EERE Funding Opportunities

This NOFO supports BETO’s research and development (R&D) priorities in the areas of Conversion R&D. Specifically, it supports research and development of domestic chemicals and fuels from a variety of biomass and waste resources. Producing chemicals and propane/liquid petroleum gas (LPG) from renewable feedstocks helps to safeguard domestic supply chains, secure energy independence, support rural economies, and improve global competitiveness of the industry.

This NOFO contains two topics:

Topic Area 1: Bio-based Chemicals

This Topic Area will support development and adoption of new production methods for value-added chemicals from biomass.

Topic Area 2: Bio-based Propane/LPG

This Topic Area seeks to pursue new pathways for the production of sustainable liquefied propane and/or petroleum gases (LPG) from a variety of feedstocks including municipal waste, agricultural residues, forest resources, and fats, oils, and grease.

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

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to SPARCNOFO@hq.doe.gov.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 3/14/2025 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 5/30/2025 at 5PM ET.

As stated in the Notice of Intent (search DE-FOA-0003517 in eXCHANGE), a Teaming Partner List has been compiled to encourage collaboration and facilitate the formation of new project teams. Visit: TPL-0000064 Teaming Partner List for DE-FOA-0003517 NOI to Publish DE-FOA-0003518 and DE-FOA-0003520

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

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

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

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), two Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs):

1. DE-FOA-0003518, entitled “Sustainable Propane and Renewable Chemicals (SPARC)”; and

2. DE-FOA-0003520, entitled “Maximizing Algal System Yield (MASY).”

These NOFOs support BETO’s research and development (R&D) priorities in the areas of (a) Conversion and (b) Renewable Carbon Resources (RCR).

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

DE-FOA-0003518 SPARC NOFO: Sustainable Propane and Renewable Chemicals

SPARC NOFO Topic Area 1: Bio-based Chemicals

Producing chemicals from renewable feedstocks helps to secure domestic supply chains, support rural economies, and improve sustainability in the industry. However, adoption of new chemical production pathways is challenging due to complex supply chains with many different stakeholders and the need for extensive product quality testing for new processes.

SPARC NOFO Topic Area 2: Bio-based Propane/LPG

SPARC Topic Area 2 seeks to develop new production pathways to produce sustainable liquefied propane and/or petroleum gases from a variety of biomass and waste resources including municipal waste, agricultural residues, forest resources and fats, oils, and grease. Topic Area 2 will support multiple conversion routes to produce propane and LPG.

DE-FOA-0003520 MASY NOFO: Maximizing Algal System Yield

The MASY NOFO seeks applications to address ’pinch points’ in algal system operations that currently limit expansion of algae as a domestic bioenergy feedstock. Developing algal systems that use photosynthetic growth of algae (micro-, macro-, and cyanobacteria) is an important component of BETO’s strategy.

EERE plans to issue the NOFOs in or around January 2025 via the EERE eXCHANGE website https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/. If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding these NOFOs, they should register in EERE eXCHANGE. When the NOFOs are released, applications will be accepted only through EERE eXCHANGE.

Amendment 000001:  Extend the Full Application submission deadline from January 16th, 2025 at 5:00PM ET to January 31st, 2025 at 5:00PM ET to allow sufficient time for development during end of calendar year activities. Adjusted all proceeding dates, such as Reply to Reviewer Comments, by an equal amount of time. Adjusted award notification dates for Research, Technology, and Economic Security review.• Updated Table 3 to align the Allowable Fuel Types with Table 1.

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0003371 FY24 Scale-up of Integrated Biorefineries supports higher risk bioenergy technologies that are ready to scale, ultimately demonstrating feedstock-conversion variations, or production pathways, to support commercialization and meet the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge goal of 35 billion gallons per year of SAF production by 2050 and the Clean Fuels and Products Shot goal of 50% projected demand for maritime, rail, off-road, and renewable carbon-based chemicals by 2050.

The activities to be funded under this FOA will support the advancement of cost-shared research, development, and demonstration projects with partners in industry, academia, and the National Laboratories focused on the design, construction, operation, and validation of new technology and feedstock pathways for engineering scale integrated biorefineries. The intent of this FOA is to reduce technology uncertainty and risk through cost-shared pilot- and demonstration-scale biorefinery projects. The FOA would support BETO’s multi-year strategic goals to 1) decarbonize the transportation sector through the production of cost-effective SAF and other strategic fuels, and 2) decarbonize the industrial sector through cost-effective and sustainable chemicals, materials, and processes utilizing biomass and waste resources.

Topic Area 1 will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project definition, development, and execution plans for the scaling of pre-pilot (TRL 5) biofuel technologies to pilot scale (TRL 6).

Topic Area 2 will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project definition, development, and execution plans for the scaling of pilot (TRL 6) biofuel technologies to demonstration scale (TRL 7-8).

Topic Area 3 supports scale-up activities to produce organic chemicals from renewable biomass and waste feedstocks that can replace those currently derived from petroleum. Topic Area 3 will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project definition, development, and execution plans for the scaling of pre-pilot and pilot (TRL 5-6) biochemical technologies to pilot and demonstration scale (TRL 6-8).

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY24BETOScale-Up@ee.doe.gov

See the full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 11/07/2024 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 01/31/2025 at 5PM ET.

The eXCHANGE system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants.
Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

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

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting information and feedback on areas relating to activities in the Conversion Research & Development (R&D) Program. This RFI is focused on understanding the supply chains for production and uses of renewable propane and other renewable gaseous intermediates. Specifically, DOE would like to understand the potential for R&D to increase the viability of renewable propane to pursue new production pathways to sustainable aviation fuel and other high-impact products from municipal waste; agricultural residue; forest resources; and fats, oils, and greases.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industrial entities that currently produce, or are considering producing, renewable propane and other renewable gaseous intermediates. EERE is specifically interested in information on the costs and benefits to a refinery that hydroprocesses biogenic fats, oils, and greases of utilizing renewable propane produced in situ as process energy compared to separation and recovery of the renewable propane for sale externally in the propane market.

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

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to RenewablePropaneRFI@ee.doe.govno later than 5:00p.m. (ET) on August 5, 2024. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Preferred responses should be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) (10 page limit) and/or Microsoft Excel (.xslx) attachments to the email. If necessary, a plain text file (.txt) may be submitted. Only electronic responses will be accepted. Please identify your answers by responding to a specific question or topic if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

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

Amendment 000001 - Remove the references to Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not required for this FOA.

Amendment 000002 - Update Section I.D. Applications Specifically Not of Interest. "Applications that are not led by a State, municipal entity, transit authority, or non-profit (See Section III.A)" are specifically not of interest.

Amendment 000003 - Extend the Concept Paper Submission Deadline from June 19, 2024 at 5:00PM ET to June 20, 2024 at 5:00PM ET in observance of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Federal Holiday.

Amendment 000004 - Extend the following deadlines: Submission Deadline for Full Applications, Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments, Expected Date for EERE Selection Notifications, and Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiations. Section II.A.i. Update Anticipated Period of Performance for Topic Areas 1 and 2 (Phase 1). Section IV.D.xvi.

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

The research and development (R&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will aid communities with resource and energy recovery strategies associated with their organic waste streams. Organic waste streams represent major sources of fugitive methane emissions, volatile organic compounds, and other pollutants. The White House set a goal of reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030. By developing strategies that can prevent the landfilling of these wastes, one of the major sources of fugitive methane can be mitigated. Holistic waste management strategies can also benefit communities by reducing other impacts associated with waste collection and processing infrastructure including reducing truck traffic, odors, litter, and other air, water, and health impacts.

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

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

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

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

The eXCHANGE system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants. Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues.

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

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

Amendment 000001 - Extending the Full Application Submission Deadline to July 18, 2024, updating Expected Date for DOE Selection Notifications, and updating the Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiations. Additionally, the expected number of awards in Topic Area 1 has been updated.

Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden Administration. This FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050 to the benefit of all Americans. This FOA is funded by two Department of Energy (DOE) offices: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM) Carbon Conversion Program.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please view the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

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

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

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

The R&D activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. A diverse range of feedstocks will be required to reach the Biden Administration’s goals to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050.”[1]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Topic Area 1: Purpose-Grown Energy Crops

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

Subtopic Area 1a. Algae

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

Subtopic Area 1b: Herbaceous Energy Crops

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

Subtopic Area 1c: Intermediate Energy Crops

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

Subtopic Area 1d: Short-Rotation Woody Crops

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Topic Areas included in this FOA are:

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

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

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

MOD0001

Changes include an update to the following section:

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

MOD0002

Changes include updates to the folloing sections:

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

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

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

MOD0003

Changes include updates to the following sections:

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

MOD0004

Changes include updates to the following sections:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The teaming list is for FOA DE-FOA-0003072.

DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the formation of new project teams for the FOA. All entities interested in participating as part of an applicant team can provide their contact information for the Teaming Partner List. The list allows organizations to express their interest and to explore potential partners.

• 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-0000028. 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 Bioenergy Technologies Office and the Vehicles Technologies Office, a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “WASTE: Waste Analysis and Strategies for Transportation End-uses”.

If issued, this FOA will support the development of planning and strategies for utilizing organic waste as a feedstock for various transportation fuel end products. For many communities, organic waste streams present a variety of economic, environmental, and social sustainability challenges. These waste streams include food waste, municipal wastewater sludges, animal manure, fats, oils, and greases. There are significant costs associated with management of organic waste, including treatment, stabilization, hauling, and disposal costs or tipping fees. These waste streams also represent major sources of greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to other environmental issues including air and water quality degradation. Increasingly, State and local laws and regulations are requiring that organic waste streams be diverted from landfills, necessitating the implementation of new processing strategies and development of novel business models to meet these requirements.

Municipal entities and local transit authorities also have significant local demand for the energy that can be derived from these waste streams. There are examples where waste-derived biogas or renewable natural gas^[1] (RNG) are being used to fuel bus fleets and trash collection vehicles or produce hydrogen for hydrogen-fueled vehicles. These opportunities are often community-specific, and the planned FOA is intended to help communities realize these or similar synergies between waste infrastructure and sustainable transportation needs. Permissible fuels from projects funded under this FOA could include renewable natural gas, partially upgraded biogas, hydrogen, biocrude, renewable diesel, renewable di-methyl-ether, or others.

^[1] Note: unless otherwise indicated, for purposes of this FOA, “renewable natural gas” is biogas that has been upgraded to pipeline standard gas and/or another pipeline-transportable, fungible standard.

Recognizing that communities may be at different stages in their planning efforts, the planned FOA will seek a phased approach to achieve the outcomes described above. Topic Area 1 is intended to support feasibility studies. For communities that may have already identified potential solutions for their waste/transportation needs, Topic Area 2 would support more detailed engineering design work to position these entities for future projects and demonstrations.

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

Topic Area 1 is aimed at helping move communities beyond a conceptualization phase by supporting in-depth feasibility analysis relating to waste-to-fuels approaches. While technical assistance programs can accomplish some of these objectives, direct financial assistance can close this capacity gap.

Topic Area 2 is targeted toward communities that have previously completed feasibility analyses and are seeking funding to further refine their project concept. Lack of municipal and non-profit staff capacity and availability of funding often puts detailed design work out of reach for many communities; Topic Area 2 is intended to close that gap for completing detailed engineering design. Topic Area 2 will also allow a limited amount of experimental work, intended to generate the data required to refine the engineering design and/or data needed for permitting or air quality analysis. The experimental work can either take place on-site or be done remotely, provided the waste streams being used are sourced from the recipient community. Model waste streams will not be permitted. The use of real waste streams (as opposed to model waste streams) will increase the likelihood of technical success by ensuring the process is sufficiently robust.

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

EERE plans to issue the FOAs in or around December 2023 via the EERE eXCHANGE website https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/. If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding these FOAs, they should register in EERE eXCHANGE. When the FOAs are released, applications will be accepted only through EERE eXCHANGE.

This notice is intended to announce a potential FOA that will aim to advance the strategies identified in the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap and support the goals of the Industrial Heat Shot™ through a focus on cross-sector approaches for industrial decarbonization. Cross-sector technologies are decarbonization- enabling components, equipment, and systems that underpin processes and products across the industrial sector. Key themes of IEDO’s strategy for cross-sector technologies include:

1. Transforming electricity into useful industrial heat cost competitively and without putting undue stress on the grid;
2. Developing combustion systems that enable fuel switching to hydrogen and other low- carbon fuels;
3. Developing systems for the onsite production, storage, delivery, and recovery of energy;
4. Reducing barriers to the integration of low-carbon electricity with industrial loads;
5. Improving the energy efficiency of industrial processes; and
6. Reducing the energy used for industrial water and wastewater treatment.

The FOA will address a subset of these priorities, as described in the topics listed below. Topics 1 and 2 are anticipated to allow for multiple tiers of funding: a lower tier for research and development-only projects and a higher tier for projects that include scope for technology demonstration integrated into industrial operations. All topics are expected to allow applications between Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 and 7.

Topic Area 1 - Electrification of Industrial Heat
Topic Area 2 - Next-Generation Energy Systems
Topic Area 3 - Decarbonizing Organic Wastewater and Wet Waste Treatment

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

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

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to the key opportunities and challenges associated with increased material circularity.

EERE is specifically interested in information on:

• Challenges and opportunities of transitioning from a linear to a circular economy
• Life Cycle Databases and tools used in generating Environmental Product Declarations
• Prizes to incentivize innovation and reduce demand for virgin materials
• Potential for electronic waste (e-waste) to be a viable source of critical materials and associated barriers.

This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). EERE is not accepting applications. DOE will not publish the information collected through this RFI. DOE may use the information provided through this RFI to develop funding opportunities, challenges, and prize competitions.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to CircularEconomyRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on May 1, 2023. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 10 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

** PLEASE NOTE **  Amendment 000002 - Update the Full Application Submission deadline and the Replies to Reviewer Comments deadline.

Amendment 000001 - Update to Appendix H to remove restriction of grain starch for bioproduct generation. Grain starch is allowed for bioproduct generation.

As stated in the Notice of Intent (search DE-FOA-0002909 in eXCHANGE), a Teaming Partner List has been compiled to encourage collaboration and facilitate the formation of new project teams. Visit:

The 2023 Conversion Research and Development FOA supports a main theme core to the BETO Conversion Program’s R&D mission: developing technologies to enable the conversion of waste and renewable resources to fuels and products with substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions compared to the petroleum incumbent. The FOA addresses two specific technology pathways intended to develop improved technologies for generating clean syngas for upgrading to fuels as well as pathways for renewable chemical production. Each Topic Area seeks to reduce economic and technical risk, enabling BETO to help pave the way for industry to commercialize technologies that may reduce greenhouse gas emissions from hard to decarbonize sectors, such as aviation.

Significant R&D is required to reach the ultimate goal of affordable, low-carbon transportation fuels and chemical products. The R&D activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to addressing the climate crisis by driving innovation and deployment of clean energy technologies. The Topic Areas in this FOA seek to address the following R&D needs:

· R&D on gasification technologies, with an emphasis on syngas contaminant removal approaches that enable effective upgrading of products derived from gasification of renewable resources to liquid transportation fuels.

· R&D on microbial conversion of renewable resources into chemical products, with an emphasis on processes with commercialization potential.

Topic Area 1: Overcoming Barriers to Syngas Conversion

The goal of this Topic Area is to improve the economics and reliability of gasification and syngas cleanup systems by eliminating technical barriers for conversion of renewable carbon and waste feedstocks to low carbon fuels. While upgrading syngas has been widely investigated, additional challenges remain due to process complexity and feedstock limitations associated with syngas cleanup. Projects selected from this Topic Area will facilitate conversion of acceptable biomass and waste feedstocks into SAF with a 70% reduction in lifecycle GHG emissions.

Topic Area 2: Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemicals Industry Through Biocatalysts

Subtopic 2a: Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemicals Industry Through Biocatalysts: This Subtopic seeks applications that are focused on engineering microbial hosts or biological (i.e., cell-free) systems to maximize production metrics, such as titer, rate, and/or yield, of a product of interest. Applicants should describe how the improvements they propose move the technology toward commercial relevance; applications will specifically be evaluated as to the likelihood that their technology improvement accelerates commercialization in the near term (~10 years).

Subtopic 2b: Commercialization Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemicals Industry Through Biocatalysts: This Subtopic seeks applications that aim to improve biochemical production capabilities, with a focus on bioprocess improvements and integration at a larger scale. This includes projects targeting fermentation development and scale up as well as producing volumes of product required for validation with partners; such industrial partnerships should be clearly described.

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

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY23conversionFOA@ee.doe.gov.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 04/21/2023 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 06/23/2023 at 5PM ET.

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.

Mod. No. 0001

Description of Modification:  

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

Lab Call Description:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reducing Agricultural Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops (RACIPAC)

DE-FOA-0002910

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

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

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

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

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

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY23BETORACIPACFOA@ee.doe.gov.

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

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

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

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 03/20/2023 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 05/16/2023 at 5PM ET.

Modification 0001

Changes include updates to the following sections:

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships.” This FOA will invest up to $23 million for the development and operations of the Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs). This FOA supports DOE’s industrial decarbonization strategy by providing technical assistance to help industrial facilities and other large energy users increase the adoption of clean onsite energy technologies.

For nearly two decades, DOE has supported a regional network of technical assistance providers, known as the CHP Technical Assistance Partnerships (CHP TAPs). The CHP TAPs promote and assist in transforming the market for CHP, waste heat to power, and district energy technologies throughout the United States. To meet the evolving needs in the industrial sector, EERE is initiating a broader TAP program with the goal of providing similar services for a broader set of technologies that include renewable energy and storage through a new Onsite Energy TAP Program.

Awards will fund entities to provide direct technical services to assist end-users and other stakeholders with identifying technology options for achieving clean energy objectives. Technical services can range from initial site screenings to more advanced analysis to support project installations. The Onsite Energy TAPs will also engage with policymakers, utilities, and other key stakeholders to accelerate pathways for integration of onsite energy technologies. Additional activities will include developing public tools and resources, sharing best practices, and building partnerships that drive decarbonization in the U.S. industrial sector.

This FOA will make awards in two Topic Areas.

Topic Area 1: Regional Onsite Energy TAPs will fund up to 10 entities to serve as regional Onsite Energy TAPs. Each TAP will represent a multi-state region and serve as the primary technical, market, and policy point of contact for end-users and other state and local stakeholders that engage with the Onsite Energy TAP Program.

Topic Area 2: Onsite Energy Technical Analysis and Support Center (TASC), will fund one (1) national entity to serve in the role of Onsite Energy Technical Analysis and Support Center. The TASC will centrally coordinate technical analysis and programmatic activities of the Onsite Energy TAP Program. The TASC will serve as the liaison between the regional Onsite Energy TAPs, the IEDO Program Manager, and national lab experts supporting this program.

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

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

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The Teaming Partner List is transferred from Notice of Intent (NOI) DE-FOA-0002944. The list will remain open and updated at least weekly until the close of the Full Application period, to reflect new Teaming Partners who have provided their information.

Modification 0002

Changes include updates to the following sections:

1. II.A.i. Estimated Funding
2. III.A.iv. Domestic Entities
3. III.A.v. Foreign Entities
4. Updated file size maximum to 50MB in Sections IV.B and IV.D.i.
5. IV.D.i. Full Application Content Requirements
6. IV.D.iii. Resumes
7. IV.D.xvii. Current and Pending Support
8. IV.J.ix. Risk Assessment

9. VIII.N Export Control
10. Appendix C. Waiver Requests FOR: 1. Foreign Entity Participation;and 2. Foreign Work
11. Appendix D. Required Use of American Iron, Steel, ManufacturedProducts, and Construction Materials
12. Added Section IV.D.xviii. Transparency of Foreign Connections
13. Added Section IV.D.xix. Potentially Duplicative Funding Notice
14. Added Section IV.J.xi. Prohibition Related to Foreign Government-Sponsored Talent Recruitment Programs
15. Added Section IV.J.xii. Foreign Collaboration Considerations
16. Added Section VI.B.xx. Interim Conflict of Interest Policy forFinancial Assistance
17. Added Section VI.B.xxii. Fraud, Waste and Abuse
18. Added Section VIII.O. Prohibition on Certain Telecommunicationsand Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
19. Added an additional category of applications specifically not ofinterest in Section I.C.

________________________________________________________________

Modification 0001

Corrected typo in page limit of Diversity Equity and Inclusion Plan in Section IV.D (page 33) and updated formatting throughout document.

___________________________________________________________________

The purpose of this FOA is to stimulate RD&D to decarbonize the entire life cycle of Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs), formerly known as Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). It targets both individual unit processes at earlier stages of technological development, and entire treatment trains at higher levels of technological readiness. It seeks to address both direct and indirect emissions from WRRFs, with the complementary goal of reducing costs, particularly in energy usage and sludge management, to improve the probabilities of real-world adoption.

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

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

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

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), two Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs):

1. DE-FOA-0002910, entitled "Reducing Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops (RACIPAC)” and

2. DE-FOA-0002946, entitled “2023 Conversion R&D FOA."

These FOAs support the Bioenergy Technologies Office’s research and development (R&D) priorities in the areas of (a) Renewable Carbon Resources (RCR) and (b) Conversion. Specifically, the RACIPAC FOA will support high-impact R&D focusing on reducing the carbon intensity of agricultural feedstocks, improving soil carbon levels, and protecting cultivated algal crops from pests. The Conversion R&D FOA will support development of technologies that convert domestic lignocellulosic biomass and waste resources including industrial syngas into affordable biofuels and bioproducts that significantly reduce carbon emissions on a life-cycle basis (minimum of 70% decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions), compared to equivalent petroleum-based products.

The R&D activities to be funded under both FOAs support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovations that lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies. These FOAs will advance President Biden’s Administration’s goals to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050.“¹ R&D activities funded from these FOAs provide routes to transform renewable carbon resources such as agricultural residues and algae into high-quality, environmentally sustainable, conversion-ready feedstocks and to develop and deploy the conversion technologies for the production of chemicals and fuels with >70% reduction in GHG emissions. Additionally, these FOAs will support the President’s goal to produce 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) per year and reduce aviation emissions by 20% by 2030, both of which will unlock the potential for a fully zero-carbon aviation sector by 2050.

It is anticipated the FOAs may include the following Areas of Interest:

1. Reducing Agricultural Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops FOA (RACIPAC):

Area of Interest (AOI) 1: Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices for Low Carbon Intensity (CI) Feedstocks

Area of Interest 2: Algae Crop Protection

2. 2023 Conversion R&D FOA:

Area of Interest 1: Overcoming Barriers to Syngas Conversion

Area of Interest 2: Strategic Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemicals Industry Through Biocatalysts

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

EERE plans to issue the FOAs in or around January 2023 via the EERE eXCHANGE website https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/. If Applicants wish to receive official notifications and information from EERE regarding these FOAs, they should register in EERE eXCHANGE. When the FOAs are released, applications will be accepted only through EERE eXCHANGE.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of theIndustrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office, a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)entitled “Decarbonization of Water Resource Recovery Facilities (D-WRRF)”.

The purpose of this announcement is to stimulate RD&D to decarbonize the entire life cycle of Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs), formerly known as Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). It targets both individual unit processes at earlier stages of technological development, and entire treatment trains at higher levels of technological readiness. It seeks to address both direct and indirect emissions from WRRFs, with the complementary goal of reducing costs, particularly in energy usage and sludge management, to improve the probabilities of real-world adoption.

Amendment 000002 - The purpose of this amendment is to modify Subtopic Area 2B Metrics to replace “reduction in variability” with “extension of performance”. And under the third bullet in Subtopic Area 2b Specific Requirements, replace “variability” with “duration”. See FOA DE-FOA-0002636/000002 for details.

Amendment 000001 - The purpose of this amendment is to modify Appendix G to correct an error to allow the following feedstocks for Topic Area 3: Syngas (derived from other allowable feedstocks). See FOA DE-FOA-0002636/000001 for details.

This FOA (Funding Opportunity Announcement) supports two priority areas in the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) research and development (R&D) portfolio. The first of these priority areas addresses new strategies for energy and resource recovery from waste streams. Waste streams including municipal solid waste, animal manure, wastewater residuals and other organic wastes have been identified as a key feedstock for the production of biofuels and bioproducts. These wastes represent significant environmental liabilities in the forms of fugitive methane emissions, air and water quality impacts, and odors, amongst others. These wastes also disproportionately are cited in disadvantaged communities leading to a multitude of health impacts on the surrounding populations. There are also significant costs associated with the management of these waste streams including treatment, hauling, and disposal or tipping fees. These economic factors make these waste streams an economic liability to the communities managing them but also a cost-advantaged feedstock for the production of biofuels and bioproducts.

The second priority area addressed by this FOA targets improved organisms and inorganic catalysts. BETO’s Conversion R&D Program has identified process robustness as a key challenge that must be addressed prior to scale-up. This includes the development of more robust organisms and catalytic processes for the conversion of sustainable feedstocks and intermediates into biofuels and bioproducts. Topic Area 2 of this FOA (including subtopics 2a and 2b) seeks technologies to improve the economic viability of microbial production processes by improving the productivity and robustness of the engineered microorganisms. Topic Area 3 focuses on inorganic catalyst development and investigating catalyst robustness and the mitigation of negative impacts or impurities found in bio-derived streams. Topic Areas 2 and 3 will ultimately improve the economics of sustainable biofuels production to realize cost goals of under $2.50/gallon by 2030 and to enable more processes that are capable of producing sustainable aviation fuel and meet the White House’s goal of reducing aviation emissions by 20% by 2030.

Topic Area 1: MSW Feedstock Technologies

Topic Area 2: Robust Microbial Cells

Topic Area 3: Robust Catalytic Processes

Topic Area 4: Community Scale Resource and Energy Recovery from Organic Wastes

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY22FeedstockConversionFOA@ee.doe.gov.

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

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

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

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to CommunityWasteRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on March 11, 2022. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 6 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

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

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

In November 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Plastics Innovation Challenge, which aims to accelerate innovations to significantly reduce plastic waste and position the U.S. as a global leader in advanced plastics recycling technologies and in the development and manufacturing of plastics that are recyclable by design. As part of the broader Plastics Innovation Challenge, DOE is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement to spur innovative solutions to plastics recycling.

DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) develops technologies that convert domestic biomass and waste resources into fuels, products, and power to enable affordable energy, economic growth, and innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production. DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) develops technologies that drive energy productivity improvements in the U.S. manufacturing sector, efficiently utilize abundant and available domestic energy resources, and support the manufacture of clean energy products with benefits extending across the economy.  This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will support high-impact technology research and development (R&D) in technologies that overcome the challenges associated with the recycling of films, which are often used in single-use packaging applications.  

BETO and AMO are part of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Offices that invest in high-impact, high-value technology R&D across the energy spectrum that industry would be unable to pursue independently due to the high level of risk and technology uncertainty. BETO and AMO fund applied R&D to bolster the body of scientific and engineering knowledge that can enable a new plastics economy by developing novel plastics, including bio-based plastics, capable of being efficiently recycled, composted, or biodegraded and establishing deconstruction and upcycling pathways for existing polymers that will generate high-value products. This FOA builds upon the FY20 BOTTLE FOA and seeks to fill a gap identified in the 2019 Plastics for a Circular Economy Workshop, where single-use packaging was highlighted as an important focus area. 

Plastic waste is an internationally recognized problem. Flexible, single-use packaging, including both single layer and multi-layer, (hereto referred to broadly as “films”) are among the most challenging plastics to recycle, upcycle, or biodegrade due to contamination and properties inherent to their use. At least 32% of global plastic packaging is leaked into the environment, while another 40% is landfilled, losing the energy and value embedded in this class of materials. Films, which are primarily made up of LDPE and LLDPE, make up over five percent by weight wt% of landfilled waste in the US. New technologies to make recycling and upcycling of films economically viable, including designing films for easy recycling, upcycling, or degradation in the environment, will have a large economic and environmental impact. Recycling and upcycling often yield products or plastics with significantly lower carbon footprints over virgin materials, with greenhouse gas emissions being reduced by as much as 70%. Moreover, improvements in recycling technology will lead to improved recycling economics, increased recycling infrastructure investment, and recycling jobs across the entirety of the United States.

State of the art technologies targeting films are highly varied due to the variability inherent to film materials. Research to address multilayer packaging has included single-polymer, single film substitutes, single-polymer multilayer film substitutes with each layer having specific orientation, solvent extraction, and thermal deconstruction. Traditional single-polymer films are being addressed primarily through improved sorting and collection techniques and degradable/biodegradable alternatives, though these alternatives result in a loss of the embodied energy and value of the material. Even after sorting, many films are landfilled due to the high cost associated with transporting this low density material, the low value of recycled films, and the low cost of virgin material.

This FOA seeks applications that enable the recycling and upcycling of films. Challenges associated with film recycling are vast, spanning collection, sorting/separation, contamination, and lack of economic methods for recycling and upcycling. Multilayer materials present further challenges, including immiscibility of different polymer layers and inclusion of inorganic materials. Technology can help to address these challenges by developing methods for recycling, deconstruction, and upcycling films that are sufficiently economic to incentivize collection, sorting and retention. Designing films to be inherently more recyclable or biodegradable, while retaining desired properties such as flexibility, barrier properties and strength could also make recycling of films more economical.

This FOA aims to increase recycling, upcycling, or environmentally benign degradation of films by pursuing two approaches:

1. Development of recycling and upcycling pathways that yield clear and economically favorable pathways for waste film will incentivize waste film collection and recycling; and
2. Redesign of multi-layer films to be inherently recyclable or biodegradable, enabling this complex material to be included in the recycling stream.

Amendment 000001: The purpose of this amendment is to remove the Risk Mitigation Plan for Topic Areas 1b and 1c; update Appendix G - Acceptable Feedstocks, to correct an error and reconcile Topic Area 3a requirements with the text of the FOA; and update Appendix H - Supplemental Content Requirements and Instructions. See FOA DE-FOA-0002396/00001 for details.

Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden Administration. This FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035 and to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050.“[1] The Department of Energy (DOE) is committed to pushing the frontiers of science and engineering, catalyzing clean energy jobs through research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D), and ensuring environmental justice and inclusion of underserved communities.

In support of these Administration priorities, the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is focused on developing technologies that convert domestic biomass and other waste resources (e.g., municipal solid waste, biosolids) into low-carbon biofuels and bioproducts. These bioenergy technologies can enable a transition to a clean energy economy, create high-quality jobs, support rural economies, and spur innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production – the bioeconomy. The activities funded through this opportunity will mobilize public clean energy investment in the biofuels, chemical and agricultural industries, accelerate the deployment of bioenergy technologies, and support achieving economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.

This FOA supports high-impact technology RDD&D to accelerate the bioeconomy and, in particular, the production of low-carbon fuels for the aviation industry. BETO is focusing on applied RDD&D to improve the performance and reduce cost of biofuel production technologies and scale-up production systems in partnership with industry. By reducing cost and technical risk, BETO can help pave the way for industry to deploy commercial-scale integrated biorefineries and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from hard to decarbonize sectors, such as aviation. The Program is focused on developing and demonstrating technologies that are capable of producing low-carbon drop-in biofuels at $2.50 per gallon gasoline equivalent (GGE) by 2030, as well as associated renewable chemical co-products to achieve this target.^[2] BETO is focused on biofuel production pathways that can deliver at least 70% lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum.

The research and development (R&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will support high-impact RDD&D focusing on the production of low-GHG fuels for the aviation industry, as well as the long-haul trucking and marine industries by soliciting proposals to scale-up technologies; cost effectively produce biomass derived sugars as an intermediate for the production of biofuels and bioproducts; and support cost effective separation technologies. In addition, the FOA will support increasing the efficiency of residential wood heaters and the production of renewable natural gas.

An informational webinar will be held on April 16^th, 2021 at 3:00 PM ET. The webinar will review the Funding Opportunity Announcement and Merit Review process, but will only discuss Topic Area 1: Scale-up of Biotechnologies specific requirements due to the complex nature of the topic area. Please note, there are no particular advantages or disadvantages to the application evaluation process with respect to participating in the webinar. Your participation is completely voluntary. Please register for the webinar at: https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/events/webinar-scale-biotechnologies

The informational webinar slides have been uploaded to the Announcement Documents section below. The informational webinar recording has been posted to YouTube. Interested parties to this FOA can view the webinar at the following link:

Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY21BETOMultiTopicFOA@ee.doe.gov.

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

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.

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

[2] U.S. Department of Energy (2020), Bioenergy Technologies Office 2019 R&D State of Technology, DOE/EE-2082, https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2020/07/f76/beto-2019-state-of-technology-july-2020-r1.pdf

Amendment 000002: EERE is amending this Notice of Intent to revise the language in the introduction and topic area descriptions to better align with the most recent guidance from the Acting Assistant Secretary.

_____________________________________

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “FY21 Bioenergy Technologies Scale-up and Conversion FOA.”

Building a clean energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden Administration. The Administration has laid out a bold plan to lead the world in building a clean energy economy, addressing climate change and achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050 to the benefit of all Americans. The Department of Energy is committed to pushing the frontiers of science and engineering, catalyzing clean energy jobs through research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D), and ensuring environmental justice and inclusion of disadvantaged communities.

In support of these Administration priorities, BETO is focused on developing technologies that convert domestic biomass and other waste resources (e.g. municipal solid waste, biosolids) into low-carbon biofuels and bioproducts. These bioenergy technologies can enable a transition to a clean energy economy, create high-quality jobs, support rural economies, and spur innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production – the bioeconomy. The activities funded through this opportunity will mobilize public clean energy investment in the biofuels, chemical and agricultural industries, accelerate the deployment of bioenergy technologies, and support achieving economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.

This FOA may support high-impact technology RDD&D to accelerate the bioeconomy and, in particular, the production of low-carbon fuels for the aviation industry. BETO is focusing on applied RDD&D to improve the performance and reduce cost of biofuel production technologies and scale-up production systems in partnership with industry. By reducing cost and technical risk, BETO can help pave the way for industry to deploy commercial-scale integrated biorefineries and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from hard to decarbonize sectors, such as aviation. The Program is focused on developing and demonstrating technologies that are capable of producing low-carbon drop-in biofuels at $2.50 per gallon gasoline equivalent (GGE) by 2030, as well as associated renewable chemical co-products to achieve this target. BETO is focused on biofuel production pathways that can deliver at least 70% lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum.

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

The 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.

Amendment 0003 – The purposes of this modification are to extend the submission deadline for Concept Papers to 2/3/2021 at 5PM ET, submission deadlines for full applications to 4/7/2021 at 5pm ET, expected submission deadline for replies to reviewer comments to 5/21/2021 at 5pm ET, expected date for EERE selection notifications to 7/30/2021, and expected timeframe for award negotiations to be August – September 2021. This modification will also incorporate the following FOA document changes: to change the language in this FOA to reflect the change in software platform from EPIC to EERE Exchange at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov; to remove from this FOA sections IV.J.xi and VI.B.vii.4, both titled “Compliance with the Executive Order 13950”, as Executive Order 13950 was revoked on 1/20/2021; to remove Open Source Software Distribution Plan from merit review criterion 2; to add a new section VI.B.xvii “Implementation of Executive Order 13798.”, and to add Table of Personnel to FOA section VI.B.xviii. Please note, as of this modification date 01/22/2021 at 5PM ET/3 pm MT, the EPIC system will not accept any further submissions, and all questions and answers related to this FOA will now 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.

DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) develops technologies that convert domestic biomass and waste resources into fuels, products, and power to enable affordable energy, economic growth, and innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002423 will support BETO’s highest priority research and development (R&D) areas in two BETO programs: Feedstock Technologies and Advanced Algal Systems. Both Topic Areas support 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.

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

Topic Area 1: Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste to Enable Production of Conversion-Ready Feedstocks

Subtopic 1a: Measurement of Variability of Key MSW Characteristics within and across Unique MSW Streams

Subtopic 1b: Development of Novel Methods for Rapid/Real-time Measurements

Topic Area 2: Algae Productivity Exceeding Expectations (APEX)

Subtopic 2a: Improvements in Productivity with Traditional Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Supply

Subtopic 2b: Improvements in Productivity with Direct Air Capture (DAC) of CO₂ from Ambient Air

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

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

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

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 02/03/2021. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 04/07/2021.

In recent years a growing number of utilities responsible for clean water have been moving from strict wastewater treatment to water resource management, some formally renaming themselves as water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). Energy efficiency in equipment, processes, and operations is a fundamental part of this transition, and energy savings in facility retrofits can reach 50 percent. In addition to energy efficiency improvements, wastewater contains about five times more energy than is needed for its treatment, creating an opportunity for new, innovative technologies and approaches to recovering that energy content.

Looking even more broadly than municipal wastewater treatment facilities - across the entire energy-water nexus - water and wastewater contain a significant amount of recoverable chemical, thermal, and hydrodynamic energy content. Treatment efficiencies and energy recovery options across the energy-water nexus create the possibility for a growing percentage of treated water and wastewater systems in municipal, industrial, agriculture, utility, oil and gas and other sectors to achieve net-zero energy consumption, and even to become net producers of energy under favorable circumstances.

Energy is often the second-highest operating cost (behind labor costs) for water and wastewater treatment systems. Black & Veatch’s client surveys indicate that energy costs at water and wastewater utilities account for well over 10% of total operating costs for a large majority of utilities, with a significant number of utilities having energy costs that exceed 30 percent. Increasingly stringent regulations for contaminants are pushing water and wastewater treatment systems to use even more advanced – and energy intensive – treatment technologies. The energy use of these systems is expected to increase by up to 20 percent in the coming decades due to more stringent water quality standards and growing water demand based on population growth. Additionally, water and wastewater treatment facilities, pipes, and related infrastructure in cities around the country are approaching their end of expected service life. Therefore, a unique window of opportunity exists to replace the aging infrastructure with new, innovative approaches to water and wastewater treatment, resource recovery, and water reuse by looking more broadly at interconnected, cross-sector opportunities (i.e. municipal, industrial, agriculture, oil and gas, etc.) across the energy-water nexus to develop water and wastewater treatment systems of the future – advanced water resource recovery systems.
The goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to conduct research, development, and deployment on technology innovations that enable advanced water resource recovery systems. Topic Area 1 of this FOA seeks to advance the development of transformative technologies beyond early stage research and development (R&D) to become pilot ready (TRL 4-6). Whereas, Topic Area 2 of this FOA seeks to test currently developed, pilot ready technologies (TRL 6-7) though design, build, and operations in industrially relevant conditions to enable commercialization.

This FOA is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) as part of the DOE’s Water Security Grand Challenge (WSGC). The WSGC is a White House initiated, U.S. DOE led framework to advance transformational technology and innovation to meet the global need for safe, secure, and affordable water. Using a coordinated suite of prizes, competitions, R&D, and other programs, the Water Security Grand Challenge has set the following goals for the United States to reach by 2030:

As part of the WSGC, DOE announced a $1 million Water Resource Recovery Prize to accelerate resource recovery from municipal wastewater across the United States. DOE also announced the selection of the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) to lead DOE’s Energy-Water Desalination Hub, an early stage R&D consortia focused on desalination technologies. This FOA seeks to leverage these investments to further develop technologies for advanced water resource recovery systems.

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

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

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.

MODIFICATION 0004: The purpose of this modification is to correct Modification 0003 and clarify:

(1) the use of coal and coal-based sources is specifically not of interest under Topic Area 2 on page 19:

Proposed projects must not include coal or coal-based resources (see Section I.C of the FOA).

(2) the use of coal and coal-based sources is specifically not of interest under all Topic Areas of the FOA on page 21:

For applications under all Topic Areas of the FOA, proposed projects must not include coal or coal-based resources. Applicants may see Section I.E for additional details for related opportunities.

3) the submission deadlines are extended on page i.

Submission Deadline for Concept Papers:

6/29/20 5:00pm ET

Submission Deadline for Full Applications:

8/19/20 5:00pm ET

Expected Submission Deadline for Replies to Reviewer Comments:

9/17/20 5:00pm ET

MODIFICATION 0003: The purpose of this modification is to clarify the restrictions on the use of coal and coal-based sources in Topic Area 2 of the FOA on page 19 and page 21:

"For all Areas of Interest under Topic 2 of the FOA, flexible or mixed raw materials sources are of interest, but cannot include greater than 49% coal or coal-based sources by weight. Proposed projects to Topic Area 2 of this FOA must not be duplicative of existing efforts of the Feasibility of Recovery Rare Earth Elements Program at the National Energy Technology Laboratory."

MODIFICATION 0002: The purposes of this modification are to clarify:

(1) the definition of "raw materials" under this FOA on page 11:

"For the purposes of all topics in the FOA, "raw materials" refer to materials or minerals extracted from the natural environment and any associated waste streams, but do NOT include end-of-life products."; and

(2) which materials (raw materials vs. end-of-life products) are of interest for separation and processing under Topic 1 Area of Interest 2 on page 15:

Topic 1, Area of Interest 2, seeks projects to improve industrial beneficiation (froth flotation, magnetic separation, or gravity flotation), separation (solvent extraction) and/or processing (molten salt electrolysis and metallothermic reduction) of REEs. In addition to the Topic 1, Area of Interest 2, specific requirements below, improvements to REE separation and processing should be able to handle flexible feedstocks (Figure 3). Of particular interest are technologies that can handle both raw materials and end-of-life products. Proposed technologies cannot solely target end-of-life products, or propose end-of-life products as the material choice for demonstration of the proposed technology.

Battery Critical Materials

For Topic 1 Area of Interest 2, proposed improvements to separation and processing of cobalt, lithium, manganese, and synthetic graphite may include the ability to handle flexible feedstocks, i.e. technologies that can handle both raw materials.

MODIFICATION 0001: The purpose of this modification is to add general authorities that were transferred from the U.S. Bureau of Mines to the Department of Energy, on page 8 of the FOA:

“In addition, the Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1996 generally supports DOE research and development activities related to extraction, separation, and processing technologies. When the United States Bureau of Mines (BoM) was closed in 1996, Congress transferred certain BoM functions to DOE including research of the extraction, processing, use and disposal of mineral substances, and functions pertaining to mineral reclamation industries and the development of methods for the disposal, control, prevention, and reclamation of mineral waste products. See Pub. L. No. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321-167 (1996).”

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCMENT:

Through this funding opportunity announcement (FOA), the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) seeks to address gaps in domestic supply chains for key critical materials for clean energy technologies to:

- Enable domestic manufacturing of high energy efficiency and high energy density clean energy technologies;

- Diversify the domestic supply of critical materials; and

- Validate and demonstrate domestic innovative technologies to support the transition to U.S. manufacturing.

This will be accomplished through development of alternative next-generation technologies and field validation and demonstration of technologies that improve extraction, separation and processing. Key critical materials for energy technologies as defined in this FOA include: rare earth elements: neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), and samarium (Sm) used in permanent magnets for electric vehicle motors, wind turbine generators and high temperature applications; cobalt (Co) used in batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and grid storage and high temperature permanent magnets; and lithium (Li), manganese (Mn) and natural graphite used in batteries (see table below).This FOA seeks to leverage the technology and capabilities developed at the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), an Energy Innovation Hub led by Ames Laboratory and managed by DOE.

For questions and answers pertaining to this FOA, please reference the DE-FOA-0002322 AMO 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.

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-0002245. The due date for Concept Papers for this FOA is now 04/29/2020. The due date for Full Applications for this FOA is now 07/02/2020.

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.

In November 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Plastics Innovation Challenge, a comprehensive program to accelerate innovations in energy-efficient plastics recycling technologies. This FOA will support high-impact R&D for plastics by developing new plastics that are capable of efficient recyclability and improving recycling strategies that can break existing plastics into chemical building blocks that can be used to make higher-value products.

DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) develops technologies that convert domestic biomass and waste resources into fuels, products, and power to enable affordable energy, economic growth, and innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production. DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) develops technologies that drive energy productivity improvements in the U.S. manufacturing sector, efficiently utilize abundant and available domestic energy resources, and support the manufacture of clean energy products with benefits extending across the economy. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will support high-impact technology research and development (R&D) to enable the development of technologies that overcome the challenges associated with plastic waste.

Topic Areas include:

1) Highly Recyclable or Biodegradable Plastics: develop new plastics that have improved performance attributes over a comparable existing plastic that can be cost-effectively recycled or biodegrade completely in the environment or in compost facilities.

2) Novel Methods for Deconstructing and Upcycling Existing Plastics: generate energy efficient recycling technologies (mechanical, chemical, or biological) that are capable of breaking plastic streams into intermediates which can be upgraded into higher value products.

3) BOTTLE Consortium Collaborations to Tackle Challenges in Plastic Waste: create collaborations with the Bio-Optimized Technologies to Keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) Laboratory Consortium to further the long-term goals of the Consortium and the Plastics Innovation Challenge.

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

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

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

Please see the full FOA in the DOCUMENTS section below.

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.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “FY20 Bioenergy Technologies Multi-Topic FOA”.

BETO develops technologies that convert domestic biomass and waste resources into fuels, products, and power to enable affordable energy, economic growth, and innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production. The activities funded through this opportunity will be a component of the comprehensive U.S. energy strategy to enhance energy supply, create domestic jobs, secure the nation’s global leadership in bioenergy technologies and improve U.S. energy security.

This FOA will support high-impact technology research and development (R&D) to enable growth and innovation of the Bioeconomy. The topic areas will focus on BETO's objectives to reduce the minimum fuel selling price of drop-in biofuels, lower the cost of biopower, and enable high-value products from biomass or waste resources.

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

EERE plans to issue the FOA 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.

DE-FOA-0002165: Notice of Request for Information (RFI) on Water Security Grand Challenge Resource Recovery Prize

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment providing information and feedback on the design of a potential prize competition with a goal of increasing resource recovery from municipal wastewater treatment plants across the United States, and in so doing, lower the ultimate cost of treatment by extracting additional value from the wastewater (i.e., improve energy efficiency). Through this potential prize, DOE would seek novel, systems-based solutions from multidisciplinary teams to implement resource recovery at small-to-medium-sized wastewater treatment plants. Specifically, the intent is to encourage teams of wastewater treatment plants, engineering and design firms, technology developers, resource customers (e.g., farmers, electric and gas utilities), and others to develop holistic community and/or watershed-based resource recovery plans for their respective wastewater treatment systems. Input from this RFI may be used to further develop the competition objectives, rules, metrics, and incentives.

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

For questions and answers pertaining to this RFI, please reference the DE-FOA-0002165 Water Recovery Prize FAQ Log in the Documents section.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to WaterResourceRecoveryPrize@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on October 23, 2019. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. Include Water Security Grand Challenge Resource Recovery Prize in the subject of the title. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 20 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting information on the following research opportunities to help inform its priorities and funding strategies: advanced processes and retrofits to co-produce cellulosic biofuels and other products at existing corn-starch ethanol production facilities; the utilization of waste food streams to produce fuels and chemicals; potential efforts to collect and publish existing under-used or economically stranded bioenergy datasets; and algal biomass feedstock quality and conversion research and development (R&D) for biofuels and bioproducts.

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders to help ensure research areas are relevant, timely, appropriate for federal government funding, and aligned with Administration priorities. This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No funding applications are being accepted in response to this RFI.

BETO is seeking information related to the following 4 topic areas:

Topic 1: Leveraging First Generation Bioethanol Production Facilities

Topic 2: Systems to Handle Commingled Food Waste Streams

Topic 3: Bridging Industry & Government to Publish Existing High-Impact Data

Topic 4: Algal Biomass Feedstock Quality and Conversion Interface for Biofuels and Bioproducts

Please see the full RFI in the “Documents” section below for the complete list of questions and instructions for responding. Responses are due by September 6, 2019.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will provide funding to address the highest priority R&D areas within biofuel technologies, bioproducts, and biopower. It includes Areas of Interest (AOIs) from all five BETO programs: Feedstock Supply and Logistics; Advanced Algal Systems; Conversion; Advanced Development and Optimization; and Sustainability and Strategic Analysis. Each AOI supports BETO’s objectives to reduce the minimum selling price of drop-in biofuels, lower the cost of biopower, enable high-value products from biomass or waste resources, and improve the quality of feedstock characterization and reliability of biorefinery operations.

Topics under this FOA include:

• AOI 1: Cultivation Intensification Processes for Algae
• AOI 2a: Relating Biomass Physical and Chemical Characteristics to Feedstock Performance in Handling and Conversion Operations
• AOI 2b: Impact of Storage and Handling on Biomass Characteristics
• AOI 2c: Improving Economics and Development of Coproducts
• AOI 3: Efficient Wood Heaters
• AOI 4: Systems Research of Hydrocarbon Biofuel Technologies
• AOI 5: Optimization of Bio-Derived Jet Fuel Blends
• AOI 6: Renewable Energy from Urban and Suburban Wastes
• AOI 7a: Advanced Bioprocessing
• AOI 7b: Agile BioFoundry
• AOI 8a: Designing Highly Recyclable Plastics
• AOI 8b: Designing Novel Methods for Deconstructing and Upcycling Existing Plastics
• AOI 9: Rethinking Anaerobic Digestion
• AOI 10: Reducing Water, Energy, and Emissions in Bioenergy

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

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

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

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

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

The purpose of this modification is to extend the response deadline to January 18, 2019.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting information on research opportunities related to outdoor algae research, biomass characteristics and feedstock performance, and renewable energy from urban and suburban wastes to help inform its research priorities and funding strategies. BETO seeks information to help inform its research priorities, as part of its annual planning process. The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders to help ensure research areas are relevant, timely, appropriate for federal government funding, and aligned with Administration priorities. This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). No funding applications are being accepted in response to this RFI. Specifically, BETO is seeking information related to the following three topic areas: 1) Outdoor Algae Research; 2) Biomass Characteristics and Feedstock Performance; and 3) Renewable Energy from Urban and Suburban Wastes.

The purpose of Modification 000002 is to extend the response deadline to October 22,2018.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is requesting input from industry (including but not limited to contract research organizations, contract manufacturing organizations, catalyst manufacturers, and catalyst research consortia), academia, National Laboratories, government agencies, and other biofuels and bioproducts stakeholders on “custom catalyst production capability for biochemical and thermochemical processes”. Specifically, BETO seeks information to help identify and understand additional areas of research, capabilities, and yet-to-be-addressed challenges pertinent to small-scale production (typically in multi-kilogram quantities) of custom catalysts used in technology development and engineering solutions for the efficient conversion of lignocellulosic, waste, and algal feedstocks to produce biofuels and bioproducts. The conversion technologies of interest include biological, thermochemical or hybrid processes. The class of catalysts include but are not limited to, for example, enzymes, immobilized enzymes, inorganic, and organic; and both homogeneous and heterogeneous types.

BETO, in addition, seeks information on capabilities and functionalities that need to be developed to be able to effectively research and test reactive processes with particular emphasis on unit operations and equipment comprising process development units (PDUs) located at National Laboratories that will enable successful transition of early stage research to engineering-scale research.

For purposes of potentially developing future funding opportunities, BETO is interested in understanding the opportunities and challenges associated with small-scale production of custom catalysts capable of minimizing / eliminating variations in catalyst performance while used for bench-scale and engineering-scale process development of biological, thermochemical and hybrid conversion technologies.

BETO is also interested in understanding the need for operational and capability enhancements for unit operations and equipment comprising PDUs that help to transition early stage research to engineering-scale research.

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

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

Because information received in response to this RFI may be used to structure future programs and FOAs and/or otherwise be made available to the public, respondents are strongly advised to NOT include any information in their responses that might be considered business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential. If, however, a respondent chooses to submit business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential information, it must be clearly and conspicuously marked as such in the response.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to CustomCatalystRFI@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on September 28, 2018. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 15 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

Please identify your answers by responding to specific questions and/or topics listed in the full RFI, as applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

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

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

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announces a notice of availability of funds for financial assistance to address gaps in current research and development (R&D) which hinder better utilizing waste streams (e.g. lignin, CO2, and biosolids), improving organic and inorganic catalysts to increase conversion efficiency and decrease costs, and creating high-value performance-advantaged bioproducts to allow for more profitable biorefineries.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) contains six Topic Areas as follows:
• Topic 1: ChemCatBio Industrial Partnerships (CCB)
• Topic 2: Agile BioFoundry Industry Partnership
Initiative (ABF)
• Topic 3: Performance Advantaged Bioproducts (PABP)
• Topic 4: Biofuels and Bioproducts from Wet Organic Waste Streams (WWTE)
• Topic 5: Rewiring Carbon Utilization (Rewiring)
• Topic 6: Lignin Valorization (Lignin)

Each topic area contains different specific areas of interest, required descriptions, and metrics. Each also has different feedstock requirements which are outlined in Appendix D of the FOA document.

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:

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 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 (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.

EERE conducted an informational webinar on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 3:00 ET. Attendance was not mandatory and will not positively or negatively impact the overall review of any applicant submissions. The webinar recording can be found at:

https://doe.webex.com/doe/ldr.php?RCID=ff640a8cf352e27d3f2331526f343154

Password: 3Dr9NGXw

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.

Limited to State Energy Offices (defined as the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five territories).
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) State Energy Program (SEP) seeks applications to advance policies, programs, and market strategies that advance affordable and reliable energy to promote economic growth and energy security for the nation. This competitive Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) allows States (which includes the District of Columbia and five territories) to compete for funding designed to meet SEP’s goals to enhance energy security, advance state-led energy initiatives, and maximize the benefits of decreasing energy waste. Specifically, this FOA includes three Areas of Interest: State Energy Planning, Innovative Opportunities for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE/RE) Practices, and Technical Assistance to Advance SEP Formula Grant EE/RE Activities.

Refer to the document DE-FOA-0001644 State Energy Program 2017 Competitive Awards Full Text, page 21 for the list of the Application Content Requirements, Components i. - xii.

INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR

October 24, 2017 - Tuesday (repeated Wednesday, October 25, 2017)

APPLICATION WORKSHOP

October 26, 2017 - Thursday

Slides and Audio: Open the files under the documents section below.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Open the excel sheet under the documents section below.

APPENDIX C LINKS DO NOT FUNCTION IN THE PDF VERSION OF THE FOA

REFER THE Q&A SPREAD SHEET FOR THE ACTIVE LINKS

Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is to change the submission deadline for responses to this RFI from 07/28/2017 to 08/28/2017.

EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) partners with industry, small business, universities, and other stakeholders to identify and invest in emerging technologies with the potential to create high-quality domestic manufacturing jobs and enhance the global competitiveness of the United States.

Through this Request for Information, EERE, on behalf of AMO, seeks feedback on technologies with the potential for early stage research and development (R&D) that if successfully advanced could impact the cost-effective and energy efficient availability of clean water processed from a variety of sources such as surface water, ground water, brackish water, seawater, wastewater and produced water for a range of applications including municipal drinking water, agricultural uses, and industrial needs.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to AMOCleanWater@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00 pm (EDT) on August 28, 2017. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email.

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

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.

1) Section I.B. - Topic Areas/Technical Areas of Interest

a) Revision of text:

Topic Area 2
Applications are required to be at a minimum starting TRL 2 through 4, and will end at TRL 3 through 5 respectively, that is, each application must advance its technology by at least one TRL level. Projects under this Topic Area require cost share be at least 20% of the total allowable costs for task(s) related to R&D activities, and cost share for tasks) related to pilot and demonstration level activities are required to be 50%. Please note that the required front-end throughput is a minimum of 1 DTPD for biomass feedstocks, at least 25,000 gallons of intermediate per year for an algal process, or utilization of at least 16 mmbtu/day of biogas/industrial flue gas and must be achieved by the end of the project period within Topic Area 2. Tasks that will demonstrate this requirement must have a cost-share of 50%. When applicable, applicants may utilize a blended cost share of 20% for R&D tasks and 50% for technology demonstration tasks.

2) Section III.B. - Cost Sharing

a) Addition of text:

EERE Cost Share 20% and 50%
The cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs (i.e., the sum of the Government share, including FFRDC costs if applicable, and the Recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project) for research and development projects and 50% of the total allowable costs for demonstration and commercial application projects and must come from non-Federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. (See 2 CFR 200.306 and 2 CFR 910.130 for the applicable cost sharing requirements.)

3) Submission Deadline for Full Applications extended to 04/05/2017, 5:00 PM ET.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announce a joint funding opportunity to support Integrated Biorefinery Optimization. DOE has funded biorefinery technology development projects, since 2002, to meet two EERE performance goals: 1) reduce dependence on imported oil, thereby enhancing energy security; and 2) spur the creation of a sustainable domestic bio-industry. USDA-NIFA has funded programs and projects that target vital topical areas related to the development of regional systems for the sustainable production of biofuels, industrial chemicals, biopower, and biobased products; as well as investing in America’s scientific corps and developing workforce in bioenergy, bioproducts, and the bioeconomy. Robust scale-up of commercially viable biorefinery technologies will help USDA-NIFA meet two important goals: 1) to enhance energy security through the reduction in the dependence on foreign oil; and 2) to spur the creation of a sustainable domestic bioeconomy. This work supports NIFA’s mission to accelerate deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to strengthen U.S. energy security, economic vitality, and environmental quality.

Federal support for first-of-a-kind Integrated Biorefineries (IBRs) could significantly reduce the
technical and financial risks associated with new technology deployment, thus accelerating the growth of the U.S. bioeconomy, reducing costs to consumers, enabling reductions in environmental pollution in the transportation sector and improving energy security.

There are still unresolved technical and non-technical challenges within the IBRs that need to be addressed in order to achieve reliable and continuous operation that effectively competes with the petroleum refining and petrochemical industries. Many of these challenges are related to:

• Complexity and variability of non-food feedstocks;

• Operational difficulties encountered with handling of solids in the production process;

• Recalcitrance of feedstocks to efficiently convert into products;

• Inhomogeneity of intermediates resulting in non-uniform heat and mass transfer during the
manufacturing processes;

• Complex multi-step separation and purification steps;

• Non-monetization of byproducts and residual streams;

• Difficulties in translating bench-scale and pilot-scale learnings to the next step in scale-up such as demonstration-scale or pioneer-scale commercial level;

• Non-competitive cost of bioproducts due to higher capital and operational expenses; and

• Shortage of capital for long-term industrial projects.
As a result of these barriers, there are only a few pioneer-scale commercial IBRs in early stages
of commissioning, start-up, and/or production, and a wider deployment of highly-efficient IBR
facilities is still a goal to be realized. A number of the challenges result in schedule delays,
increased capital (CapEx) and operational (OpEx) expenses, and scale-up complications.

The FOA will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing projects to address challenges encountered with the successful scale-up and reliable continuous operation of IBRs for the manufacture of Advanced or Cellulosic Biofuels (see Definitions) and associated higher value
bioproducts. The FOA seeks applications for projects focused on addressing these challenges,
reducing risks, and providing resources to accelerate commercialization of biofuels and bioproducts.

The FOA includes four topic areas as follows:

• Topic Area 1: Robust, continuous handling of solid materials (dry and wet feedstocks,biosolids, and/or residual solids remaining in the process) and feeding systems to reactors under various operating conditions;

• Topic Area 2: High value products from waste and/or other under-valued streams in an IBR;

• Topic Area 3: Industrial separations within an IBR; and

• Topic Area 4: Analytical modeling of solid materials (dry and wet feedstocks, and/or residual solids remaining in the process) and reactor feeding systems.

The full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.

Applications must be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE
website to be considered for award. The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE eXCHANGE website. A User Guide for the EERE eXCHANGE can be found on the EERE website https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system.

Information on where to submit questions regarding the content of the announcement and where to submit questions regarding submission of applications is found in the full FOA posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website.

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 Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Integrated Biorefinery Optimization”.

This FOA will support research and development of technologies that will improve the quality of feedstock characterization, reliability of operations, decrease the Capital Expenses (CapEx) and Operating Expenses (OpEx) and thereby increase the performance efficiencies of biorefineries resulting in continuous operation and production of biofuels, bioproducts and biopower at prices competitive with fossil-derived equivalents. Validation and scale-up of these technologies is essential to enable the industry to build future commercial scale manufacturing facilities. Plans for processes that convert woody biomass, agricultural residues, dedicated energy crops, algae, municipal solid waste (MSW), sludge from wastewater treatment plants, and wet wastes, into biofuels, biochemicals, and bioproducts will be considered under this funding opportunity.

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

1. Robust, continuous handling of solid materials (dry and wet feedstocks, biosolids, and/or residual solids remaining in the process) and feeding systems to reactors under various operating conditions

2. High value products from waste and/or other under-valued streams in an integrated biorefinery

3. Industrial separations within an integrated biorefinery

4. Analytical modeling of solid materials (dry and wet feedstocks, and/or residual solids remaining in the process) and reactor feeding systems

EERE envisions awarding multiple financial assistance awards in the form of cooperative agreements. The estimated period of performance for each award will be approximately 36 months.

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

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

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled Industrial Assessment Centers Technical Field Manager (DE-FOA-0001679).

This FOA supports EERE AMO technical assistance activities.

As background, the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) program is a resource conservation and workforce development initiative of AMO based in the engineering departments of 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.

Through the FOA referenced above, EERE intends to fund the activities for an IAC Technical Field Manager. The IAC Technical Field Manager plays a critical role in the IAC program. The Technical Field Manager is a liaison between the AMO Technology Manager and the individual IACs, 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. The Technical Field Manager’s core responsibilities include the following:

• Providing technical assistance for quality control of Center operations, assessments, and outreach activities;
• Providing technical reviews and feedback on all of the IAC assessment reports;
• Integrating DOE priorities around practices and technologies into IAC operations;
• Providing training and technical assistance to the IAC staff and students and external stakeholders;
• Maintaining and upgrading the IAC websites and databases;
• Developing technical and informational resources for IAC clients and small and medium-sized manufacturers nationwide;
• Advancing the deployment of an accredited energy efficiency engineering degree; and
• Extending IAC program impacts beyond manufacturers and students immediately engaged by the Centers.

Through this announcement, DOE is seeking detailed applications for a Technical Field Manager who will provide these core activities, as well as respond to new program innovations and priorities from DOE. Examples of the Technical Field Manager’s potential new or expanded activities include:

• Training IACs on cybersecurity improvements, water sector assessments, energy management systems and smart manufacturing;
• Coordinating IAC student and alumni activities, including social media, to highlight career achievements;
• Moving to online reporting for assessments;
• Developing readily accessible resources around critical energy areas relevant to small and medium manufacturers, especially those not receiving IAC assessments; and
• Developing online best practice resources for industrial sector-specific energy saving and productivity improvements.

EERE envisions awarding one financial assistance award in the form of a cooperative agreement. The estimated period of performance for the award will be five years.

This NOI is issued so that interested parties are aware of EERE’s intention to issue a FOA in the near term. All of the information contained in this NOI is subject to change. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein, or DOE may not issue a FOA at all.

Please access the complete Notice of Intent under the "Documents" heading below.

NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE. Please do not submit questions or respond to this NOI. 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 December 2016.

The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE Exchange website. A User Guide for the EERE Exchange can be found on the EERE website http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchangeExchange/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks input on priority RD&D areas to enable deep decarbonization of industrial, transportation, and power generation sectors through wide-scale deployment of hydrogen. The potential of hydrogen to deeply decarbonize a multitude of sectors was identified by the DOE national laboratories in a proposal termed H2@Scale in 2016. The preliminary analysis performed by the national laboratories on the H2@Scale concept indicated that nearly a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is possible by 2050. Research in several relevant areas is currently addressed by many different DOE Offices, including the Offices of Nuclear Energy (NE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Fossil Energy (FE), Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), and Science (OS), along with the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E). Given the broad scope of H2@Scale, and the need to engage many stakeholders to ensure the proposal’s success, the U.S. DOE is soliciting feedback on activities to advance the H2@Scale proposal in both the near and longer-term.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback, project ideas, and other guidance on the topic areas described below and through responses to questions (as applicable). Note stakeholders should feel free to respond only to those topics relevant to their expertise; it is not necessary to respond to all topics.

1. Concept of H2 at Scale
2. Integration of Hydrogen Production with the Electricity Grid, and with Storage and Pipeline Infrastructure
3. Integration of Hydrogen Production with Process Heat, such as from Nuclear Generation, Industrial Waste Heat Sources, or Concentrated Solar Power
4. Leveraging Stranded Renewables, and Value-Added Applications for Hydrogen
5. Hydrogen from Fossil Fuels
6. Other

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, the U.S. DOE is not accepting applications at this time. The U.S. DOE may issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, the U.S. DOE may also elect not to issue a FOA.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to H2Scale@ee.doe.gov with the subject line "DE-FOA-0001655 - RFI" no later than 5:00pm (ET) on November 4, 2016. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 5 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Reducing EMbodied-energy And Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) in Materials Manufacturing”.

This FOA supports the establishment of a Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Reducing EMbodied-energy And Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) in Materials Manufacturing. This Institute will enable the development and widespread deployment of key industrial platform technologies that will dramatically reduce life-cycle energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with industrial-scale materials production and processing through the development of technologies for reuse, recycling, and remanufacturing of materials. Solving this enormous and currently unmet challenge could significantly reduce U.S. primary energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial sector, which represents a particularly challenging sector to decarbonize, and improve U.S. manufacturing competiveness in the process. Analysis shows that the development and deployment of cost effective new technologies to enable significant reductions in the life-cycle embodied energy and carbon emissions for materials production in the US economy relative to the use of primary feedstocks could offer energy savings on the order of 1.6 quadrillion BTU (quads) annually across four classes of waste materials - metals, fibers, polymers, and e-waste.

The resulting Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute is expected to be a Department of Energy supported Institute participating in the interagency National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) program.

This NOI is issued so that interested parties are aware of EERE’s intention to issue a FOA in the near term. All of the information contained in this NOI is subject to change. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein, or DOE may not issue a FOA at all.

Please access the complete Notice of Intent under the "Documents" heading below.

NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE. Please do not submit questions or respond to this NOI. 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 June 2016.

The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE Exchange website. A User Guide for the EERE Exchange can be found on the EERE website http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchangeExchange/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system.

1) The minimum throughput requirements for topic areas as described in "Section I.B - Topic Areas/Technical Areas of Interest" and "Appendix D – Allowable Feedstock Definitions".

The purposes of Modification 000001 are to clarify the following:

1) The minimum throughput requirements for topic area;
2) The Period of Performance for Phase 1; and
3) The FOA inbox contact information.

The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), announces a notice of availability of funding for financial assistance from the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). DOE has funded biorefinery technology development projects since 2002 to meet two EERE performance goals: 1) dramatically reduce dependence on imported oil; and 2) spur the creation of the domestic bio-industry.

This FOA will identify, evaluate, and select applications proposing project development and execution plans for the manufacture of Advanced or Cellulosic Biofuels (“Biofuels”, as defined in the Energy Investment and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) §201), bioproducts, refinery compatible intermediates, or biopower in a domestic pilot or demonstration scale Integrated Biorefinery (IBR). Scale-up and validation of these process technologies is essential to enable the industry to build future pioneer- and commercial-scale facilities. The FOA seeks applications for projects to first design, and then construct and operate IBR facilities. There will be a down-select review between the design phase (Phase 1) and the construction/operation phase (Phase 2). The down-select decision will be made by DOE at the completion of the design phase. Project performance in Phase 1, as well as portfolio balance, availability of funds, and other factors will be considered in the down-select decision process. Only projects selected by DOE as a result of the down-select process will receive additional funding and be permitted to proceed into the construction/operation phase (Phase 2).

The FOA will include three topic areas as follows:

• Topic Area 1: Pilot scale production of Biofuels from high impact cellulosic, algal, or biogas feedstocks. Minimum feedstock throughput must be 1 dry metric ton (DMT) per day or equivalent throughput of algal biomass or biogas. Bioproducts and biopower are only allowed as co-products from the facility.
• Topic Area 2: Demonstration scale production of Biofuels from high impact cellulosic, algal, or biogas feedstocks. Minimum feedstock throughput must be 50 DMT per day or equivalent of algal biomass or biogas. Bioproducts and biopower are only allowed as co-products from the facility.
• Topic Area 3: Production of either biopower or Biofuels from biosolids and other allowable Wet Waste Feedstock streams. Bioproducts are also allowed as co-products from the facility. Minimum feedstock throughput must be 1 DMT per day.

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must address the entire process, from feedstock handling through to biofuel, bio-product, or biopower distribution. Applicants who propose the production of biopower must include a discussion of the costs of combined heat and power or electricity generation in the full application.

All applications must stress articulation of the project’s value proposition, target markets, competitors, and distribution channels for proposed technology, along with known or perceived barriers to market penetration, including mitigation strategies. The value proposition should include a discussion of the current and potential market share, and the economic competitiveness of the proposed process.

Applicants who intend to replicate and commercialize the technology through other than scale-up methods, such as through modular deployment or other mechanisms, must present equivalent information to sufficiently describe their envisioned commercialization strategy.
Recognizing the significant capital investments that have been made through prior BETO FOAs, BETO also encourages innovative reuse and repurposing of capital equipment purchased under prior DOE programs.

A limited amount of preparatory work to support the design of the proposed pilot scale project will be allowed within the scope of the project. Typically up to 10% of the total Phase 1 project budget (total allowable budget) may be proposed for the preparatory R&D, but the amount is subject to negotiation after notification of selection for negotiation of an award. Preparatory work may include limited research and development (R&D) including expenses for equipment, salaries, and supplies. All project costs, including any preparatory R&D work, will be subject to the 50% cost share requirement.

All applicants must clearly establish that sufficient work at prior scale has been completed to justify that the proposed IBR meets either Technology Readiness Level 6 criteria for pilot scale applications or Technology Readiness Level 7 criteria for demonstration scale applications. 

Modification 0001: The purpose of this modification is to clarify units of measurement and definitions in Section I.B and technical goals in Section I.C. Correct the compliance criteria for Concept Papers and Full Applications in Sections IV.C.i and IV.D.i respectively. Update content requirements for Full Applications in Section IV.D.ii, and update and clarify the Full Application Merit Review Criteria in Section V.A.ii.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), invests in cutting-edge research, development, and demonstration activities focused on sustainable transportation, renewable power, and energy efficiency. A core element of EERE’s mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness in innovation and manufacturing in emerging clean energy industries. To address this core element, EERE launched its Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI) in 2013 with the goal of significantly increasing U.S. manufacturing competitiveness in the production of clean energy products and in domestic manufacturing across the board by increasing industrial energy productivity. EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) plays a key role in executing the mission for CEMI by supporting research and development projects, shared research facilities and technical consortia, and technical assistance programs.

AMO partners with private and public stakeholders to support the research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) of innovative technologies that can improve U.S. competitiveness, save energy, and ensure global leadership in manufacturing of clean energy technologies as well as improve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption in manufacturing. Specifically, AMO invests in cost‐shared RD&D activities in support of cross-cutting next generation materials and manufacturing processes that hold high potential to significantly improve energy efficiency and reduce energy-related emissions, industrial waste, and the life‐cycle energy consumption of manufactured products.

EERE’s AMO establishes Manufacturing Innovation Institutes in the President’s National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) as shared research, development, and demonstration facilities to overcome cross-cutting challenges related to the manufacturing of clean energy and energy efficiency products, in addition to challenges associated with improving the energy efficiency of the manufacturing sector across the board. This FOA supports the establishment of a Manufacturing Innovation Institute on Modular Chemical Process Intensification for Clean Energy Manufacturing. Modular chemical process intensification represents an emerging opportunity for processing industries in the U.S. manufacturing sector to improve energy efficiency, reduce feedstock waste, and improve productivity by merging and integrating separate unit processes (mixing, reactions, separation) into single modular hardware elements of reduced size, with higher efficiency and providing inherent scalability.

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 Concept Paper.

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 May 11, 2016 at 3:00pm EDT. Standard application questions regarding the EERE Office and FOA procedures will be discussed. No new information will be presented during the webinar.

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/8943953521415379203

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 Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office, a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Project Definition for Pilot and Demonstration Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower (PD2B3).”

This FOA supports technology development plans for the manufacture of drop-in hydrocarbon biofuels, bioproducts, or intermediates in a pilot- or demonstration-scale integrated biorefinery. Scale-up and validation of these process technologies is essential to enable the industry to build future pioneer- and commercial-scale manufacturing facilities. Plans for facilities that use lignocellulosic biomass, algal biomass, or biosolids feedstocks will be considered under this funding opportunity.

Under this FOA, Applicants must address one comprehensive topic area with three main priority areas. These priority areas are:

1. Pilot scale production of Biofuels from high impact lignocellulosic, algal, or bio-gas feedstocks.
2. Demonstration scale production of Biofuels from high impact lignocellulosic, algal, or bio-gas algal feedstocks.
3. Production of bio-power, bio-products, and Biofuels from biosolids and other waste streams.

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

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

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Modular Chemical Process Intensification”.

This FOA supports the establishment of a Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute on Modular Chemical Process Intensification. Modular chemical process intensification represents an emerging opportunity for processing industries in the U.S. manufacturing sector to improve energy efficiency, reduce feedstock waste, increase scalability and improve productivity by merging and integrating separate unit processes (mixing, reactions, separation) into single modular hardware elements of reduced size, higher efficiency and scalability.

This NOI is issued so that interested parties are aware of EERE’s intention to issue a FOA in the near term. All of the information contained in this NOI is subject to change. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein, or DOE may not issue a FOA at all.

Please access the complete Notice of Intent under the "Documents" heading below.

NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE. Please do not submit questions or respond to this NOI. 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 May 2016.

The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE Exchange website. A User Guide for the EERE Exchange can be found on the EERE website http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchangeExchange/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system.

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.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) seeks feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to “challenges encountered with the successful scale-up and reliable operation of integrated biorefinery plants (IBRs).” Specifically, BETO seeks information that will help it understand additional areas of research, capabilities, and yet to be addressed barriers and opportunities for stakeholder engagement pertaining to technology development and engineering solutions for the reliable operation of IBRs to produce biofuels, biochemicals and bioproducts.

BETO seeks information on all IBR processes and technologies, including any and all systems processes, technologies, methods and equipment employed to convert woody biomass, agricultural residues, dedicated energy crops, algae, municipal solid waste (MSW), sludge from wastewater treatment plants, and wet solids, into biofuels, biochemicals, and bioproducts.BETO seeks information on technical challenges that have hindered, or could in the future hinder, the achievement of reliable continuous operations. BETO is particularly interested in receiving stakeholder input on production systems expected to be in the range of feedstock throughput of 1 DTPD (Dry Tonne per Day) to 1,000 DTPD to:
1. Understand scale-up and mitigate operational risks and challenges for integrated biorefinery plants;
2. Develop robust handling of variable solid materials (dry and wet feedstocks, and/or residual solids remaining in the process)and investigate reactor feed systems operating under vacuum or at positive pressures;
3. Improve pre-processing methodologies to transform diverse types of feedstocks into homogeneous, standardized intermediates;
4. Advance process intensification focused on simplification (such as reduction in number of process steps); enable reliable, robust continuous operations; increase selectivity and enable hybrid separations; cost reduction through innovative fabrication and construction methods (for example, modularization of systems); and/or efficient water management techniques;
5. Address unique process issues (for example, the need to remove oxygen and lignin to facilitate efficient processing of feedstocks into products, the need to remove natural or derivatized contaminants), and pathways including
i. biological;
ii. thermochemical;
iii. catalytic
iv. biochemical;
v. algae; and
vi. hybrid pathways; and
6. Develop strategies to reduce Capital Expense (CapEx) costs by reducing technical risks and ensuring minimum modifications during different phases of the execution (for example, construction, commissioning, operations, etc.) of biorefinery projects.

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

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

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Industrial Assessment Centers" (DE-FOA-0001513).

This FOA supports EERE AMO technical assistance activities. The goal of the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) program is twofold: first, to assist 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, to increase their energy efficiency, productivity, sustainability and competitiveness; and second, to help address a growing shortage of engineering professionals with applied energy-related skills.

Prospective IACs can demonstrate their capabilities and describe their approach to serve small and medium-sized manufacturers by analyzing the operating characteristics, productivity, and energy, water and waste usage of manufacturing facilities; identifying, quantifying, and recommending specific opportunities to improve energy and water efficiency, reduce waste, and improve productivity; including potential enhancements to cyber security and related information technologies; and reporting the findings to the facility, together with estimates of the energy savings opportunities, implementation costs, and payback periods.

Each IAC will provide extensive training for undergraduate and graduate engineering students in industrial processes, energy assessment procedures, and energy management systems. IAC Applicants should define how they will maximize the student experience; increase student technical knowledge and business sense; and develop their understanding of key industrial concepts, including industrial supply chains, sustainability issues, and management systems.

This NOI is issued so that interested parties are aware of EERE’s intention to issue a FOA in the near term. All of the information contained in this NOI is subject to change. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein, or DOE may not issue a FOA at all.

Please access the complete Notice of Intent under the "Documents" heading below.

NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE. Please do not submit questions or respond to this NOI. 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 March 2016.

The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE Exchange website. A User Guide for the EERE Exchange can be found on the EERE website http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchangeExchange/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system.

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), on behalf of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) initially titled “Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT).”  NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE.  The AFFECT FOA will provide direct funding to U.S. Federal agencies for the development of capital projects and other initiatives to increase the energy efficiency and renewable energy investments at agency facilities.

It is anticipated that the FOA will include the following two (2) topic areas:

Topic Area 1: Combined Heat and Power (CHP); and

Topic Area 2: Renewable Energy, including solar, wind, biomass, landfill gas, ocean, geothermal, waste to energy, and new hydroelectric energy technologies.

The purpose of this Notice is to encourage prospective applicants to begin formulating ideas, gathering data, and developing partnerships in anticipation of the issuance of the FOA. Prior to FOA issuance, FEMP is making technical assistance available upon request to Federal agencies to identify and analyze CHP or renewable energy opportunities and technologies.  FEMP technical assistance related to the objectives of the AFFECT FOA will only be available to Federal agencies up until the release of the FOA, which is tentatively scheduled for release in the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2014.

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

The Department of Energy (DOE) seeks feedback from public and private sector stakeholders regarding the state of technology development and commercial readiness of emerging Waste-to-Energy (WTE) technologies. Information is also sought in identifying what barriers to commercialization remain and the appropriate role for DOE with regard to additional investment in research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D) to promote broad adoption and commercial replication.

Questions regarding the content of this RFI should be submitted to: WasteToEnergy@go.doe.gov. Responses to questions will be posted on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage.

All responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word or PDF format as an attachment in an email sent to: WasteToEnergy@go.doe.gov by 8:00 PM EDT on July 15, 2013.  Emails should have the subject line “Waste-to-Energy RFI Response”.

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

Buildings consume over 40% of the total energy consumption in the U.S. A significant portion of the energy consumed in buildings is wasted because of the lack of building controls or the inability to use existing Building Automation Systems (BAS) properly. Over 90% of the buildings in the U.S. are either small-sized (<5,000 square feet, or sf) or medium-sized (between 5,000 sf and 50,000 sf); these buildings typically do not use BAS to monitor and control their building systems from a central location. This FOA seeks to develop a “turn key” BAS solution using Open-Source software and architecture specifically tailored to small and medium buildings to advance opportunities for energy efficiency in this sector.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office seeks to enable the use of combined heat and power (CHP), including waste heat to power and district energy with CHP, as solutions to the energy issues facing our nation.  On August 30, 2012, President Barack Obama signed the Executive Order, “Accelerating Industrial Energy Efficiency,” promoting American manufacturing by helping to facilitate energy efficiency at industrial facilities. This Executive Order establishes a national goal of deploying 40 gigawatts of new, cost effective CHP in the United States by the end of 2020.  The objective of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to seek applications to establish regional Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnerships (CHP TAPs) which will be a critical component of the Presidential initiative.  These CHP TAPs will provide the essential support to continue to develop the market for CHP – this includes education and outreach and technical assistance to a variety of stakeholders including end-users (commercial, industrial, institutional and more), state decision makers, electric and gas utilities, trade associations and non-profit organizations. This assistance will include evaluating the economic, energy, reliability and environmental value of proposed systems. The CHP TAPs will represent multi-state regions that will be CHP experts who provide fact-based, un-biased information on CHP, including technologies, project development, project financing, local electric and natural gas utilities interfaces, and related state best practice policies. They will be vendor, fuel, and technology neutral. 

Note: Applicants are requested to submit a Letter of Intent by 03/08/2013. The Letter of Intent should be sent by E-mail to CHPTAP@go.doe.gov.  

 Amendment 2 issued 07/10/13

 Amendment 1 issued 07/02/13

 FOA document includes all Amendments. See document for details.

FOA Description: 

 The goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to establish a Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute (Institute) to support U.S. prosperity and security; and that will contribute to the creation of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).  The primary goals of the Institute are to revitalize American manufacturing and  support domestic manufacturing competitiveness by driving innovation, and developing and accelerating adoption of next generation manufacturing technologies that will increase energy productivity, improve product quality, reduce cost, waste or pollution leading to increased domestic production capacity, jobs for American workers and regional economic development.  The Institute established through this FOA will focus on wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors for power electronic devices 

Funding from this FOA (including required cost share) is not permitted for construction of new buildings or for major renovation of existing buildings.  Allowable costs include those necessary to house the Institute (including a possible lease for the first five years of the project), to make minor renovations as needed, and to purchase research equipment and instrumentation.

The intent of this FOA is to identify, evaluate, and select innovative pilot- or demonstration-scale integrated biorefineries that can produce hydrocarbon fuels that meet military specifications for JP-5 (jet fuel primarily for the Navy), JP-8 (jet fuel primarily for the Air Force), or F-76 (diesel).  Integrated biorefineries proposed for this funding opportunity may employ various combinations of feedstocks and conversion technologies to produce a variety of products, but the primary focus must be on producing biofuels.  Novel and highly innovative technologies are strongly encouraged.  Topic Area 1 requests applicants to design, construct and/or operate an integrated pilot- or demonstration-scale integrated biorefinery in order to validate the proposed technology using an acceptable lignocellulosic or waste-based feedstock, to produce an acceptable biofuel.  Processes are also eligible under this topic that can utilize advanced technology approaches for the efficient conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) (rather than direct conversion of lignocellulosic biomass) directly to liquid transportation fuels.  Topic Area 2 requests applicants to design, construct and/or operate an integrated pilot- or demonstration-scale integrated biorefinery in order to validate the proposed technology using an acceptable algal type feedstock, to produce an acceptable biofuel.