with offices across DOE as described in the DOE Hydrogen Program Plan. These activities align with the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, and other DOE initiatives as described below.

Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis are top priorities of the Biden Administration. This FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035, “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”. The Department of Energy 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.

The research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will support the goals of the H2@Scale Initiative, which aims to advance affordable hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization to enable decarbonization and revenue opportunities across multiple sectors. These objectives align with DOE’s Hydrogen Energy Earthshot^TM (Hydrogen Shot), which targets affordable clean hydrogen production at $1/kg by 2031. Advancing technologies that will facilitate the use of clean hydrogen will support the goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2050.

In addition to RDD&D topics, this FOA will focus on enabling hydrogen deployments through safety and permitting support, equitable community engagement, and developing strategies for effective community benefits.

As part of the whole-of-government approach to advance equity, it is the policy of the Biden Administration that the federal government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. As part of this approach, this FOA encourages the participation of underserved communities and underrepresented groups.

Topics Include:

Topic 1: Components for Hydrogen Fueling of Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Topic 2: Standarized Hydrogen Refueling Station of the Future

Topic 3: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Port Equipment

Topic 4: Enabling Permitting and Safety for Hydrogen Deployment

Topic 5: Equitable Hydrogen Technology Community Engagement

Please see the 'Full FOA Document' in the DOCUMENTS section below.

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to H2FCFOA@ee.doe.gov

The Teaming Partner List is transferred from Notice of Intent (NOI) DE-FOA-0003212. The list will remain open and will be updated at least weekly until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

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

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the Deadline: In the event an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov).

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.

This topic will fund research programs that study the social dimensions of large-scale solar siting. This includes the dynamics of community acceptance of proposed projects, the role of public attitudes and other factors in the permitting process, and impacts of large-scale solar projects on communities. The goal of the award is to identify community engagement strategies, process changes, and other interventions that improve siting processes so that they are procedurally fair, create equitable benefits for communities, and balance the national need to site large-scale solar generation.

Outcomes of interest include:

• Community acceptance or opposition
• Permitting and land use decisions, predictability, and timeliness
• Community impacts (including meaningful benefits, burdens, and equity and procedural and distributional justice)

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

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.

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

The Biden Administration is committed to ensuring that overburdened, underserved, and underrepresented individuals and communities have access to federal resources, and specifically that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities, as described in its Justice40 Initiative. The clean energy transition should advance equity3 for people of color, people with disabilities, and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. Advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the entire government. As part of the whole of government approach, DOE is taking proactive steps to lower barriers to entry.

EERE supports research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. DOE funds RDD&D activities in climate and energy technologies through a variety of mechanisms, including external competitive solicitations and through its 17 national laboratories. In addition, DOE programs support building and sustaining an innovation ecosystem for climate and energy technologies, encompassing early career and workforce development, entrepreneurial programs and resources for individuals and organizations, and technical and financial assistance for communities and regions.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit public feedback about issues related to educational and professional development programming—created and delivered by diverse science and engineering non-profits—that inspires students, alumni, and professionals to explore, pursue, and succeed in STEM-related careers in clean energy. The expansion of the clean energy economy presents an opportunity to include those who have been underrepresented in the clean energy industry.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to CECFA@ee.doe.gov no later than 5 p.m. ET on Friday, January 26, 2024. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. To ensure message delivery, DOE recommends that respondents compress (i.e., zip) attachments with file sizes exceeding 25 MB. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) email attachment of no more than 6 pages in length, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. DOE will only accept electronic responses.

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

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO), a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) titled “IEDO FY24 Energy and Emissions Intensive Industries FOA.”

This FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050 to the benefit of all Americans. The Department of Energy (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 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 December 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.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) entitled “Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office FOA to Advance the National Clean Hydrogen Strategy.”

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

This FOA supports the vision outlined in the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, affordable clean hydrogen for a net-zero carbon future and a sustainable, resilient, and equitable economy. The FOA will target Research, Development, Demonstration & Deployment (RDD&D) topics critical to enabling increased adoption of clean hydrogen across sectors, particularly in heavy-duty (HD) vehicles and other heavy-duty transportation applications, which supports the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, including the buildout of fueling corridors. Increased adoption of hydrogen technologies will help achieve economies of scale and drive down costs, directly supporting DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) Program, an $8 billion federal investment to create networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and local connective infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier. Improvements in clean hydrogen technologies will also contribute to the long-term viability of the H2Hubs and other commercial-scale deployments. Activities funded under this FOA will also align with the H2@Scale Initiative, which aims to advance affordable hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization to enable decarbonization and revenue opportunities across multiple sectors. The FOA’s objectives support DOE’s Hydrogen Shot goal, which targets affordable clean hydrogen production at $1/kg within a decade. In addition to RD&D topics, this FOA will focus on enabling hydrogen deployments through safety and permitting support, equitable community engagement, and developing strategies for effective community benefits.

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

EERE plans to issue the FOA before or in January 2024 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.

Navigate to TPL-0000033 in EERE Exchange to access the Teaming Partner List for this solicitation.

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

This Teaming Partner List is for DE-FOA-0003158 Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) – 2024 FOA.

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

Modification 0001

This modification incorporates the following changes:

Section I.B: Revised Performance Goal/Target Outcomes for Subtopic 1B.

Section III.E.i: Replaced Value/Funding and Cost Share sections with Section III.E.i.c. Funding, Cost Share, and Subaward with FFRDCs.

Additional revisions made throughout to align with the newest FOA template. Please download and review the FOA document for complete details. The Modifications table begins on page 2.

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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) – 2024”.

The 2024 BENEFIT FOA will invest up to $30M (subject to appropriations) across four topic areas:

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: Innovative, Replicable, and Low-Cost Roof and Attic Retrofits

Technologies for affordable and scalable roof and attic retrofits that improve energy efficiency and address air and water infiltration.

Topic 3: Building Resilience and Capacity Constraints

Novel approaches to maintain essential loads during blackouts and add power capacity to buildings without the need for major infrastructure upgrades; localized thermal management systems and thermally resilient building envelopes to provide cooling and overheating protection against extreme heat events.

Topic 4: Commercial Lighting Retrofit Advancements

Low-cost, high-quality retrofit solutions for lagging sectors in energy-efficient lighting adoption (schools, certain commercial buildings).

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

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.

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 FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050” to the benefit of all Americans. The research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovations that can lead to the largescale deployment of clean energy technologies.

Specifically, this FOA will implement two approaches to energy storage in concentrated solar-thermal (CST) systems: thermochemical storage via solar fuel production and local thermal energy storage (TES) for dispatchable energy. The two technologies 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.

MOD 00001:  Modified the Full Application Deadline and expected date for Selections Notifications; see the cover page of the FOA.

Mod 000001: Added “Applicant Education Services” section IV.A.ii.

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). Some of the awards made under this FOA will be funded with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

BIL is a once-in-a-generation investment in modernizing and upgrading American infrastructure to enhance U.S. competitiveness, drive the creation of good-paying union jobs, tackle the climate crisis, and ensure strong access to economic, environmental, and other benefits for disadvantaged communities. BIL appropriates more than $62 billion to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)4 to invest in American manufacturing and workers; expand access to energy efficiency and clean energy; deliver reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans; and demonstrate and deploy the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy demonstrations.

DOE’s BIL investments will support efforts to build a clean and equitable energy economy that achieves a zero-carbon electricity system by 2035, and to put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 20505 to benefit all Americans.

This FOA will invest appropriations of $45 million over three years for development of new solar photovoltaics (PV) technologies to improve U.S. domestic manufacturing and competitiveness and secure our domestic energy supply chains.

The activities under this FOA are partly funded by BIL section 41007(c)(2)—the Advanced Solar Energy Manufacturing Initiative, which appropriates $20 million to carry out this activity, and was authorized by the Energy Act of 2020. In addition, appropriations from fiscal year 2023 will be used, authorized under Division Z Section 3004(b) of the Energy Act of 2020, (42 U.S.C. 16238(b)). These activities support the broader government-wide approach to strengthening critical domestic manufacturing and supply chains and to maximize the benefits of the clean energy transition as the nation works to curb the climate crisis, empower workers, and advance environmental justice. These BIL sections are focused on: Photovoltaics and Manufacturability of low cost, high quality solar systems

This funding opportunity has two topic areas. Topic 1 is focused on demonstration activities that support the domestic silicon PV module supply chain. Topic 2 is focused on RD&D and product development for dual-use PV with the aim of developing these market segments in the United States and increasing deployment.In both Topic Areas, SETO funding aims to retire technical, business, and market risks of solar hardware to validate pathways to commercial success through customer engagement and trials. Successful awardees will be well positioned to attract follow-on private investment, grow their businesses, generate revenue, and create jobs. This will help address SETO’s aims to support U.S. manufacturing across the solar value chain..

This Teaming Partner List is for the Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This FOA will focus on accelerating the capabilities of two thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technologies: metal-halide perovskite PV and cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV technologies. It will fund innovative industrial research and development (R&D) projects that will enable future commercialization of hybrid tandem perovskite PV, defined as a perovskite PV in combination with another technology such as silicon or CdTe. It will also fund industrial research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects across the materials, equipment, installation, and performance monitoring sectors to improve the competitiveness of the domestic CdTe PV industry. This FOA promotes American leadership in thin-film PV technology by promoting the domestic manufacture of thin-film PV modules. With this goal in mind, only for-profit entities and teams led by for-profit entities may apply to this FOA and all work must be performed in the United States.

The United States has world-leading domestic research and development (R&D) capabilities in thin-film PV across a multitude of universities and national laboratories. The United States is also in the process of rebuilding PV manufacturing equipment capabilities. It is expected that private for-profit entities, who are the target prime recipients for this FOA, will benefit greatly from developing strong partnerships with this ecosystem. As such, teaming arrangements are strongly encouraged.

This Teaming Partner List is available to facilitate the widest possible national participation in the formation of applicant teams for the FOA. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations that may wish to participate on a project to express their interest to other applicants and explore potential partnerships.

This FOA will encourage potential applicants to form partnerships with academia, national laboratories, other industry members, supply chain partners, equipment developers, and with institutions representing diverse individuals such as, but not limited to, tribal communities; minority-serving institutions (MSI), including historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and other minority institutions (OMI); minority business enterprises; minority-, woman-, and veteran-owned businesses; entities located in an underserved community or through linkages with Opportunity Zones. Applicants are particularly encouraged to partner with a diverse set of organizations to advance demonstration and field-testing activities.

Updates to the Teaming Partner List will be available in the EERE Exchange website. The Teaming Partner List will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who provide their organization’s information. Please include information about your organization type/characteristics in the “Background, Interest, Capabilities” field in Exchange to help other participants identify your capabilities.

Modification 000002: The Full Application Submissions Dealine has been extended.

Modification 000001: The Concept Paper Submissions Deadline has been extended.

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 FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050” to the benefit of all Americans.

The research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovations that can lead to the large-scale deployment of clean energy technologies.

Topic Area 1: System Planning Tools for Future Power Systems

This topic seeks to improve the long-term planning process of the bulk power grid by incorporating the unique features of VRE and new technologies that support VRE into the planning process.

Topic Area 2: Variability Management in Grid Operations

Projects funded under this topic area will develop tools for grid operators to optimally utilize and control IBR connected to the bulk power grid, as well as large numbers of DER, to achieve a more reliable and predictable grid with high penetrations of VRE.

Topic Area 3: Rapid System Health and Risk Assessment Tools for Grid Operators

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 applicants with a diverse range of backgrounds.

This FOA is expected to be re-issued on an annual basis and will provide applicants the opportunity to submit new applications for consideration. EERE intends to modify this FOA at a future time to solicit applications for subsequent fiscal years.

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The current issuance of this FOA solicits applications for fiscal year 2023.

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**DOE expects to make the announcement on Selections for the FY23 FOA in early January 2024**

Mod. No. 0001

Description of Modification:  

On Pages 36 and 41, removed erroneous references to Authorization for non-DOE/NNSA or DOE/NNSA FFRDCs, as the document is not a required element of Applications to this Lab Call.

Lab Call Description:

The Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) is issuing this lab call to solicit proposals to support the Technical Assistance and Workforce Development subprogram. Activities will support the subprogram’s focus on delivering technical assistance and developing partnerships with industry to increase the adoption of energy efficiency, decarbonization technologies, energy management programs, and water/waste reduction technologies and practices across the industrial sector. Topic areas will follow the recommendations of DOE’s Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap and enable expansion and integration of programmatic activities in the areas of energy efficiency, energy management systems, onsite renewables and storage, energy-water nexus, and workforce development. Topic areas include:

Topic 1: Onsite Energy Deployment Program Support – This topic seeks proposals for a technical analysis team that will provide subject matter expertise, research, and analysis covering a broad range of renewable and storage technologies in support of the overall Onsite Energy Program.

Topic 2: Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Accelerator – This topic seeks proposals to launch a CEA Accelerator to demonstrate the energy, water, and decarbonization benefits that can be achieved through efficient operation of CEA.

Topic 3: Multiple Benefits Resources – This topic seeks proposals to establish a protocol to help manufacturers understand how to uncover and quantify multiple or non-energy benefits during energy efficiency and decarbonization assessments in manufacturing plants.

Topic 4: Workforce Development Consortium – This topic seeks proposals to launch a workforce development consortium that will convene and financially support three-to-five key manufacturing workforce organizations running successful regional- or industry-specific programs that can be scaled to national and broad reach.

Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is:

1. Section IV. D. ix: Directs applicants to EERE eXCHANGE to access a summary slide template. Further defines the information that is required in the summary slides.

2. Section I.B.i:. In Topic 3, Subtopic 3a, removes the anode catalyst activity target for PEM electrolyzers to emphasize integrated MEA performance.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002922 on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), which coordinates hydrogen activities with offices across the Department of Energy (DOE) as described in the DOE Hydrogen Program Plan. These activities align with the DOE National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap and specific DOE initiatives. Awards made under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,[1] more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

This FOA implements two provisions within Section 40314 of the BIL, 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.” The FOA launches the first phase of funding for these programs and will provide up to $750 million in Federal funding, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. 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.

The FOA provides funding for research, development, and demonstration to:

The following topics, in two areas of interest, are included in this funding opportunity.

Area of Interest 1: Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program

Topic 1: Low Cost, High-Throughput Electrolyzer Manufacturing: Research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) that accelerates manufacturing innovations, so that electrolyzer stack manufacturers can achieve greater economies of scale.

Topic 2: Electrolyzer Component and Supply Chain Development: Research and development (R&D) of advanced components critical to accelerate the commercialization of electrolyzers

Topic 3: Advanced Electrolyzer Technology and Component Development: R&D that develops materials, components, and designs that are at lower technology readiness levels (TRL) but show promise in achieving long-term cost, performance, and lifetime goals in next generation of electrolyzer technologies.

Area of Interest 2: Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling

Topic 4: Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assembly and Stack Manufacturing and Automation: RD&D that accelerates fuel cell manufacturing innovation and scale-up by enabling diverse fuel cell manufacturer and supplier teams to flexibly address their greatest scale-up challenges and achieve economies of scale in medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (MDV/HDV) and cross-cutting applications.

Topic 5: Fuel Cell Supply Chain Development: R&D to address critical deficiencies in the domestic supply chain for MDV/HDV fuel cell materials and components.

Topic 6: Recovery and Recycling Consortium: Establish a single, broad-based nonprofit- or university-led consortium of industry, academia, and national labs to address a range of recovery, recycling, refurbishment, and reuse challenges for fuel cell and electrolyzer stacks and components.

Please see the 'Full FOA Document' in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The Teaming Partner List is transferred from Notice of Intent (NOI) DE-FOA-0002921. The list will remain open and will be updated at least weekly until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

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

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the Deadline: In the event an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov).

This announcement is a Teaming Partner List to help prospective applicants to NSF Program Solicitation 23-530 meet potential DOE National Laboratory partners in DOE-EERE including the Energy Materials Network consortia.

To go straight to the Teaming Partner List, click here to see the list and select "Submit Entry to Teaming Partner List" to submit an entry.

For the "Area of Expertise" selection, you can select "Cross-Cutting" if you do not see an option that fits. Use the "Topic" and "Background, Interest, and Capabilities" entries to go into detail.

Background:

NSF and DOE are federal partners in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Subcommittee on the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), whose vision is to enable discovery, development, manufacturing, and deployment of advanced materials at least twice as fast at a fraction of the cost as is possible through use of traditional methods.

DOE's EERE is working to build a clean energy economy that involves energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation. Although this solicitation is open to partnership with PIs from any EERE Office, EERE's primary interface with DMREF is through its Energy Materials Network (EMN), which aims to accelerate solutions to the nation's toughest materials challenges in the energy sector. Teams that exercise this option must agree to participate in technical review meetings, and funds may be budgeted for this purpose. "EERE" must be included as a Key Word in the Project Summary.

DMREF (Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future) is the principal NSF program responsive to the MGI. Over its inaugural decade, the MGI has driven a transformational paradigm shift in the philosophy of how materials research is performed. DMREF is supportive of the 2021 MGI Strategic Plan and its three primary goals, i.e., unifying the materials innovation infrastructure; harnessing the power of materials data; and educating, training, and connecting a world-class materials R&D workforce. Find Program Solicitation 23-530 here.

The DMREF solicitation is open to Institutions of Higher Education. See the solicitation for more eligibility information.

This solicitation provides an opportunity for DMREF teams to collaborate with MGI-related efforts supported by DMREF's federal partners in order to: 1) bolster the scientific/engineering aspects of the critical iterative feedback loop to accelerate materials research consistent with MGI principles, 2) facilitate the translation of fundamental materials research toward application, and 3) provide education, training, and workforce development opportunities.

Federal partners must not be listed on the Cover Page. Letters of Collaboration are not required from DMREF's federal partners, but the collaborating PI must be identified in the Project Description which must thoroughly explain how this collaboration would benefit both the DMREF team and federal partner in advancing the goals of the project.

For proposals involving collaboration with personnel from DMREF's federal partners such as EERE, the Budget may include funds, such as student support or travel, to enable these activities. No funds may be budgeted, or sub-awarded, to the federal partners: these personnel will participate as unfunded collaborators. Proposals that wish to exercise the option to partner with EERE may budget funds for travel to technical review meetings.

EERE share many common interests with those of the DMREF program. EERE, through the Energy Materials Network (EMN), develops materials, processes, and advanced manufacturing technologies for the energy sector. Specific topics of interest to both EERE and DMREF include:

1. Catalysis

2. Materials for extreme environments

3. Accelerated materials design and discovery by artificial intelligence and autonomous experimentation

4. Multiscale modeling

5. Photovoltaic materials

6. Lightweight and durable materials

The purpose of this Teaming Partner List is to allow for EERE partners including the EMN to network with prospective DMREF applicants.

Proposals are due March 13, 2023, closing by 5 PM submitter's local time.

NSF and DOE are federal partners in the National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC's) Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Subcommittee on the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), whose vision is to enable discovery, development, manufacturing, and deployment of advanced materials at least twice as fast at a fraction of the cost as is possible through use of traditional methods.

DMREF (Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future) is the principal NSF program responsive to the MGI. Over its inaugural decade, the MGI has driven a transformational paradigm shift in the philosophy of how materials research is performed. DMREF is supportive of the 2021 MGI Strategic Plan and its three primary goals, i.e., unifying the materials innovation infrastructure; harnessing the power of materials data; and educating, training, and connecting a world-class materials R&D workforce. Find Program Solicitation 23-530 here.

The DMREF solicitation is open to Institutions of Higher Education. See the solicitation for more eligibility information. 

This solicitation provides an opportunity for DMREF teams to collaborate with MGI-related efforts supported by DMREF's federal partners in order to: 1) bolster the scientific/enginering aspects of the critical iterative feedback loop to accelerate materials research consistent with MGI principles, 2) facilitate the translation of fundamental materials research toward application, and 3) provide education, training, and workforce development opportunities.

Federal partners must not be listed on the Cover Page. Letters of Collaboration are not required from DMREF's federal partners, but the collaborating PI must be identified in the Project Description which must thoroughly explain how this collaboration would benefit both the DMREF team and federal partner in advancing the goals of the project. 

For proposals involving collaboration with personnel from DMREF's federal partners such as EERE, the Budget may include funds, such as student support or travel, to enable these activities. No funds may be budgeted, or sub-awarded, to the federal partners: these personnel will participate as unfunded collaborators. Proposals that wish to exercise the option to partner with EERE may budget funds for travel to technical review meetings.

EERE share many common interests with those of the DMREF program. EERE, through the Energy Materials Network (EMN), develops materials, processes, and advanced manufacturing technologies for the energy sector. Specific topics of interest to both EERE and DMREF include:

1. Catalysis

2. Materials for extreme environments

3. Accelerated materials design and discovery by artificial intelligence and autonomous experimentation

4. Multiscale modeling

5. Photovoltaic materials

6. Lightweight and durable materials

The purpose of this placeholder FOA is to allow creation of a Teaming Partner List in Exchange for EERE partners including the EMN to network with prospective DMREF applicants.

Modification 0001: The purposes of this modification are to:

1. Direct applicants to EERE Exchange to access a summary slide template. FOA document further defines the information that is required in the summary slides.

2. Update the Topic Area Description related to PEM electrolyzers. See highlighted section in FOA document.

3. Clarify the timeline for announcing encourage/discourage decisions.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) is issuing this Lab Call. HFTO conducts comprehensive efforts to overcome the technological, economic, and institutional challenges facing the widespread adoption and use of clean hydrogen (H₂) and fuel cell technologies. To this end, HFTO, in collaboration with other Department of Energy (DOE) offices, supports a broad portfolio of projects for the production, processing, delivery, storage, and use of clean hydrogen, along with cross-cutting topics in system development and integration, safety, codes and standards, and systems analysis. This Lab Call is part of an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ expanded initiative to reduce electrolyzer cost. These activities align with the DOE National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap and specific DOE initiatives, including the Hydrogen Shot which targets affordable clean hydrogen production at $1/kg within the decade.

Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden Administration. This Lab Call will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050” to the benefit of all Americans. The Department of Energy 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.

The research and development (R&D) activities to be funded under this Lab Call 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 Lab Call will target cost reduction of electrolytic production of clean hydrogen through development of electrolyzer materials and components with high impact potential for multiple electrolyzer types.

Amendment 000001 - The purpose of this amendment is to modify the announcement document to correct an error by removing all references to the Letter of Intent phase of the application process, as it is not required for this FOA. See FOA DE-FOA-0002910/000001 for details.

Reducing Agricultural Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops (RACIPAC)

DE-FOA-0002910

The Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO’s) Renewable Carbon Resources (RCR) program develops science-based strategies and technologies to cost-effectively transform renewable carbon resources such as agricultural waste and algae into high-quality, environmentally sustainable, conversion-ready feedstocks for biofuels and bioproducts. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), through two distinct topic areas – the first focused on climate-smart agricultural practices and the second on algae crop protection – supports BETO’s RCR Program’s strategies for the development of conversion-ready feedstocks for biofuels and bioproducts and supports the Biden Administration’s goal to produce sustainable aviation fuels.

Climate-smart agricultural practices, such as conservation tillage, cover crops, nutrient management, and soil amendments (e.g., biochar applications), are promising approaches to reduce carbon intensity and improve sustainable production of biomass resources. Topic Area 1 projects will assess the efficacy of climate-smart agricultural practices that reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of biomass feedstocks for biofuels. Implementation of climate-smart agricultural practices is essential to produce low CI feedstocks, particularly from agricultural residues to enable sustainable aviation fuel production with lower greenhouse gas emissions. Topic Area 1, Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices for Low Carbon Intensity Feedstocks, has two subtopic areas:

· Subtopic Area 1a: Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices to Produce Low CI Feedstocks Derived from Agricultural Residues, and

· Subtopic Area 1b: Biochar Strategies to Increase Soil Carbon Levels and Agronomic Benefits of Crops for Energy Production

Cultivating algae (micro-, macro-, and cyanobacteria) and converting it to biofuels and bioproducts is an important component of BETO’s strategy for enabling the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). One of the major cost contributors of producing algae is biomass loss due to predation, competition, and pest infestations. Developing effective strategies to protect algal biomass production is essential to meeting BETO’s long-term goals of decarbonizing the transportation and industrial sectors via cost competitive algal-derived biofuels and bioproducts. Topic Area 2, Algae Crop Protection, focuses on developing crop protection methods and strategies for algae cultivation systems.

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY23BETORACIPACFOA@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 03/20/2023 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 05/16/2023 at 5PM ET.

Modification 0001: The purposes of this modification are to:

1.) Updates to Topic 1 as highlighted in FOA document.

2.) Updated maximum file size to 50MB in sections IV.B and IV.D.i.

3.) Changes made to the list of FFRDC members of HyMARC in footnote 42 on page 28.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002920 on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), which coordinates hydrogen activities with offices across DOE as described in the DOE Hydrogen Program Plan. These activities align with the DOE National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap and specific DOE initiatives.

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 achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050“ to the benefit of all Americans. The Department of Energy 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.

The research, development and demonstration (RD&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will support the goals of the H2@Scale Initiative, which aims to advance affordable hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization to enable decarbonization and revenue opportunities across multiple sectors. These objectives align with DOE’s Hydrogen Shot, which targets affordable clean hydrogen production at $1/kg within the decade. Advancing technologies that will facilitate the adoption of clean hydrogen technologies will support the goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2050.

Topic Areas Include:

Topic 1: Hydrogen Carrier Development

Topic 2: Onboard Storage Systems for Liquid Hydrogen

Topic 3: Liquid Hydrogen Transfer/Fueling Components and Systems

Topic 4: M2FCT: High Performing, Durable Membrane Electrode Assemblies for Medium and Heavy-Duty Applications

Please see the 'Full FOA Document' in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The Teaming Partner List is transferred from Notice of Intent (NOI) DE-FOA-0002919. The list will remain open and will be updated at least weekly until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

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

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the Deadline: In the event an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov).

Modification 0003:

1. Changes include corrections to the naming convention of the Community Benefits Plan submissions under Section IV.D.i. and elimination of a paragraph referencing a separate submittal of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan in Section IV.D.xv.

____________________________________________________________

Modification 0002:

Changes include revisions to the following sections:

1. IV.D.iii Resumes
2. IV.D.xvi Current and Pending Support
3. IV.D.xvii Transparency of Foreign Connection
_____________________________________________________________

Modification 0001:

1. Changes include updates to FOA subtopics 1.1 and 1.3 in Section I.B
2. Updated maximum file size to 50MB in sections IV.B and IV.D.i
3. Updated Appendix C to include waiver information on Foreign Work
______________________________________________________________

This multitopic FOA is a joint effort between EERE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO), the Building Technologies Office (BTO), and DOE’s Office of Electricity (OE).

Specifically, the goals of this multi-topic FOA are to:
• Validate and demonstrate next generation materials and manufacturing processes including domestic pilot demonstrations and related technologies to support the transition to U.S. manufacturing;
• Enable environmentally and socially responsible domestic manufacturing with diversified domestic supply of feedstocks including from recycled goods; and
• Mature nascent technologies, processes, and methods that improve the performance and market penetration of clean energy technologies and emerging building efficiency technologies.

This FOA will support activities to advance efficiency improvements and enhance manufacturing competitiveness through technological innovation by focusing on three main topic areas: (1) Next Generation Materials and Manufacturing Processes; (2) Secure and Sustainable Materials; and (3) Energy Technology Manufacturing. The multi-topic FOA integrates several identified research opportunities across AMMTO into a single funding opportunity that is intended to fund high-impact RD&D.

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 Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office FOA in Support of Hydrogen Shot.”

Clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are important elements of a comprehensive energy portfolio, particularly for use in hard-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy (such as heavy-duty transportation and industrial applications) and to enable long duration energy storage for a clean electric grid. These elements directly support administration goals to put the United States on a path to achieving carbon pollution–free electricity by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050 to benefit all Americans. This FOA will support research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of affordable hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, as aligned with the vision outlined in DOE’s draft national clean hydrogen strategy and roadmap—affordable clean hydrogen for a net-zero carbon future for a sustainable, resilient, and equitable economy. This FOA will address significant challenges to successful implementation of the national clean hydrogen strategy and roadmap, including the need for cost reductions and performance improvements for both fuel cell and hydrogen infrastructure technologies.

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 on or about January 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.

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 Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) FOA to Address Key Deployment Challenges for Offshore, Land-Based, and Distributed Wind.

The activities to be funded under this FOA support BIL section 41007(b)(1) 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. The FOA consists of four Topic Areas, focusing on High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) for Offshore Wind, Advancing Deployment of Distributed (ADD) Wind, Offshore Wind Energy Social Science Research, and Bat Deterrent Technology Development.

DOE is compiling a “Teaming Partner List” to facilitate the formation of new project teams for this FOA. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations who may wish to participate on an application to express their interest to other applicants and to explore potential partnerships, including representation from Minority Serving Institutions (e.g., Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)/Other Minority Serving Institutions); and partnerships with Minority Business Enterprises, Minority Owned Businesses, Woman Owned Businesses, Veteran Owned Businesses, or tribal nations).

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

Modification 0007: The purpose of this modification is reviseSection IV.D.xv. Open Source Software Distribution Plan and Appendix D - Open Source Software.

Modification 0006: The purpose of this modification is to to add two bullets to Section IV.E. Post Selection Information Requests, and add Section IV.I.xiv. Foreign Collaboration Consierdations.

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Modification 0005: The purpose of this modification is to add Budget Period information in Section I.B.i Topic Area 1: High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) for Offshore Wind and Section I.B.ii. Topic Area 2: Advancing Deployment of Distributed (ADD) Wind, to revise Budget Period information in Section I.B.iii. Topic Area 3: Offshore Wind Energy Social Science Research, and to revise Section II.A.ii Period of Performance table.

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Modification 0004: The purpose of this modification is to revise the Submission Deadline for Full Applications, Expected Date for DOE Selection Notifications, and Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiations; and to revise Section II.A.i. Estimated Funding for Topic Area 4.

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Modification 0003: The purpose of this modification is to add Budget Period Information to Section I.B.iii Topic Area 3: Offshore Wind Energy Social Science Research

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Modification 0002: The purpose of this modification is to add Section IV.D.xix. Community Partnership Documentation

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Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is to clarify Federal agency eligibility language for Topic Area 3.

The Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) FOA to Address Key Deployment Challenges for Offshore, Land-Based, and Distributed Wind.

The activities to be funded under this FOA support BIL section 41007(b)(1) 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. The FOA consists of four Topic Areas, focusing on High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) for Offshore Wind, Advancing Deployment of Distributed (ADD) Wind, Offshore Wind Energy Social Science Research, and Bat Deterrent Technology Development.

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.

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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 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) intends to issue an Administrative and Legal Requirements Document (ALRD) for the “Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program - section 40552(b) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021”.

On November 15, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The BIL is a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure, designed to modernize and upgrade American infrastructure to enhance United States competitiveness, drive the creation of good-paying union jobs, tackle the climate crisis, and ensure stronger access to economic, environmental, and other benefits for disadvantaged communities. The BIL appropriates more than $62 billion to DOE to invest in American manufacturing and workers; expand access to energy efficiency and clean energy; deliver reliable, clean and affordable power to more Americans; and demonstrate and deploy the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy demonstrations.

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of SCEP’s intention to issue an ALRD in the near term. All the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. In addition, this Notice provides information on the EECBG Program, including draft funding allocations to states,local governments, and Indian tribes and the potential option for formula grant recipients to select a voucher in lieu of a formula grant. This Notice provides additional details on eligibility requirements and information on submission and registration requirements for formula grant recipients.

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.

Modification 0004

1. Update the Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments to May 8, 2023.

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Modification 0003

1. Add the details for the Buy America Requirements for Infrastructure Projects Waiver Requests in Section IV.D.xv.

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Modification 0002:

1. Update the submission deadline for Full Applications from Sunday, March 5, 2023, to Monday, March 6, 2023.

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Modification 0001:

1. Remove the requirement of the Community Benefits Plan section within the Content and Form of the Concept Paper in Section IV.C.

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The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Section 41006: Water Power Projects: Innovative Technologies to Enable Low Impact Hydropower and Pumped Storage Hydropower Growth.” Awards made under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

This FOA seeks applications to address innovative solutions to retrofit non-powered dams with environmentally sustainable hydropower at a reasonable cost; applications to address development and testing technologies that mitigate challenges to pumped storage hydropower deployment, including market and revenue uncertainty, development costs and financing, long development timelines, permitting challenges, construction risks, and environmental impacts; and applications to address and encourage emerging organizations to support hydropower development. WPTO expects the amount of funding available for projects under this FOA will be approximately $14.5 million and cover the following topic areas:

1. Hydropower Retrofits for Non-Powered Dams;

2. Innovative Pumped Storage Hydropower Technologies; and

3. Hydropower R&D by Emerging Organizations.

Please Note: 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 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.

MOD0004: Change Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments to 02/24/2023 5:00pm ET.

MOD0003: Change Submission Deadline for Full Applications to 01/11/2023 5:00pm ET and Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments to 02/17/2023 5:00pm ET.

MOD0002: Change Submission Deadline for Full Applications to 01/04/2023 5:00pm ET and Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments to 02/10/2023 5:00pm ET.

MOD0001: Changes in language related to: Applications Not of Interest for Topic Area 1 clarified in Section I.B. (page 17) and Section I.C. (page 40). Also, clarification of TRL levels permitted for Tier 1 projects on page 13. And on page 15, NAICS code reference revision to 325199 for all other organic chemicals.

The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) plays a leading role in increasing energy efficiency along with decarbonizing the industrial sector. AMO drives the innovation and deployment that can lead to a more resilient, robust, and competitive domestic clean energy manufacturing sector that provides economic opportunities across diverse communities. As part of its industrial efficiency and decarbonization efforts, AMO supports applied research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) targeting the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from high emitting industrial sectors and through cross-sector technologies relevant across multiple industrial sectors. Significant decarbonization of the industrial sector is essential to achieving the overall goal of economy-wide decarbonization by 2050 and creating good paying jobs; while ensuring that U.S. industry remains globally competitive and production is not transferred to locations with higher carbon emissions.

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 achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050" to the benefit of all Americans. The Department of Energy 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. The projects selected under this FOA are expected to contribute to the Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of government’s climate and clean energy investments will flow to disadvantaged communities.

The research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will fund high-impact, applied research and development and prototype or pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration projects in order to expedite the adoption of transformational industrial technology necessary to increase energy efficiency across industry and in high GHG-emitting industrial subsectors, reducing both energy usage and GHG emissions. This includes cross-sector industrial decarbonization approaches via opportunities in energy efficiency; industrial electrification; low carbon fuels, feedstocks and energy sources; and industrial carbon capture and utilization. This FOA and its associated projects are separate from any forthcoming efforts to be funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including activities related to Industrial Emissions Demonstration Projects.

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.

To drive manufacturing innovation, spur job creation, and enhance manufacturing competitiveness, the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) supports applied research, development, and demonstration in crosscutting, platform technologies to decarbonize the industrial sector and promote the development and growth of a resilient manufacturing sector for multiple emerging clean energy fields.

Building a clean energy and equitable 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 goal to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050“ to the benefit of all Americans. The Department of Energy 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 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. This FOA will support activities to advance efficiency improvements and enhance manufacturing competitiveness through technological innovation by focusing on three main areas, as described below, with subtopics in each area: 

Topic Area 1: Manufacturing Process Innovation

Topic Area 1a: Efficiency Improvements to Drying Processes

Topic Area 1b: Advanced Tooling for Lightweight Automotive Components

Topic Area 1c: Sustainable Chemistry Practices in Manufacturing

Topic Area 2: Advanced Materials Manufacturing

Topic Area 2a: Materials for Harsh Service Conditions

Topic Area 2b: Development of Aluminum-Cerium (Al-Ce) Alloys and Processing to Enable Increased Energy Efficiency in Aerospace Applications

Topic Area 3: Energy Systems

Topic Area 3a: Structured Electrode Manufacturing for Lithium-ion Batteries

Attention: This FOA has been updated. Please see the ‘Full FOA Mod 0001 Document’ in the Documents section below.

The Geothermal Energy from Oil and gas Demonstrated Engineering (GEODE) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits an administrator to establish and lead a consortium committed to facilitating collaborative research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) focused on realizing technology improvements and transfer from oil and gas, deploying geothermal energy nationwide, evaluating and recommending ways to address regulatory and permitting barriers, and developing opportunities in the geothermal sector for the skilled oil and gas workforce.

The U.S. geothermal resource is vast, however, only a small portion of it has been developed due to the unique technological challenges associated with geothermal environments and a regulatory system that requires long lead times to secure needed operational permits. The mature, domestic oil and gas industry can provide a great deal of benefit on overcoming the remaining barriers in geothermal technology. The Geothermal Technologies Office seeks to develop a means through which the oil and gas and geothermal industries can collaborate and undertake beneficial research and development aimed at addressing the challenges in the geothermal industry and facilitating increased deployment of geothermal technologies nationwide.

Therefore, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking an organization to function as a consortium administrator that can:

Attention: This FOA has been updated. Please see the ‘Full FOA Mod 0001 Document’ in the Documents section below.

Please note: The eXCHANGE system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for 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 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.

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.

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 “Building Energy Codes: Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI)”. EERE intends to issue this FOA in accordance with Section 40511 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (BIL), also commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a competitive program enabling sustained cost-effective implementation of updated building energy codes. This FOA will be focused on efforts relating to the implementation of more efficient building energy codes, as well encouraging more resilient buildings, including grid-flexibility and stability, storage, durability, and better protection against extreme weather events.

Building energy codes establish minimum levels of energy efficiency for certain residential and commercial buildings. Model energy codes, such as the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 are developed and updated through national consensus processes. States and local governments ultimately implement energy codes, which is handled through various adoption, compliance, and enforcement processes and can vary widely across the United States. The implementation of building energy codes also depends on a significant number of stakeholders, including state and local government agencies, building and safety departments, builders, contractors, and design professionals, as well as a number of affected community interests. Successful implementation of the latest building codes and standards is critical to ensuring their benefits are realized in American homes and businesses.

EERE has compiled 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. EERE strongly encourages teams from different organizations, scientific disciplines, and technology sectors to form interdisciplinary and cross-sector teams that span organizational boundaries to enable and accelerate the achievement of scientific and technological outcomes. Please see the last the page of the NOI document for more information.

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

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 0001: The purpose of this modification is to:

1.) Change date of EERE selection notification to April 2023

Update: Given the recent addition of the current and pending support requirement, DOE is being very flexible on what current and pending support documentation, if any, applicants submit for the application stage. No applicant will be deemed ineligible based on the submission or lack of submission of current and pending support documentation. For selectees under this FOA, DOE may designate covered individuals for the current and pending reporting requirements during award negotiations.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment” is issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO).

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 achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050 to the benefit of all Americans. The Department of Energy 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.

The overall FOA objective is to support the formation of U.S. community coalitions that will develop, design, and install community geothermal heating and cooling systems that supply at least 25% of the overall community heating or heating and cooling demand in communities where current fuel use to heat or heat and cool homes and/or businesses results in increased greenhouse gas emissions. An overarching goal of this FOA is to support community coalitions seeking to deploy geothermal systems that can reduce the disproportionate shares of energy costs and associated environmental contaminants to underserved populations in a diverse set of communities. Target applicants are anticipated to be U.S. community coalitions. Coalitions can be from urban, suburban, rural, remote, island, or islanded communities where geothermal technology can reduce dependence on fossil fuels such as natural gas or heating oil.

Additional FOA objectives include:

Please see the 'Full FOA Document' in the DOCUMENTS section below.

Attention: The eXCHANGE system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for 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).

Update: Given the recent addition of the current and pending support requirement, DOE is being very flexible on what current and pending support documentation, if any, applicants submit for the application stage. No applicant will be deemed ineligible based on the submission or lack of submission of current and pending support documentation. For selectees under this FOA, DOE may designate covered individuals for the current and pending reporting requirements during award negotiations.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Advanced Manufacturing Office, a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization FOA”.

The Biden Administration has laid out a bold agenda to address the climate crisis and build a clean and equitable energy economy that achieves carbon pollution free electricity by 2035, and puts 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.

The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) plays a leading role in decarbonizing and revitalizing the industrial sector. AMO drives the innovation and deployment that can lead to a more resilient, robust, and competitive domestic clean energy manufacturing sector that provides economic opportunities across diverse communities. As part of its industrial efficiency and decarbonization efforts, AMO supports applied research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) targeting the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from high emitting industrial sectors and through cross-sector technologies relevant across multiple industrial sectors. Significant decarbonization of the industrial sector is essential to achieving the overall goal of economy-wide decarbonization by 2050 and creating good paying jobs.

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

This notice of intent (NOI) is issued so that interested parties are aware of EERE’s intention to issue this FOA in the near term. All 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 U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to invest in innovative research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that accelerate the large-scale development and deployment of renewable energy to support an equitable transition to a decarbonized electricity system by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy by 2050.

The goal of this funding opportunity is to develop the tools and processes to help a broad set of stakeholders including utilities, local governments, and community-based organizations; understand the implications and participate in the development of locally-based energy generation in their community. To achieve this goal, applicants will assimilate data from a variety of sources into novel tools, “dashboards,” or other applications that will assess the impacts and tradeoffs, including potential benefits and challenges of locally-based energy generation. These tools should be accessible and easy-to-use to a wide array of stakeholders that are not necessarily electric power system experts. Achievement of this goal should accelerate deployment of renewable energy towards an equitable de-carbonized grid, and it will come through pursuit of several concurrent objectives in successful system design.

DOE is aware of users experiencing issues opening the SF424 Application for Federal Assistance document. The document was updated to reflect a change from requiring a Duns and Bradstreet (DUNS) number to a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). If you see an error message when clicking the link, you need to take the following steps:
1. Click the link and save a copy of the .pdf to your desktop. It will save even though there is an error message. 2. Open Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader on your computer. 3. In Adobe, Click File, Open and select the SF-424 Application form on your desktop.

If users experience issues opening other Required Application Documents, please contact the mailboxes 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.

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 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. Decarbonizing the grid responsibly and equitably requires that wildlife and ecosystems associated with solar energy facilities are well understood. Achieving this goal will support the nationwide effort to meet the threat of climate change and ensure that all Americans as well as the nation’s wildlife and ecosystems benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy. Climate change is a threat not just to human societies but also “presents a growing threat to the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats in profound ways.”[1]

The goal of this funding opportunity is to develop solutions and/or strategies that minimize the adverse impacts of solar energy on wildlife and maximize the ecosystem benefits while enabling the rapid deployment of ground-mounted solar energy. SETO is interested in projects that will produce results with broad relevance to solar stakeholders by establishing methods, technologies, models, best management practices, and/or resources that facilitate solar energy’s pivotal role in achieving a 100% clean electricity system by 2035 and a net-zero energy system by 2050. Successful projects will produce research results that are generalizable to multiple sites, pertinent to multiple stakeholder groups, impactful in a short timeframe (i.e., 3 years or less), and engage local communities most affected by solar energy deployment.

[1] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Conservation in a Changing Climate. https://www.fws.gov/home/climatechange/

Modification 000003 - See the Modification table in the FOA. Changes from modification 000003 are highlighed in blue.

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 highlighed in yellow.

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

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO). The mission of GTO is to research, develop, and validate innovative and cost-competitive technologies and tools to locate, access, and develop geothermal resources in the United States, enabling the deployment of carbon-free, flexible geothermal energy in both the electric and non-electric sectors. Geothermal energy is a renewable and diverse energy solution for the United States, providing reliable and flexible electricity generation and delivering unique technology solutions to America’s heating and cooling demands. Geothermal resources can be found nationwide, are “always on,” and represent vast domestic energy potential. Only a fraction of this potential has been realized due to technical and non-technical barriers that constrain industry growth. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office’s GeoVision report concluded that with technology improvements, especially in areas relevant to drilling costs reduction, geothermal power generation could increase 26-fold from today, representing 60 gigawatts-electric (GWe) by 2050.

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 (1) to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and (2) 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“1 to the benefit of all Americans. The Department of Energy 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 targets technology developments that will provide significant improvements in drilling performance in commercial geothermal settings. The GeoVision Roadmap2 outlines a compilation of technical, economic, and institutional actions that the entire geothermal community, including DOE, industry, and academia must address in order for geothermal technologies to play a larger role in the nation’s energy mix. A key “Action Area” identified in the GeoVision Roadmap and strategic goals for the Hydrothermal Resource Program are highlighted below.

GeoVision Key Action 1.3 - Improve geothermal drilling and wellbore integrity: Integrating improved drilling and well-completion technology, better well design and construction materials, improved decision making, and innovative drilling financing can help industry realize better drilling efficiencies and effectiveness.
DELIVERABLE(S): New designs and approaches that enhance drilling efficiency and reduce well costs.
IMPACT(S): Reduced costs and risks and improved reliability.

GTO Hydrothermal Resource Program Strategic Goals:
 Expand geothermal energy opportunities throughout United States.
 Support research on drilling technologies that increase efficiency, lower costs, and lower risk related to hydrothermal reservoir development.
 Accelerate oil & gas technology transfer to address geothermal’s toughest challenges.

The construction of geothermal wells can represent up to 50% of total capital costs for geothermal energy production. Technologies and techniques that can reduce the time needed or the material costs associated with the construction of geothermal wells are key to achieving cost reductions. Furthermore, recent advancements in drill bits, casing, and drilling workflows have achieved significant cost reductions and improvements in wellbore quality in geothermal subsurface settings. Such significant reductions in time and capital requirements, when achieved in a reproducible manner, would represent material progress towards achieving the goals of the GeoVision study.

GTO seeks to reduce the financial risk of technologies and techniques not widely deployed in geothermal resource development. Of particular interest are projects focused on advancing geothermal well construction through the development, modification, and/or adaption of technologies and/or techniques that reduce drilling costs in a real-world geothermal field setting.

FOA Goal:
The ultimate goal of this FOA is a reduction in geothermal well costs. Because drilling costs are highly variable and sensitive to one-off events, average daily drilling penetration rate (e.g. average m/day) is the basis of performance measurement selected in this FOA. This FOA seeks to affect a 25% improvement in geothermal drilling rates by supporting multiple demonstration projects that each target this level of improvement. This metric and performance target will allow for quantitative evaluation of project impacts to support broad deployment of the most successful approaches.

The purpose of this modification is update page limit requirements found in Section IV.C.i – Full Application Content Requirements, on page 38. The corrections apply to page limit requirements for:

Resumes – Changed from 1 to 2; and, Statements of Project Objectives – Changed from 5 to 20.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) seeks to empower regions to harness the benefits of a clean energy future. This FOA supports multiple avenues for localities to improve their energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and bolster their local workforce through research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) projects for renewable-fueled energy systems and technical assistance to support manufacturers in adopting innovative, smart technologies to help better manage their energy use.

Under this FOA, DOE will provide up to $7.5 million to support activities that drive innovation, deployment, and technical assistance activities for clean energy technologies that are critical for climate protection under two topics:

Topic Area 1: Advanced Technology Demonstration in a Renewably Supplied District Energy System

Topic Area 2: Regional Initiative to Integrate Smart Manufacturing and Energy Management Systems

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.

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.

Background:

Geothermal energy is a renewable and diverse solution for the United States—providing reliable and flexible electricity generation and delivering unique technology solutions to America’s heating and cooling demands. Geothermal resources can be found nationwide, are “always on,” and represent vast domestic energy potential; however, only a fraction of this potential has been realized due to technical and non-technical barriers that constrain industry growth. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Geothermal Technologies Office’s (GTO) recent GeoVision report concludes that with technology improvements, especially in areas relevant to enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), geothermal power generation could increase 26-fold from today, representing 60 gigawatts-electric (GWe) by 2050[1].

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) 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 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 rock. This fluid transports heat to the surface where electricity can be generated with current power generation technologies. 

In addition to geothermal wells that have been targeted for EGS development, the hydrocarbon[2] industry also has an opportunity to contribute to the development of geothermal resources nationwide through the use of wells for power or heat production. The adaptation of hydrocarbon reservoirs, which are traditionally located in sedimentary basins, to geothermal production and utilization would expand the sector’s geographic reach outside of the Western U.S. where natural geothermal systems reside. Many hydrocarbon fields enounter temperatures high enough for geothermal energy and heat production. This unused heat, combined with the wealth of data, knowledge, workforce, and infrastructure in place in support of these fields underscores the benefits of exploring their geothermal potential. While a comprehensive nationwide resource assessment that evaluates the potential of existing hydrocarbon wells for geothermal development does not yet exist, a number of studies have looked at geographic subsets of the sedimentary basins of the U.S., where most hydrocarbon exploration and development occurs. Blackwell et al. (2006) provided a conservative estimate of 100,000 EJ of thermal energy in basins nationwide deeper than 4km[3]. A more detailed study on a subset of 15 U.S. basins by Porro et al. (2012) reported 135,000 EJ including only basins in the western United States (not including the Gulf Coast region)[4]. Finally, a study by Zafer & Cutright (2014) estimate the thermal energy resource base for the state of Texas alone to be 166,000 EJ[5]. 

Purpose:

Through periodic funding opportunity announcements (FOAs), GTO partners with industry, academia, national laboratories, industry experts, etc. to increase the use of domestic geothermal energy across a range of resource types by improving technologies, reducing costs, and mitigating barriers. Within GTO, the EGS Program actively pursues research, development, and demonstration projects to facilitate technology validation and deployment, reduce cost, and improve performance of EGS. Specifically, the economic viability of EGS depends on developing and improving enabling technologies and a detailed understanding of rock mass behavior and permeability enhancement.  While achieving cost-competitive electricity generation from EGS is a long-term goal, in the near-term, research, development, and demonstration projects will move industry along the learning curve toward technological readiness.

Through the FY21 Wells of Opportunity (referred to as WOO going forward) FOA, GTO is soliciting geothermal and hydrocarbon well owners or operators with existing wells that are willing to partner with DOE to advance and test EGS technologies in-situ.  These wells could be “idle” or currently used for injection, production, and/or monitoring. Due to the criticality of the technology prototyping and methodology testing phase of research and development in the innovation pipeline, this FOA focuses on active field testing, where the Federal government takes on the associated cost and risks. 

• Topic Area 1 – Amplify (EGS Near-Field RD&D):  This field validation effort will culminate in new power production, adding to the commercial viability of existing geothermal fields. The goal of Amplify is to illustrate that near-field and in-field EGS can be successfully deployed now as a result of recent technology advancements and that low permeability/underproductive wells near and in existing hydrothermal fields can be turned into valuable assets using EGS techniques.