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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to exploration@ee.doe.gov. "]
[2,"All questions pertaining to EERE Exchange should be emailed to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FOA name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange within this spreadsheet."]
[4,"DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted in this spreadsheet. "]
[5,"All questions should be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. Questions submitted after this date will not be answered."]
[6,"Questions are assigned a number in accordance with when they are reviewed by DOE.  "]
[7,"Questions are assigned a topic area by DOE when reviewed."]
[]
["TIPS"]
[1,"Applicants may sort questions and answers in the question tabs of this spreadhseet by selecting the drop-down box arrow on the column headers and selecting any of the listed attributes."]
[2,"Applicants may search for questions and/or keywords by holding CTRL+F on the keyboard and typing in a phrase or keyword."]

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["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA0002219 -  FY 2020 Geothermal Technologies Office Hydrothermal and Low Temperature Multi-Topic FOA"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2020-02-04","Technical Topics","Does “hidden geothermal systems” mean that there is no surface expression of an active hydrothermal system at depth (e.g., does the presence of a hot spring disqualify a proposed project area)?","A hidden system does usually imply no surface expression, but the presence of a hot spring will not disqualify a whole study area.  "]
[{"$f":"A4+1","v":2},"2020-02-04","Application Content/Format","I understand there is a limit on the number of full proposals that can be submitted by one entity to a topic area. Is there a limit on the number of Letters of Intent that can be submitted by one entity? Or can an entity submit numerous Letters of Intent to either topic area, and later on down-select to just one full proposal for each topic area? ","There is no limit on the number of Letter of Intent an entity may submit. However, an entity may only submit one Full Application for each topic area of this FOA as stated in the FOA on page 21, section F. Limitation on Number of Full Applications Eligible for Review.  "]
[{"$f":"A5+1","v":3},"2020-02-04","Application Content/Format","Estimated Funding for Topic Area 1 - Hidden Geothermal Systems in the Basin and Range states: \"EERE may issue one award in this topic area for up to $10 million\"  (Page 12 of FOA). Does this mean that ONLY ONE award will be issued, or may more than one award be issued? \n","EERE anticipates making approximately 2-7 awards under this FOA. EERE may issue one, multiple, or no awards. Individual awards may vary between $500,000 and $10 million. Under Topic Area 1, up to one award for $10 million may be issued, meaning that only one or possibly no awards will be issued under Topic Area 1 of the FOA.  "]
[4,"2020-02-06","Cost Sharing","Is the value of data qualify as cost share?","As stated in the FOA on page 17, Section B. Cost Sharing, Subsection III. Cost Share Types and Allowability: \n\n“In-kind contributions are those where a value of the contribution can be readily determined, verified and justified but where no actual cash is transacted in securing the good or service comprising the contribution. Allowable in-kind contributions include, but are not limited to: the donation of volunteer time or the donation of space or use of equipment.”\n\nThe value of data as cost share cannot be readily determined, verified, or justified.  Therefore data as cost share is not allowable. "]
[5,"2020-02-06","Cost Sharing","Does the “non-profit” cost share exception apply to FFRDC national labs that wish to prime?","Yes. The non-profit cost share exception applies to FFRDCs who are the prime applicant."]
[6,"2020-02-07","Technical Topics","Does reservoir thermal energy storage need to be included for DDU proposals, or DDU stand alone proposals are also accepted?","As DDU is also a form of bi-directional energy storage, DDU proposals are accepted without the need to include RTES."]
[7,"2020-02-07","Cost Sharing","Does exploration well and field testing fall under R&D or demonstration for cost share?","Please refer to the table included in Topic 1 for the cost share required for different stages of drilling. Exploration drilling includes all wells of types 1, 2, or 3 shown in Table 1 on Page 7 of the FOA and is considered to be an R&D activity for purposes of calculating the required minimum cost share, which is 20% for R&D activities. Test drilling includes all wells of Type 4 shown in Table 1 on Page 7 of the FOA and is typically considered to be demonstration-scale. The applicant shall determine which type(s) of drilling are required and include their rationale in the application. "]
[8,"2020-02-07","Cost Sharing","If an FFRDC is the prime, is 20% cost-share required (see Section III B)?  \n\nFor research and development activities, the cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs, except for cases where the prime recipient is an institution of higher education or nonprofit institution (as defined in section 4 of the Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703)), in which case the cost share requirement is reduced to 0%. \n","See the response to Question 5."]
[9,"2020-02-08","Cost Sharing","Within Topic Area 2, if a well is proposed to meet the objectives of Well Types 1-4 (table 1), is within typical measured depth range of Well Types 2-5, and final hole size is that of Well Type 5, will the well be automatically labeled a demonstration project?","Per section I.B.i on page 6 of the FOA, the applicant shall determine which type(s) of drilling are required to validate the selected exploration methodologies and include their rationale in the application. Per section III.B.  on page 16 of the FOA, “The parameters listed in Table 1 are general guidelines, but the final determination on whether specific activities constitute R&D or demonstration will be made by DOE after reviewing detailed well plans.”"]
[10,"2020-02-08","Cost Sharing","If a well is determined to be a demonstration well is the entire proposal budget assessed at 50% cost-share or only the part of the budget explicitly associated the well drilling and completion.  Would 50% cost-share be assessed on any other well related costs e.g. acquisition and analyses of subsurface fluid and rock samples, in situ measurements of temperature, pressure, chemistry and geology, and flow tests? ","Per section III.B. on page 16 of the FOA, “The parameters listed in Table 1 are general guidelines, but the final determination on whether specific activities constitute R&D or demonstration will be made by DOE after reviewing detailed well plans.”"]
[11,"2020-02-10","Application Content/Format","I see that an institution may only submit one full application per topic area for this opportunity, but I am less certain whether there is a similar restriction on the letter of intent.  Can you let me know if it is okay if multiple PIs from my institution submit letters of intent, but then we only allow a single full application to go forward?","See the response to Question 2."]
[12,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","Can the energy storage system use indirect energy storage?","As stated in the Topic Area 2 Research Objective on page 9 of the FOA: \"Research Objective: GTO seeks to move RTES, DDU, and other geothermal direct use and energy storage technologies forward from feasibility studies to the systems engineering phase, and to enable new, more resilient energy services that not only provide an alternative to grid-dependent heating and cooling but that also add resilience to the larger energy system in which they operate.\""]
[13,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","Can systems using conventional geothermal heat pump ground loops qualify?","While the use of geothermal heat pump ground loops is allowed, the degree of technical merit and innovation employed is given a 50% weight, thereby discouraging the design and testing of conventional / commercial systems currently in use in the U.S.  Thus, advanced energy storage systems engineering and testing may include the deliberate design and optimization of system components (such as heat pumps and storage vessels); if combined with increased overall system efficiencies such as incorporating a large variety of supply and demand profiles in the engineering design."]
[14,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","The FOA on page 9 (pdf page 14) states that a specific objective is flow/injection testing.  The next page and a half illustrate examples of this.  This seems to imply that borehole energy storage systems that avoid all groundwater direct flow do not qualify.  Is this correct?","As stated on page 10 of the FOA, multiple development pathways exist that can meet the objectives. Clarifications to Page 9 are provided as follows: While the overall system engineering and design is required, testing and field validation is only needed for the subsurface components and well deliverability. Where applicable, selected team(s) will be able to conduct resource characterization (e.g., demonstration of resource temperature, pressure, size as sustained MWth potential, permeability and flow rates, chemistry and scaling potential, and reservoir volume), and drill exploration and test wells similar to those outlined under Topic Area 1 (See Topic 1, Table 1. Well Types) where flow and/or injection testing (see Topic 1, Table 1, Well Type 4) may be necessary to validate the design concept for production and/or storage of thermal energy."]
[15,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","Is any depth of subsurface energy storage eligible, if not, how deep is “deep direct use”?","A specific depth is not mandated. "]
[16,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","Can the word “deep” in the FOA be ignored, so long as the proposal contains subsurface energy storage?","A specific depth is not mandated. "]
[17,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","Are geothermal heat pump systems eligible if they do not make use of deep geothermal energy but meet other criteria?","Awardees under Topic area 2 will engineer, design, and test a geothermal direct use system that supports energy system resilience such as: reservoir thermal energy storage (RTES), deep direct-use (DDU), underground thermal energy storage (UTES), borehole thermal energy storage, or other form of bidirectional energy storage. The system shall be designed for heating and/or cooling of large-scale district facilities such as university campuses, industrial parks, or military installations.  While the use of geothermal heat pump ground loops is allowed, the degree of technical merit and innovation employed is given a 50% weight, thereby discouraging the design and testing of conventional / commercial systems currently in use in the U.S.  Thus, advanced energy storage systems engineering and testing may include the deliberate design and optimization of system components (such as heat pumps and storage vessels); if combined with increased overall system efficiencies such as incorporating a large variety of supply and demand profiles in the engineering design."]
[18,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","How will the full participation of an industry team targeting commercialization provide a quantitative evaluation benefit over a primarily research-oriented team (e.g. DOE labs and/or universities)?","Criterion 1 includes the impact of technology advancement including (for Topic Area 2) the degree to which the proposed project addresses end-use thermal energy consumption for the proposed site. Criterion 2 includes the impact of market transformation. Criterion 3 includes the impact of the team and resources and the degree to which the team demonstrates the ability to facilitate and expedite further development and commercial deployment of the proposed technologies. "]
[19,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","Is the emphasis of the evaluation criteria proposals that focus commercialization demonstration projects, or advancing the technical readiness level through further R&D?","The focus in on the engineering design and testing of a specific advanced energy storage technology. For Topic Area 2, a general regional or national application is not required, the market transformation criteria encourages identification of target market, competitors, and distribution channels for proposed technology along with known or perceived barriers to market penetration, including mitigation plan.  "]
[20,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","The evaluation criteria states that Criterion 2 is 30% of the evaluation criteria, and that market transformation is one of 4 topics.  Using equal weighting, the Market Innovation component would only be 7.5%.  This would seem to imply that a project that was primarily focused on an demonstration of a commercialization approach would not fare well in the evaluation compared to a project that is focused on innovation over commercialization.  Similarly, in Criterion 1, the Topic 2 impact is defined as being at the site only, and not a larger regional or national application.  Can you comment more?","The focus in on the engineering design and testing of a specific advanced energy storage technology. For Topic Area 2, a general regional or national application is not required, the market transformation criteria encourages identification of target market, competitors, and distribution channels for proposed technology along with known or perceived barriers to market penetration, including mitigation plan.  "]
[21,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","Does a system that displaces natural gas heating with stored or geothermal energy heating qualify as having a positive electrical grid impact if it DOES incorporate cooling in the system also?  Or if it does NOT incorporate building cooling?","Yes, both geothermal heating and cooling may have positive impacts to the electric grid especially where geothermal advanced energy storage systems provide a primary or back-up source of energy that is also resistant to natural disasters. "]
[22,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","The word “borehole” is used exactly once in the FOA on page 9 (pdf page 14).  The paragraph is describing that “borehole thermal energy storage” systems qualify.  Please confirm that a system comprised entirely of boreholes (i.e. no fluid communication between the drilled hole and the subsurface) qualifies under this FOA.","Awardees under Topic area 2 will engineer, design, and test a geothermal direct use system that supports energy system resilience such as: reservoir thermal energy storage (RTES), deep direct-use (DDU), underground thermal energy storage (UTES), borehole thermal energy storage, or other form of bidirectional energy storage. The system shall be designed for heating and/or cooling of large-scale district facilities such as university campuses, industrial parks, or military installations.     While the use of geothermal heat pump ground loops is allowed, the degree of technical merit and innovation employed is given a 50% weight, thereby discouraging the design and testing of conventional / commercial systems currently in use in the U.S.  Thus, advanced energy storage systems engineering and testing may include the deliberate design and optimization of system components (such as heat pumps and storage vessels); if combined with increased overall system efficiencies such as incorporating a large variety of supply and demand profiles in the engineering design."]
[23,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics"," The FOA on page 9 (pdf page 14) requires wells to be similar to the Topic 1 Table 1 Well Types on page 7 (pdf page 12).  A borehole, such as those used for geothermal heat pumps is not listed in Table 1.  Does this mean that geothermal heat pump boreholes do not qualify?","Awardees under Topic area 2 will engineer, design, and test a geothermal direct use system that supports energy system resilience such as: reservoir thermal energy storage (RTES), deep direct-use (DDU), underground thermal energy storage (UTES), borehole thermal energy storage, or other form of bidirectional energy storage. The system shall be designed for heating and/or cooling of large-scale district facilities such as university campuses, industrial parks, or military installations.    While the use of geothermal heat pump ground loops is allowed, the degree of technical merit and innovation employed is given a 50% weight, thereby discouraging the design and testing of conventional / commercial systems currently in use in the U.S.  Thus, advanced energy storage systems engineering and testing may include the deliberate design and optimization of system components (such as heat pumps and storage vessels); if combined with increased overall system efficiencies such as incorporating a large variety of supply and demand profiles in the engineering design."]
[24,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","On page 12 of the FOA (pdf page 17) is the authorizing statute.  Can this statute be interpreted to also apply to geothermal heat pumps in general?  Would geothermal heat pumps qualify if the project demonstrates a reduction in the cost of the boreholes required for a given deployment?  If the project demonstrates an increased understanding of reservoir management?","Yes"]
[25,"2020-02-10","Cost Sharing","Do local governments qualify for the 0% cost share for R&D activities?","Local governments are not eligible for the 0% cost share. The pilot program only applies to non-profits and universities."]
[26,"2020-02-10","Technical Topics","Is solar thermal hybridization acceptable in the Topic 2 when using reservoir TES? ","While solar thermal is not specifically excluded as a hybrid application with Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage (RTES), the engineering and testing of advanced energy storage systems using geothermal direct use applications is one of the purposes of this FOA. The concept for RTES, Deep Direct-Use and other geothermal dominated advanced energy storage systems is to engineer large-scale, multi-application geothermal direct-use projects that can replace or be installed in lieu of conventional district heating and cooling systems; along with other cascading thermal applications such as water heating, ice making, laundry drying, pool and sauna heating, etc. If the geothermal resource temperature is sufficiently high, the system could also be a combined heat and power (CHP) application, with the fluid generating electrical power prior to the RTES, DDU or other advanced energy storage application."]
[27,"2020-02-12","Technical Topics","We have already started a Play Fairway Analysis to screen geothermal potentials in three Southern States: Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. I was wondering if it would be responsive to this FOA if we submit our application for an area within these States? ","For Topic 1, these states are not eligible because they are not within the Basin and Range province.  For topic 2, these study areas are eligible."]
[28,"2020-02-18","Technical Topics","Regarding Topic 1 - Hidden geothermal systems in the basin and range\n\nThe FOA prescribes that drilling activities are to be categorized as one of the five well types listed in Table 1. For TG wells, the diameter is defined as 3-6\" as the final hole size. Would hole sizes smaller than 3\", but with depth limited to less than 457 m as prescribed be considered as eligible?\n","See answer to question 7. "]
[29,"2020-02-19","Eligibility","I am hoping to obtain clarification regarding eligibility of team members. Is it required for all team members to either be a U.S. citizen and/or lawful permanent resident or JUST the prime recipient? Is it assumed the prime recipient= Contact PI? \n\nPer the FOA:  \nIndividuals \nU.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are eligible to apply for funding as a prime recipient or subrecipient.","If an individual applies as the prime recipient or subrecipient, the individual must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident."]
[30,"2020-02-20","Application Content/Format","Under Topic 2,  are there any guidelines regarding the ratio of our budget request to the size of an organization's budget?","The budget request to DOE must be commensurate with the proposed scope of work. Please see section II.A.i. of the FOA for estimated funding information for Topic Area 2. Minimum cost share requirements are determined by statute, and are described in section III.B of the FOA.  "]
[31,"2020-02-25","Application Content/Format","Is there a way to send letters of support along with the letter of intent? I'm not seeing a way on the form to attach these documents.","Letters of support are not required for the Letter of Intent.  Letters of support can be submitted with the full application package."]
[32,"2020-02-20","Technical Topics","Under Topic 2, is a Deep Direct Use (DDU) project required to have a bi-directional energy storage component or can it be a conventional deep direct use project","Geothermal technologies, such as direct use, are a form of thermal storage that can absorb, store and discharge energy and as a result can support grid flexibility by providing an alternative source of energy directly to buildings. In that sense, both Deep Direct-Use and conventional direct use provide bi-directional energy storage. "]
[33,"2020-02-27","Cost Sharing","Topic 1; The FOA says no cost share is required for Outreach activities.  Please define Outreach activities.  What is the allowed funding level of Outreach relative to R&D activities?","The description for Topic 1 does not include outreach activities which is defined as providing services, education and information to the public or groups that may not otherwise have access."]
[34,"2020-02-27","Application Content/Format","The FOA states that letter of intent abstract should not exceed 200 words. On the EERE site, the abstract box will accept up to 4000 characters. Although ‘less is more’, what is the true limit for compliance?","As stated on page 24 of the FOA, “Abstract – The abstract provided should be not more than 200 words in length, and should provide a truncated explanation of the proposed project.” "]
[35,"2020-02-27","Technical Topics","Regarding well type 3 in Table 1, does final well size refer to bit diameter of the lower section, or can it instead refer to ID of the lower casing?","Final hole size refers to uncased diameter, however, the parameters listed in Table 1 are only typical values and GTO will not assign a well type based on dimensions alone.  The purpose of the well as stated by the applicant, the type of permit that is applied for, and the data that’s to be collected post-drilling may be more indicative of well type than final hole size."]
[36,"2020-02-28","Eligibility","In the following statement of the FOA, does the entity mean an organization or a PI in an organization.         F. Limitation on Number of Full Applications Eligible for Review. An entity may only submit one Full Application for each topic area of this FOA.","An entity refers to an organization."]
[37,"2020-02-28","Due Dates","Can you please confirm the Submission Deadline for the Letter of Intent (LOI) of March 2, 2020 5pm ET?","The submission deadline for Letters of Intent (LOI) is March 2, 2020 5p ET."]
[38,"2020-03-02","Cost Sharing","Regarding cost share, if a proposal consists of both a ResearchPhase and an In-Situ Proof of Concept System Evaluation Phase (see TRL 3 Appendix F), and is led by a non-profit (university) entity, would cost share be applied uniformly as a Research Project (per Section B page 16?)","See answer to question 10."]
[39,"2020-03-02","Eligibility","I am trying to read through the funding announcements and I am having a hard time finding out if they will pay for XXXXX Counties need which is help drilling our geothermal well and assistance in adding a geothermal heating/cooling system for our courthouse.","Please see section I.B for Topic Areas starting on page 4 of the FOA. As stated on page 14, Section III.A.ii, \"State, local, and tribal government entities are eligible to apply for funding as a prime recipient or subrecipient.\""]
[40,"2020-03-04","Data Management","Topic Area 1 : the FOA mentions that two templates for a Data Management Plan (DMP) are included in the FOA, however, I don’t see any template attachments. I do see that there are two options for a DMP, which are discussed briefly. Are there any preferred template documents available for download?","An attachment is not available for download. Applicants should select one of the 2 options or submit a DMP as described on pages 34-35, section IV.C.xvi of the FOA."]
[41,"2020-03-04","Application Content/Format","Topic Area 1: Are templates available for an Open Software Distribution Plan?","See appendix D for information on preparing an open source software distribution plan.  A specific template is not provided."]
[42,"2020-03-05","Cost Sharing","Q&A (#5) clarifying that FFRDCs qualify for a 0% cost share if they are the prime recipient of the project. I understand this to mean that a project led by an FFRDC does *not* need to have cost share. Please confirm that this is also true for projects that will include demonstration, where the FOA requires 50% cost share. ","Per section III.B of the FOA, for research and development activities, the cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs, except for cases where the prime recipient is an institution of higher education or nonprofit institution (as defined in section 4 of the Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703)), in which case the cost share requirement is reduced to 0%. Q&A #5 clarifies that FFRDCs also qualify for 0% cost share if they are the prime recipient on research and development projects and activities.  For demonstration and commercial application activities, the cost share must be at least 50% of the total allowable costs regardless of entity type. FFRDCs may contribute cost share only if the contributions are paid directly from the contractor’s Management Fee or another non-federal source."]
[43,"2020-03-06","Application Content/Format","Can additional participants/partners be added to the project team who were not listed in the original LOI?","Yes"]
[44,"2020-03-06","Cost Sharing"," If the prime award recipient is an institution of higher education or a non-profit  (thus not subject to cost-share), are project team members (sub-awardees) who are not educational or non-profit organizations required to provide cost-share?","Correct. If the prime recipient’s (higher education or non-profit) cost share is 0%, then sub-awardees who are not educational or non-profit organizations are not required to provide cost share."]
[45,"2020-03-09","Cost Sharing","Page 16 of the FOA indicates that if the prime recipient is an institution of higher education, the cost share is reduced to zero. Is this correct for both topics or limited to only Topic 2? Is cost share for demonstration projects still zero for academic institution or not?","The cost share requirement is reduced to 0% for institutions of higher education or nonprofit institution for both topic areas, but only for research and development activities.  For demonstration and commercial application activities, the cost share must be at least 50% of the total allowable costs for both topic areas for all entity types."]
[46,"2020-03-09","Cost Sharing","Page 9 of FOA states \"Awardees under this topic area will engineer, design, and test a geothermal direct use system that supports energy system resilience” and the bottom of same page it states “While the overall system engineering and design is required, testing and field validation is only needed for the subsurface components and well deliverability.\" Are testing and validation considered to be research and development activities or demonstration and commercial application activities from DOE's perspective? When submitting a letter of intent, is the minimum 20% cost share required?","Testing and validation may be classified as R&D, depending on the specifics and purpose of the activities as presented by the applicant. Per section III.B. on page 16 of the FOA, “The parameters listed in Table 1 are general guidelines, but the final determination on whether specific activities constitute R&D or demonstration will be made by DOE after reviewing detailed well plans.” The minimum cost sharing requirement is dependent upon entity type and activity."]
[47,"2020-03-09","Cost Sharing","If institution already has access to well owned by an entity, can this be used as cost share of the project?  ","No, access to a well owned by an entity cannot be used as cost share.  Please refer to Appendix A of the FOA starting on page 65 for what qualifies for cost sharing. "]
[48,"2020-03-19","Technical Topics","The FOA states on page 6 that \"Drilling is expected in both the exploration and test phases of the project\" and that \"Test drilling includes all wells of Type 4 and is typically considered to be demonstration-scale\". It is also stated on page 16 that - \"The parameters listed in Table 1 are general guidelines, but the final determination on whether specific activities constitute R&D or demonstration will be made by DOE after reviewing detailed well plans.\". Slim well drilling to prove the reservoir is a commonly used industry practice. Therefore, would applications that undertook Type 3 drilling (slim well) with the intention of drilling into the reservoir and performing a long-term flow test to prove the resource for the 'test drilling' phase be considered? If the intent was only to test the resource and not to use the well for commercial purposes (i.e. as a production or injection well), would this classify as R&D in terms of cost-share (i.e. 20% cost-share rather than 50% cost-share for development activities)? ","Yes, drilling and flow testing of a slim hole can be categorized as an exploration activity and treated as R&D for purposes of calculating cost share.  To clarify the last bullet on page 6 of the FOA, “test drilling” refers to the phase of project development and not necessarily to all flow testing.  See Fig 1 in the FOA."]
[49,"2020-03-19","Due Dates","Will the full application deadline be extended due to the pandemic?","At EERE, we understand that due to the coronavirus outbreak, many of us have had to make adjustments to our business operations and practices in order to safeguard the health and safety of our communities. Due to the extraordinary circumstances in which we now find ourselves, EERE is issuing an extension of 26 calendar days to respond to this FOA. The Full Application due date for this FOA is now May 4, 2020 5:00pm ET.\n\nThank you, applicants, for your continued efforts during this uncertain time. \n\nWe hope that you and your loved ones are well and we look forward to hearing from you.\n"]
[50,"2020-03-23","Labs/FFRDCs"," In the grant application instructions, the applicant is instructed to include the costs for any federally funded research laboratory in the \"Federal Cost\" category of the project budget?  What responsibilities, e.g. cash disbursement, cost accounting, auditing, etc., does the applicant have for the costs incurred by these laboratories in the implementation of the project?","Costs for federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) must be included in the “Federal Cost” category of the project budget. As stated in section III.E of the FOA, DOE will fund FFRDCs under their Management and Operating (M&O) contracts. Therefore, the applicant/prime recipient does not have cash disbursement, auditing responsibilities, etc. for costs for FFRDCs. However, please note per section III.B.vi of the FOA, “As FFRDC funding will be provided directly to the FFRDC(s) by DOE, prime recipients will be required to provide project cost share at a percentage commensurate with the FFRDC costs, on a budget period basis, resulting in a higher interim invoicing cost share ratio than the total award ratio.”"]
[51,"2020-03-23","Cost Sharing","As the principal applicant does not have a federally approved indirect cost rate plan or rate. As a result, it plans to use the 10% de minimis rate. Are subrecipients and subcontractors expected to accept and use this rate for indirect costs related to this project?","No, if a Subrecipient or Subcontractor has a federally approved rate agreement, they should use it.  Per 2 CFR 200.331(a)(4), all pass-through entities must ensure that all subawards include, “An approved federally recognized indirect cost rate negotiated between the subrecipient and the Federal Government or, if no such rate exists, either a rate negotiated between the pass-through entity and the subrecipient (in compliance with this part), or a de minimis indirect cost rate as defined in §200.414 Indirect (F&A) costs, paragraph (f).”"]
[52,"2020-03-23","Cost Sharing"," What level of detail is required in the application budget for aspects of the project that are funded outside the grant agreement but which are a major part of the demonstration project?","The application budget should include details as required in the Budget Justification Workbook. The application budget should include the federal and cost share information for the project. Aspects of the project that are funded outside the grant agreement should not be included in the application budget."]
[53,"2020-03-20","Application Content/Format"," It seems that the SF-LLL form is perhaps not right for us, but as a Federal agency, we have strict prohibitions against lobbying anyway, so the spirit of the form is met.  I would propose that we should be exempt from submitting these forms.  Is that okay?","Per section IV.C. xiii. of the FOA, all prime recipients and subrecipients are required to complete and submit SF-LLL form. If the form is not applicable, write N/A on the form."]
[54,"2020-03-30","Application Content/Format","Is it possible to change the proposal PI/lead institution that was named in the LOI for the full proposal?  The project is the same with the same group of participants but the lead institution would be different.","Yes"]
[55,"2020-03-30","Cost Sharing","If the lead institution is a company but the drilling subcontract is run via an FFRDC that is participating as a subcontractor for the proposal, would the drilling costs for R&D wells no longer be subject to cost share?","Per section III.B of the FOA, “For research and development activities, the cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs, except for cases where the prime recipient is an institution of higher education or nonprofit institution (as defined in section 4 of the Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703)), in which case the cost share requirement is reduced to 0%.” If the prime recipient is not an institution of higher education, non-profit or FFRDC, the cost share requirement is 20% for research and development activities for the project. For demonstration and commercial application activities, the cost share must be at least 50% of the total allowable costs for all entity types."]
[56,"2020-04-03","Application Content/Format","We would like to make changes for a better full proposal as follows, from LOI:  a.) Can the leading organization change to a small business for the cost sharing and technology demonstration? b.) Can we add two companies for the specific tasks? c.) Can we change the proportion of the funds ?","Yes"]
[57,"2020-04-06","Due Dates","My company, along with a partner, are looking into the DE-FOA-0002219 grant and would very much like to apply. Unfortunately, we found out about the DOE grant after the deadline for the letter of intent was passed. Are we still able to make a submission for the May 4th deadline? ","As stated on page 19 of the FOA, Part III.C. Compliance Criteria, ii., “Full Applications: Full applications are deemed compliant if:  The applicant submitted a Letter of Intent to Apply by the required deadline.” If you have missed the deadline and did not submit a Letter of Intent, you are not eligible to submit a full application.  "]
[58,"2020-04-08","Application Content/Format","If we are planning a 5 year work program in our proposal, should we have 1 budget period, or several? If several, how many (given that two versions of the EERE budget spreadsheet are provided with 3 or 5 budget periods). Also, if we have multiple budget periods, should the Go/No-Go decision points be tied to these?","Projects must take a phased approach. The overall work scope must be divided into budget periods with a Go/no-go decision point occurring at the end of each budget period, which are approximately 12-18 months long. The number of budget periods and Go/no-go decision points should be tied to appropriate points in the Workplan. A “Go” decision (sent from the DOE Contracting Officer) will authorize the start of a new budget period.  Please note that a Go/No-go process may take XX weeks, beginning with submission of a continuation report to GTO and ending with an authorization to proceed.  Also note that budget periods do not all have to be uniform in length."]
[59,"2020-04-07","Eligibility","Can a small business be the leading organization?","Yes.  Please review Section III.A of the FOA on eligibility requirements starting on page 14."]
[60,"2020-04-08","Application Content/Format","Our team submitted a LOI with me listed as PI. Due to a recent change in circumstances, I am not longer able to lead the proposal/project. Would it be possible to change PI?","Yes"]
[61,"2020-04-17","Due Dates","I noticed that a letter was required to be sent earlier in March. Is it too late to submit the letter and apply for this funding opportunity which is due May 4th? ","As stated on page 19 of the FOA, Part III.C. Compliance Criteria, ii., “Full Applications: Full applications are deemed compliant if:  The applicant submitted a Letter of Intent to Apply by the required deadline.” If you have missed the deadline and did not submit a Letter of Intent, you are not eligible to submit a full application.  "]
[62,"2020-04-17","Due Dates","Though it is stated in the FOA, I like to ask if a full proposal can be submitted without the Letter of Intent (LOI). My team would like to respond to Topic 1; unfortunately, we have missed the deadline to submit the LOI. Some DOE programs allow a submission of a full application without the LOI.","As stated on page 19 of the FOA, Part III.C. Compliance Criteria, ii., “Full Applications: Full applications are deemed compliant if:  The applicant submitted a Letter of Intent to Apply by the required deadline.” If you have missed the deadline and did not submit a Letter of Intent, you are not eligible to submit a full application.  "]
[63,"2020-04-22","Application Content/Format","I am trying to upload and complete our application on the EERE website. The FOA indicates that academic institutions do not need to provide any cost share for R&D proposals. However, the website requires a 20% minimum cost share to be entered. Please advise on how to get this fixed.","The EERE Exchange website has been updated to address this issue."]
[64,"2020-04-23","Due Dates","If the deadline for the Letter of Intent has been missed, can researchers still submit for this funding opportunity?","As stated on page 19 of the FOA, Part III.C. Compliance Criteria, ii., “Full Applications: Full applications are deemed compliant if:  The applicant submitted a Letter of Intent to Apply by the required deadline.” If you have missed the deadline and did not submit a Letter of Intent, you are not eligible to submit a full application.  "]
[65,"2020-04-27","Application Content/Format","Will you clarify the SF-LLL form required for this submittal? One was provided on the EERE-exchange website and the other is mentioned via link on page 32.","Per section IV.C. xiii. of the FOA, all prime recipients and subrecipients are required to complete and submit SF-LLL form. If the form is not applicable, write N/A on the form."]
[66,"2020-04-27","Other","The federal SF-424 budget xls has a tight limitation on the number of lines to specify individual subcontractors. The xls appears locked at that. May we lump related subcontractors on one line with annotation in further columns (K-  )?","Click on Review, then click on Unprotect sheet. You should be able to add the additional vendors or subcontractors."]
[{"$f":"A69+1","v":67},"2020-04-27","Data Management","The FOA fairly expects applicant to submit \"a plan for making all research data displayed in publications resulting from the proposed work digitally accessible at the time of publications\". Some research data, such as legacy seismic reflection taken for industry, may be leased for a fee from data brokers and used in modeling, but said data cannot be released publicly by the applicant. However, in principle the data are available for similar fees to any other interested party who may wish to reproduce or test the work. Is it permitted to make use of such data in this FOA's research? ","The requirement to make research data displayed in publications digitally accessible has exceptions.  One exception is protecting intellectual property rights.  Third party data developed outside the award at private expense may be used to perform work under an award and there would be no requirement for that type of data to be made publicly or digitally available.  "]
[68,"2020-04-29","Application Content/Format","Regarding DE-FOA-0002219, I noted on page 33 (Section xv) of the FOA, there is a section about the 'U.S. Manufacturing Commitments.'  This is the only area where this is discussed in the FOA and it is not listed as a requirement in the table of required proposal documents, nor is it listed in EERE to upload.  I just want to make sure that this piece is not a mandatory requirement to submit with the proposal. ","U.S. Manufacturing Commitments' is not a mandatory application document for this FOA."]
[69,"2020-04-29","Due Dates","Our team has formulated an excellent approach responding to FOA-DE-0002219, FY 2020 Geothermal Technologies Office Hydrothermal and Low Temperature Multi-Topic Funding Opportunity Announcement, responding to Topic 2. We are in need of an additional four weeks to fine-tune the collaborative partnerships, contributions, and demonstration.  We have been impeded by the COVID-19 pandemic and would like more time. Please advise if the May 4th Proposal deadline will be extended a second time, to early June 2020, such that we may prepare the full proposal.  \n","The full application deadline of May 4, 2020 5:00pm ET will not be extended."]
[70,"2020-04-30","Application Content/Format","We are uploading required files for DE-FOA-0002219. The instructions say to upload separate EERE budget forms for each subrecipient.  We have two of them, but the system says we can only upload one. How can we submit two separate budget forms for two subrecipients?\n","The EERE Exchange website has been updated to address this issue."]
[71,"2020-04-30","Application Content/Format","For the 20 page limit of Technical Volume, do the following pages count?\n\n1. cover page\n2. table of contents\n3. references\n","Yes, as stated in section IV.C.ii 'Technical Volume' of the FOA (page 26), \"The Technical Volume to the Full Application may not be more than 20 pages, including the cover page, table of contents, and all citations, charts, graphs, maps, photos, or other graphics, and must include all of the information in the table below.\""]
[72,"2020-05-02","Application Content/Format","I have 3 subrecipients and 2 FFRDCs associated with my proposal, but I can only upload 1 “subrecipient eere335” file and only 1 additional file. How do I upload those additional files?\n","The EERE Exchange website has been updated to address this issue."]
[73,"2020-05-03","Application Content/Format","I am working on uploaded documents for our proposal under this FOA and the system is only allowing one file submission for subrecipient budget justification.  I know in the past we have been able to upload a different budget document for each partner on the proposal, however I am not able to do that currently.  Can you please let us know how you would like this handled, as we have 2 subrecipients with budget justification forms?","The EERE Exchange website has been updated to address this issue."]
[74,"2020-05-18","Due Dates","Due to the current world events, we unfortunately were not able to supply a Letter of Intent nor our offering for the above mentioned FOA.  If allowed, could we be given the opportunity to submit our technical offering for this FOA?  We are a subsurface oil and gas exploration company experienced with Play Fairway mapping for the petroleum industry. However, our workflows, people and technology are well suited to the requested workflows.","Thank you for your interest in DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement Number DE-FOA-0002219. Unfortunately, this Funding Opportunity Announcement has closed and is no longer accepting applications. "]
[75]
[76]
[77]
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[80]

{"sheet":"Admin Pick List","index":2,"n_rows":17,"n_cols":1,"rows_kept":17,"cut":false,"hidden":true,"merged":[]}
["Pick List"]
[]
["Registration Requirements"]
["Webinar"]
["Concept Paper"]
["Eligibility"]
["Labs/FFRDCs"]
["Foreign Entities/Work"]
["Cost Sharing"]
["Due Dates"]
["Application Content/Format"]
["Intellectual Property"]
["Data Management"]
["Other"]
["U.S. Manufacturing Plan"]
["Application Reviews"]
["Technical Topics"]