Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000805
Apply for DE FOA 0000805
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Concentrating Solar Power Efficiently Leveraging Equilibrium Mechanisms for Engineering New Thermochemical Storage (CSP ELEMENTS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087 Renewable Energy Research and Development.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 25, 2013 and posted on Apr 23, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 23, 2013 Submission Deadline for Concept Paper 500 PM ET, May 23, 2013 Submission Deadline for Full Applications 500 PM ET, July 23 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
- Please See the FOA, Section III Eligibility Information, A. Eligible Applicants for the complete list of eligible applicants under this FOA.
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Opportunity Summary:
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its Golden Field Office, released the funding opportunity announcement titled Concentrating Solar Power Efficiently Leveraging Equilibrium Mechanisms for Engineering New Thermochemical Storage (CSP ELEMENTS), Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0000805. The FOA is aimed at advancing thermochemical energy storage (TCES) for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants by funding projects that can be integrated into a CSP electricity-generation system at roughly the 1 megawatt-electric (1 MWe) scale. The central technical emphasis is on TCES systems that provide at least 6 hours of thermal energy storage and that show credible potential to reach an aggressive cost target of about $15 per kilowatt-hour thermal (15/kWhth), which is intended to push down the cost of storing solar heat so CSP can deliver more dispatchable, around-the-clock power.
A key feature of this opportunity is its end-to-end, integration-focused scope. Applicants are not just being asked to study materials or run bench experiments in isolation; the DOE is looking for integrated storage concepts that can realistically couple to a CSP power block and be demonstrated under real solar conditions. The FOA anticipates that successful projects will finish with an on-sun demonstration of a thermochemical reactor, along with defensible projections of how a full-scale integrated storage system would perform. Those projections are expected to be supported by performance models developed during the R&D effort and validated against experimental or demonstration data, so that DOE can have confidence the approach scales beyond the prototype.
Amendment 002 to the FOA primarily makes two clarifications that affect how proposals should be prepared and evaluated. First, it clarifies the units of measurement used on pages 33 and 57 for proposed systems, reducing the risk that applicants misunderstand how to report capacity, performance, or cost figures. Second, it clarifies how applicants should frame "state of the art" comparisons: proposals should benchmark against other thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems rather than comparing to the more established two-tank molten-salt storage approach. In practice, this means the competitiveness and novelty of a proposed idea should be justified within the TCES landscape (for example, relative improvements in reaction reversibility, round-trip efficiency, cycling stability, reactor design, heat and mass transfer, materials cost, or system complexity), instead of relying on comparisons to molten-salt systems that operate on different principles and can skew the discussion.
From an administrative standpoint, the FOA is a discretionary funding opportunity and awards were planned as cooperative agreements, which typically implies DOE expects substantial involvement during the project (for example, technical direction, milestone reviews, and coordination). The CFDA number associated with the program is 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development). The posting date was April 23, 2013, with a concept paper deadline of 5:00 PM ET on May 23, 2013, and a full application deadline of 5:00 PM ET on July 23, 2013. The archive date is listed as September 30, 2013. The public summary fields list estimated total funding and award ceiling/floor as 0, which usually indicates those amounts were not populated in the summary record and that applicants needed to consult the full FOA text for the actual anticipated funding levels, number of awards, and budget constraints.
Eligibility is described as unrestricted in the summary (open to any entity type), with the important caveat that applicants must follow the specific eligibility rules in Section III of the FOA. In other words, while the listing suggests broad eligibility, the governing details (including any restrictions on foreign ownership, teaming requirements, or the allowability of certain applicant categories) would be in the full announcement. The summary also indicates no cost sharing or matching requirement in the listing, though applicants would still need to confirm whether any cost share expectations or voluntary cost share considerations are discussed in the full FOA language.
For applicants needing the full announcement or assistance accessing it, the listing points to FedConnect as the additional information link. The contact provided is Clay L. Pfrangle, reachable at CSPELEMENTS@go.doe.gov.
FAQs: DOE CSP ELEMENTS (DE-FOA-0000805)
What is the CSP ELEMENTS funding opportunity?
CSP ELEMENTS is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) released through DOE's Golden Field Office. The full title is "Concentrating Solar Power Efficiently Leveraging Equilibrium Mechanisms for Engineering New Thermochemical Storage (CSP ELEMENTS)" and the Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0000805.
What is the main technical goal of this FOA?
The FOA aims to advance thermochemical energy storage (TCES) for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants by supporting projects that can be integrated into a CSP electricity-generation system at roughly the 1 megawatt-electric (1 MWe) scale.
What kind of energy storage technology is the DOE focusing on here?
The central focus is thermochemical energy storage (TCES), meaning storage concepts based on reversible chemical reactions and associated heat effects, rather than sensible-heat storage approaches.
What storage duration is expected for proposed TCES systems?
The FOA emphasizes TCES systems that provide at least 6 hours of thermal energy storage.
Is there a cost target for the storage system?
Yes. The FOA highlights an aggressive target of about $15 per kilowatt-hour thermal ($15/kWhth). Proposals are expected to show credible potential to reach that cost level.
Why is the FOA pushing for a low $/kWhth target?
The stated intent is to reduce the cost of storing solar heat so concentrating solar power plants can deliver more dispatchable electricity, including around-the-clock power delivery potential.
Is this FOA only about materials research or bench-scale experiments?
No. A key feature described in the listing is an end-to-end, integration-focused scope. DOE is looking for integrated storage concepts that can realistically couple to a CSP power block rather than stand-alone materials or bench experiments in isolation.
What scale of integration is the DOE expecting?
The FOA is aimed at concepts that can be integrated into a CSP electricity-generation system at roughly the 1 MWe scale.
What does DOE expect projects to deliver by the end?
The FOA anticipates that successful projects will finish with an on-sun demonstration of a thermochemical reactor and provide defensible projections of how a full-scale integrated storage system would perform.
What does "on-sun demonstration" mean in this context?
Based on the listing, it means the thermochemical reactor is demonstrated under real solar conditions (not only lab heating), consistent with CSP-relevant operation.
Are performance models required?
Yes. The listing indicates that full-scale performance projections are expected to be supported by performance models developed during the R&D effort and validated against experimental or demonstration data.
How should applicants validate or support their projections?
The FOA summary indicates DOE expects models to be validated against experimental results or demonstration data generated during the project, to support confidence in scalability beyond the prototype.
What is Amendment 002 and why does it matter?
Amendment 002 is an update to the FOA that primarily provides clarifications affecting proposal preparation and evaluation. It clarifies (1) certain units of measurement used on pages 33 and 57 and (2) how "state of the art" comparisons should be framed.
What unit-of-measure clarification was made in Amendment 002?
Amendment 002 clarifies the units of measurement used on pages 33 and 57 for proposed systems, intended to reduce the risk of misunderstanding how to report capacity, performance, or cost figures.
How should "state of the art" comparisons be handled under Amendment 002?
Applicants should benchmark their approach against other thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems rather than comparing to the two-tank molten-salt storage approach.
Does this mean proposals should not compare to molten-salt storage?
The clarification provided indicates applicants should frame state-of-the-art comparisons within the TCES landscape, not against two-tank molten-salt storage, because molten salt is a different storage approach and can skew comparisons.
What kinds of improvements are relevant when comparing to other TCES systems?
The listing suggests competitiveness and novelty may be justified using TCES-relevant metrics such as reaction reversibility, round-trip efficiency, cycling stability, reactor design, heat and mass transfer, materials cost, and system complexity.
What type of award instrument does DOE plan to use?
Awards were planned as cooperative agreements, according to the listing.
What does it imply if the award is a cooperative agreement?
The summary notes cooperative agreements typically imply substantial DOE involvement during the project, such as technical direction, milestone reviews, and coordination.
Is this a discretionary grant opportunity?
Yes. The listing describes the FOA as a discretionary funding opportunity.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed is 81.087, titled "Renewable Energy Research and Development."
When was the FOA posted?
The posting date in the listing is April 23, 2013.
Was a concept paper required, and when was it due?
Yes. The concept paper deadline was May 23, 2013 at 5:00 PM ET.
When was the full application due?
The full application deadline was July 23, 2013 at 5:00 PM ET.
What is the archive date, and what does it indicate?
The archive date listed is September 30, 2013. This generally indicates the opportunity was archived after that date in the listing system.
How much funding is available under this FOA?
The public summary fields list estimated total funding and award ceiling/floor as 0. The listing notes this usually means those amounts were not populated in the summary record and that applicants needed to consult the full FOA text for actual anticipated funding levels, number of awards, and budget constraints.
Why do the funding fields show 0 for total funding and award size?
The listing explains that 0 values in the summary typically indicate the summary record was not populated with those figures, not necessarily that no funding was available. The full FOA text would be the source for the real amounts and constraints.
Who is eligible to apply?
The summary describes eligibility as unrestricted (open to any entity type), but it also notes applicants must follow the specific eligibility rules in Section III of the FOA.
If eligibility is "unrestricted," are there still possible restrictions?
Yes. The listing explicitly cautions that the governing eligibility details (including any restrictions) would be in Section III of the FOA, even if the summary listing appears broad.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
The summary indicates no cost sharing or matching requirement in the listing. However, the listing also advises applicants to confirm whether any cost share expectations or voluntary cost share considerations are discussed in the full FOA language.
Where can applicants find the full FOA and attachments?
The listing points to FedConnect as the additional information link for accessing the full announcement and related materials.
Who is the contact for questions about this FOA?
The contact listed is Clay L. Pfrangle. The email provided is CSPELEMENTS@go.doe.gov.
Which DOE office released this opportunity?
The listing states DOE released the FOA through its Golden Field Office.
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