Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000861
Apply for DE FOA 0000861
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Physics of Reliability Evaluating Design Insights for Component Technologies in Solar (PREDICTS)" 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 Feb 28, 2013 and posted on Feb 15, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 29, 2013 Submission Deadline for Concept Paper 1200 PM (Noon) ET, March 22, 2013 Submission Deadline for Full Applications 1200 PM (Noon) ET, April 29, 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, issued the Physics of Reliability Evaluating Design Insights for Component Technologies in Solar (PREDICTS) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) (DE-FOA-0000861) to support research that improves how the solar industry understands, predicts, and ultimately extends the lifetime of solar field installation systems and components. The central idea is to move reliability and lifetime assessment away from approaches that rely mainly on correlations (for example, a test condition that "seems to" match field failures) and toward approaches grounded in causation, meaning physics-based and chemistry-based explanations that can show why and how a component fails or degrades under specific conditions.
A key boundary of this opportunity is that it is focused on intrinsic failure mechanisms only. In other words, DOE is looking for proposals that identify and evaluate fundamental, built-in (material-, design-, and process-driven) mechanisms of failure or degradation that arise from the component's composition, assembly method, and environmental exposure. The FOA explicitly states it is not intended to determine or evaluate extrinsic failures, which generally refers to problems driven primarily by external factors outside the component's inherent design and material system (for example, installation errors, mishandling, or other non-intrinsic causes). Applications are expected to be framed around the underlying physics and chemistry of how failure initiates and progresses, rather than simply documenting that failure occurs.
To enable this causation-based shift, the FOA emphasizes development of physics-based models capable of accurately and precisely determining component lifetime and identifying the specific failure or degradation mechanism(s) responsible. These models are expected to connect fundamental attributes (materials, interfaces, packaging, assembly steps) with exposure conditions, including accelerated environmental stress testing, in a way that still preserves meaningful linkage to real-world field behavior. The FOA also calls for modeling that can describe failure as the result of discrete, indivisible sequences of events (sometimes described as event "quanta") that, when they occur together or in sequence, produce macroscopic failure. The intent is that by understanding and quantifying these small-scale event sequences, applicants can better predict when and how larger-scale failures will manifest.
The broader outcomes DOE is targeting with PREDICTS include: more accurate lifetime prediction, longer-lasting components and systems, improved reliability, reduced technical and financial risk, faster research and development cycles, and lower costs for solar components and systems deployed in the field. By grounding reliability in first-principles or mechanistic understanding, DOE is effectively trying to make durability prediction more transferable across designs and environments, and less dependent on purely empirical curve-fitting or historical correlations.
Structurally, the FOA contains two distinct Topic Areas. An applicant must choose one Topic Area per application, and each submission must be directed to only that single Topic Area. The amendment referenced in the opportunity description modifies language related to submitting multiple applications (page 10 of the FOA) and modifies the limitation on the number of concept papers and full applications eligible for review (section E on page 34). The practical implication is that applicants needed to review the amended FOA carefully to ensure compliance with updated rules on how many submissions could be made and how many would be reviewed.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a Cooperative Agreement as the funding instrument, which typically means DOE expects substantial involvement during the project (for example, collaboration on technical direction, milestones, or review points). It falls under CFDA 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development) and includes a cost-sharing requirement, so awardees would be expected to contribute a portion of total project costs from non-federal sources, consistent with the FOA's Section III eligibility and cost-share terms.
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted in the summary (open to any type of entity), with the definitive eligibility rules contained in the FOA itself (Section III.A). Applications had to be submitted electronically through the EERE eXCHANGE portal (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov), which requires applicants to register and create an account prior to submission. The process also included a concept paper stage and a full application stage, with deadlines of March 22, 2013 (concept paper) and April 29, 2013 (full application), both due by 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern Time. Questions about the FOA were directed to the program contact listed (Geoffrey I. Walker) via PREDICTS@go.doe.gov, and technical instructions for using EERE eXCHANGE were available through the EERE user guide resources.
Finally, while the public listing includes fields for estimated total funding and award ceiling/floor, those values are shown as 0 in the provided source data, which usually indicates that applicants needed to consult the full FOA document for the authoritative funding levels, anticipated number of awards, and any topic-specific budget guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the PREDICTS Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)?
PREDICTS is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity issued through the DOE Golden Field Office under FOA number DE-FOA-0000861. It supports research intended to improve how the solar industry understands, predicts, and ultimately extends the lifetime of solar field installation systems and components.
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The central goal is to shift solar reliability and lifetime assessment away from approaches based mainly on correlations (for example, test conditions that merely appear to match field failures) and toward causation-based approaches grounded in physics and chemistry. The expectation is that applicants explain why and how failures occur under specific conditions, not just that failures happen.
What does "causation-based" reliability mean in this FOA?
In this FOA, "causation-based" means explaining and predicting failure using physics-based and chemistry-based mechanisms. Proposals are expected to connect material choices, interfaces, packaging, and assembly processes to environmental exposure and stress in a way that can identify the actual mechanism(s) driving degradation or failure.
What types of failures are in scope for PREDICTS?
The FOA is focused on intrinsic failure mechanisms only. That means failure or degradation mechanisms that are fundamental to the component itself, arising from its materials, design, manufacturing/assembly processes, and how those interact with environmental exposure.
What types of failures are explicitly out of scope?
The FOA states it is not intended to determine or evaluate extrinsic failures. Extrinsic failures generally refer to issues driven primarily by factors outside the component's inherent material/design system, such as installation errors, mishandling, or other non-intrinsic causes.
What does DOE expect proposals to emphasize: field observations or mechanisms?
The FOA emphasizes mechanistic explanations based on underlying physics and chemistry. Rather than simply documenting field failures or relying on empirical curve-fitting and correlations, applications are expected to explain how failure initiates and progresses and to identify the mechanism(s) responsible.
What kind of models does this FOA call for?
The FOA emphasizes development of physics-based models that can accurately and precisely determine component lifetime and identify the specific failure or degradation mechanism(s) responsible. These models should link fundamental attributes (materials, interfaces, packaging, assembly steps) to exposure conditions.
How should accelerated environmental stress testing relate to real-world field behavior?
The FOA expects modeling approaches that incorporate accelerated environmental stress testing while still preserving a meaningful linkage to real-world field behavior. In other words, accelerated tests should be used in a way that remains relevant to what happens in the field, not just as a stand-in correlation.
What does the FOA mean by describing failure as sequences of discrete events (event "quanta")?
The FOA calls for modeling that can describe failure as the outcome of discrete, indivisible sequences of events that, when they occur together or in sequence, lead to macroscopic failure. The intent is to quantify these small-scale event sequences to better predict when and how larger-scale failures will occur.
What outcomes is DOE targeting through PREDICTS?
DOE is targeting outcomes such as more accurate lifetime prediction, longer-lasting components and systems, improved reliability, reduced technical and financial risk, faster research and development cycles, and lower costs for solar components and systems deployed in the field.
How does this FOA aim to improve transferability of lifetime predictions?
By grounding reliability in first-principles or mechanistic understanding, DOE is aiming for durability predictions that are more transferable across designs and environments and less dependent on purely empirical curve-fitting or historical correlations.
How many Topic Areas are in the FOA?
The FOA contains two distinct Topic Areas.
Can an applicant submit one application covering both Topic Areas?
No. Each application must be directed to only a single Topic Area, and an applicant must choose one Topic Area per application.
What did the amendment mentioned in the opportunity description change?
The amendment modified language related to submitting multiple applications (page 10 of the FOA) and modified the limitation on the number of concept papers and full applications eligible for review (Section E on page 34). Applicants were expected to review the amended FOA to ensure compliance with the updated submission and review limits.
What is the funding instrument for this opportunity?
This is a discretionary funding opportunity using a Cooperative Agreement as the funding instrument.
What does a Cooperative Agreement imply about DOE involvement?
A Cooperative Agreement typically implies substantial DOE involvement during the project, such as collaboration on technical direction, milestones, or review points.
What CFDA program is associated with this FOA?
The FOA is associated with CFDA 81.087, Renewable Energy Research and Development.
Is cost sharing required?
Yes. The opportunity includes a cost-sharing requirement, meaning awardees are expected to contribute a portion of total project costs from non-federal sources, consistent with the FOA's Section III eligibility and cost-share terms.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted in the summary (open to any type of entity), but the definitive eligibility requirements are contained in the FOA itself, specifically Section III.A.
Where were applications submitted?
Applications had to be submitted electronically through the EERE eXCHANGE portal at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.
Is registration required to submit through EERE eXCHANGE?
Yes. Applicants needed to register and create an account in EERE eXCHANGE prior to submission.
Was there a concept paper stage?
Yes. The submission process included a concept paper stage and a full application stage.
What were the deadlines for concept papers and full applications?
The concept paper deadline was March 22, 2013, and the full application deadline was April 29, 2013. Both were due by 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern Time.
Who was the program contact and how could applicants ask questions?
Questions about the FOA were directed to the program contact listed, Geoffrey I. Walker, via email at PREDICTS@go.doe.gov.
Where could applicants find technical instructions for using EERE eXCHANGE?
Technical instructions for using EERE eXCHANGE were available through EERE user guide resources referenced for the portal.
Why does the public listing show estimated funding and award ceiling/floor as 0?
The provided source data shows 0 for estimated total funding and award ceiling/floor. This typically indicates applicants needed to consult the full FOA document for authoritative funding levels, anticipated number of awards, and any topic-specific budget guidance.
Where should applicants look for the definitive rules and requirements?
The FOA document itself is the authoritative source, including Section III.A for eligibility and Section III for cost-share terms, as well as the amended sections addressing multiple submissions and review limitations.
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