Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001247

  • The National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy environment natural resources science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enabling Technologies for Advanced Combustion Systems (ACS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.089 Fossil Energy Research and Development.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Feb 24, 2015 and posted on Jan 27, 2015.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 13, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • The funding agency has allocated a total of $12,800,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
  • 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.
Apply for DE FOA 0001247

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Opportunity Summary:

The grant opportunity "Enabling Technologies for Advanced Combustion Systems (ACS)" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001247) was a U.S. Department of Energy effort administered through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to push forward next-generation combustion technologies for fossil-based power and industrial energy systems. The central aim of the announcement was to fund applied research, evaluation, and engineering design work that would remove key technical barriers to scaling up two specific advanced combustion pathways: chemical looping combustion and oxy-combustion. In practical terms, the FOA focused on taking promising concepts beyond small-scale demonstrations by supporting the kinds of development work that can translate laboratory success into equipment and processes that are closer to pilot or pre-commercial scale, while keeping sight of the ACS program's broader performance targets and cost reduction goals.

A major theme of the FOA was "enabling technologies" rather than building a full end-to-end plant. That typically means improvements in the components, materials, process configurations, and operating strategies that make chemical looping and oxy-combustion more viable at larger scale. Chemical looping systems, for example, rely on solid oxygen carrier materials and reactor designs that can repeatedly transfer oxygen while maintaining durability, reactivity, and stable circulation of solids. Oxy-combustion, by contrast, burns fuel in a high-oxygen environment (often with recycled flue gas for temperature control) to produce an exhaust stream that is richer in carbon dioxide and more straightforward to capture. For both approaches, scaling challenges often show up in heat management, corrosion and materials performance, solids handling, gas cleanup integration, overall plant efficiency, and cost-effective system design, all of which are the kinds of obstacles this FOA was set up to address.

The opportunity was issued as a discretionary funding program using cooperative agreements, which generally indicates that the federal project team expects to have substantial involvement during the period of performance (for example, active technical collaboration, regular milestone reviews, and structured go/no-go decision points). The funding activity category fell under Energy, Environment, Natural Resources, and Science and Technology research and development, and the CFDA number associated with it was 81.089 (Fossil Energy Research and Development). The announcement anticipated making up to 8 awards, with an estimated total federal funding amount of $12.8 million. The listing showed no explicit award ceiling or floor in the summarized fields, which often means the actual per-award size was intended to be guided by the technical scope proposed and the constraints described in the full FOA text.

Cost sharing was required, meaning applicants needed to contribute a portion of the total project cost from non-federal sources. This is a standard feature of many DOE applied R&D opportunities, especially when the work is closer to demonstration and scale-up, because it encourages industry or other partners to share risk and helps show that proposed solutions have real-world buy-in. Eligibility was described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any clarifications in the full announcement. In practice, that kind of eligibility language typically allows submissions from private companies, universities, national laboratories (where applicable), nonprofits, and state or local entities, often in team arrangements that combine research capabilities with engineering and commercialization experience.

Key administrative details place the FOA in early 2015. It was posted on January 27, 2015, created on February 24, 2015, and had an original and final closing date of March 13, 2015. The archive date was June 15, 2015, indicating it is no longer active but remains available for reference. The additional information link was provided through FedConnect, which is commonly used for DOE and other federal opportunities for document distribution, amendments, and official communications.

For applicants who needed help accessing the full announcement, NETL provided a direct point of contact: John R. Hatfield, Contract Specialist, reachable at 304-285-5235 and John.Hatfield@netl.doe.gov. Overall, this FOA was designed to accelerate the maturation of combustion-based systems that can support carbon capture-ready operation by improving the underlying technologies that determine whether chemical looping and oxy-combustion can be scaled reliably and economically in real facilities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the name of this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is titled "Enabling Technologies for Advanced Combustion Systems (ACS)."

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0001247.

Which federal agency ran this opportunity?

This was a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity administered through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

What was the main purpose of this FOA?

The FOA was intended to advance next-generation combustion technologies for fossil-based power and industrial energy systems by funding applied research, evaluation, and engineering design work that removes key technical barriers to scaling up advanced combustion pathways.

Which specific advanced combustion pathways were targeted?

The FOA focused on two pathways: chemical looping combustion and oxy-combustion.

What does "enabling technologies" mean in the context of this FOA?

"Enabling technologies" refers to improvements in components, materials, process configurations, and operating strategies that make chemical looping and oxy-combustion more viable at larger scale. The FOA emphasis was not on building a full end-to-end plant, but on the kinds of technical advances that enable scale-up.

What types of work did the FOA aim to fund?

The FOA aimed to fund applied research, evaluation, and engineering design activities that move promising concepts beyond small-scale demonstrations toward pilot or pre-commercial relevance, while supporting ACS performance targets and cost reduction goals.

What scale-up challenges were considered important for this FOA?

The FOA highlighted barriers commonly encountered when moving toward larger scale, including heat management, corrosion and materials performance, solids handling, gas cleanup integration, overall plant efficiency, and cost-effective system design.

What is chemical looping combustion, as described in the opportunity summary?

Chemical looping systems rely on solid oxygen carrier materials and reactor designs that repeatedly transfer oxygen. Key concerns called out in the summary include durability, reactivity, and stable circulation of solids.

What is oxy-combustion, as described in the opportunity summary?

Oxy-combustion burns fuel in a high-oxygen environment, often using recycled flue gas for temperature control, producing an exhaust stream richer in carbon dioxide and generally more straightforward to capture.

What award instrument was planned for this FOA?

The FOA was issued as a discretionary funding program using cooperative agreements.

What does it mean that awards were cooperative agreements?

Cooperative agreements generally indicate substantial federal involvement during the period of performance, such as active technical collaboration, regular milestone reviews, and structured go/no-go decision points.

What was the funding activity category for this opportunity?

The funding activity category was Energy, Environment, Natural Resources, and Science and Technology research and development.

What CFDA number was associated with this FOA?

The CFDA number listed for the opportunity was 81.089 (Fossil Energy Research and Development).

How many awards were anticipated?

The announcement anticipated making up to 8 awards.

What was the estimated total federal funding amount?

The estimated total federal funding amount was $12.8 million.

Was there a stated minimum or maximum award size?

The summarized listing did not provide an explicit award ceiling or floor. This typically means the per-award size would be guided by the technical scope proposed and constraints described in the full FOA text.

Was cost sharing required?

Yes. Cost sharing was required, meaning applicants needed to contribute a portion of total project costs from non-federal sources.

Why did the FOA require cost sharing?

The summary explains that cost sharing is common in DOE applied R&D opportunities, particularly those closer to demonstration and scale-up, because it encourages partners to share risk and helps show real-world buy-in.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to clarifications in the full announcement.

What kinds of organizations would "unrestricted eligibility" typically include?

Based on the summary description, unrestricted eligibility typically allows submissions from private companies, universities, national laboratories (where applicable), nonprofits, and state or local entities, often in team arrangements.

When was the opportunity posted?

The FOA was posted on January 27, 2015.

When was the opportunity created?

The listing indicates it was created on February 24, 2015.

What was the application deadline?

The original and final closing date was March 13, 2015.

Is this opportunity still open?

No. The archive date was June 15, 2015, indicating the opportunity is no longer active and is available for reference.

Where were official documents and communications hosted?

The additional information link was provided through FedConnect, which was used for document distribution, amendments, and official communications.

Who was the NETL point of contact for questions?

The contact listed was John R. Hatfield, Contract Specialist.

How could applicants contact the listed point of contact?

Phone: 304-285-5235. Email: John.Hatfield@netl.doe.gov.

How does this FOA connect to carbon capture goals?

The summary states the FOA was designed to accelerate combustion-based systems that can support carbon capture-ready operation by improving the underlying technologies needed to scale chemical looping and oxy-combustion reliably and economically.

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