Question 1:
The Wounded Warrior Family Foundation (WWFF) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is offering a grant opportunity to the DOE that is an all green 3 ethanol/electricity refineries project in Brazil. Please help with the proper placement of this application in the DOE schedules for future grants. Since the DOE current policy is to support the purchase of oil from Brazil; it would seem appropriate and compatible to support the production and distribution of ethanol and electricity in Brazil which will affect tens of millions of people both there and in the USA. It is possible that EE0000686 is not the proper venue to submit this application. Please advise as to the correct and open forum for this concept. Attached is a five page summary and financial requirements. 1/3rd of the total equity/grant required will be matched by 2/3rds in Brazil/bank/consortium financing. Therefore; only one third in equity is requested in either grant or investment form or a combination of both. Thanks for your help and possible interest.
Answer 1:
All interested Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by the due date stated in the FOA if they wish to submit an application. The LOI must be submitted in response to THIS FOA in EERE Exchange (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/). More detailed instructions for submitting the LOI are stated in the FOA.
Question 8:
This is a question regarding bio-oil stabilization and commoditization grant. I am currently working on a project involving a novel method of producing oil from cellulosic sources, but the oil is going to be triacylglyceride. I was wondering why there is a requirement to work with a petroleum refinery, and if having access to multiple biodiesel refineries can count for that requirement.
Answer 8:
As stated in the FOA:
Applicants must propose an algae or thermochemical liquefaction conversion pathway for producing a bio-oil feedstock that can be utilized at one or more insertion points within a petroleum refinery, such as in the hydrotreaters, reformers, fluid catalytic crackers, cokers, isomerization units, or hydrocrackers. There may be other insertion points that are unique to the targeted petroleum refinery and this should be addressed in the application.
The bio-oil feedstock produced must be utilized within a petroleum refinery and leverage its existing capital for further processing to final fuels (such as renewable: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel) that will contribute to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Renewable Fuels Standard volumetric goals for advanced biofuels.
Also note that projects proposing gasification or biodiesel (FAME) conversion technologies are not considered responsive to this FOA and will be excluded from further consideration.
Question 19:
FOA states "(3) If the Applicant’s financial assistance application is chosen for award and the award is in excess of $1,000,000, the applicant will, by the end of the fiscal year, upgrade the efficiency of their facilities by replacing any lighting that does not meet or exceed the energy efficiency standard for incandescent light bulbs set forth in Section 325 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295)." Is this still applicable and if so will this cost be considered part of the project costs?
Answer 19:
Section 316 of Division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 applies to all DOE grants awarded after the enactment of this Act that are in excess of $1,000,000. It does not apply to any other form of financial assistance. Calculation of grant award amounts shall include the Federal share and recipient cost share. Recipients shall certify that any incandescent light bulbs that do not meet or exceed the energy efficiency standards set forth in or pursuant to Section 325 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295) used in the facility(ies) where a majority of the work under the grant will be performed will be upgraded to meet or exceed the standard for lamps established in or pursuant to that section by the end of the Federal Government’s fiscal year.
Costs directly associated with complying with this requirement may be considered allowable and allocable in accordance with the applicable cost principles as set forth in 10 CFR 600. Costs associated with complying with this requirement may also be included in the calculation of recipient cost share. Applicants should identify the facility (the rooms or areas where a majority of the proposed project work will occur) and, identify and justify the costs associated with upgrading the light bulbs to meet or exceed the energy efficiency standard for incandescent light bulbs set forth in or pursuant to section 325 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295) prior to the end of the Federal fiscal year.
Question 25:
Our proposal concept comprises direct thermochemical liquefaction-based conversion of “algal biomass” (total harvested algae material including all solids and any and all contained oil [some macro-algae contain essentially no oil]) to a petroleum refinery input. The algae would be harvested from ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers in which they represent a major contaminant problem. Would such a proposal be considered responsive to this FOA?
Answer 25:
As stated in the FOA: ““Algal Biomass” means biomass from cyanobacteria, microalgae, and macroalgae. Algal biomass from heterotrophic algae must be grown using a high-impact biomass-derived feedstock to qualify.” Also note that while aquatic plants may be lignocellulosic feedstocks, they may not be high-impact biomass-derived feedstocks as defined in the FOA.
Applicants may choose to use algae in the two different ways that would be responsive to this FOA.
1) "This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is intended for research and development (R&D)...that will accelerate the development of thermochemical liquefaction technologies to produce a bio-oil feedstock from biomass considered to be a high-impact feedstock or from algal biomass...The bio-oil feedstock produced must be utilized within a petroleum refinery and leverage its existing capital for further processing to final fuels (such as renewable: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel) that will contribute to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Renewable Fuels Standard volumetric goals for advanced biofuels."
And
2) "Projects may also propose technologies utilizing oils extracted from algae that could be accepted into a petroleum refinery for further processing to the final products...Heterotrophic algae will be considered only if grown using a high-impact cellulosic biomass-derived feedstock so that the final fuel will be an advanced biofuel. Tasks related to the development of algal strains, cultivation, growing, and harvesting are specifically excluded from this FOA and applications proposing such efforts will be deemed non-responsive and excluded from further consideration."
Therefore, to be responsive to the FOA, your feedstock must meet the definition of algal biomass or high impact feedstock.