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NSF Energy for Sustainability Program - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the NSF Energy for Sustainability program?

The NSF Energy for Sustainability program is a discretionary grant opportunity that supports fundamental engineering research and education aimed at creating cleaner, more sustainable ways to produce electricity and transportation fuels.

2) What is the program's overall goal?

The program focuses on next-generation energy systems that are environmentally benign. This includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions and relying on renewable or bio-based resources that are plentiful in the United States.

3) Which energy pathways does the program emphasize most?

The program covers multiple sustainable energy pathways, but it places its biggest emphasis on approaches that harness solar energy, treating sunlight as the most abundant and sustainable renewable resource.

4) What major research themes are included under the program?

Key themes described include Biomass Conversion, Biofuels, and Bioenergy; Photovoltaic Solar Energy; solar-driven fuel-forming chemistry (for example water splitting and CO2 reduction); Wind and Wave Energy (including tidal); other natural energy sources such as geothermal; Energy Technology Assessment; and Fuel Cells (PEM and solid oxide).

5) What kinds of bioenergy projects are of interest?

The program highlights interest in how plants, algae, and microorganisms use sunlight to convert atmospheric CO2 into energy-rich compounds (such as carbohydrates, lipids, and hydrocarbons) that can be converted into transportation fuels. It also calls out innovative conversion methods for lignocellulosic biomass and efforts aimed at "third generation" biofuels beyond conventional cellulosic ethanol.

6) What does the program mean by "process intensification" in biological energy production?

Because many biological energy-production routes can have low volumetric productivity, the program expresses interest in engineering-driven process intensification: scalable, process-based strategies intended to significantly increase output per unit volume.

7) Are microbial fuel cells an eligible topic?

Yes. The program explicitly calls out microbial fuel cells that generate electricity directly from renewable carbon sources as an example topic area of interest.

8) Does the program support research on generating electricity directly from sunlight using biological approaches?

Yes. Example topics include scalable biological or biomimetic methods to generate electricity directly from sunlight.

9) Is microbial hydrogen production within scope?

Yes. The program lists microbial hydrogen production from both autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms among its example interests.

10) Are projects focused on microbial production of hydrocarbons and lipids relevant?

Yes. The program explicitly mentions microbial production of hydrocarbons and lipids as an example topic.

11) What photovoltaic (PV) research does the program support?

Within Photovoltaic Solar Energy, the program supports fundamental research that could improve PV performance and reduce cost through advanced materials and device concepts. Examples include nanostructured semiconductors, plasmonic or photonic materials, and photoconducting polymers integrated into PV device stacks.

12) Is improving the environmental profile of PV a priority?

Yes. A notable priority is developing environmentally benign materials and fabrication processes, particularly because many existing PV technologies involve toxic or non-recyclable components.

13) Does the program support solar-driven fuel-forming chemistry?

Yes. The program includes interest areas such as photocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogen gas and the chemical reduction of CO2 into liquid or gaseous fuels.

14) Is solar thermal energy generation supported?

No. The solicitation draws a clear boundary that solar thermal energy generation is not supported under this program and is directed instead to the NSF CBET Thermal Transport Processes program.

15) Does the program fund wind, wave, or tidal energy research?

Yes. The program supports fundamental engineering research on Wind and Wave Energy, including wave/tidal energy, focused on engineering advances supported by modeling and simulation to improve how these resources are harvested for electric power production.

16) Are geothermal or other natural energy sources included?

Yes. The program notes support for other natural energy sources such as geothermal, with an emphasis on engineering advances that improve efficient harvesting for power production.

17) Are proposals focused exclusively on materials science a good fit for wind/wave/geothermal topics?

Not typically. The program states that proposals centered exclusively on materials science aspects of these technologies are not a fit for this program area.

18) What is "Energy Technology Assessment" in this program?

Energy Technology Assessment refers to interdisciplinary projects that evaluate sustainable energy technologies, as long as they include a fundamental engineering analysis element. The description suggests the program is interested in rigorous, engineering-grounded assessments that inform design choices, feasibility, performance tradeoffs, or system-level impacts rather than purely policy or purely economic treatments.

19) What fuel cell research areas are supported?

The program supports research on polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells and solid oxide fuel cells, which generate electricity electrochemically from fuels such as hydrogen, alcohols, or hydrocarbons.

20) Does the program emphasize renewable or bio-based feedstocks for fuel cells?

Yes. A particular emphasis is placed on fuel cell concepts that use renewable, biomass-derived, or bio-based materials as feedstocks for fuel cell devices.

21) Could some fuel-cell-related work be a better fit for other NSF programs?

Yes. The solicitation notes that some fuel-cell-related work may also be appropriate for other NSF CBET programs, including Biocatalysis and Catalysis and Process and Reaction Engineering, depending on the technical emphasis.

22) What does NSF expect proposals to explain across all topics?

Proposals are expected to clearly explain (1) what is novel relative to prior work, (2) why that novelty matters for advancing engineering science, and (3) the potential societal and/or industrial impact if the research succeeds.

23) Where should novelty and impact be addressed in the proposal?

The solicitation states that, at minimum, these points should appear in the Project Summary so that reviewers can quickly see both the scientific/engineering contribution and the broader value proposition.

24) How long are typical awards and what is the typical budget level?

Unsolicited awards are typically funded for about three years, with an average annual award size of around $100,000.

25) What about NSF CAREER awards under this program?

NSF CAREER awards associated with the program are typically five years in duration. Engineering CAREER proposals are due in July each year.

26) Are conference or workshop proposals allowed?

Yes. The program allows proposals for conferences, workshops, and supplements to be submitted at any time, but it requires prior discussion with the program director before submission.

27) Can RAPID or EAGER proposals be submitted under this opportunity?

Yes, RAPID and EAGER proposals are possible, but they must be discussed with the program director in advance.

28) What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA listing mentioned?

The posted opportunity details referenced Funding Opportunity Number PD 11-7644 (later replaced by a subsequent listing) and categorized it under NSF Engineering Grants, CFDA 47.041.

29) Is cost sharing required?

No. The posted opportunity details stated there is no cost-sharing requirement.

30) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility was described as broadly unrestricted: open to any qualified entity, subject to any additional eligibility notes in the full announcement.

31) What were the estimated funding amount and number of expected awards shown?

The posted details listed an estimated total funding amount of $9.2 million and an expected 42 awards.

32) Was an award floor listed?

Yes. The posted opportunity details indicated an award floor of $300,000.

33) What submission windows were shown for this opportunity?

The submission window dates shown were February 1 to March 1 annually and August 15 to September 15 annually, with submissions due by 5 p.m. local time for the proposer.

34) Where are contact and access issues routed for submissions?

Contact and access issues were routed through NSF Grants.gov support.