Energy for Sustainability

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), NSF 09-1, was issued on October 1, 2008 and is effective for proposals submitted on or after January 5, 2009. Please be advised that the guidelines contained in NSF 09-1 apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.  Proposers who opt to submit prior to January 5^th, 2009, must also follow the guidelines contained in NSF 09-1.

One of the most significant changes to the PAPPG is implementation of the mentoring provisions of the America COMPETES Act.  Each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include, as a separate section within the 15-page project description, a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals.  Proposals that do not include a separate section on mentoring activities within the Project Description will be returned without review (see the PAPP Guide Part I: Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II.C.2.d for further information).

Apply to PD 09-7644 as follows:

For full proposals submitted via FastLane: standard Grant Proposal Guidelines apply.
For full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov Application Guide; A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/docs/grantsgovguide.pdf)

DUE DATES

SYNOPSIS

The Energy for Sustainability program supports fundamental research and education in energy production, conversion, and storage and is focused on energy sources that are environmentally friendly and renewable.  Most world energy needs are currently met through the combustion of fossil fuels.  With projected increases in global energy needs, more sustainable methods for energy production will need to be developed, and production of greenhouse gases will need to be reduced.

Sources of sustainable energy include:

• Sunlight
• Wind
• Biomass

Hydrogen and alcohols are potential energy carriers that can be derived from renewable sources.  Research that generates enabling science and technologies for more efficient hydrogen generation and storage is supported by the program.  Potential sources of hydrogen include conversion from biomass and from electrolysis, photolysis or thermolysis of water.  Biomass is available from agricultural crop residues, forest products, aquatic plants, and municipal wastes. In addition to hydrogen, biomass can be a source of liquid, solid, and gaseous fuels including biofuels such as ethanol. 

Fuel cells have the potential to convert fuels such as hydrogen and alcohols to electricity at high efficiencies and should play an increasing role in energy conversion.  Critical components of fuel cells requiring additional research include catalysts and electrolytes.  Development of these components also requires fundamental research on the reaction and transport mechanisms at the catalyst and membrane electrolyte interface.  Advances in these areas are needed to address key challenges in efficiency, durability, power density, and environmental impacts.  The engineering aspects of fuel-cell design and operation also require further study in areas such as water and thermal management.

Wind power is a growing source of electrical energy.  Increased efficiency requires a fundamental knowledge of the interaction of wind with the blade structure.  Understanding the fluid flow, and optimizing blade design are important aspects in developing more efficient wind generators.  Photovoltaic devices have the potential to supply a significant fraction of electrical energy to the power grid.  Although silicon-based materials have been most widely used, other semiconducting materials and titanium dioxide also have potential.  New materials and novel fabrication techniques for solar energy conversion are supported by the program.

The duration of unsolicited awards is generally one to three years.  The average annual award size for the program is $100,000.  Any proposal received outside the announced dates will be returned without review.

The duration of CAREER awards is five years.  The submission deadline for Engineering CAREER proposals is in July every year.  Please see the following URL for more information: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf05027/nsf05027.jsp 

Proposals for Conferences, Workshops, and Supplements may be submitted at any time, but must be discussed with the program director before submission.

Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) and EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) replace the SGER program.  Please note that proposals of these types must be discussed with the program director before submission.  Further details are available in the PAPPG download, available below. 

Please refer to the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), January 2009, (NSF 09-1) when you prepare your proposal.  The PAPPG is available for download at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf091
 

THIS PROGRAM IS PART OF

Environmental Engineering and Sustainability

Abstracts of Recent Awards Made Through This Program

Discoveries