Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000336
Apply for DE FOA 0000336
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Energy Production with Innovative Methods of Geothermal Heat Recovery" 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 Dec 6, 2010 and posted on Aug 19, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 10, 2010 Pre Application Due Date 10/01/2010, 1159 P.M. Eastern Time. (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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its Geothermal Technologies Program (GTP) and administered by the Golden Field Office, released this discretionary grant funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0000336) to support research and development that pushes geothermal energy production forward in the United States. The announcement was later amended to extend the full application deadline to December 10, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, while leaving the rest of the opportunity unchanged. A pre-application was due October 1, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The program sits under CFDA 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development), is offered as a grant, and requires cost sharing or matching, meaning awardees must contribute a portion of project costs from non-federal sources.
At its core, the opportunity focuses on geothermal heat recovery methods that are both innovative and responsible. DOE frames the effort as a partnership with the technical community to advance geothermal systems R&D, with an emphasis on making new approaches practical, scalable, and acceptable from an environmental and public-risk standpoint. The intent is not only to demonstrate that heat can be recovered from the subsurface in new ways, but also to show that the methods can be deployed under strong safeguards and with a clearer path to commercial viability.
The FOA lays out three main priorities that proposed projects are expected to address. First, projects must directly engage with environmental risk factors associated with extracting heat from underground formations. This is explicitly tied to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), Section 614, which pushes geothermal development to align with the highest practicable standards. DOE highlights several example risks that proposals may need to study, mitigate, or monitor, including induced seismicity (earthquakes potentially triggered by subsurface operations), impacts on groundwater resources and local hydrology, and the use of potable or fresh water, including concerns about consumption rates and possible contamination. In practical terms, this priority signals that DOE wants technical progress paired with credible environmental risk management, such as improved monitoring, modeling, operational controls, or alternative approaches that reduce these impacts in the first place.
Second, DOE is seeking innovative methods for extracting heat specifically from geologic formations that do not contain hydrocarbons. This point is important because it indicates interest in expanding geothermal beyond traditional high-quality hydrothermal resources and beyond contexts where oil and gas co-production might apply. The FOA is looking to broaden the GTP technology portfolio by supporting approaches that can unlock geothermal potential in a wider range of rock types and regions, potentially increasing where geothermal electricity could be produced. While the announcement summary does not list specific technologies, the emphasis is clearly on new or improved heat recovery concepts that can work in formations that are not naturally producing fluids or do not benefit from existing hydrocarbon infrastructure.
Third, the program is driven by a cost target: projects should aim to reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for these new geothermal production methods from roughly $0.10 per kWh toward $0.06 per kWh. This cost goal functions as a performance north star, encouraging applicants to connect their technical innovations to measurable reductions in the overall delivered cost of power. In addition to achieving technical feasibility, DOE is signaling that it cares about the financial risk profile of emerging geothermal approaches, and that projects should help “alleviate financial risks” by improving reliability, reducing uncertainty in resource performance, lowering drilling or completion costs, improving heat extraction efficiency, or reducing operational and environmental compliance costs.
Eligibility for this opportunity is listed as “unrestricted,” meaning it is open to a broad range of applicant types, subject to any clarifications in the full FOA text. The posting date was August 19, 2010, with an original closing date of November 30, 2010 that was later extended to December 10, 2010. For official details and full application instructions, DOE pointed applicants to FedConnect and provided a program contact: Elizabeth C. Love, Grants and Agreements Specialist, reachable at go.geothermal@go.doe.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a discretionary grant funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support research and development (R&D) that advances geothermal energy production in the United States. It is issued through DOE's Geothermal Technologies Program (GTP) and administered by the Golden Field Office.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0000336.
Which DOE office and program are responsible for this FOA?
The FOA is released through DOE's Geothermal Technologies Program (GTP) and administered by DOE's Golden Field Office.
What is the CFDA number and program name associated with this grant?
The opportunity sits under CFDA 81.087, Renewable Energy Research and Development.
What type of financial assistance is being offered?
The opportunity is offered as a grant.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. The FOA requires cost sharing or matching, meaning awardees must contribute a portion of total project costs from non-federal sources.
When was the FOA posted?
The posting date was August 19, 2010.
What was the pre-application deadline?
The pre-application was due October 1, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
What was the full application deadline, and was it extended?
Yes, the full application deadline was extended. The amended deadline for full applications was December 10, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
What was the original closing date before the extension?
The original closing date was November 30, 2010.
What changed in the amendment to the FOA?
The announcement was amended to extend the full application deadline to December 10, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, while leaving the rest of the opportunity unchanged.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity is open to a broad range of applicant types, subject to any clarifications in the full FOA text.
What is the overall focus of the funded work?
The opportunity focuses on innovative and responsible geothermal heat recovery methods, with an emphasis on approaches that are practical, scalable, and acceptable from environmental and public-risk perspectives.
What does DOE mean by "responsible" geothermal heat recovery in this FOA?
Based on the FOA summary, "responsible" means pairing technical progress with credible environmental and public-risk management, including studying, mitigating, and monitoring risks tied to subsurface heat extraction.
What are the three main priorities DOE expects projects to address?
The FOA describes three main priorities: (1) direct engagement with environmental risk factors of subsurface heat extraction, (2) innovative methods to extract heat from geologic formations that do not contain hydrocarbons, and (3) progress toward reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for new geothermal production methods.
What environmental risk factors does DOE highlight?
DOE highlights induced seismicity, impacts on groundwater resources and local hydrology, and issues related to the use of potable or fresh water (including consumption rates and potential contamination).
How is this FOA linked to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA)?
The FOA explicitly ties the environmental risk priority to EISA Section 614, emphasizing that geothermal development should align with the highest practicable standards.
What kinds of activities could address the environmental-risk priority?
The FOA summary indicates that projects may address environmental risk through improved monitoring, modeling, operational controls, or alternative approaches that reduce potential impacts in the first place.
What is the significance of focusing on formations that do not contain hydrocarbons?
The FOA is seeking heat extraction methods for geologic formations that do not contain hydrocarbons, signaling an interest in expanding geothermal options beyond traditional hydrothermal resources and beyond approaches that depend on oil-and-gas contexts such as co-production.
What cost target is DOE encouraging projects to work toward?
Projects are encouraged to reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for new geothermal production methods from roughly $0.10 per kWh toward $0.06 per kWh.
How should applicants connect their technical work to the LCOE target?
The FOA frames the LCOE goal as a performance target, encouraging applicants to link innovations to measurable reductions in delivered power cost and to help alleviate financial risks by improving reliability, lowering uncertainty, reducing drilling or completion costs, improving heat extraction efficiency, or reducing operational and environmental compliance costs.
Does DOE emphasize commercial viability in addition to R&D?
Yes. The FOA emphasizes demonstrating not only that heat can be recovered in new ways, but also that the methods can be deployed with strong safeguards and with a clearer path toward commercial viability.
Where should applicants go for official details and application instructions?
DOE directed applicants to FedConnect for official details and full application instructions.
Who is the program contact for this FOA?
The program contact listed is Elizabeth C. Love, Grants and Agreements Specialist.
How can the program contact be reached?
The contact email provided is go.geothermal@go.doe.gov.
What time zone is used for the stated deadlines?
The deadlines provided in the FOA summary are stated in Eastern Time.
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