EERE Funding Opportunity Announcements

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only.

The Solar Decathlon is a program for collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are innovative, energy-efficient, and attractive. It provides participating students with hands-on experience and training. The Solar Decathlon, is open to the public and the next Solar Decathlon will take place October 5-15, 2017, in Denver, Colorado.

For the Solar Decathlon 2019 Planning Webinar, please go to: https://youtu.be/xeGzuPdIk9k.

Since Solar Decathlon’s inception in 2002, DOE has continuously sought to refine and improve both the application process and event execution. This RFI seeks information to inform designing, planning and implementing Solar Decathlon 2019 that is planned to also take place in the Denver area.

The goals of this Request for Information (RFI) are twofold:

1. Gather feedback on changes being considered by the Department of Energy to increase the opportunities for team participation and innovation, and

2. Gather feedback on ways DOE can reduce the barriers to entry for participation for university teams.

DOE is specifically interested in feedback regarding changes that would make it easier for universities to compete in the Solar Decathlon while maintaining the ability to hold a large public event that enables the public to experience the innovation in the houses.

This is an RFI only. EERE will not pay for information provided under this RFI and no project will be supported as a result of this RFI. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives.

Please see the full RFI document in the DOCUMENTS section below. Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to the email address noted in the RFI document below no later than 5:00pm (ET) on April 3, 2017.

PLEASE NOTE:

The announcement was modified on October 15, 2015 to delete the Letter of Intent submission requirement. Full Applications are still due in EERE Exchange by Thursday October 29, 2015 at 5:00PM ET.

Please see "Modification_000001_-_2017_Solar_Decathlon_Team_Competition_DE-FOA-0001398" in the FOA Documents section below.

(EERE) seeks applicants to its 2017 Solar Decathlon College Team Competition. This Competition supports the Obama administration’s commitment to improving the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education efforts, and to building a more knowledge-intensive workforce. The Department of Energy (DOE) and EERE are eager to create and support education and workforce development programs that are specific to applied energy, and are essential to carrying out DOE’s mission and advancing energy technologies for the future.

One of America’s most pressing and technically difficult scientific and engineering challenges is developing new and better technologies to supply clean and renewable energy. As the nation’s demand for energy increases and the energy sector grows to meet these needs, the United States faces an impending shortage of the skilled workforce needed to support this sector. An educated and highly-trained workforce is imperative if it is to support today’s low-carbon economy as it develops—and lead it to tomorrow. Finding solutions to these challenges is critical today and for America’s future. For this reason, DOE’s Strategic Plan supports developing and providing educational and technical training opportunities for students and for the workforce.

Since its inception in 2000, the Solar Decathlon has been a high-profile DOE-branded education and workforce development program for university-level students. It culminates in a competition that is a public demonstration of EERE technologies that promotes energy efficiency and increases awareness about residential energy use; fostering greater adoption of clean energy technologies. The competition demonstrates that an aesthetically beautiful and well-designed house can generate enough thermal and electrical energy to meet the needs of a single family household. At the bi-annual Solar Decathlons, first in Washington, D.C. and then in Irvine, California, 65,000-100,000 visitors have toured the houses to see student teams’ use of EERE technologies in action. More information about past Solar Decathlons is available at http://www.solardecathlon.gov.

The Solar Decathlon’s wide audience includes collegiate student teams, the building industry, the sustainable and clean energy industries, homeowners, and general public consumers. The student teams pursue multidisciplinary approaches to meet DOE’s requirements in designing, building, and operating energy-efficient, solar-powered houses. The program’s technology showcase educates the attending public and industry professionals about the benefits, affordability, and availability of clean energy solutions, with research papers, media coverage, and digital outreach serving as tools to amplify this message.

DOE is inviting collegiate teams of creative designers and innovators to enter this competition. For the first time in a Solar Decathlon competition, DOE intends to offer monetary prizes. For the Solar Decathlon 2017, DOE will award up to $2,000,000 in prizes to teams that are selected to participate via this Notice, and that bring an eligible house to the Solar Decathlon competition. The prizes will be awarded to the same 20 lead organizational entities that submit applications to DOE under this competition and are selected by DOE to compete, and that complete a house for the Solar Decathlon. Recipients will receive no Federal funding up front, but will be eligible for prize money upon completion of the competition.

The competition is open to all collegiate teams in the United States and around the world, but the focus is on design solutions for the United States.

Please see the full Competition Notice and Notice FAQs regarding the content of the Notice in the FOA Documents section below.

(Applicants interested in applying to the Solar Decathlon Program Administrator Funding Opportunity Announcement should refer to DE-FOA-0001371 posted in EERE Exchange.

The Information Webinar was held on September 2, 2015 for potential applicants. A PDF of the slides presented are in the FOA Documents section and a recording of the Webinar is available at this link:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/2576491463878152961

DOE is aware of the issue of being unable to upload a PDF Document in the Letter of Intent phase. To resolve that issue, please enter all the requested information into the data Fields of the Letter of Intent screen and enter a brief (200 words) explanation of the proposed project in the "Abstract" field. Once that is done and all the information is entered, click on the "Create Letter of Intent" button. When an Applicant creates a Letter of Intent it is automatically submitted to DOE and the Applicant will receive an email notifying them that the Letter of Intent has been submitted.

There is nothing further required of the Applicant in the Letter of Intent Phase. The next step is to complete and submit a Full Application by the FOA Closing Date.

Please be aware the under the "Status" Column in EERE Exchange your Application will show as "Not Submitted". This refers to the Full Application status, not the Letter of Intent Status. The confirmation email sent to the Applicant (referenced above) serves as the record of your Letter of Intent Submittal.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

(EERE) seeks applicants to its Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001371, Solar Decathlon Program Administrator. This FOA will support the Obama administration’s commitment to improving the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education efforts, and to building a more knowledge-intensive workforce. The Department of Energy (DOE) and EERE are eager to create and support education and workforce development programs that are specific to applied energy, and are essential to carrying out DOE’s mission and advancing energy technologies for the future.

One of America’s most pressing and technically difficult scientific and engineering challenges is developing new and better technologies to supply clean and renewable energy. As the nation’s demand for energy increases and the energy sector grows to meet these needs, the United States faces an impending shortage of the skilled workforce needed to support this sector. An educated and highly-trained workforce is imperative if it is to support today’s low-carbon economy as it develops—and lead it to tomorrow. Finding solutions to these challenges is critical today and for America’s future. For this reason, DOE’s Strategic Plan supports developing and providing educational and technical training opportunities for students and for the workforce.

Since its inception in 2000, the Solar Decathlon has been a high-profile DOE-branded education and workforce development program for university-level students. It culminates in a competition that is a public demonstration of EERE technologies that promotes energy efficiency and increases awareness about residential energy use; fostering greater adoption of clean energy technologies. The competition demonstrates that an aesthetically beautiful and well-designed house can generate enough thermal and electrical energy to meet the needs of a single family household. At the bi-annual Solar Decathlons, first in Washington, D.C. and then in Irvine, California, 65,000-100,000 visitors have toured the houses to see student teams’ use of EERE technologies in action. More information about past Solar Decathlons is available at http://www.solardecathlon.gov.

The Solar Decathlon’s wide audience includes collegiate student teams, the building industry, the sustainable and clean energy industries, homeowners, and general public consumers. The student teams pursue multidisciplinary approaches to meet DOE’s requirements in designing, building, and operating energy-efficient, solar-powered houses. The program’s technology showcase educates the attending public and industry professionals about the benefits, affordability, and availability of clean energy solutions, with research papers, media coverage, and digital outreach serving as tools to amplify this message.Under this Funding Opportunity Announcement, DOE intends to select one recipient to organize, manage, and conduct the Solar Decathlon competitions in 2017 and 2019. This includes identifying and providing the competition location/venue, soliciting sponsorships, hosting the competitions, awarding prize money to the competitors, and promoting the mission and goals of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy through educational programs and outreach. A key near-term requirement will be to identify a new location/venue for the 2017 Solar Decathlon.

DOE is seeking applicants for the 2017 Solar Decathlon College Team Competition under a separate Notice. See FOA DE-FOA-00001398 for details.

Please see the complete FOA document and the "FOA FAQs.xslx" spreadsheet in the "FOA Documents" section below.

The Information Webinar was held on September 2, 2015 for potential applicants. A PDF of the slides presented are in the FOA Documents section and a recording of the Webinar is available at this link:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/756755739443904257

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has issued, on behalf of the Technology-to-Market Team in the Office of Strategic Programs, a Notice of Intent (NOI), to notify interested parties of EERE’s intention to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the 2017 Solar Decathlon. Please see the full NOI in the "FOA Documents" section below.

The Solar Decathlon is a high-profile DOE-branded education and workforce development program for university-level students. The two-year program culminates in a competition among 20 solar-powered, high efficiency houses designed and built by multidisciplinary collegiate teams. The competition also serves as a public demonstration of EERE technologies. The competition demonstrates that an aesthetically beautiful and well-designed house can generate enough thermal and electrical energy to meet the needs of a single-family household. More information about past Solar Decathlons is available at http://www.solardecathlon.gov.

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

Topic 1: Solar Decathlon Program Administrator Selection -

DOE intends to select one recipient to organize, manage, and conduct the Solar Decathlon competitions in 2017 and 2019. This includes identifying and providing the competition location/venue, soliciting sponsorships, hosting the competitions, awarding prize money to the competitors, and promoting the mission and goals of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy through educational programs and outreach. A key near-term requirement will be to identify a new location/venue for the Solar Decathlon. The estimated period of performance for the Solar Decathlon Program Administrator Selection award will be approximately four years.

Topic 2: Solar Decathlon College Team Selection -

The planned Funding Opportunity Announcement will seek up to 20 collegiate teams to compete in the Solar Decathlon competition. The challenge to the teams competing in the Solar Decathlon is, in less than 24 months, to safely and effectively design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. For the first time in a Solar Decathlon competition, DOE intends to offer monetary prizes. For the Solar Decathlon 2017, DOE will award up to $2,000,000 in prizes to teams that are selected to participate via the FOA, and that bring an eligible house to the Solar Decathlon competition. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. There is no financial assistance provided for selected applicants under Topic 2. The prizes will be awarded to the same 20 lead organizational entities that submit applications to DOE under Topic 2, are selected by DOE to compete, and display their houses at the Solar Decathlon 2017 competition. The estimated time commitment for the Solar Decathlon Teams will be approximately two years.

Topic 2 will be open to all postsecondary education institution teams in the United States and around the world, but the competition focus is on design solutions for the United States. For more information about the competition, please visit http://www.solardecathlon.gov.

Please note that no applications will be accepted through this NOI. Please do not submit questions or respond to this NOI. All of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. Prospective applicants to the planned FOA should begin developing partnerships, formulating ideas, and gathering data in anticipation of the issuance of this FOA. It is anticipated that this FOA will be posted to the EERE Exchange website (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov) in late August 2015. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit feedback from past and present participants in the Solar Decathlon, broader academic circles, industry, sponsors, and other stakeholders on issues related to future Solar Decathlon competitions. The objective is to improve the outcomes aligned with the Solar Decathlon in the long-term. The Department of Energy (DOE) is specifically interested in feedback about additional U.S. benefits that should be the focus of future solar powered home programs funded by DOE, the format of a competition to achieve those benefits, and whether other formats or options can deliver higher value to the U.S. In the format discussion, if the current format is proposed to continue, information is requested on how DOE should identify future locations for the Solar Decathlon.

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

DOE hosted an informational webinar on the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 on December 4, 2013. Follow this link to view a recording of the webinar. (https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/686444776). You will be required to register for the webinar in order to view the recording. A transcript and the slide presentation are available in the FOA Documents section of this announcement.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

The purpose of this amendment is to make the following change:

Include informational webinar instructions for a webinar to be held on December 4th, 2013.

Title:    Solar Decathlon 2015 FOA Informational Webinar

Date:    Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Time:   2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/686444776

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements:

PC-based attendees:

Required: Windows® 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Mac®-based attendees:

Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer

Mobile attendees:

Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet

All other parts of the FOA remain unchanged.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Through The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the Department of Energy challenges 20 domestic and international affiliated collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost effective, energy-efficient, and attractive.  The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

The purposes of the Solar Decathlon are to:

• Educate students and the public about the money-saving opportunities and environmental benefits presented by clean-energy products and design solutions.

• Demonstrate to the public the comfort and affordability of homes that combine energy-efficient construction and appliances with renewable-energy systems available today.

• Provide participating students with unique training that prepares them to enter our nation’s clean-energy workforce.

The challenge to the teams competing in Solar Decathlon 2015 is to safely and effectively design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive in less than 24 months.

The Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an educational workforce development program designed to educate university-level students.  The Solar Decathlon is also a public outreach demonstration designed to foster greater adoption of clean energy technologies and energy efficiency.

Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOE intends to partner with one recipient who will host the 2013 Solar Decathlon to promote the Mission and Goals of the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Through this event, the recipient will promote the outreach, education and economic benefits of energy security, renewable energy and energy efficiency by demonstrating EERE Technology that can effectively be deployed in the community. By showcasing these technologies, this event should help launch additional workforce development and renewable energy activities in the local area that hosts the Decathlon. In addition to the benefits of increased public awareness, this event should stimulate the local economy by bringing in tourism dollars from those attending the event. This Funding Opportunity seeks to select a recipient that will form a partnership that includes a city, state or local government that will work together to host the 2013 Solar Decathlon.