Funding Opportunity Announcements

The U.S Department of Energy seeks to provide support for regionally-diverse Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects through collaborative partnerships.  By providing funding, technical assistance, and government coordination to accelerate deployment of these demonstration projects, DOE can help eliminate uncertainties, mitigate risks, and help create a robust U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Industry.

The primary goals of the Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects are to:

1.  Install innovative offshore wind systems in U.S. waters in the most rapid and responsible manner possible, and

2.  Expedite the development and deployment of innovative offshore wind energy systems with a credible potential for lowering the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) below 10 ¢/kWh or the local "hurdle" price at which offshore wind can compete with other regional generation sources without subsidies.

With over 4,000 GW of gross potential that is relatively close to key load centers, offshore wind energy can help the nation reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, diversify its energy supply, provide cost-competitive electricity to key coastal regions, and stimulate economic revitalization of key sectors of the economy.  However, if the nation is to realize these benefits, key challenges to the development and deployment of offshore wind technology must be overcome, including the relatively high current cost of energy, technical challenges surrounding installation and grid interconnection, and the untested permitting or approval processes. DOE seeks technology demonstration projects that combine innovation with pathways for substantial cost reduction opportunities. 

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

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

The U.S. Department of Energy is requesting applications to support outdoor phototrophic algae research and development in two areas: 1) nutrient and water use in algal production systems and 2) the development of algal technology testbed facilities. This research will support the Biomass Program’s goals to model pathways for significant (>1 billion gallons per year) volumes of cost-competitive algal biofuels by 2022.

The objective of this FOA is to develop and implement a variety of activities that deploy U.S. technical expertise in areas such as strategic and policy planning and analysis, energy market analysis, energy modeling, workforce development, and technical analysis to prime markets for increased use of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies in Indonesia. Benefits to the U.S. include potentially increased exports of domestic clean energy technologies and services in a rapidly expanding market, as well as access to data on clean energy policy and programs success and challenges that can inform U.S. national and subnational policy development. DOE anticipates providing $1.2M total to one Awardee over a period of up to three years to accomplish the goals of this funding opportunity. This FOA directly supports the goals of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), International Program.

The focus of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to develop specifically-identified technologies for buildings that are cost effective and can have a tremendous impact on energy savings overall and lead to a market-ready solution (e.g. at the commercial prototype phase) within five years of project launch.  Projects must credibly demonstrate how the proposed technologies will meet the targets specified in the sub-topic descriptions. Projects under this FOA must be aimed at more than progress toward identified project goals; the project must be aimed at actual delivery of these project goals.

Topic 1: Energy Saving Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems

Subtopic 1.1: High Performance Air Source Cold Climate Heat Pumps

Subtopic 1.2: Alternative Space-Heating Systems

Subtopic 1.3: Next-Generation Heat Exchangers for Electric Vapor-Compression Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners

Topic 2: Energy Saving Building Envelope Solutions

Subtopic 2.1: High performance thermal insulation

Subtopic 2.2: Advanced Roof/Attic Solutions

Subtopic 2.3: Highly insulating windows

Fuel cells can lead to substantial energy savings and reductions in imported petroleum and carbon emissions.  To realize these benefits, DOE’s FCT Program focuses on funding fuel cell research and development (R&D) and technology validation activities supporting a portfolio of fuel cell technologies and applications.  This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which specifically supports the Technology Validation program element, will collect, analyze, and validate performance data from light-duty hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) operating in real-world environments. Feedback will be provided to the DOE hydrogen and fuel cell R&D projects and industry partners to help determine what additional R&D is required to move the technology forward.

With this FOA, DOE is accepting new applications for projects seeking to validate light-duty fuel cell electric vehicle performance and durability.  The objective of each proposed project must be to collect and submit dynamometer and real-world vehicle performance data to a DOE-sponsored third-party collection and analysis provider to provide statistically valid projections on key metrics including durability of fuel cell systems.  R&D of these technologies is not the focus of this effort and will not be funded through this announcement.

Using hydrogen, fuel cells can lead to substantial energy savings and reductions in imported petroleum and carbon emissions.  To realize these benefits, DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Program focuses on funding fuel cell research and development (R&D) and technology validation activities supporting a portfolio of fuel cell and hydrogen fuel technologies and applications.  This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which specifically supports the Technology Validation subprogram, will test, demonstrate, and validate hydrogen refueling components and complete systems in real-world operating environments.  Feedback will be provided to the DOE hydrogen and fuel cell R&D projects, industry partners, and end users to help determine what additional R&D is required to move the technology forward.  Projects resulting from this FOA will include hydrogen refueling station data collection and demonstration of advanced refueling components needed to support fuel cell applications.

With this FOA, DOE is accepting new applications for projects seeking to validate hydrogen technologies in the specific topic areas listed below.  Only applications that are responsive to one of these topic areas will be accepted, and only one topic area may be addressed per application.  The objective of each proposed project must be to test, demonstrate, and validate hydrogen technologies in real-world environments.  R&D of these technologies is not the focus of this effort and will not be funded through this announcement, except as described in the FOA for Topic Area 2 only.

Topic Area 1: Hydrogen Refueling Station Data Collection

Topic Area 2: Validation of Advanced Refueling Components

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) on behalf of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies (VT) Program, is seeking applications that will lead to computational modeling advances and development of lightweight alloys for lightweighting and propulsion applications. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) includes three (3) Areas of Interest; Area of Interest 3 includes two (2) subtopics. Areas of Interest are indentified below:

Area of Interest 1:  Predictive Engineering Tools for Injection Molded Long Carbon Fiber Thermoplastic Composites

Area of Interest 2:  Integrated Computation Materials Engineering (ICME) Development of Advanced Steel for Lightweight Vehicles

Area of Interest 3:  Advanced Alloy Development for Automotive and Heavy-Duty Engines

3a) Lightweight Cast Alloy Development for Light Duty Automotive Engine Applications

3b) High Strength Cast Alloy Development for Heavy-Duty On-Road Engine Applications

NOTE: The FOA has been updated to incorporate Amendment 001 Amendment 002, Amendment 003, discussed below:

Amendment 001 to this FOA was processed on 04/13/2012. The FOA was revised to include an additional criterion under the Project Approach for Area of Interest 1, Area of Interest 2, and Area of Interest 3, respectively. See Section V, Part A. 2. Merit Review Criteria.

Amendment 002 to this FOA was processed on 04/23/2012. The FOA was revised to remove the section entitled "Subrecipient Effort" contained in Part III, Section C, Other Eligibility Requirements.

Amendment 003 to the FOA was processed on 05/04/2012. The FOA was revised to further define, clarify, and update specific clauses in the FOA. 

The full Funding Opportunity Announcement 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 can be found at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system. 

*The Slides used during the 05-30-2012 Webinar have been posted below.* 

*The Webinar is now available at the following link*

https://solarhighpen.energy.gov/noaa_capabilities_relevant_to_doe_solar_forecasting_foa_de_foa_0000649

**Please note extentions for both Letter of Intent and Application Deadlines** 

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is being issued by DOE to solicit applications for improving accuracy of solar forecasting in the short-term (0-6 hours) and day-ahead timeframes. This FOA is part of the DOE “SunShot   Initiative” and addresses the EERE performance metric of increasing the viability and deployment of renewable energy technologies.  Launched in 2011, the SunShot Initiative aims to reduce the cost of solar energy systems by about 75% between 2010 and 2020. Achieving this target could result in solar meeting roughly 14% of U.S. electricity needs by 2030 and 27% by 2050.  Advancements in generation (conventional as well as solar) and transmission technology, improved accuracy in solar resource forecasting, the evolution of operational practices, and the adoption of consistent codes, standards, and regulatory procedures will collectively enable the successful integration of high levels of solar penetration on the grid. Specifically, there is a significant need for strong leadership and a clear way forward in: (a) establishing a standard set of metrics for solar forecast accuracy assessment, (b) development of new methods/algorithms/processes for solar forecasting, and (c) a rigorous estimation of the various value streams (including economic and reliability aspects) due to improved accuracy solar forecasting.

To further address these issues and encourage stakeholders to participate in improving the accuracy of solar forecasting, and to establish American leadership in cutting-edge solar resource forecasting techniques, the DOE, through this announcement, is planning to fund specific activities in foundational and applied research to improve the accuracy of solar forecasting, and demonstrating the application of more accuracy solar forecasts in power system operations. These activities are expected to enable significant, sustainable, and measurable progress in achieving accurate solar forecasting that is developed through foundational research, meet accuracy targets on a set of metrics developed by stakeholder consensus, validate the improved forecasts through data from existing and new instrumentation, and result in benefits shown through incorporating the forecasts into real-time power system operations and assessing the resulting impacts.

Through the Plug and Play Photovoltaics Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the Department of Energy will invest up to $25 million over five years to advance the development of a commercial plug-and-play photovoltaic system, which is envisioned as an off-the-shelf product that is fully inclusive with little need for individual customization. Homeowners can install the system without special training or tools. The homeowner simply plugs the system into a PV-ready circuit and an automatic PV discovery process initiates communication between the system and the utility.

The plug-and-play concept has been implemented very successfully in the computer and automotive industries. The Department of Energy believes that these same innovations can be applied to the PV industry to reduce costs and simplify installations. This funding opportunity seeks to fundamentally change the design and installation of residential PV systems and help automate utility interconnection and permitting processes.

Universities, industry, utilities, local authorities having jurisdiction, national laboratories, and other stakeholders are encouraged to submit letters of intent by May 16, 2012 and full applications by June 18, 2012. For more information, download the full text of the FOA below.

**As per Amendment 003, the Letter of Intent to Apply for this FOA is OPTIONAL. ** 

 Bridging Research Interactions through Collaborative Development Grants in Energy (BRIDGE) is a new program that intends to support the SunShot Initiative by increasing the depth and breadth of expertise being applied to PV and CSP technology challenges. The BRIDGE program will employ a two-part linking approach to effectively develop U.S. capability in PV and CSP device and system design. First, BRIDGE will support the development of new Collaborative Research Teams (CRTs) of researchers who share coherent scientific goals and diverse but complementary theoretical, computational and/or experimental approaches. In addition, BRIDGE will encourage CRTs to explore opportunities to leverage existing DOE assets and expertise housed within the DOE Basic Energy Sciences (BES) Scientific User Facilities, the DOE Biological and Environmental Sciences (BER) Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) and Advanced Scientific Computing Research facilities (ASCR).

*Applicants are asked to submit an OPTIONAL Letter of Intent to Apply, as described in Section IV.B of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as soon as possible.  The Letter of Intent can be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE website.*

**PLEASE REGISTER AT HTTP://WWW.GRANTS.GOV  TO RECEIVE AUTOMATIC UPDATES WHEN AMENDMENTS TO THIS FOA ARE POSTED.  PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED THROUGH GRANTS.GOV.**

 Webinars for Potential Applicants

These webinars are intended to help potential applicants understand the scope and purpose of this FOA, in order to increase the quality of applications received.  All webinars will be recorded and made available online at www.solar.energy.gov/sunshot/past_workshops.html for the duration of the application period.

Webinar Dates/Time 

• Wednesday, April 4th, 11:00am-12:30pm ET 
• Tuesday, April 24th, 11:00am-12:30pm ET

Please register at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/940236608

This webinar will provide an overview of the Funding Opportunity for DOE’s SunShot Initiative: Bridging Research Interactions through Collaborative Development Grants in Energy (BRIDGE), including:

• Summary of SC Facilities
• Eligibility requirements
• Funding details
• Application process
• Evaluation criteria

Under this Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance (NOTA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will provide technical assistance to the photovoltaic (PV) industry and other stakeholders in the form of validation testing and systems monitoring through DOE Regional Test Centers (RTCs).  While the primary mission of the RTCs is to develop standards and establish the technical basis for bankability, the RTCs will also function as test beds for large-scale systems and provide independent validation of PV performance and reliability.  Recipients of technical assistance will install PV modules and/or systems at all three RTC sites, if appropriate.  Technologies may include photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) applications. The DOE/RTCs would provide the land, the grid tie, and the testing / data monitoring required to support an assessment of product/system performance, consistency of PV module quality, degradation rates, and/or PV system reliability issues. 

Through this effort, the RTCs will develop standards and guidelines for validating the performance and operation of PV modules and systems. Recipients will benefit by acquiring third-party validation of the module or system performance which they may then compare with their prediction of performance.  Recipients may also propose to ask the RTCs to develop models for predicting module or system performance instead of asking for verification of their own predictions.

Technical assistance will not be provided for research, development, or early-stage testing and evaluation.  The focus of the RTCs is to accelerate adoption of renewable energy generation sources by helping U.S. PV manufacturers validate new commercially ready technologies.

DOE will not purchase hardware or otherwise provide direct funding to organizations selected from this Notice.  Agreements are comprised of Technical Assistance only.

Applicants are requested to submit a Letter of Intent via email to RTC@go.doe.gov 30 days before the submission due date (See Section III.C of the NOTA).  Letters of Intent and accompanying abstracts will be used by DOE to organize and expedite the merit review process.  Failure to submit such letters will not negatively affect a responsive application submitted in a timely fashion.  

Full 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. The Users' guide for applying to Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Announcements through the Exchange website can be found at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx. 

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, on behalf of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Office of Vehicle Technologies Program, is seeking applications for grants up to $10 million DOE funding to accelerate the introduction and penetration of electric transportation technology into the cargo transport sector.

DOE anticipate up to 2 awards in Fiscal Year 2012, with the potential for additional selections in Fiscal Year 2013 if additional funding is recommended through the appropriations process.

Eligibility is restricted to local governments, ports, metropolitan transportation authorities, air pollution control districts, or combinations thereof operating in and/or governing either the Los Angeles South Coast Air basin (8-hour ozone) nonattainment area or the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria nonattainment area.

A minimum of 50% cost share is required.

Amendment 001 to DE-FOA-0000669 was issued on 05/01/2012; see FOA DOCUMENTS below.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is intended for research and development (R&D) at either (1) Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 2 through 3 in Topic Area 1 or (2) TRL 4 through 6 in Topic Area 2, 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. 

The purpose of this FOA is to fund a Critical Materials Energy Innovation Hub to reduce materials criticality and prevent criticality of new materials that are essential for energy technologies. The Critical Materials Hub will coordinate Research and Development across the entire materials lifecycle. Research and Development will combine basic and applied research with engineering to accelerate scientific discovery utilizing highly collaborative teams across multiple scientific and engineering disciplines. The initial award period is for five years. The Hub will be funded up to a total of $20 million in the first year; up to $10 million of those funds can be devoted to infrastructure start-up for the Hub, including building renovation (but not new construction), lease arrangements, equipment, and instrumentation. It is anticipated that the Hub will be funded up to $25 million per year for Hub operations in the final four years of the initial award period, pending Congressional appropriations.

The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind and Water Power Program, is seeking applications from hydropower professionals to participate in the Hydropower Advancement Project (HAP) standard assessments activity.

The HAP standard assessments will identify opportunities to increase generation and value at existing hydropower facilities.  Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOE will select teams to perform these standard assessments. 

The selected teams will perform HAP standardized assessments as described herein and per the HAP documents associated with the standard assessments. The HAP documents are available at http://hydropower.ornl.gov/HAP/ and include the following:
1. Hydropower Technology Taxonomy (HTT)
2. Best Practices Catalog (BPC)
3. Assessment Manual

The selected teams will receive financial assistance in the form of a cooperative agreement and will complete HAP standardized assessments at five (5) or more hydropower facilities.

Assessment teams that are selected will be required to attend the HAP standard assessment training planned for October, 2012, and then to perform multiple HAP standard assessments as described in the FOA and per the HAP documents.

NOTE: Letters of Intent are requested, but not required. Please select "Apply"  to submit a Letter of Intent.

Important: As of May 2012 the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) along with several other Federal procurement systems is being incorporated into a single website called the System for Award Management (SAM).  The SAM site is located at  https://www.sam.gov/sam/.  As the migration of CCR into the SAM website is currently in process, should you be unable to find the CCR website (https://www.ccr.gov/) at its previous location, please use the SAM website in this paragraph. 

The purpose of this Notice is to provide potential applicants advance notice of a proposed upcoming FOA initially titled “In-Water Wave Energy Conversion (WEC) Device Testing Support.”  NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE.  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 FY12.  Please do not respond or submit questions in response to this Notice of Intent.

On behalf of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the Wind and Water Power Program (WWPP) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement titled “In-Water Wave Energy Conversion (WEC) Device Testing Support.”

DOE intends to fund one industry-led project that will deploy a long-term (one year) in-water WEC device.  The device will be deployed at the Navy Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) facility in Kaneohe Bay on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. 

The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind and Water Power Program (WWPP), is issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “In-Water Wave Energy Conversion (WEC) Device Testing Support.”

The DOE is working closely with The Department of Navy (Navy) to support and promote wave energy technologies. This FOA will support the testing of one WEC device at the Navy’s existing 30m Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) located at Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Only WEC buoy (point-absorber) device types are being considered for funding at this time.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is seeking applications that address and assist in reducing multiple barriers to alternative fuel vehicle adoption and use.  Overall, this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), issued on behalf of EERE by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), aims to decrease the nation’s dependence on petroleum and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by accelerating the deployment of alternative fuels.  Efforts should focus only on the alternative fuels defined by the Energy Policy Act of 1992, as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and further augmented by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. 

The expanded use of alternative fuel vehicles and domestically produced alternative transportation fuels can create and retain jobs, stimulate and support domestic economies, and help protect the environment. The Clean Cities program has identified the following four critical areas that provide significant obstacles to alternative fuel vehicle use: 1) Policies, 2) Barrier Reduction, 3) Safety and Training, and 4) Market Development/Outreach.  The U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program wishes to fund projects that target and remedy these specific obstacles to alternative fuel vehicle adoption and use in local, regional and/or statewide sectors and niche markets. 

The goal of this solicitation is to increase the viability and deployment of renewable energy technologies through research, development, and tools that lead to clean and efficient biomass cookstoves. This solicitation seeks to develop cookstove technologies that:

·   Are low-cost and affordable in regions that currently rely predominantly on biomass fuels for household energy;

·   Are durable and safe, address the conditions, use the biomass fuels, and meet the needs of the people in geographical areas in which the stoves will be ultimately deployed;

·   Aim to meet or exceed the highest level of stove performance for total and indoor emissions, efficiency, and safety; and

·   Achieve field performance that is comparable to stove performance in laboratory testing.

These goals are intended to drive technology developments that can support the widespread adoption of affordable, user-desirable stoves that provide significant health benefits, labor and financial savings, and soil and forestry benefits.   

This FOA marks the first time that the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued three Phase I solicitations in a single year.  This “Release 3” is intended to give small businesses more topics and more opportunities to apply for SBIR/STTR Phase I grants in a given year.  It includes 8 broad topics and 30 subtopics aligned with EERE programs (see below).  Detailed application instructions, including eligibility requirements, can be found on DOE’s SBIR Funding opportunities website under Reference Number DE-FOA-0000715.

EERE leads the Federal government’s research and development (R&D) efforts in energy efficiency and renewable energy. It invests in clean energy R&D designed to reduce the cost of technologies that enable the efficient use of energy and/or the generation of renewable energy. EERE’s SBIR/STTR efforts are part of an integrated portfolio that will lead to economic and environmental benefits. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) EERE program is interested in receiving proposals for research and development projects that offer potential for achieving EERE technology cost and performance targets.  This FOA seeks Applications to select and fund SBIR Phase I research and development (R&D) projects in the follow topics and subtopics:

1. Advanced Manufacturing:  a. Manufacturing Process  b. Advanced Materials

2. Biomass: a. Cellulosic and Algal Biofuels b. Biobased Products

3. Buildings: a. Solid State Lighting (SSL) Devices and Packages;

b. Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pumps

c. High COP Electric Water Heaters

d. GSHP Ground Loop Cost Reduction

e. Fast Payback Solar Hot Water 

f. Building Envelope Materials

g. Building Controls and

h. Commercial Building Power Meters

4. Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies a. Transportation Fuel Cells b. Hydrogen Storage

5. Solar: a. PV module b. Power Electronics & Balance of System (Hardware)

c. Balance of System (Non-Hardware) and

d. Concentrating Solar Power

6. Vehicles: a. Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries; b. Exhaust Aftertreatment Materials

c. Innovative Engine Boosting Technologies

d. Differential Compression and Expansion Technologies

e. Subsystem Component Technologies

f. Thermoelectric Technologies

g. Materials for Traction Drive Motor Laminations, Cores, or Structures and

h. Engine Friction Reduction

7. Water: a. Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy b. Hydropower Applications

8. Wind: a. Logistics for Land-Based Wind Power

The Biomass Program has recently developed Critical Technology Goals (CTG) related to a) converting biomass into processable sugars or other fractionation products and b) upgrading those processable sugars or biomass fractions into products such as advanced biofuels.  These are new program elements which seek to continue the work of the previous Biochemical Platform. The new advances in biotechnology that are facilitating innovative improvements in the biomedical (and similar) fields have not been fully applied to the efforts to develop biotechnology for fuels and products. Synthetic biology technologies hold promise for addressing critical barriers in the biological and chemical production of important advanced biofuels and products, including such barriers as product inhibition, tolerance to inhibitors, process robustness in the face of complex pretreatment processes and low yields, and productivity of conversion processes.  This FOA invites the R&D community to apply these newer techniques to enhance and enable the development in biological or hybrid systems for producing advanced biofuels and high energy impact biobased  products.  

The focus of this FOA is found in these two topic areas:

1.      Topic Area 1- Intermediate Production:  Innovative synthetic biological approaches to the cost-effective fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass, both terrestrial and aquatic, into processable components such as fermentable sugars, modified lignin suitable for conversion to higher value materials, and oligomeric sugar fractions or biopolymers that are more easily converted to monomers for further processing.

2.      Topic Area 2 – Intermediate Transformations:  Innovative synthetic biological approaches to the cost-effective and high yield conversion of processable component fractions into advanced biofuels and high-energy impact bioproducts. 

Please note, the RFI submission deadline has been extended to June 1, 2012.
 

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only, issued solely for information and program planning purposes; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as information only. DOE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that DOE 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 DOE to any further actions related to this topic.

The DOE solicits input from all parties regarding how DOE can best support the expansion of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) businesses into residential whole-house energy efficiency services through new initiatives or by building upon existing “HVACR to Home Performance” efforts underway within the industry.  DOE may release a competitive Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in Fiscal Year 2012 to support effort(s) that facilitate HVACR contactor expansion into home performance.  DOE invites comments on any or all of the Potential Topic Areas and Proposed Activities outlined in the Request. Of particular interest is information that would assist DOE in focusing its resources on activities with the highest potential for sustained market transformation in the HVACR industry beyond the scope of the potential grant period.

Please send your response (one attachment only) via email, with the subject line and title, "RFI Response" to HVACRHomePerformance@go.doe.gov. Your response should be limited to 5 pages, submitted in  Microsoft Word as an email attachment to the address above and received no later than 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time on 6/1/2012. 

***Note deadline extended to 6/1/2012*** 

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only, issued solely for information and program planning purposes; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as information only. DOE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that DOE 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 DOE to any further actions related to this topic.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Fuel Cell Technologies Program, is issuing a RFI seeking input from stakeholders on the proposed performance, durability, and cost targets for hydrogen storage sub-systems designed for material handling and portable power fuel cell applications. Comments on the relevance and appropriateness of the suggested target values, including recommendations and justification for any targets that are not currently addressed are sought.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only, issued solely for information and program planning purposes; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts.  Your response to this notice will be treated as information only.  DOE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI.  Respondents are advised that DOE 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.  Reponses to this RFI do not bind DOE to any further actions related to this topic.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Fuel Cell Technologies Program, is issuing a RFI seeking input from stakeholders on proposed technical and cost targets for fuel cells designed for backup power and material handling applications.  Feedback on proposed performance, durability and cost targets, as well as on current status, for these two early market fuel cell applications is sought from developers, manufacturers, end users, and other stakeholders.   The targets are intended to meet end user expectations, and are not driven by the operating parameters or constraints of specific technologies. 

 Please send your response (one attachment only) via email, with the subject line and title, "RFI Response" to MHBPtargets@go.doe.gov. Your response should be limited to 5 pages, submitted in  Microsoft Word as an email attachment to the address above and received no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time on 6/30/2012. 

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.

Through the Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies (SEEDS) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the Department of Energy will invest up to $9 million over three years to support research on solar energy innovation dynamics and technology adoption patterns. SEEDS supports the development of a diversity of analytical, numerical, and conceptual tools and methods; implementation of pilot test strategies for modifying current business and policy practices; and assessment of pilot tests outcomes for impact and scalability. Through SEEDS, the Department of Energy seeks to launch a series of systematic investigations that will result in viable methods for dramatically transforming the operations of solar researchers, manufacturers, developers, installers, and policymakers. Selected research efforts will be performed in tandem with industry partners to ensure that results can be applied, tested, and modified in real time.

The purpose of this request for information (RFI) is solely to solicit input for DOE consideration in the development of future algal biofuels research, development, and deployment (RD&D) programs. Information obtained in response to this RFI will be used by DOE on a non-attribution basis. Although DOE may determine as the result of this RFI to issue a formal Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), there is no guarantee that future funding opportunities or other activities will be undertaken as a result of this RFI.

This RFI provides algae stakeholders with an opportunity to contribute their views to help inform the development of OBP’s strategic plans, requirements, and metrics for a potential research and development (R&D) program focused on enhancing the yield of algal biofuel intermediates.  DOE is interested in stakeholders’ input regarding multiple types of algae, including microalgae, cyanobacteria, and macroalgae.  Specifically, the OBP requests information from algal biofuel developers to help establish appropriate scope, scale, and metrics for consideration in developing two topics: 1) Reductions in Downstream Processing Costs; and 2) Improved Algal Biomass Productivity.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. Responses to the RFI will be treated as informational only and will not be viewed as a binding commitment for the respondent to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed. DOE MAY decide at a later date to issue a FOA based on consideration of the input received from this RFI, but there is no guarantee that future funding opportunities or other activities will be undertaken as a result of this RFI.

DOE invites input from the public regarding currently lacking data and technologies for characterization of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) and offshore wind energy resources in support of deployment of wind and MHK technologies. For MHK power, comments regarding the advancement of wave and tidal resource characterization and data gathering for characterization of far-field hydrological and wave environment interactions with MHK energy devices are specifically requested. For wind power, comments regarding research and observation activities and partnerships for offshore wind energy resource characterization to complement, augment, or expand upon ongoing and planned offshore wind meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) data activities are specifically requested.

The sole purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gain input from industry, academia, local, state and federal government agencies, and other offshore wind and marine and hydrokinetic power stakeholders.  The information gathered with this RFI will be used to help inform future strategic considerations and will inform the Wind and Water Power Program’s research and development portfolio with regards to offshore wind and marine and hydrokinetic resource characterization efforts. This does not constitute a request for specific project proposals.  DOE will not pay for information provided under this RFI and there is no guarantee that future funding opportunities or other activities will be undertaken as a result of this RFI.

Responses to this RFI should be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF format to Resource.Characterization@go.doe.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on October 1, 2012.  Responses should include:  cover page, 1 page executive summary, and up to a 5 page full response. 

With this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the DOE through the Fuel Cell Technologies (FCT) Program seeks to fund hydrogen pathway analyses to determine the most promising paths forward for the production and delivery of hydrogen, while also defining the key remaining challenges. The DOE will only accept applications that are responsive to the scope and topic area described below.

System-level analyses of hydrogen production and delivery technologies are needed to support selection of portfolio priorities through evaluations of technical progress and hydrogen cost status, as well as projections of technology timelines and benefits, and evaluation of the potential of production and delivery pathways to meet the FCT threshold cost goal of $2-$4/gge delivered and dispensed hydrogen by 2020.  This effort will include annual cost analyses of key remaining challenges for technology pathways within the Hydrogen P&D sub-program portfolio using, primarily, the Hydrogen Analysis (H2A) model to determine status improvements resulting from technology advancements. For example, production pathways that may be considered under the direction of the FCT Program include, but are not limited to: reforming of biomass-derived renewable liquids for distributed production of hydrogen; distributed, semi-central and central water electrolysis; solar high-temperature water splitting; photoelectrochemical water splitting; and biological processes using micro-organisms for photolytic, fermentation, and microbial electrolysis for large-scale central hydrogen production. 

An initial cost model validation by the recipient may be required. The validation will be done by defining a baseline cost based largely on data from a current industry accepted hydrogen production pathway which will be selected and approved by DOE’s P&D Team.

The recipient will be responsible for vetting all user-input values used in the H2A analysis and for clearly and precisely presenting the results and sensitivity analyses of the technologies/pathways analyzed. The recipient’s project will be subject to evaluation by system developers, independent peer review, and the DOE Annual Peer Review and Merit Evaluation process.  Results of the evaluation will be used to determine whether the project will continue through the following years. The recipient will also be required to present results as needed to USDrive technology teams e.g., the Hydrogen Production Technology Team (HPTT). Project deliverables will include:

1. Cost estimates and analyses, and their updates of hydrogen technology pathways as directed by DOE (with power point slides and written reports when requested) for distributed and central hydrogen production and delivery technologies/pathways
2. Validation of  cost model based on data from current industry accepted hydrogen production technologies and processes
3. Final report documenting the results of the analyses including sensitivity analyses along with standard tornado charts to demonstrate critical correlation cost drivers 

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only, issued solely for information and program planning purposes; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts.  Your response to this notice will be treated as information only.  The Department of Energy (DOE) will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI.  Respondents are advised that DOE 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.  Reponses to this RFI do not bind DOE to any further actions related to this topic. Through this RFI, the DOE seeks feedback from interested parties on the current and near-term status and availability of high-accuracy meters that can perform under hydrogen fueling conditions and meet measurement accuracy requirements.

Specifically, this RFI requests information for three (3) areas of interest:

Area of Interest 1: Current meter status

Area of Interest 2: Accuracy status

Area of Interest 3: Market demand and availability

All responses to this RFI must be provided as an attachment (in Microsoft Word or PDF format) to an e-mail message addressed to h2meters@go.doe.gov. Please specify the Area of Interest in your response and submit separate responses for each Area of Interest addressed, and include the name of the organization responding. The response should be limited to two (2) pages; however, the Fuel Cell Technologies Program encourages respondents to include references, tables and figures, which will not count toward the two-page limit.  Additionally, the form provided for Area of Interest 1 will not count toward the two-page limit. DOE discourages the inclusion of proprietary or confidential information; however, if provided, it should be clearly marked as such.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative aims to make subsidy-free solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of energy by the end of the decade. SunShot drives American innovation in manufacturing, engineering, and business through a series of programs designed to spark and promote market solutions to solar energy development and clean energy growth.

The global average wholesale price for photovoltaic (PV) modules fell from $4.10 per watt (W) in 2007 to $2.40/W in 2010. The average spot price of solar modules has continued to fall and is below $1/W in 2012, while the capacity-weighted average of behind-the-meter U.S. PV system prices declined from $7.90/W to $6.20/W over the same period. Despite unprecedented cost reductions for solar hardware over recent years, the total price to install and commission residential and small-commercial scale solar energy systems remains high. Designing and implementing practices that enable dramatic reductions in the associated non-hardware costs — deemed the "soft costs" — of solar is now the greatest challenge to achieving national targets for attaining cost-competitive solar by 2020.  The SunShot Prize will motivate a new class of solar innovators, directing their efforts at solving the soft cost challenge.

The $10 million SunShot Prize challenges the ingenuity of America’s businesses and communities to make it faster, easier, and cheaper to install rooftop solar energy systems. Successful competitors will deploy domestically and in two phases, at least 6,000 new rooftop photovoltaic installations at an average pre-subsidy non-hardware cost of $1 per watt.  Winners will break this significant price barrier, considered to be unachievable a decade ago, and prove that they can repeatedly achieve a $1 per watt non-hardware cost using innovative, verifiable processes and business practices.