Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001510
Apply for DE FOA 0001510
- The DOE-GFO in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI) DE-FOA-0001510: Research, Development and Business Strategies Needs for Hydrogen and Automotive Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 04, 2016 and posted on Mar 04, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 25, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100.00 in funding.
- 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:
Request for Information (RFI) DE-FOA-0001510 is a Department of Energy (DOE) solicitation from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), specifically the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO), aimed at gathering input from the broader community on what is holding back key hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Rather than offering funding, this RFI functions as a listening and market-intelligence exercise: DOE is asking researchers, companies, and other stakeholders to describe technical hurdles, cost drivers, and promising directions that could shape future DOE research priorities or lead to a later Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The opportunity is categorized under energy-related discretionary activity (CFDA 81.087), and eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning any type of organization or entity may respond, subject to any additional clarifications in the full RFI.
The RFI focuses on three main areas where DOE believes better information from the field could help target federal research and strategy. First, FCTO is requesting detailed feedback on research and development needs for bipolar plates used in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), especially in automotive applications. Bipolar plates are a major stack component that affect durability, performance, manufacturability, weight, and cost, so the RFI is looking for ideas on how to improve plate performance while driving down cost. Responses in this area would typically address materials choices, corrosion resistance, contact resistance, coatings, forming or stamping methods, manufacturing throughput, quality control, and pathways to high-volume production that still meet automotive requirements.
Second, DOE is seeking perspectives on why hydrogen refueling stations have such high startup costs and what could be done to reduce them. The RFI points to two example contributors: the burden of installation and permitting efforts, and low utilization of equipment (meaning the station is capable of dispensing more hydrogen than it actually sells early on, which raises the cost per kilogram delivered). In practical terms, DOE is inviting respondents to talk about anything that drives up station capital expense and early operating expense, including siting constraints, local codes and permitting timelines, safety case development, compression and storage system costs, standardization challenges, construction complexity, and business-model barriers. The intent is to surface actionable strategies or research needs that could reduce first-of-a-kind and nth-of-a-kind station costs and help stations reach sustainable economics sooner.
Third, FCTO explicitly asks for innovative research topics that may not currently be part of its existing portfolio but could be appropriate for future work. This is a catch-all category meant to capture emerging concepts, cross-cutting research ideas, or overlooked bottlenecks that stakeholders believe deserve federal attention. In other words, DOE is leaving room for respondents to propose new technical angles, alternative approaches, enabling tools, or business strategies that do not fit neatly into ongoing FCTO programs but could meaningfully improve hydrogen and fuel cell deployment.
A key point in the notice is that this RFI is not a FOA and DOE is not accepting applications for funding under this posting. Submitting a response does not create any advantage or disadvantage for any future competition, and DOE makes it clear it may or may not issue a future FOA based on what it learns. Any eventual funding, if pursued later, would depend on congressional appropriations and agency direction, and details like award size, number of awards, and timing are explicitly not committed here (the listing even shows expected awards as zero, reflecting that this is information-gathering rather than a grant competition).
For participation, responses had to be submitted electronically by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on March 25, 2016, emailed to FY16FCTONeedsandStrategies@ee.doe.gov. The response needed to be attached as a Microsoft Word (.docx) document, limited to four pages, using 12-point font and one-inch margins. DOE recommended compressing attachments larger than 25 MB to improve deliverability. Respondents were encouraged to structure their input by clearly indicating which question or topic they were addressing, and they could respond to as many or as few topics as they wished. The full RFI text was made available through the EERE eXCHANGE website (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov), which is where DOE typically hosts official documents, instructions, and any related updates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - DOE RFI DE-FOA-0001510 (Fuel Cell Technologies Office)
1) What is Request for Information (RFI) DE-FOA-0001510?
DE-FOA-0001510 is a Department of Energy (DOE) Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), specifically the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO). It is used to gather input from stakeholders on what is holding back key hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, including technical hurdles, cost drivers, and promising directions for future work.
2) Is this a grant or funding opportunity?
No. This posting is an RFI, not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). DOE is not accepting applications for funding under this notice, and the expected awards are listed as zero because it is an information-gathering effort rather than a grant competition.
3) What is the purpose of this RFI?
The purpose is to collect market intelligence and technical feedback that could help DOE target research and strategy. Responses may inform future DOE research priorities and could potentially influence whether DOE issues a later FOA, but DOE makes no commitment to do so.
4) Which DOE office is running this RFI?
The RFI is from DOE EERE, through the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO).
5) What program/category is this associated with?
The opportunity is categorized under an energy-related discretionary activity and references CFDA 81.087.
6) Who is eligible to respond?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning any type of organization or entity may respond, subject to any additional clarifications in the full RFI.
7) What are the main topic areas DOE is asking about?
DOE focuses on three main areas:
- Research and development needs for bipolar plates used in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), especially automotive applications
- Drivers of high startup costs for hydrogen refueling stations and strategies to reduce those costs
- Innovative research topics not currently in FCTO's existing portfolio that could be appropriate for future work
8) What kinds of input is DOE seeking on bipolar plates for PEM fuel cells?
DOE is looking for detailed feedback on barriers and R&D needs tied to bipolar plates, which affect durability, performance, manufacturability, weight, and cost. Example areas mentioned include materials choices, corrosion resistance, contact resistance, coatings, forming or stamping methods, manufacturing throughput, quality control, and pathways to high-volume production that still meet automotive requirements.
9) Why are bipolar plates emphasized in this RFI?
The RFI highlights bipolar plates as a major fuel cell stack component with significant influence on system durability, performance, manufacturability, weight, and cost, particularly for automotive PEMFC applications.
10) What kinds of input is DOE seeking on hydrogen refueling station startup costs?
DOE is seeking perspectives on why startup costs are high and what could reduce them. The RFI calls out examples such as the burden of installation and permitting efforts and low utilization of equipment early on (stations can dispense more hydrogen than they sell at first, increasing cost per kilogram delivered). DOE also invites discussion of other cost drivers, including siting constraints, local codes and permitting timelines, safety case development, compression and storage system costs, standardization challenges, construction complexity, and business-model barriers.
11) What does DOE mean by "low utilization" at hydrogen stations?
In this RFI, low utilization refers to station equipment being capable of dispensing more hydrogen than it actually dispenses in the early stages of operation. This can raise the effective cost per kilogram delivered because fixed costs are spread over fewer kilograms sold.
12) What is DOE asking for in the "innovative topics" area?
DOE requests innovative research topics that may not currently be part of FCTO's existing portfolio. This catch-all category is intended to capture emerging concepts, cross-cutting ideas, overlooked bottlenecks, enabling tools, alternative technical approaches, or business strategies that stakeholders believe deserve federal attention.
13) Can a response cover more than one topic?
Yes. Respondents could address as many or as few topics as they wished, and DOE encouraged structuring responses by clearly indicating which question or topic was being addressed.
14) Does submitting an RFI response affect future funding opportunities?
DOE states that submitting a response does not create any advantage or disadvantage for any future competition.
15) Will DOE definitely issue a future FOA based on this RFI?
No. DOE indicates it may or may not issue a future FOA based on what it learns through the RFI process. Any eventual funding would depend on congressional appropriations and agency direction, and details such as timing, award size, and number of awards are not committed in this notice.
16) What was the deadline to submit responses?
Responses had to be submitted electronically by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on March 25, 2016.
17) How were responses submitted?
Responses were submitted by email to FY16FCTONeedsandStrategies@ee.doe.gov.
18) What file format and length requirements applied?
The response needed to be attached as a Microsoft Word (.docx) document, limited to four pages, using 12-point font and one-inch margins.
19) Were there any attachment size or delivery recommendations?
Yes. DOE recommended compressing attachments larger than 25 MB to improve deliverability.
20) Where could applicants find the full RFI text and any updates?
The full RFI text was made available through the EERE eXCHANGE website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov, which is where DOE typically hosts official documents, instructions, and related updates.
21) Does this opportunity indicate any expected number of awards?
Yes. The listing shows expected awards as zero, consistent with this being an RFI rather than a funding solicitation.
22) What kinds of issues does DOE want respondents to describe overall?
Across the three focus areas, DOE is asking the community to describe technical hurdles, cost drivers, bottlenecks, and promising directions that could shape future federal research priorities and strategy related to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
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