Funding Opportunities

Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is to:

• Update title for Topic 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to CleanMachines@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00p.m. (ET) on June 7, 2024. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Preferred responses should be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) (10 page limit) and/or Microsoft Excel (.xslx) attachments to the email. If necessary, a plain text file (.txt) may be submitted. Only electronic responses will be accepted. Please identify your answers by responding to a specific question or topic if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

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

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

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

DE-FOA-0003186: PROGRESSION TO NET-ZERO EMISSION PROPULSION TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE RAIL SECTOR

Amendment 000001 - The purpose of this modification is to extend the submission deadline to February 12^th, 2024.

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

The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization set the goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the transportation sector – including rail – by 2050.[1] This transformation requires coordination among all aspects of the rail supply chain including feedstock supply, alternative fuel production, locomotive engine manufacturers, safety implementation, customer demand, and government regulation.

To set domestic rail on an ambitious net-zero emission trajectory, commercially viable, well-to-wheel net-zero emission line-haul locomotives are needed in the domestic fleet by 2030. Thus, an ambitious alliance is needed between the private sector, research institutes and regulatory entities to develop, demonstrate, and deploy net-zero locomotives and infrastructure together by 2030 to make net-zero propulsion the natural choice for railroads. The propulsion technologies under consideration for this RFI for transitional, interim use until 2030 are: biodiesel, renewable diesel, ammonia, methanol, hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines, and ethanol. The technologies under consideration for this RFI for mid- to long-term use are: hydrogen fuel cells, batteries (tenders or built-in), and direct electrification (catenary), or a combination of different technologies. Each alternative propulsion technology comes with its own set of regionally sensitive advantages and disadvantages.

The purpose of this RFI is to aggregate knowledge from rail stakeholders to help direct actions regarding future propulsion technologies, infrastructure requirements, and coordination among key stakeholders to ensure that the rail sector is meeting or exceeding U.S. decarbonization milestones. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is specifically interested in information on the rail sector stakeholder’s current alternative fuels trajectory, the driving forces behind it, and the key barriers to achieving this transition.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to GreenRail@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on February 12^th, 2024. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 15 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002446. The activities supported by this FOA are authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) Public Law 109-58 (Aug. 5, 2005), Title VIII - HYDROGEN, Sections 801 to 816. These provisions are found in the United States Code at 42 U.S.C. §§ 16151 to 16165. Title VIII authorizes the Secretary of Energy to conduct a program of research, development and demonstration on technologies relating to the production, purification, distribution, storage, and use of hydrogen energy, fuel cells, and related infrastructure.

This FOA supports research and development (R&D) to enable “H2@Scale” − a DOE initiative to achieve large scale production, storage, transport, and utilization of hydrogen across multiple sectors.1 Supporting EERE’s core priorities of energy affordability, integration and storage, H2@Scale research, development and demonstration (RD&D) aims to advance the adoption of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in integrated energy systems across key applications that provide a value proposition as well as reduce emissions. However, a number of challenges remain including cost, performance, durability, manufacturing and scale-up issues, and developing integrated systems that demonstrate the unique technical, economic and environmental benefits of hydrogen and fuel cells.

To address these challenges, HFTO supports a comprehensive RD&D portfolio addressing materials-, component- and systems-level R&D on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies (e.g., MW-scale electrolyzers, fuel cells for heavy-duty transportation applications, hydrogen delivery and fueling infrastructure, among others); and technology acceleration efforts addressing first-of-a-kind demonstrations of integrated energy systems, as well as manufacturing innovations and safety codes and standards. HFTO RD&D relies heavily on collaborations among various industry and university stakeholders and the national laboratories, including through HFTO-managed consortia.

This year, HFTO launched two major collaborative research initiatives leveraging world-class expertise and state-of-the-art equipment at the national laboratories: the Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck (M2FCT) consortium and the H2NEW consortium.2 Under each consortium, DOE national laboratories are working together in cutting-edge R&D and collaborating with the hydrogen and fuel cell communities to identify innovative ways to make hydrogen and fuel cell technologies more affordable and competitive in today’s market. Each consortium is planned at $50 million over five years, along with a similar level for industry and university FOAs, to advance progress in specific hydrogen production and fuel cell RD&D areas:

• M2FCT includes Los Alamos and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories as co-leads, and focuses on fuel cell durability, performance, and cost to better position fuel cell trucks as a viable option in the long-haul trucking market.
• H2NEW includes National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory as co-leads, and focuses on R&D to enable affordable, durable and efficient large-scale electrolyzers, which produce hydrogen from electricity and water (at both high and low temperatures).

This HFTO FY21 RD&D FOA will provide more than $33,500,000 in Federal funding for topics designed to supplement the current HFTO RD&D portfolio in the advancement of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, with an emphasis on incentivizing collaborative progress among industry, university and national laboratory stakeholders, including coordination with the M2FCT and H2NEW Consortia. This FOA includes the following four areas of R&D:

2) Efficient and Innovative Hydrogen Production This topic includes two focus areas aimed at developing sustainable generation technologies to enable low-cost production of clean hydrogen at large scale. The first area, carried out in collaboration with DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), focuses on increasing the production volume of advanced components, stacks, sub-systems, and systems for multi-MW-scale high-temperature electrolyzers to lower hydrogen production costs. This would be coordinated with the H2NEW consortium. The second focus area supports technology development which enables low cost hydrogen production via waste and biomass conversion. Research approaches in this area include microbial conversion technologies viable at large or distributed/community scales, with development of novel systems to bring down cost, improve yield, and enable scale-up.

3) High-flow Fueling Applications This topic includes two focus areas for development of novel hydrogen fueling technologies and processes that can increase hydrogen dispensing rates to facilitate rapid fueling of heavy-duty vehicles. The first topic area focuses on low-cost, reliable, domestically supplied hydrogen fueling station components to enable high-flow hydrogen fueling of heavy-duty trucks. The second focus area supports R&D necessary to develop a high-flow gaseous fueling model and ultimately a standard protocol which can achieve targeted fill rates.

4) Analysis This topic includes three focus areas for the development of a comprehensive set of cost analyses involving all aspects of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Projects would define the current state-of-the-art in key areas, develop and refine system configurations and designs, provide guidance on R&D gaps, and help to direct future R&D priorities in fuel cell, hydrogen production, and hydrogen storage technologies.

***NOTICE: New Application System Launched***

EERE issued this FOA in December of 2020 via the new EERE Program Information Center (EPIC) website https://epic.ee.doe.gov/

*******HOWEVER, PLEASE NOTE, the FOA has been moved to the Exchange website https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. Applications, for those that submitted an eligible Conept Paper under this FOA in EPIC, must be submitted through Exchange by the deadline listed below.

In addition, all questions pertaining to this FOA must now be submitted to HFTOFOA@ee.doe.gov. The list of Q&A's from EPIC, to date, is posted below.

At EERE, we understand that due to the coronavirus outbreak, many of us have had to make adjustments to our business operations and practices in order to safeguard the health and safety of our communities. Due to the extraordinary circumstances in which we now find ourselves, EERE is issuing an extension of 14 calendar days to respond to this FOA. The Full Application due date for this FOA is now May 4, 2020 5:00pm ET.

Thank you, applicants, for your continued efforts during this uncertain time.

We hope that you and your loved ones are well and we look forward to hearing from you.

The FOA has been modified as follows:

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The technology improvements necessary to advance H2@Scale encompass four main focus areas—better ways to MAKE, MOVE, USE, and STORE hydrogen. The initial H2@Scale FOA, released by EERE in FY19, focused on enabling R&D in these areas—and also funded first-of-kind pilot demonstrations of integrated systems with on-site nuclear power and multiple renewable energy sources. The key to continued advancement of H2@Scale is scaling up affordable hydrogen and fuel cell technology options for expanded supply and demand, enabled in part by continued R&D.

This “H2@Scale New Markets FOA” will provide more than $64M in Federal funding to advance the focus areas of H2@Scale and support EERE’s core priorities. Highlighting the importance of scaling up hydrogen use across sectors, this FOA will include more novel demonstration projects for several emerging new markets and applications.

Topics under this FOA to advance H2@Scale include:

Topic 1: Electrolyzer Manufacturing R&D

Topic 2: Advanced Carbon Fiber for Compressed Hydrogen and Natural Gas Storage Tanks

Topic 3: Fuel Cell R&D for Heavy Duty Applications

Subtopic 3a: Membranes for Heavy-Duty Applications

Subtopic 3b: Domestically Manufactured Fuel Cells for Heavy-Duty Applications

Topic 4: H2@Scale New Markets R&D—HySteel

Topic 5: H2@Scale New Markets Demonstrations

Subtopic 5a: Maritime Demonstrations

Subtopic 5b: Data Center Demonstrations

Topic 6: Training and Workforce Development for Emerging Hydrogen Technologies

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

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

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

The Exchange system enforces hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline should contact the Exchange Helpdesk for assistance at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Applicants are responsible for meeting each submission deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their Concept Papers and Full Applications at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline.

ATTENTION:  See message above and revised FOA (Mod 0002) in Documents section below.  The Full Applilcation Due Date for this FOA has been extended.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Modification 00001:

The purpose of this modification is to update the following:

1) Section I.B.ii – Topic 2A - Integrated Energy Production and Hydrogen Fueling R&D:

Edited: Applicants should clearly describe plans for early-stage and applied R&D and for system performance verification testing, explaining the innovation, and must include a 20% industry cost share.

2) Section IV.D.ii – Technical Volume:

Edited: Workplan and Market Transformation Plan (This section should constitute approximately 40% of the Technical Volume)

3) Section V.A.ii – Full Applications:

Edited: Criterion 2: Project Research and Market Transformation Plan (30%)

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This FOA supports research and development of key early-stage technical challenges for fuel cells and for hydrogen fuel production, delivery and storage, and will leverage the private sector to address institutional barriers that impact progress in the field. The goal of this research activity is to provide affordable, clean, safe, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, providing the benefits of increased energy security and reduced emissions through early-stage research and development.

The global fuel cell market increased its growth 40% in 2016, with revenues of over $1.6 billion in 2016 and over 20,000 fuel cell units for material handling equipment purchased in the U.S. alone since 2009. Light duty vehicles are an emerging application for fuel cells that has earned substantial commercial and government interest worldwide due to the superior efficiencies, reductions in petroleum consumption, and reductions in criteria pollutants fuel cells make possible.

The FOA topics include:

Topic 1: Energy Materials Network (EMN) - ElectroCat – this topic will leverage the Electrocatalysis Consortium (ElectroCat) to accelerate the development of catalysts made without platinum group metals for use in fuel cells for transportation. The EMN consortia have been established to make unique, world-class capabilities at the national laboratories more accessible to industry, facilitating collaborations that will expedite the development and manufacturing of advanced materials for commercial markets.

Topic 2: H2@Scale – this topic aims to improve the efficiency and resiliency of the electrical grid and of the transportation sector, and to realize gains in the various industries using or producing hydrogen. Some of the key research areas in this topic include materials compatibility, electrolyzer integration, and analysis.

Topic 3: Innovative Concepts – this topic supports applied early stage research and development of fuel cell technologies for transportation, stationary, and early market applications, with a primary focus on reducing cost and improving durability. While the main focal points of the program’s R&D portfolio are polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and platinum-based catalysts, the program also supports longer-term technical approaches that offer advantages over PEMFCs.

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

The Exchange system enforces hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission PRIOR to the deadline, the Applicant should contact the Exchange helpdesk for assistance (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The Exchange helpdesk &/or the EERE Exchange System Administrators (Exchange@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission that results in a late submission, the Applicant should contact the Exchange helpdesk for assistance (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov).

***EERE eXCHANGE has a system upgrade scheduled at 8PM ET on 2/17/2017 which will leave the system unavailable until approximately 6AM ET 2/18/2017. Since the eXCHANGE system is only scheduled to be down for a short period over a weekend night, DOE has decided not to extend the due date at this time.***

This FOA is for the research and development of low-cost hydrogen production, onboard hydrogen storage, and proton exchange membrane fuel cells to advance the widespread commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles. Selected projects will leverage national lab consortia launched under DOE’s Energy Materials Network (EMN) this past year, in support of DOE’s materials research and advanced manufacturing priorities.

The fuel cells market is growing rapidly, and has seen an annual growth rate of 30% every year since 2010 as well as $2 billion annual revenue in 2014. Light duty vehicles are an emerging application for fuel cells that already enable 95% lower petroleum consumption per mile than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.

Applicants to this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will collaborate with national lab consortia launched within the EMN. The EMN consortia have been established to make unique, world-class capabilities at the national laboratories more accessible to industry, facilitating collaborations that will expedite the development and manufacturing of advanced materials for commercial markets.

The FOA topics include:

Topic 1: PGM-free Catalyst and Electrode R&D – this topic will leverage the Electrocatalysis Consortium (ElectroCat) to accelerate the development of catalysts made without platinum group metals (PGM-free) for use in fuel cells for transportation.

Topic 2: Advanced Water Splitting Materials – this topic will leverage the HydroGEN Consortium to accelerate the development of advanced water splitting materials for hydrogen production, with an initial focus on advanced electrolytic, photoelectrochemical, and solar thermochemical pathways.

Topic 3: Hydrogen Storage Materials Discovery – this topic will leverage the Hydrogen Materials—Advanced Research Consortium (HyMARC) to address unsolved scientific challenges in the development of viable solid-state materials for hydrogen storage onboard fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

Topic 4: Precursor Development for Low-Cost, High-Strength Carbon Fiber for Use in Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel Applications – this topic will aim to reduce the cost of onboard hydrogen storage necessary for FCEVs. Applicants for this topic will be encouraged to collaborate with LightMAT, a consortium launched by the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office to enable light-weighting of vehicles through the development of high-strength steels and carbon fiber.

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

The Exchange system enforces hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission PRIOR to the deadline, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/or the EERE Exchange System Administrators (Exchange@ee.doe.gov ) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission that results in a late submission, the Applicant should contact the Exchange helpdesk for assistance (EERE‐ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov).

The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues (including finalizing the submission on behalf of and with the Applicant’s concurrence). DOE will only accept late applications when the Applicant has a) encountered technical difficulties beyond their control; b) has contacted the Exchange helpdesk for assistance, and c) has submitted the application through Exchange within 24 hours of the FOA’s posted deadline.

The mission of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program is to enable the widespread commercialization of a portfolio of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies through basic and applied research, technology development and demonstration, and diverse efforts to overcome institutional and market challenges. The Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) operates within the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program. The FCTO seeks input from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on how and which components in the hydrogen and fuel cell manufacturing process can and should be standardized. It also seeks to identify manufacturing pathways to reduce costs in both the near and longer-term, as well as how to address any critical barriers regarding manufacturability and supply chain development.

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

Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the Government on a non-attribution basis for planning and strategy development; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as information only. EERE will review and consider all responses in its formulation of program strategies for the identified materials of interest that are the subject of this request. EERE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that EERE is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind EERE to any further actions related to this topic.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to fctomanufacturing@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on January 31,2017. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 5 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

Please identify your answers by responding to a specific question or topic if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

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

The FCTO is a key component of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) EERE portfolio. Fuel cells powered by hydrogen from renewable or low-carbon resources can lead to substantial energy savings and reductions in imported petroleum and carbon emissions. The FCTO aims to provide clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, providing the benefits of increased energy security and reduced criteria pollutants and green-house gas emissions through research, development and demonstration (RD&D) to address both key technical challenges for fuel cells and hydrogen fuels (i.e. hydrogen production, delivery and storage) and institutional barriers such as hydrogen codes and standards.

It is anticipated that the FOA will include 4 topics that are detailed below. The first 3 topics will leverage FCTO’s national lab consortia launched under the DOE Energy Materials Network (EMN) in FY16, in support of the President’s Materials Genome Initiative and advanced manufacturing priorities. Consortia that will be leveraged include: ElectroCat, HydroGEN, and HyMARC (additional information is below). Applicants will be encouraged to leverage consortia capabilites in their research, and share research results with consortia data portals. Interested applicants are encouraged to explore consortia capabilites, and interface with consortia steering committees prior to the release of the FOA. To help facilitate this, FCTO plans to hold webinars and/or weekly public teleconferences with technical representatives from each consortium in the coming weeks, wherein interested applicants can ask questions about the consortia’s capabilities. These webinars and teleconferences will be open to the public and their recordings will be publically posted to ensure everyone has the same access. To ensure you are notified of upcoming FCTO webinars, please subscribe to our Fuel Cell News and Financial Opportunity Updates at the following link: http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/subscribe-news-and-financial-opportunity-updates.

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

EERE plans to issue the FOA in the Fall of 2016 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 U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) seeks input on priority areas that will advance deployment of hydrogen fueling stations and delivery infrastructure and input on barriers and activities to pursue in both the near and longer-term.

FCTO is a key component of the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) portfolio. EERE seeks to provide clean, affordable, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, along with benefits of increased energy security, reduced criteria pollutants, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions; hydrogen and fuel cells are an important part of EERE’s portfolio. FCTO funds activities addressing the barriers hydrogen fueling stations face today, including renewable hydrogen fuel cost, station and equipment cost, station reliability and performance, codes and standards development, manufacturing needs, and outreach and training needs.

This is a critical time for the hydrogen market in the United States, as we are in the early commercial phases for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), hydrogen fueling stations and delivery infrastructure, and renewable production technologies. With independent data from over 6 million miles of driving FCEVs and over 163,000 kg of hydrogen dispensed, FCTO is obtaining important information to help identify key areas for further research and development and has identified specific challenges facing hydrogen infrastructure and fueling station components.

FCTO is committed to enabling successful initial commercial deployment of hydrogen fueling stations. In the recent past, FCTO has focused on increasing public-private partnerships to address immediate technical challenges, an effort that will continue through the Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure Research and Station Technology (H2FIRST) project. H2FIRST leverages capabilities at the national laboratories to address the technology challenges related to hydrogen fueling stations. Outside of infrastructure projects funded through H2FIRST, FCTO is looking to identify other strategic research, development, and demonstration pathways to lower station costs and increase the overall utilization of hydrogen in the market.

FCTO wants to address some of the barriers facing hydrogen infrastructure research, development, and deployment in the near and longer-term, listed below. Note that the following list does not include all of the barriers, but it does include many identified by both FCTO and stakeholders during an Annual Merit Review Session. Barriers to be addressed through this RFI include:
• Station and equipment cost
• Station footprint
• Station reliability and performance
• Station availability
• Lack of a domestic supply chain for equipment parts, and
• Lack of real-world business cases for FCEVs and hydrogen stations.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on the research, development, and demonstration topics.

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

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to FY16FCTONeedsandStrategies@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on August 26, 2016. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 5 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

Research activities supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) are focused on developing technology targets for FCETs to facilitate the growth of hydrogen (H₂) and fuel cell technology. Making the transition from fossil fuel-powered to fuel cell powered trucks will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve domestic energy security, and improve air quality. The MD/HD market spans multiple weight classes (i.e. class 3-8 or 10,000-80,000+ lbs.) and vocational uses (i.e. delivery van, tractor trailer, flatbed, etc.). Today, MD/HD trucks account for 28% of petroleum use in the U.S. transportation sector [EIA 2015].

A key activity within FCTO with industry input, is setting technology targets for future years (e.g., 2020 targets) based on what is required to be competitive with incumbent or other advanced technologies. These targets can then be used by stakeholders to help track performance and set technology benchmarks. Currently, FCTO tracks technology targets for hydrogen production, delivery, storage, and fuel cells for light-duty vehicles.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from truck operators, truck and hydrogen tank manufacturers, fuel cell manufacturers, station equipment designers, and other related stakeholders on issues related to fuel cell electric truck targets. This RFI pertains to setting technology targets for fuel cell electric trucks (FCET). These targets will help drive early markets for medium and heavy duty (MD/HD) trucks which utilize hydrogen fuel cell technology.Fuel cell technology provides a means to create net zero emission vehicles (ZEV) for larger weight classes due to scalability and comparable performance to conventional powertrains.

This is solely a request for information and not a FOA; therefore, DOE is not accepting applications at this time. DOE will not respond to questions related to this RFI.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to FCTrucktargets@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on 7/11/2016. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email.

The purpose of Modification 000002 is to change the RFI Deadline to 04/10/2016, 5:00pm (ET).

The purpose of Modification 000001 is to extend the RFI Deadline to 04/15/2016, 5:00pm (ET).

The Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) is seeking feedback from the research community, relevant stakeholders, and industry on technical and economic barriers for fuel cell-related technologies. In particular, FCTO seeks information regarding:

• Research and development (R&D) needs to improve performance and reduce cost of bipolar plates for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs);
• The high startup cost for hydrogen refueling stations, which may be caused by extensive installation and permitting efforts or low equipment utilization; and
• Innovative research topics that may not currently be part of the FCTO portfolio but could potentially be appropriate for future efforts or funding opportunity announcements.

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

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to FY16FCTONeedsandStrategies@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on April 10, 2016. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery.
Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 4 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

Please identify your answers by responding to a specific question or topic if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

The Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) is a key component of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) portfolio. The FCTO aims to provide clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, providing the benefits of increased energy security and reduced criteria pollutants and green-house gas emissions by adopting a technology–neutral approach toward applied research, development, and demonstration to address both key technical challenges for fuel cells and hydrogen fuels (i.e. hydrogen production, delivery and storage) and institutional barriers such as hydrogen codes and standards. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)’s Area of Interest (AOI) 4 covers topics within Analysis which include fuel cell systems analysis, hydrogen storage analysis, and hydrogen production and delivery analysis.

The eXCHANGE system enforces 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 eXCHANGE helpdesk &/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission:

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

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Replies to Reviewer Comments

February 23, 2016 7:00PM to February 26, 2016 7:00PM Eastern Time

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

The Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) is a key component of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) portfolio. The FCTO aims to provide clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, providing the benefits of increased energy security and reduced criteria pollutants and green-house gas emissions by adopting a technology–neutral approach toward applied research, development, and demonstration to address both key technical challenges for fuel cells and hydrogen fuels (i.e. hydrogen production, delivery and storage) and institutional barriers such as hydrogen codes and standards. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)’s Area of Interest (AOI) 3 covers Consortium topics which include Fuel Cell - Performance and Durability (FC-PAD) and Hydrogen Storage Materials Discovery (HyMARC).

The eXCHANGE system enforces hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission:

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

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Webinar:

A webinar describing the FC-PAD and HyMARC consortia activities for potential FOA applicants is scheduled for Thursday, January 7th at 2pm ET. The link to register for the webinar is below.

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2706130484292389378

The webinar presentations is available in the Documents section of this posting.

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Replies to Reviewer Comments

Expected time frame: April 27, 2016 7:00PM to May 2, 2016 7:00PM Eastern Time

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

The Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) is a key component of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) portfolio. The FCTO aims to provide clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, providing the benefits of increased energy security and reduced criteria pollutants and green-house gas emissions by adopting a technology–neutral approach toward applied research, development, and demonstration to address both key technical challenges for fuel cells and hydrogen fuels (i.e. hydrogen production, delivery and storage) and institutional barriers such as hydrogen codes and standards. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)’s Area of Interest (AOI) 2 covers topics within Demonstration and Deployment which include component manufacturing for hydrogen infrastructure and America's Climate Action Champions.

The eXCHANGE system enforces hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission:

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

The Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) is a key component of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) portfolio. The FCTO aims to provide clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, providing the benefits of increased energy security and reduced criteria pollutants and green-house gas emissions by adopting a technology–neutral approach toward applied research, development, and demonstration to address both key technical challenges for fuel cells and hydrogen fuels (i.e. hydrogen production, delivery and storage) and institutional barriers such as hydrogen codes and standards. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)’s Area of Interest (AOI) 1 covers topics within Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies Research and Development (R&D) which include advanced high-temperature water splitting, advanced compression, and advanced thermal insulation for automotive storage applications.

The eXCHANGE system enforces hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission:

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

The Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) is a key component of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) portfolio. FCTO aims to provide clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, providing the benefits of increased energy security and reduced criteria pollutants and green-house gas emissions by adopting a technology–neutral approach towards applied research, development, and demonstration to address both key technical challenges for fuel cells and hydrogen fuels (i.e. hydrogen production, delivery and storage) and institutional barriers such as hydrogen codes and standards.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) covers a broad spectrum of the FCTO portfolio with 4 Areas of Interest (AOI):

AOI 1: Research and development (R&D) for hydrogen fuel technologies

AOI 2: Demonstration and deployment for manufacturing technologies and Climate Action Champions

AOI 3: R&D within Consortia for fuel cell performance and durability and hydrogen storage materials

AOI 4: Cost and performance analyses for hydrogen production and delivery, hydrogen storage, and fuel cells

Submission deadlines, cost sharing requirements, eligibility information, applicant requirements (including whether or not a Concept Paper is required), etc. vary by AOI. Please refer to the appropriate AOI document for specific requirements, schedules, eligibility, etc.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Research, Development, and Demonstrations”.

The Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) is a key component of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) portfolio. Fuel cells powered by hydrogen from renewable or low-carbon resources can lead to substantial energy savings and reductions in imported petroleum and carbon emissions. FCTO aims to provide clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, providing the benefits of increased energy security and reduced criteria pollutants and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. FCTO accomplishes its goals by adopting a technology-neutral approach toward research, development and demonstration (RD&D) to address both key technical challenges for fuel cells and hydrogen fuels (i.e. hydrogen production, delivery and storage) and other barriers such as hydrogen codes and standards. The central mission of FCTO is to enable the widespread commercialization of a portfolio of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies through applied RD&D, and diverse efforts to overcome institutional and market challenges.

Fuel cells can address our critical energy challenges in all sectors: transportation, commercial, residential, and industrial. They can use diverse fuels, including biomass-based fuels, natural gas, and hydrogen produced from renewable resources. FCTO’s focus is primarily transportation and light-duty passenger vehicles utilizing hydrogen as an energy carrier. These areas will have the greatest impact in terms of GHG and petroleum reduction and they are aligned with the President’s goals and Climate Action Plan. However, FCTO also supports a range of other applications, including near-term markets such as distributed primary and backup power, lift trucks, and portable power; mid-term markets such as residential combined-heat-and-power (CHP) systems, and auxiliary power units; and longer-term markets such as fleet vehicles.

This FOA will provide funding to meet FCTO’s goals for Hydrogen Production and Delivery, Hydrogen Storage, Fuel Cell Technologies, Technology Validation, Manufacturing, and Analysis Programs. More detailed descriptions of the FCTO Programs, including technical and cost targets, can be found in the Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan (MYRD&D) at http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/downloads/fuel-cell-technologies-office-multi-year-research-development-and-22 . It is anticipated that up to $35M in DOE funds will be awarded under this FOA, subject to the availability of appropriations.

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 December 10, 2015 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 eXCHANGE system enforces hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline:

In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk &/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission:

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

There will be an Informational Webinar held on March 10, 2015 from 11:00am - 12:00pm ET. Standard information regarding the EERE Office and FOA procedures will be discussed.

 Link to the Webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7618359203471744513

Amendment 000001: Change the submission deadline for responses to this RFI from 08/07/2014 to 09/02/2014.

The Fuel Cell Technologies Office is a key component of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) portfolio. EERE seeks to provide clean, safe, secure, affordable, and reliable energy from diverse domestic resources, along with the benefits of increased energy security and reduced criteria pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.

DOE seeks input from interested stakeholders on fuel cell technology validation, commercial acceleration, and potential deployment strategies for continuous fuel cell rechargers on board light-duty electric vehicles in fleets.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to FuelCellCOBRA@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00 pm (EDT) on September 2, 2014. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email.

THIS RFI IS NOT A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA); THEREFORE, DOE IS NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.

With this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the Department of Energy (DOE) seeks to fund Outreach and Analysis type projects. Topics include:

Topic 1: Outreach to develop strategies and new approaches to facilitate development and expansion of the domestic supply chain of hydrogen and fuel cell-related components in the U.S.

• Identify gaps in the supply chain and strategies to mitigate the gaps for hydrogen and fuel cell components and systems.
• Develop supply chain enhancement strategies (e.g., online supply chain exchanges, supply chain outreach, and supply chain exchange event type events).

Topic 2: Global manufacturing competitive analysis for hydrogen and fuel cell-related technologies.

• Carry out comprehensive analysis of the factors affecting U.S. manufacturing competitiveness for hydrogen and fuel cell components and systems.
• Provide manufacturing-related market analyses related to the global fuel cell industry trends, including the number of units and size (megawatts) of fuel cells shipped and binned by country and type of application.

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.

Potential applicants are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent by 05/30/2014. However, a Letter of Intent is not required to submit a full application.

Overview Webinar: The Webinar mentioned in the FOA was held on June 5^th, 2014 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm Eastern Standard Time. The Webinar script and slides are provided in the FOA Documents section below.

Amendment 000001: Revised the Closing Date to June 9, 2014.  Revised the information regarding the Pre-Solicitation Workshop at the 2014 Annual Merit Review.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. Responses to the RFI will be treated as informational only and will not be viewed as a binding commitment for the respondent to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.

The Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) is seeking feedback from the research community and relevant stakeholders to assist in the development of topics for a potential Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for fuel cells and fuel cell systems designed for transportation, stationary, and early market applications as well as cross-cutting stack and balance of plant (BOP) component technology.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback on R&D needs for and technical barriers to the widespread commercialization of fuel cells for transportation, stationary, and early market segments. Feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders is sought. FCTO is specifically interested in information on R&D needs and priorities concerning the development of low-cost fuel cell components and pathways leading to improved fuel cell performance and durability. Input received from this RFI will be considered prior to FCTO issuing a fuel cell FOA (subject to Congressional appropriations).

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to fuelcellresearchneeds@ee.doe.gov  no later than 5:00pm (EDT) on June 9, 2014. Each response must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) document. Institutions providing input on more than one of the above categories should provide a separate document for each category, with the file name containing the category number and the institution name (e.g. if Company X is submitting responses to categories 1 and 2, two separate documents should be submitted with filenames “Category 1 - Company X.docx” and “Category 2 - Company X.docx”). Each response document should be no more than 2 pages in length, 12-point font, and 1-inch margins. Total attachment size should be less than 25MB to ensure message delivery. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

The purpose of this modification is to change the FOA issue date stated in this NOI from 03/31/2014 to 05/07/2014.

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

The mission of the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) is to enable the widespread commercialization of a portfolio of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies through applied research, technology development and demonstration, and diverse efforts to overcome institutional and market challenges. Fuel cell systems research and development (R&D) is working to reduce cost and improve durability for fuel cells used in transportation, stationary, and portable applications. Hydrogen fuel R&D continues to improve hydrogen-producing technologies from renewable resources, end use delivery, and lightweight, compact, low-cost storage systems. To accomplish this mission, FCTO has developed a strategic plan, or multi year program plan (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/mypp) to identify the technical challenges and barriers that need to be overcome. These technical challenges and barriers form the basis for FCTO to issue funding opportunities announcements (FOAs) for financial assistance awards in these specific areas. However, FCTO recognizes that there may be very novel and potentially disruptive ideas that do not necessarily satisfy the requirement of specific FOAs yet still meet the goals and mission of FCTO. The FCTO Incubator Program is intended to identify these potentially impactful ideas that are not addressed in FCTO’s strategic plan or project portfolio. It is NOT intended to fund projects that are incremental improvements to current products or processes or for established work in FCTO’s strategic plan or current portfolio.

It is anticipated that the FOA will be open to any and all impactful ideas which significantly advance the mission of the FCTO.

Amendment 001: The purpose of this amendment is to modify Section I.C. to add the language, “TCES systems that utilize fuel cells are not of programmatic interest and will be considered non-compliant.”

The Concentrating Solar Power: Efficiently Leveraging Equilibrium Mechanisms for Engineering New Thermochemical Storage (CSP: ELEMENTS) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking applications that integrate Thermochemical Energy Storage (TCES) systems with a minimum of 6 hours of thermal storage to be used in ≥1 Megawatt-electric (≥1 MWe) scale CSP electricity generation that have promise to achieve a cost target of ≤$15 per kilowatt-hour-thermal (≤$15/kWhth) are the focus of this FOA.  Successful projects will culminate in an on-sun demonstration of the thermochemical reactor along with reliable projections of the full scale performance of the integrated storage system through the utilization of validated performance models developed as part of the research and development effort.

Please note, the RFI submission deadline has been extended to June 1, 2013. 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from stakeholders on proposed cost targets for fuel cells designed for automotive applications.  The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from developers, manufacturers, end users, and other stakeholders on proposed cost and durability targets for automotive fuel cell systems.  The proposed targets are $40/kW in 2020 and $30/kW for the ultimate target (2030) for automotive fuel cell system cost, and 5000hrs or 150,000 miles for durability.  This RFI is not and will not lead directly to a Funding Opportunity Announcement; therefore the DOE is not accepting applications at this time.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only, issued solely for information and program planning purposes; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts.  Your response to this notice will be treated as information only.  DOE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI.  Respondents are advised that DOE is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI.  Reponses to this RFI do not bind DOE to any further actions related to this topic.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Fuel Cell Technologies Program, is issuing a RFI seeking input from stakeholders on proposed technical and cost targets for fuel cells designed for backup power and material handling applications.  Feedback on proposed performance, durability and cost targets, as well as on current status, for these two early market fuel cell applications is sought from developers, manufacturers, end users, and other stakeholders.   The targets are intended to meet end user expectations, and are not driven by the operating parameters or constraints of specific technologies. 

 Please send your response (one attachment only) via email, with the subject line and title, "RFI Response" to MHBPtargets@go.doe.gov. Your response should be limited to 5 pages, submitted in  Microsoft Word as an email attachment to the address above and received no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time on 6/30/2012. 

This FOA marks the first time that the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued three Phase I solicitations in a single year.  This “Release 3” is intended to give small businesses more topics and more opportunities to apply for SBIR/STTR Phase I grants in a given year.  It includes 8 broad topics and 30 subtopics aligned with EERE programs (see below).  Detailed application instructions, including eligibility requirements, can be found on DOE’s SBIR Funding opportunities website under Reference Number DE-FOA-0000715.

EERE leads the Federal government’s research and development (R&D) efforts in energy efficiency and renewable energy. It invests in clean energy R&D designed to reduce the cost of technologies that enable the efficient use of energy and/or the generation of renewable energy. EERE’s SBIR/STTR efforts are part of an integrated portfolio that will lead to economic and environmental benefits. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) EERE program is interested in receiving proposals for research and development projects that offer potential for achieving EERE technology cost and performance targets.  This FOA seeks Applications to select and fund SBIR Phase I research and development (R&D) projects in the follow topics and subtopics:

1. Advanced Manufacturing:  a. Manufacturing Process  b. Advanced Materials

2. Biomass: a. Cellulosic and Algal Biofuels b. Biobased Products

3. Buildings: a. Solid State Lighting (SSL) Devices and Packages;

b. Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pumps

c. High COP Electric Water Heaters

d. GSHP Ground Loop Cost Reduction

e. Fast Payback Solar Hot Water 

f. Building Envelope Materials

g. Building Controls and

h. Commercial Building Power Meters

4. Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies a. Transportation Fuel Cells b. Hydrogen Storage

5. Solar: a. PV module b. Power Electronics & Balance of System (Hardware)

c. Balance of System (Non-Hardware) and

d. Concentrating Solar Power

6. Vehicles: a. Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries; b. Exhaust Aftertreatment Materials

c. Innovative Engine Boosting Technologies

d. Differential Compression and Expansion Technologies

e. Subsystem Component Technologies

f. Thermoelectric Technologies

g. Materials for Traction Drive Motor Laminations, Cores, or Structures and

h. Engine Friction Reduction

7. Water: a. Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy b. Hydropower Applications

8. Wind: a. Logistics for Land-Based Wind Power

Using hydrogen, fuel cells can lead to substantial energy savings and reductions in imported petroleum and carbon emissions.  To realize these benefits, DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Program focuses on funding fuel cell research and development (R&D) and technology validation activities supporting a portfolio of fuel cell and hydrogen fuel technologies and applications.  This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which specifically supports the Technology Validation subprogram, will test, demonstrate, and validate hydrogen refueling components and complete systems in real-world operating environments.  Feedback will be provided to the DOE hydrogen and fuel cell R&D projects, industry partners, and end users to help determine what additional R&D is required to move the technology forward.  Projects resulting from this FOA will include hydrogen refueling station data collection and demonstration of advanced refueling components needed to support fuel cell applications.

With this FOA, DOE is accepting new applications for projects seeking to validate hydrogen technologies in the specific topic areas listed below.  Only applications that are responsive to one of these topic areas will be accepted, and only one topic area may be addressed per application.  The objective of each proposed project must be to test, demonstrate, and validate hydrogen technologies in real-world environments.  R&D of these technologies is not the focus of this effort and will not be funded through this announcement, except as described in the FOA for Topic Area 2 only.

Topic Area 1: Hydrogen Refueling Station Data Collection

Topic Area 2: Validation of Advanced Refueling Components

Fuel cells can lead to substantial energy savings and reductions in imported petroleum and carbon emissions.  To realize these benefits, DOE’s FCT Program focuses on funding fuel cell research and development (R&D) and technology validation activities supporting a portfolio of fuel cell technologies and applications.  This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which specifically supports the Technology Validation program element, will collect, analyze, and validate performance data from light-duty hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) operating in real-world environments. Feedback will be provided to the DOE hydrogen and fuel cell R&D projects and industry partners to help determine what additional R&D is required to move the technology forward.

With this FOA, DOE is accepting new applications for projects seeking to validate light-duty fuel cell electric vehicle performance and durability.  The objective of each proposed project must be to collect and submit dynamometer and real-world vehicle performance data to a DOE-sponsored third-party collection and analysis provider to provide statistically valid projections on key metrics including durability of fuel cell systems.  R&D of these technologies is not the focus of this effort and will not be funded through this announcement.