Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001331
Apply for DE FOA 0001331
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI) Gas Clean Up for Fuel Cell Applications Workshop Report" 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 Jun 12, 2015 and posted on May 22, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 24, 2015. (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 $2.00 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:
The Department of Energy (DOE), through the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) within EERE, issued this notice as a Request for Information (RFI) tied to the "Gas Clean Up for Fuel Cell Applications" Workshop Report. It is not a funding solicitation and it is not accepting grant applications. The intent is to collect feedback from stakeholders on the findings and priorities captured in the workshop report, and to use that input to refine DOE's understanding of the most important technical barriers and research directions around cleaning up fuel streams for fuel cell systems.
This RFI specifically relates to a technical workshop held at Argonne National Laboratory on March 6-7, 2014, which brought together 43 participants spanning fuel cell developers, process solution providers, materials suppliers, government agencies, advocacy groups, universities, and national laboratories. The workshop was structured to surface and rank the problems that make gas clean-up challenging and expensive for real-world fuel cell plants, especially when fuels are reformed or derived from variable sources and therefore contain impurities that can degrade performance, increase system complexity, and shorten stack life.
The workshop objectives, and therefore the focus of the RFI feedback, center on four main areas. First, it aimed to identify which impurities have the greatest impact on fuel cell plant complexity and performance. Second, it sought research and development strategies that could reduce the cost of onsite impurity removal, since cleanup hardware and consumables can be a major contributor to overall system cost and operational burden. Third, it targeted R and D pathways that would simplify overall plant design and lower delivered product cost, whether the system output is heat, power, hydrogen, or combinations of these. Fourth, it examined fuel processors and gas cleanup approaches that enable modular designs and greater fuel flexibility across different fuel cell technologies, reflecting the reality that different stacks have different tolerance limits and operating constraints.
To organize these topics, the workshop was split into three working sessions: one focused on impurities themselves (what matters most and why), another on cleanup technologies (what options exist and what their limitations are), and a third on the research and development needed to advance those cleanup technologies to be cheaper, more robust, more compact, and easier to integrate into commercial fuel cell plants. The RFI is essentially DOE's mechanism for asking the broader community: do you agree with the report's conclusions, what important findings might be missing, and how would you prioritize the challenges and R and D needs if your ranking differs from what the report states.
Administratively, this notice was modified to extend the response deadline to July 24, 2015 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time (it originally closed July 1, 2015). Responses had to be submitted electronically by email to fuelcellresearchneeds@ee.doe.gov, provided as attachments, with no expectation of DOE answering questions about the RFI. The opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001331, categorized as discretionary and listed under CFDA 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development). It lists unrestricted eligibility (open to any entity type, subject to any clarifications in the full text), no cost sharing requirement, and zero expected awards, which is consistent with the fact that it is an RFI rather than a funding announcement. The full announcement was made available through EERE Exchange, and a point of contact was provided for access issues (Nicholas Oscarsson via the same inbox).
In practical terms, the "ask" to respondents was to provide informed, experience-based input that can help DOE validate or adjust the workshop-derived priorities around impurity management for fuel cell applications. This kind of RFI commonly serves as a market and technical sounding board before DOE shapes future research agendas, roadmaps, or potential future funding opportunities, but by its own terms this notice did not provide funding and did not solicit project proposals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1) Is this a grant or funding opportunity?
No. This notice is a Request for Information (RFI), not a funding solicitation. It is not accepting grant applications or project proposals, and it lists zero expected awards.
2) What is the purpose of this RFI?
The purpose is to collect feedback from stakeholders on the findings and priorities captured in the "Gas Clean Up for Fuel Cell Applications" Workshop Report. DOE intends to use the input to refine its understanding of key technical barriers and research directions related to cleaning up fuel streams for fuel cell systems.
3) Who issued the RFI?
The RFI was issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
4) What is this RFI connected to?
This RFI is tied to the "Gas Clean Up for Fuel Cell Applications" Workshop Report, which summarizes priorities and findings from a technical workshop focused on gas cleanup challenges for fuel cell plants.
5) What workshop does the RFI reference?
The RFI relates to a technical workshop held at Argonne National Laboratory on March 6-7, 2014.
6) Who participated in the workshop?
The workshop included 43 participants representing fuel cell developers, process solution providers, materials suppliers, government agencies, advocacy groups, universities, and national laboratories.
7) What problem area is DOE seeking feedback on?
DOE is seeking input on the problems that make gas clean-up challenging and expensive for real-world fuel cell plants, especially where fuels are reformed or derived from variable sources and contain impurities that can degrade performance, increase system complexity, and shorten stack life.
8) What types of feedback is DOE looking for?
DOE is asking the broader community to comment on whether they agree with the workshop report conclusions, identify any missing findings, and suggest how challenges and R&D needs should be prioritized if their rankings differ from the report.
9) What are the main focus areas DOE highlighted for feedback?
The workshop objectives (and the RFI feedback focus) center on four areas: (1) identifying which impurities most impact fuel cell plant complexity and performance, (2) identifying R&D strategies to reduce the cost of onsite impurity removal, (3) identifying R&D pathways to simplify plant design and lower delivered product cost (heat, power, hydrogen, or combinations), and (4) examining fuel processors and gas cleanup approaches that enable modular designs and greater fuel flexibility across fuel cell technologies.
10) How was the workshop organized?
The workshop was split into three working sessions: one on impurities (what matters and why), one on cleanup technologies (options and limitations), and one on R&D needed to make cleanup technologies cheaper, more robust, more compact, and easier to integrate into commercial fuel cell plants.
11) Does this RFI provide funding for research or prototypes?
No. This RFI does not provide funding and does not request project proposals. It is intended to gather information to help DOE validate or adjust priorities.
12) Does DOE expect to make any awards under this notice?
No. The notice lists zero expected awards, which aligns with it being an RFI rather than a funding opportunity announcement.
13) Who is eligible to respond?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any entity type), subject to any clarifications in the full text of the notice.
14) Is cost sharing required to respond?
No. The notice indicates no cost sharing requirement, consistent with an information request rather than a funded program.
15) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this notice?
The Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0001331.
16) What CFDA number is associated with this notice?
The notice is listed under CFDA 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development).
17) What is the submission deadline for responses?
The response deadline was extended to July 24, 2015 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time (the original close date was July 1, 2015).
18) How were responses required to be submitted?
Responses had to be submitted electronically by email to fuelcellresearchneeds@ee.doe.gov and provided as attachments.
19) Will DOE answer questions about the RFI?
No. The notice states there was no expectation of DOE answering questions about the RFI.
20) Where was the full announcement posted?
The full announcement was made available through EERE Exchange.
21) Who should be contacted for access issues related to the announcement?
The notice provided a point of contact for access issues: Nicholas Oscarsson via the same inbox (fuelcellresearchneeds@ee.doe.gov).
22) What is DOE likely to do with the information collected?
Based on the notice description, DOE intends to use stakeholder input as a technical and market sounding board to validate or adjust workshop-derived priorities and refine its understanding of barriers and research directions for impurity management in fuel cell applications.
23) Does responding to this RFI guarantee future funding?
No. The notice explains that it does not provide funding and does not solicit project proposals. While RFIs can inform future research agendas or potential future opportunities, this notice does not promise any future funding.
24) What types of systems and outputs are considered in the RFI scope?
The scope includes fuel cell plants where delivered product cost may relate to heat, power, hydrogen, or combinations of these outputs, and it considers modular designs and fuel flexibility across different fuel cell technologies.
25) Why is gas cleanup a key concern for fuel cell plants?
According to the workshop framing described in the notice, impurities in fuel streams can degrade performance, increase system complexity, and shorten stack life. Cleanup hardware and consumables can also be major contributors to system cost and operational burden.
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