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Plug and Play Photovoltaics (DE-FOA-0000653) FAQs

What is the Plug and Play Photovoltaics funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0000653)?

It is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity focused on making residential solar dramatically easier to adopt by supporting development of a truly "plug and play" photovoltaic (PV) system that can be treated like an off-the-shelf home product.

What is DOE trying to achieve with "plug and play" residential solar?

DOE's goal is to reduce cost and friction by creating a broadly standardized, fully inclusive PV system that requires little or no site-specific customization, minimizing the need for specialized training, tools, and complex project-specific design work.

What does DOE mean by an "off-the-shelf" PV product?

In this context, it means a standardized PV system intended to be broadly deployable without extensive tailoring to a specific home, so that homeowners can approach solar more like purchasing and installing a common consumer product rather than managing a custom construction project.

Is the system intended to be installed by a homeowner?

Yes. DOE's vision is that a homeowner could install the system without specialized training or tools, then connect it to a "PV-ready" circuit.

What is a "PV-ready" circuit in DOE's vision?

The FOA describes connecting the plug-and-play PV system to a "PV-ready" circuit as part of the concept. The emphasis is on a standardized electrical interface that supports simple connection and streamlined interconnection steps after connection.

What happens after the system is connected?

After connection, an automatic PV discovery process would initiate communication between the PV system and the local utility, with the intent of streamlining the interconnection process.

Why does DOE reference "plug and play" in industries like computing and automotive manufacturing?

DOE is borrowing a proven idea: standard interfaces and automatic device recognition have reduced complexity and user burden in those industries, and the FOA aims to bring a similar approach to residential PV adoption.

Is this FOA only about PV hardware design?

No. While hardware is central, the FOA emphasizes automating or simplifying utility interconnection and permitting workflows, recognizing these as major non-hardware barriers to residential solar deployment.

What non-hardware barriers does the FOA highlight?

The FOA points to utility interconnection and permitting processes as significant sources of delay and complexity, and it expects applicants to address the technical and procedural interfaces that involve utilities, inspectors, and local permitting authorities.

Who does DOE expect applicants to coordinate with?

DOE explicitly encourages collaboration across the residential PV ecosystem, including universities, private industry, utilities, local authorities having jurisdiction, national laboratories, and other stakeholders.

What type of DOE funding instrument is used for this opportunity?

Funding is provided as discretionary support through cooperative agreements.

Is there a cost-sharing requirement?

Yes. The opportunity includes a cost-sharing requirement.

How much funding does DOE intend to invest through this program?

DOE states an intention to invest up to $25 million over five years to advance plug-and-play PV technologies and systems toward commercial readiness.

Why do some listing fields show $0 for estimated funding or award amounts?

The summarized listing shows $0 for fields like estimated total funding and award floor/ceiling, but the narrative portion describes the planned multi-year investment. This suggests those listing fields may contain placeholder values rather than reflecting the program's stated funding intent.

Was the FOA amended, and what changed?

Yes. An amendment added an eligibility restriction by inserting language in Section III.A (Eligible Applicants) to limit eligibility to domestic entities. The notice indicates the rest of the FOA remained unchanged, and modified portions were highlighted in yellow in the updated announcement.

Who is eligible to apply after the amendment?

Eligibility was limited to domestic entities, based on added language in Section III.A (Eligible Applicants).

Why did DOE add a domestic-entity eligibility restriction?

DOE states the limitation is necessary to meet DOE mission objectives, the SunShot Mission, and the specific goals of this FOA.

Which DOE office administered this opportunity?

The opportunity was administered by DOE's Golden Field Office.

When was the opportunity posted and when were applications due?

It was posted on April 16, 2012, and the application deadline was June 18, 2012. The opportunity was archived on July 1, 2012.

How were applications required to be submitted?

Applications were required to be submitted through the EERE Exchange platform.

What is required to submit through EERE Exchange?

EERE Exchange requires registration and account creation prior to submission. The FOA and submission instructions were hosted on EERE Exchange, along with a user guide for navigating the system.

Where were the FOA documents and submission instructions hosted?

The FOA, submission instructions, and a user guide were hosted on EERE Exchange.

Who should be contacted for access or administrative issues?

The notice lists Kenneth L. Outlaw, Grants Management Specialist, as the contact point for access or administrative issues.

How can applicants ask questions about the FOA content?

Questions related to the FOA content can be sent to PlugandPlayFOA@go.doe.gov.

What is the broader DOE initiative associated with this FOA?

The FOA is positioned within DOE's broader SunShot Mission and is intended to reduce costs and installation friction by rethinking both PV system design and surrounding processes that slow residential PV deployment.