EERE Funding Opportunity Announcements

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Offshore Wind National and Regional Research and Development.”

This FOA may target technologies, education, and supply chains with applicability to offshore wind energy deployments in all regions of U.S. waters including the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico.

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

1. Floating Offshore Wind Platform Research and Development
2. Alternative Fixed-Bottom Offshore Wind Foundation Types and Installation Techniques
3. Technology Advancement for Bird and Bat Research Offshore
4. Development of a Manufacturing and Supply Chain Offshore Wind Consortium based in the Great Lakes Region
5. Floating Offshore Wind Center of Excellence
6. Protecting the Future Offshore Wind Fleet against Lightning

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 of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. EERE will not respond to questions concerning this NOI. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential applicants to submit questions.

This teaming partner list is for FOA DE-FOA-0003097, Marine Energy University Foundational R&D and associated NOI DE-FOA-0003129. A teaming partner list may be used to facilitate the formation of new project teams for the announcement/topic area. The list allows organizations to express their interest and to explore potential partnerships, including representation from Minority Serving Institutions (e.g., Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)/Other Minority Serving Institutions); and partnerships with Minority Business Enterprises, Minority Owned Businesses, Woman Owned Businesses, Veteran Owned Businesses, or tribal nations.

• Updates to the Teaming Partner List will be available on the EERE eXCHANGE website. The Teaming Partner List will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who have provided their organization’s teaming partner information.
• SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Any organization that would like to be included on this list should submit their information to Teaming Partner List via EERE eXCHANGE.
• DISCLAIMER: By submitting a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the requesting organization consents to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating the Teaming Partner List, DOE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List #TPL-0000039. DOE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any applicants or requesting organizations for the development of such information.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled "Marine Energy University Foundational R&D."

This FOA supports EERE’s goals of increasing energy affordability, domestic economic prosperity, and energy security while enhancing the reliability and resiliency of the U.S. power grid. To achieve these goals, WPTO and WETO will fund research related to marine energy renewable energy technologies under this FOA. Marine energy is inclusive of energy from waves, tides, currents, and/or ocean thermal gradients.

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

1. Open-Source Marine Energy Converter (MEC) Test Platforms to Produce Open-Source Data
2. Sustainable & Scalable Offshore Wind, Marine Energy, and Aquaculture
3. Undergraduate Senior Design and/or Research Project Development
4. Open Topic

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.

Modification 0003: The purpose is to update the language of Section IV.D.iv Letters of Commitment.

Modification 0002: The purpose is to correct inconsistent SOPO length requirements from Section IV.D.v. And to pdate Reply to Reviewer Comments expected date on cover page.

Modification 0001: The purpose is to remove erroneous Community Partnership Documentation requirement from Section IV.D.i, Full Application Content Requirements, of the FOA.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Wind Energy Technlogies Office (WETO), this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "WETO Offshore Wind 2023 Centers of Excellence FOA".EERE expects to make a total of approximately $4.75 million of federal funding available for new awards under this FOA, subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

The university-led Centers of Excellence funded through this opportunity are intended to accelerate and maximize the effectiveness, reliability, and sustainability of U.S. offshore wind deployment and operation through partnership with industry participants, including wind project developers and technology manufacturers; other institutions of higher education; other research institutions, such as national laboratories; non-governmental organizations; tribes; and state and local-level governments.

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

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “WETO Offshore Wind 2023 Centers of Excellence”.

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 of Intent is subject to change. EERE will not respond to questions concerning this Notice.

Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions.EERE plans to issue the FOA in April of 2023 via the EERE eXCHANGE websitehttps://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/. If Applicants wish to receive official notifications andinformation 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 0001: The purpose of this modification is:

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

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

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

This FOA implements two provisions within Section 40314 of the BIL, which amended Title VIII of the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005 to include a new section 815, “Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling” and a new section 816, “Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program.” The FOA launches the first phase of funding for these programs and will provide up to $750 million in Federal funding, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. These activities will support the broader government-wide approach to accelerate progress in clean hydrogen technologies and maximize the benefits of the clean energy transition as the nation works to curb the climate crisis, empower workers, and advance environmental justice.

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

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

Area of Interest 1: Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program

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

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

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

Area of Interest 2: Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Modification 0001:

The purpose of this modification is to announce the addition of a $10 million topic area to its proposed funding opportunity DE-EE0002845 BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL), SECTION 41006(A)(2): U.S. TIDAL ENERGY ADVANCEMENT to advance tidal and current energy systems, bringing the total funding to $45 million. This new topic area will support at least one tidal or current energy planning and execution project in the United States, preferably led by a community-based organization or local/municipal government entity. With the addition of this topic area, WPTO’s funding opportunity will advance a comprehensive approach to tidal and current energy development in the United States, ranging from funding community-led planning and project execution to making the first large-scale investment in a tidal research, development, and demonstration site.

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The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Section 41006(a)(2): U.S. Tidal Energy Advancement.”

To support the development of tidal and current energy systems in the United States, and move the state of these technologies, DOE will provide the first large scale investment for the development of a tidal Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) site. This FOA will provide $35 million in total funding supporting Section 41006(a)(2) to fund a tidal or river current site development, preferably led by a project/site developer in the U.S., and fund in-water demonstration of at least one tidal energy system.

The overall goals of this FOA are to:

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

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

***PLEASE NOTE: This FOA has been modified (DE-FOA-0002792.0001). Section III.A.ii and footnote 59 regarding FFRDC eligibility have been updated to indicate that, for Topic 4, only core members of the M2FCT consortium are ineligible to apply as subrecipients. Core national laboratories in M2FCT include Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Please see the "DE-FOA-0002792_HFTO FOA_FINAL_Mod 0001" document in the Announcement Documents section below.***

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

This FOA includes the following five topics under two Areas of Interest, as follows:

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

Topic 1) HydroGEN: Solar Fuels from Photoelectrochemical and Solar Thermochemical Water SplittingTopic 2) Development and Validation of Sensor Technology for Monitoring and Measuring Hydrogen LossesTopic 3) Materials-based H₂ Storage DemonstrationsTopic 4) M2FCT: High Performing, Durable, and Low-PGM Catalysts/Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs) for Medium- and Heavy-duty Applications

Area of Interest 2: Improving Electricity Grid Resilience

Topic 5) University Research Consortium on Grid Resilience

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

The Teaming Partner List is transferred from Notice of Intent (NOI) DE-FOA-0002807. The list will remain open and will be updated at least weekly until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information. Any organization that would like to be included on this list should submit the following information to HFTOFOA@ee.doe.gov, with the subject line “Teaming Partner Information FOA-0002792”: Topic Area(s) of Interest, Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type (including MSI designation or disadvantaged community status, if relevant), Area of Technical Expertise, and Brief Description of Capabilities.

Applicants must submit a Concept Paper by 5:00pm ET on the due date listed in the FOA to be eligible to submit a Full Application.

Concept Papers and Applications will be accepted only through EERE eXCHANGE.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the 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).

***PLEASE NOTE: This FOA has been modified (DE-FOA-0002792.000001). Section III.A.ii and footnote 59 regarding FFRDC eligibility have been updated to indicate that, for Topic 4, only core members of the M2FCT consortium are ineligible to apply as subrecipients. Core national laboratories in M2FCT include Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Please see the "DE-FOA-0002792_HFTO FOA_FINAL_Mod 0001" document in the Announcement Documents section below.***

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

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

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

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

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

Topic 3) Materials-based H₂ Storage Demonstrations

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

Area of Interest 2: Improving Electricity Grid Resilience

Topic 5) University Research Consortium on Grid Resilience

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

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

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

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.

The purposes of this Modification 0001 are to:

1. Update Section III. Eligibility Information on Page 10, to include a definition of elements that must be present in qualifying existing joint graduate education program; and,

2. Update Section IV.B.iii. DOE National Laboratory Commitment Letter, on Page 24.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002283 entitled “Workforce Development in Emerging Fields.”
Workforce development in emerging technical fields is a critical issue for the United States. The Federal government has a key role to play in helping develop models and frameworks to provide interdisciplinary depth and to speed the training in important fields. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) roadmap, “Charting a Course for Success: American’s Strategy for STEM Education,”
points to four pathways representing a cross-cutting set of approaches to accomplish science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education goals, among which is the preparation of the STEM workforce for the future:
• Develop and Enrich Strategic Partnerships
• Engage Students where Disciplines Converge
• Build Computations Literacy
• Operate with Transparency and Accountability

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) in particular is interested in these issues as they pertain to relevant training for emerging technologies in the renewable power, sustainable transportation, and energy efficiency sectors, along with the fundamental science and engineering that feed into them. Many students and recent graduates lack accurate knowledge about careers relevant to these technology sectors, how to gain relevant skills for employment, or the positive impacts these jobs have on quality of life. A cutting-edge joint program can help fill this gap.

This FOA seeks to fund a land-grant university to pursue leading-edge interdisciplinary research that promotes workforce development in emerging fields within EERE-related disciplines and technologies, by supporting a coordinated expansion of existing joint graduate education programs with DOE National Laboratories to prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers.

For questions and answers pertaining to this FOA, please reference the DE-FOA-0002283 Workforce Development 2020 FAQ Log at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.

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

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

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in late submissions: In the event that an applicant experiences technical difficulties so severe that they are unable to submit their application by the deadline, the applicant should contact the EERE Exchange helpdesk for assistance (EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov). The EERE Exchange helpdesk and/or the EERE Exchange system administrators will assist the applicant in resolving all issues (including finalizing submission on behalf of and with the applicant’s concurrence). Please note, network traffic is at its heaviest during the final hours and minutes prior to submittal deadline. Applicants who experience this during the final hours or minutes and are unsuccessful in uploading documents will not be able to use this process.

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 26 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:

1. Updated Submission Deadline for Full Applications and Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments.
2. Updated Section II.A.i “Estimated Funding” to state one or more awards may be issued under Topic 1.

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The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), supports early-stage research and development (R&D) to strengthen the body of knowledge upon which industry can accelerate the development and deployment of innovative geothermal energy technologies.

GTO works to develop technologies to drive down the costs and risks of geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is a domestic energy resource from the heat of the earth, which represents a reliable, secure, clean, and nearly inexhaustible energy source.

This multi-topic funding opportunity aims to drive down costs and risks associated with the discovery of hidden geothermal systems in the Basin & Range region of the U.S., and to enhance energy system resilience through the utilization of Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage (RTES), Deep Direct-Use (DDU) and other geothermal direct use applications on university campuses, military installations, hospital complexes, and other large energy end-uses across the U.S.

The topic areas will be:

Topic Area 1 – Exploration RD&D: Hidden Geothermal Systems in the Basin and Range

Topic Area 2 – Advanced Energy Storage Initiative (AESI): Bi-directional Energy Storage Using Low-Temperature Geothermal Applications

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

FOA Q&As 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 Letter of Intent 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 Letters of Intent and Full Applications at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadlines.

Amendment 000001 - 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 FOA DE-FOA-0002203. The due date for this FOA is now 05/14/2020.

All questions and answers related to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. Please note that you must first select this specific FOA Number in order to view the questions and answers specific to this FOA.

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 U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) develops technologies that convert domestic biomass and other waste resources into fuels, products, and power to enable affordable energy, economic growth, and innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production – the bioeconomy. The activities supported by BETO are authorized by public law 109–58, TITLE IX, § 932, which authorizes the Secretary of Energy to establish a program of research and developmentfor bioenergy with the goal of price-competitivebiofuels, bioproducts, and biopower made from biomass-based feedstocks – see section I.E for details. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will support high-impact technology research and development (R&D) to enable growth and innovation to accelerate the bioeconomy by requesting applications across the entire scope of BETO’s mission space.

This FOA will provide funding to address BETO’s highest priority R&D areas. It includes Topic Areas from five BETO programs: Feedstock Supply and Logistics; Advanced Algal Systems; Conversion Technologies; Advanced Development and Optimization; and Strategic Analysis and Crosscutting Sustainability. Each Topic Area supports BETO’s objectives to reduce the minimum selling price of drop-in biofuels, lower the cost of biopower, and enable high-value products from biomass or waste resources.

Topic 1: Scale Up of Bench Applications (SCUBA)

Topic 2: Waste to Energy Strategies for the Bioeconomy

Topic 3: Algae Bioproducts and CO₂ Direct-Air-Capture Efficiency (ABCDE)

Topic 4: Bio-Restore: Biomass to Restore Natural Resources

Topic 5: Efficient Wood Heaters

Topic 6: Biopower and Products from Urban and Suburban Wastes: North American Multi-University Partnership for Research and Education

Topic 7: Scalable CO₂ Electrocatalysis

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

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

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

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

Modification 000002:

The purpose of this modification is to update the following:
1) Section IV.D.iii – Application and Submission Information, Content and Form of the Full Application, Statement of Project Objectives:

Edited: "Applicants are required to complete a Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO) for the entire scope of the project...The first task of the project will be a pre-verification of application data. Applicants should include the following language in their SOPO to represent this Sub Task in Budget Period 1..."

Modification 000001:

The purpose of this modification is to update the following:
1) Section III.A.ii – Eligibility Information, Eligible Entities, Domestic Entities:

Inserted: For purposes of this FOA, all U.S. Territories are considered state government entities and are eligible to apply for funding as a Prime Recipient or Subrecipient.

2) Section IV.C.i – Application and Submission Information, Content and Form of the Letter of Intent, Letter of Intent Content Requirements:

Edited: To be eligible to submit a Full Application, applicants must submit a Letter of Intent by the specified due date and time. Letters of Intent will be used by EERE to plan for the merit review process. Applicants will be neither encouraged nor discouraged from submitting a Full Application based on the information provided in the letter of intent. EERE will not provide feedback on the letters of intent. The letters should not contain any proprietary or sensitive business information.

EERE will not review or consider ineligible Letters of Intent (see Section III of the FOA).

Each applicant must provide the following information as part of the Letter of Intent:
• Project Title;
• Lead Organization;
• Organization Type (Business < 500 Employees; Business > 1000 Employees; Business 500-1000 Employees; Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC); Government-Owned, Government Operated; Non-Profit; University);
• % of effort contributed by the Lead Organization;
• The Project Team, including:
o The Principal Investigator for the Prime Recipient;
o Team Members (i.e., Subrecipients); and
o Key Participants (i.e., individuals who contribute
in a substantive, measureable way to the execution of
the proposed project);
• Technical Topic or Area; and
• Abstract – The abstract provided should be not more than 4000 characters in length, and should provide a truncated explanation of the proposed project.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing research, development and execution plans to test engineering principles and unit operations for the production and testing of Drop-in Renewable Jet Fuel Blendstocks and Drop-In Renewable Diesel Fuel Blendstocks from eligible feedstocks. In Topic Area 3, the FOA also seeks proposals to convert wet waste feedstocks, including municipal solid wastes and biosolids, into biopower or intermediates used to produce biopower.

Scale-up and verification of these process technologies is essential to enable the industry to design, construct, and operate pilot-scale facilities. This FOA seeks applications for projects to bridge technologies from scientific research to engineering, to integrate unit operations, and to engage in the R&D of integrated processes designed to produce drop-in renewable jet fuel blendstocks, drop-in renewable diesel fuel blendstocks, and biopower. Applicants proposing to produce drop-in renewable jet fuel blendstocks and drop-in renewable diesel fuel blendstocks will be required to verify that resulting fuels meet or exceed industry/market specifications and complete basic engineering packages to enable preliminary cost estimation and techno-economic analysis.

This funding opportunity contains three topic areas as follows:

- Topic Area 1: Drop-in Renewable Jet Fuel Blendstocks

- Topic Area 2: Drop-in Renewable Diesel Fuel Blendstocks

- Topic Area 3: Biomass, Biosolids, and Municipal Solid Waste to Energy

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

Applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov before submitting an application and must provide a valid Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in the application. Failure to comply may result in a determination that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award, and that determination could be used as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

Amendment 000003 was issued on April 16, 2018 to to modify the submission deadline for Full Applications and clarify the technical requirements of both Areas of Interest.

Amendment 000002 was issued March 14, 2018 to correct the submission deadline for Concept Papers, clarify the technical requirements of both Areas of Interest; clarify the allowable number of Concept Papers and Full Applications by colleges, universities, institutions of higher learning, and university‐affiliated research institutions; change the recommended section lengths of the Full Application Technical Volume; and update hyperlinks in the footnotes.

Amendment 000001 issued on March 1, 2018 to change the date for the anticipated date for the concept paper recommendation notifications and to change the submission deadline for full applications. Additionally, this amendment makes updates to the Applications Specifically Not of Interest and clarifies the allowable number of Concept Papers.

********************************************************************************************

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) seeks to conduct research and development activities to further the utilization of cost-effective, highly efficient combined heat and power (CHP) via Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001750. The FOA includes two areas of interest to research enabling technologies for CHP systems that are specifically designed to provide cost-effective support to the electric grid. Such systems would have the benefits of conventional CHP while at the same time being able to sell electricity to and serve as a stabilizing factor for the Grid.

Informational Webinar: EERE will conduct one informational webinar during the FOA process. It will be held before the due date for the Concept Papers. Attendance is not mandatory and will not positively or negatively impact the overall review of any Applicant submissions.

Please register for the Applicant Webinar on March 2, 2018 10:00 AM EDT at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/376450080550801153

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

Participants can use their telephone or computer mic & speakers (VoIP).

United States: +1 (914) 614-3221
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the webinar

Access Code: 664-621-984

Modification No. 0002: The purpose of this modification is to (1) extend the submission deadline for Full Applications to 9/19/2017; and (2) clarify the funding limit regarding support for staff time for new curriculum development under Section I.A.1.e. Specifically, Section I.A.1.e. is revised to clarify that the 10% limit applies only to the Federal share of award funding; if the applicant has determined additional costs are necessary beyond the 10% limit, these costs may be covered by Recipient cost share.

Modification No. 0001: The purpose of this modification is to: (1) extend the submission deadline for Full Applications to 9/15/2017; and (2) to require a list of the proposed private sector industry partners in the cover page of the Technical Volume within the Full Application, to confirm Applicant eligibility in line with the requirements of Section III.A.i Statement of Applicant Eligibility. See Section III.A.i Statement of Applicant Eligibility and Section IV.D.ii Technical Volume.

Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOE intends to fund university-led Traineeship Programs that address workforce training needs in the early-stage technology area of advanced materials and process technologies of high importance to manufacturing. The following objectives guide the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office’s (AMO) traineeship efforts:

The high priority topic identified in this traineeship program is advanced manufacturing (advanced materials and process technologies in manufacturing).

Please click "FOA FAQs" under the "FOA Documents" heading below for Questions and Answers specific to this FOA.

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

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

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

This 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.

Modification No. 0001: The purpose of this modification is to extend the Submission Deadline for Full Applications to 3/16/2017 5:00 PM ET.

The Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) program is a manufacturing efficiency and workforce development initiative of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) based in the engineering departments of colleges nationwide. IACs conduct assessments and provide site-specific recommendations to small & medium size manufacturers on opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste and save energy. The program also provides engineering students with critical hands-on experience in energy engineering and energy management.

Extension IACs are intended to provide better national coverage by further expanding the geographic coverage of the IAC program to areas that are unlikely to be adequately serviced because of their distance from the 28 existing IACs. For a list and map of the 28 IACs, visit: https://iac.university. EERE has identified six geographic gaps in national coverage that have been designated as “underserved” and are listed in Section III, Eligibility Information, of this FOA. For this FOA, EERE is only interested in receiving applications from colleges physically located within one of the six underserved areas to provide IAC services in the same underserved area.

Please click "FOA FAQs" under the "FOA Documents" heading below for Questions and Answers specific to this FOA.

Informational Webinar: EERE will conduct one informational webinar during the FOA process. It will be held after the initial FOA release but before the due date for the Letter of Intent. The Informational Webinar will be held on January 19, 2017 at 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Attendance is not mandatory and will not positively or negatively impact the overall review of any Applicant submissions. Standard application questions regarding the EERE Office and FOA procedures will be discussed. No new information will be presented during the webinar and EERE will not answer any attendee questions during the webinar.

**UPDATE -- Below is the link to the recording of the informational webinar:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/6176771931455224579

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

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

The Exchange system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for the Letter of Intent 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.

Amendment 000001: Extended the Submission Deadline for Letter of Intent to 1/10/2017 5:00 PM ET. Extended the Submission Deadline for Full Applications to 2/14/2017 5:00 PM ET. Extended the Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments to 3/3/2017 5:00pm ET. Revised the Expected Date for EERE Selection Notifications to April 2017. Revised the Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiations to April 2017 – May 2017.

The Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) program is a resource conservation and workforce development initiative of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) based in the engineering departments of colleges and universities nationwide. IACs conduct assessments and provide site-specific recommendations to small manufacturers on opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste, and save energy. The program also provides engineering students with invaluable hands-on experience in energy engineering and energy management.

The IACs were formerly known as Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Centers and were created by the Department of Commerce in 1976 in response to the oil embargo and rising energy costs. Historically, the centers have focused on helping small and medium-sized manufacturing facilities cut back on unnecessary costs from inefficient energy use. The IACs were moved to the Department of Energy just after the DOE was formed in 1978 and later expanded the scope of the assessments to include evaluations of ineffective production procedures, excess waste production, and other production-related problems. Currently the IAC program is administered through the Advanced Manufacturing Office under the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. Additional information on the IAC program can be found at the following link: https://iac.university/

The IAC Technical Field Manager plays a critical role in the IAC program. The Technical Field Manager is the liaison between the AMO Program Manager and the individual Centers, provides technical assistance and outreach to individual centers, and is the principle mechanism for ensuring the 28 individual IACs and their associated satellite centers perform at the highest possible level and that their activities support the achievement of AMO goals.

Please click "FOA FAQs" under the "FOA Documents" heading below for Questions and Answers specific to this FOA.

EERE will conduct one informational webinar during the FOA process. It will be held after the initial FOA release but before the due date for the Letter of Intent.

Attendance is not mandatory and will not positively or negatively impact the overall review of any Applicant submissions. Standard application questions regarding the EERE Office and FOA procedures will be discussed. No new information will be presented during the webinar and EERE will not answer any attendee questions during the webinar.

Informational Webinar: The Informational Webinar mentioned in the FOA will be held on December 20, 2016 at 12:00 PM ET Eastern Standard Time.

**UPDATE -- Below is the link to the recording of the informational webinar:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/1532111558647251203

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

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

The Exchange system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for the Letter of Intent 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.

The Department of Energy (DOE) funds university-led traineeship programs that strategically address workforce training needs in key technical focus areas.The following objectives guide DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office’s (AMO) traineeship efforts:

In July 2015, EERE released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to address emerging needs in graduate training enabling preparedness for the field of advanced Power Electronics Engineering careers beyond those in academia. As a result, EERE made two competitively-selected awards supporting five-year graduate-level programs in Power Electronics Engineering, leveraging existing DOE assets including the wide band gap National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) Institute, PowerAmerica.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gather from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to future EERE-funded and AMO-funded graduate-level Traineeships. This RFI is not a FOA; therefore, DOE is not accepting applications at this time. All responses to this RFI must be provided as an attachment (in Microsoft Word format) to an e-mail message addressed to AMOTraineeship@ee.doe.gov. Responses must be received no later than 5:00pm (ET) on November 10^th, 2016. The full content of the RFI can be found below.

Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is to revise Section I.A and Section IV.C.ii Technical Volume-Technical Qualifications, Resources and Commitment to clarify that letters of commitment do not count towards the 20-page limit for the Technical Volume; revise Section IV.C.ii Technical Volume-IAC Operations Approach to correct a formatting error and clarify that the Milestone Summary and Go/No-Go Decision Point Summary bullets were intended to be separate and not part of the bullet above regarding plans to integrate satellite and other configurations; and to add the Milestone and Go/No-Go requirement to Section IV.C.iii Statement of Project Objectives to clarify that these are both required to be fully addressed in the Statement of Project Objectives submitted with the application.

The Federal Government has been funding the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) program, formerly called the Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Center program, since 1976. The goal of the IAC program is twofold: first, to provide energy efficiency, productivity, sustainability and competitiveness recommendations to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), currently defined as having gross annual sales below $100 million, fewer than 500 employees, and annual energy bills between $100,000 and $2.5 million; and second, to help address a growing shortage of engineering professionals with applied energy and manufacturing-related skills. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) currently funds, through Cooperative Agreements, 24 IACs located throughout the country who are completing their 5 year projects. The IACs are coordinated by DOE staff and a DOE selected Field Manager.

The following entities are eligible to apply under this FOA: a U.S. college or university that is an integral part of its institutional structure and that has at least one of its four year undergraduate programs accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission or the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or equivalent (The IAC must be in the engineering department that holds the programmatic ABET or equivalent accreditation). The U.S. college or school of engineering must be physically located in the U.S.

Led by engineering faculty and staff, the selected IACs will perform assessments for SMEs, mostly in their geographic region, which will result in energy and water savings, waste reduction, opportunities for smart manufacturing, potential enhancements to cyber security and related information technologies, and sustainability and productivity improvements for the manufacturers. To date, the IAC program has provided over 17,000 assessments and over 130,000 recommendations for energy saving measures. On average, an IAC assessment leads to 5-7% implemented annual energy savings and productivity improvements.[2] The IAC students will gain real world technical experience gained from these assessments as well as relevant skills in interacting with plant and corporate management; preparing executive-level briefings and plant-specific reports; and facilitating continuous improvement in energy management. In addition to providing assessments to SMEs, selected IACs may also provide a limited number of special assessments to other types of entities such as waste water processing facilities, institutional facilities and other types of facilities where DOE determines that the special assessments are consistent with the overall IAC programmatic objectives.

EERE will conduct one informational webinar during the FOA process. It will be held after the initial FOA release but before the due date for the Letter of Intent.

Attendance is not mandatory and will not positively or negatively impact the overall review of any Applicant submissions. Specific dates for the webinar can be found on the cover page of the FOA. The informational Webinar will be held April 21, 2016 at 12:00pm EDT. Standard application questions regarding the EERE Office and FOA procedures will be discussed. No new information will be presented during the webinar.

**UPDATE -- Below is the link to the recording of the informational webinar:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3161362385751886595   

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

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

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

This Funding Opportunity Announcement combines early-stage topics (Innovations) with later-stage, roadmap-driven topics (Frontiers) that complement the core funding provided by the program. Because of their different focuses (Innovations: early-stage; Frontier: later-stage, roadmap-driven), this FOA is divided into two sections; an Innovations and a Frontiers section with an additional optional Buildings University Innovators and Leaders Development (BUILD) supplement.

Applications for a BUILD Supplement cannot be submitted as standalone applications.

INNOVATIONS section:

Topic 1: Open Topic for Energy Efficiency Solutions for Residential and Commercial Buildings

Topic 2: Human-in-the-Loop Sensor & Control Systems

Topic 3: Infiltration Diagnostic Technologies

FRONTIERS section:

Topic 4: Plug and Play Sensor Systems

Topic 5: Advanced Air-Sealing Technologies for Existing Buildings

FOA Webinar Information:

Please register for BENEFIT 2016 FOA - Introduction on December 21, 2015 2:00 PM EST at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8715391438828356098

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

Amendment 000001 to DE-FOA-0001383 BUILDINGS ENERGY EFFICIENCY FRONTIERS & INNOVATION TECHNOLOGIES (BENEFIT) – 2016 includes the following changes:

1. Total available federal funding has increased from $8 million to $20 million.

2. The number of anticipated awards has increased to approximately 17-25.

3. The schedule has been altered to allow an additional week for submission of Concept Papers. The new submission date for Concept Papers is 2/5/2016

4. The 2^nd Webinar has been rescheduled to 3/17/2016.

5. Additional detail regarding building/grid interaction has been added for Topic Areas 1, 2 and 4.

6. Extend the submission date for Full Applications to 4/19/2016.

For questions and answers pertaining to this FOA, please reference the DE-FOA-0001383 BENEFIT 016 FAQ Log in FOA Documents.

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

Applicants that experience issuse with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@go.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission that results in a late submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@go.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 purpose of this modification 0002 is to:

1) Update Section 1.A.3. to clarify 2 CFR 200.68, and what should be excluded from the Applicant’s Modified Total Direct Cost Base.

Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOE intends to fund university-led traineeship programs that strategically address workforce training needs in the area of power engineering, leveraging wide bandgap power electronics. The following objectives guide the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office’s (AMO) traineeship efforts:

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

Please click "FOA FAQs" under the "FOA Documents" heading below for Questions and Answers specific to this FOA.

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 Second Informational Webinar was held on Tuesday March 17th, 2015. 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/7154780912385447425

A First Informational Webinar was held on February 17th 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/5702344743189496578

The 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 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) number DE-FOA-0001271 entitled "Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP)." The full text of the FOA is in the "FOA Documents" section below.

The mission of EERE’s Technology-to-Market Team is to aid EERE technology offices and American energy innovation stakeholders in addressing the technological and financial barriers to bring new intellectual property to market. To advance this mission, the Technology-to-Market sub-program supports a variety of commercialization and entrepreneurship activities in partnership with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, universities, businesses, and nonprofit organizations around the country. Existing activities include the DOE National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition (NCEBPC), National Incubator Initiative for Clean Energy, Lab-Corps, and Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Programs (SBIR/STTR); past activities include the Innovation Ecosystem Development Initiative, i6 Green Challenge, Technology Commercialization Fund, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and other initiatives.

This FOA supports the creation of the Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP) program designed to address the significant barriers to creating clean energy technology start-ups, resulting from a dearth of participants entering the energy entrepreneurship pipeline. For the United States to accelerate the rate of clean energy innovation and remain competitive, a strong national infrastructure that spurs and supports high-tech entrepreneurship is critical.

Traditionally, the nation’s institutions of higher education — where there is a strong ecosystem for entrepreneurs and start-ups — have fostered the high-tech innovation pipeline. EERE has had success in supporting initiatives to spur student entrepreneurship. Cleantech UP builds on its precursor, the DOE NCEBPC, which leveraged growing interest in energy entrepreneurship to expand student engagement in clean energy technologies.

The Cleantech UP program seeks to catalyze clean energy start-up formation on college campuses, support novel training and educational opportunities that equip the next generation of energy entrepreneurs and innovators across the country, establish a national-level training program and competition for America’s top clean energy student entrepreneurs, and create a sustained and diverse community to support student entrepreneurs.

It is anticipated that up to $2.5 million in DOE funds will be awarded under this FOA, subject to the availability of appropriations. The FOA includes two general Areas of Interest:

Area of Interest 1: Cleantech UP Hub

The Hub will be responsible for engaging the nation’s student entrepreneurs, developing an innovative training program, institutionalizing coordination within the student cleantech entrepreneurship community and the Collegiate Competitions, and executing the nation’s premier event for student cleantech entrepreneurs at the National Competition, including awarding a National Prize in coordination with DOE. The Hub will create and implement programs to address gaps in clean energy entrepreneurship training that occur early in the education pipeline. The Hub will also provide capacity building activities related to the Cleantech UP network and the general clean energy entrepreneurship ecosytem.

Area of Interest 2: Cleantech UP Collegiate Competitions

The Collegiate Competitions recruit teams from their universities and regions — and potentially nationally. They prepare teams as they form and provide the early catalyst for company formation. Collegiate Competitions execute annual contests and each awards a prize for the winning cleantech company. The winners are eligible to compete in the National Competition.

Applications will only be accepted through the EERE eXCHANGE website. The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE eXCHANGE website. A User Guidefor EERE eXCHANGE can be found on the EERE website at
https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system. Questions and answers related to the content of the FOA can be found in the "FOA FAQs" file in the "FOA Documents" section below

The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to provide potential applicants advance notice that the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Technology-to-Market Team in the Office of Strategic Programs, a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP)”, Number DE-FOA-0001271. The full Notice of Intent document is posted in the "FOA Documents" section below.

The Cleantech UP program seeks to catalyze clean energy start-up formation on college campuses, support novel training and educational opportunities that equip the next generation of energy entrepreneurs and innovators across the country, establish a national-level training program and competition for America’s top clean energy student entrepreneurs, and create a sustained and diverse community to support student entrepreneurs.The mission of EERE’s Technology-to-Market Team is to aid EERE technology offices and American energy innovation stakeholders in addressing the technological and financial barriers to bring new intellectual property to market.  To advance this mission, the Technology-to-Market Sub-Program supports a variety of commercialization and entrepreneurship activities in partnership with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, universities, businesses, and nonprofit organizations around the country.  Existing activities include the DOE National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition (DOE NCEBPC), National Incubator Initiative for Clean Energy, Lab-Corps, and Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Programs (SBIR/STTR); past activities include the Innovation Ecosystem Development Initiative, i6 Green Challenge, Technology Commercialization Fund, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and other initiatives. 

NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE. Please do not submit questions or respond to this Notice of Intent. Prospective applicants to the FOA should begin developing partnerships, formulating ideas, and gathering data in anticipation of the issuance of this FOA. DOE plans to issue the FOA around mid-February 2015. The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE eXCHANGE website. A User Guide for EERE eXCHANGE can be found on the EERE website https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system.

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DE-FOA-0001167 - Buildings University Innovators And Leaders Development (BUILD) - 2015 seeks to improve the competitiveness of American universities to conduct building energy efficiency R&D, develop strong industrial partnerships and improve manufacturing education. This FOA makes available competitive, 2-year cooperative agreements for teams at USA-based institutions of higher education to research and develop innovative building energy efficiency technologies.  Teams of engineering and business students will develop and work toward commercializing building energy-efficient technologies or approaches. Teams may develop a technology (hardware), software, or a manufacturing process with direct application to residential, multi-family and/or commercial buildings in the USA, with significant primary energy savings potential.  The link to the full FOA document is in in the FOA Documents section below.

For questions and answers pertaining to the content of this FOA, please reference DE-FOA-0001167_FAQs in FOA Documents below. 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Building Technologies Office, a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Buildings University Innovators and Leaders Development (BUILD) – 2015.”

The BUILD FOA will have the following objectives:
(i) Improving the competitiveness of American universities to conduct building energy-efficiency R&D
(ii) Enabling American universities to develop stronger partnerships with industry
(iii) Improving manufacturing education in American universities

EERE envisions awarding multiple competitive financial assistance awards in the form of cooperative agreements with an estimated period of performance of approximately 2 years to USA-based university teams to research and develop innovative building energy efficiency technologies.  These student teams must include undergraduate students, and be led by faculty with relevant expertise in energy efficient technologies, manufacturing (for projects developing hardware), and commercialization.  The Lead Institution must be an Institution of Higher Education, which includes, but is not limited to universities, 2-year community colleges, and predominantly undergraduate institutions.  The Lead Institution can choose to team with external partners such as a manufacturer or a government laboratory, but an external partner is not required at the time of application.  Teams may propose to develop any technology (hardware), software, or manufacturing process with direct application to residential, multi-family and/or commercial buildings in the USA, with significant primary energy savings potential.

The purpose of this Notice is to provide potential applicants advance notice that the Building Technologies Office, on behalf of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), intends to issue a FOA titled, Buildings University Innovators and Leaders Development (BUILD) - 2015. NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE. Please do not submit questions or respond to this Notice of Intent. Prospective applicants to the 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 EERE Exchange in late calander year 2014.

Please  review the full Notice of Intent "Notice of Intent (NOI) DE-FOA-0001191" under the FOA Documents section for more information.

Please review Modification 0002 to the FOA, under "FOA Documents" below.

The objective of the Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) Research and Development (R&D) University Consortium FOA is to leverage the field R&D expertise and intellectual capital of domestic universities to advance MHK technology in the U.S. in the following strategic opportunity areas:

· Device and/or array operation and maintenance (O&M) logistics development

· High-fidelity resource characterization and/or modeling technique development and validation

· Distributed application device development and techno-economic studies

· Array-specific component technology development (e.g. moorings and foundations, transmission, and other offshore grid components)

· Array performance testing and evaluation

· Novel cost-effective environmental monitoring techniques and instrumentation testing and evaluation

This FOA intends to fund a consortium of two or more domestic universities.  The Prime Applicant must be either a domestic university or a consortium where one (1) domestic university is designated as the Lead.

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

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

An Informational Webinar was held on April 24. Please click this link to access:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/337127936

(Please note that there is a delay of approximately 30 seconds before the recording starts.)  

This anticipated FOA is to support a university consortium to leverage existing in-situ Research and Development (R&D) expertise to advance U.S. Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) technology, while developing intellectual capital for a globally-competitive workforce.  The individual consortium-defined R&D activities pursued in the overall university consortium project will address strategic opportunities in DOE’s MHK technology development portfolio.

In applying, an eligible university consortium must demonstrate capabilities and expertise in R&D to fill strategic opportunities within the Water Power Program’s portfolio including:

•     Logistics development for operations and maintenance (O&M) of devices and arrays in energetic marine environments.

•     Development and validation of efficient high-fidelity resource characterization and/or modeling techniques.

•     Development and techno-economic studies of devices for distributed applications.

•     Component technology development necessary for enabling arrays: e.g. moorings and foundations, transmission, and other offshore grid components.

•     Array performance testing and evaluation.

•     In-water testing and evaluation of new, cost-effective environmental monitoring techniques and instrumentation in energetic marine environments.   

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

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.

Since 2010, the Department of Energy has supported research fellowships for the hydropower industry. These fellowships have proven to be very impactful to the hydropower industry.

Topic Area 1: University Research Awards for Hydropower

The Department of Energy would like to solicit for a partner to administer 10 to 20 additional research fellowships for the hydropower industry. 

Topic Area 2:  Workforce Development for Hydropower

The Department of Energy would like to solicit for an organization to complete an analysis of the existing hydropower workforce, current and future workforce needs, available training/educational programs, and future training/educational needs of the U.S. hydropower industry.

You may apply to more than one Topic Area; however, you must submit a separate Application within EERE Exchange for each Topic Area.

NOTE: Letters of Intent are not required but are requested. Please see the Funding Opportunity Announcement document for additional information on Letters of Intent. Letters of Intent should be submitted by email to CHFOA832@go.doe.gov by 4:59 PM Eastern Time on 07/16/2013.

The objective of the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI): High Operating Temperature Fluids (“HOT Fluids”) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support research into fluid materials development that will enable Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems to integrate with energy conversion devices capable of thermal to electric conversion efficiencies greater than 50%.   DOE anticipates providing up to $10M in funding for up to 2 awardees to accomplish the goals of this funding opportunity.   This FOA directly supports the goals of the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Solar Energy Technologies Program and the SunShot Initiative. 

This FOA will take a MURI approach that ensures awardees bring together researchers from various technical backgrounds in order to achieve the discovery and a development of a liquid that is stable as a liquid from 0°C to 1300°C.  This target must be achieved while also ensuring that the fluid has the necessary properties to be used in current CSP plant designs.  Development of such a fluid will directly enable the achievement of the SunShot target of providing electricity generated by solar power at a cost of 6 cents per kilowatt hour (¢/kWh).