Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000629
Apply for DE FOA 0000629
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "RFI Hydropower Advancement Project" 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 9, 2012 and posted on Feb 9, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 21, 2012. (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 Department of Energy (DOE), through its Golden Field Office, issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Hydropower Advancement Project (HAP)" under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0000629. This is not a traditional grant solicitation where applicants compete for a set amount of funding. Instead, DOE is collecting input from the hydropower community to shape and refine a planned initiative aimed at increasing performance at existing hydropower facilities in the United States. The opportunity is categorized under Energy and references CFDA 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development). No cost sharing or matching is required, and eligibility is essentially unrestricted, meaning DOE is open to hearing from a wide range of entities and stakeholders.
The core focus of the RFI is practical upgrades at existing hydropower plants rather than building entirely new dams or greenfield facilities. DOE is specifically asking hydropower owners and operators, project and technology developers, equipment manufacturers, consultants, and other relevant stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve three main areas: efficiency (getting more electricity out of the same resource and equipment), capacity (increasing the plant's ability to produce power, such as through uprating units or adding generating capability), and water utilization (using available water more effectively, which may include operational improvements or technologies that increase generation without increasing environmental impacts). The underlying premise is that the U.S. can unlock substantial additional clean electricity by modernizing and optimizing what is already built.
DOE provides a clear estimate of the national potential it believes could be captured through cost-effective and sustainable upgrades at existing hydropower sites: roughly 8 to 16 gigawatts (GW) of additional capacity and about 55 terawatt-hours (TWh) of additional annual generation. Those figures signal that DOE views hydropower modernization as a major near- to mid-term clean energy lever, especially because improvements at existing facilities can often move faster and with fewer siting challenges than new construction. The Hydropower Advancement Project (HAP) is presented as DOE's structured effort to support development of this upgrade resource, and the RFI is meant to ensure the project is grounded in real-world plant conditions, costs, constraints, and measurable outcomes.
What DOE wants from respondents is feedback that helps refine HAP before it is executed or expanded. The agency is explicitly seeking suggestions and comments on the objectives (what the program should aim to achieve), the rationale (why the approach makes sense and how it aligns with sector needs), the methodology (how DOE plans to identify, evaluate, and prioritize upgrade opportunities), and execution (how the initiative should be carried out in practice, including potential barriers and how to overcome them). In other words, DOE is inviting industry and technical experts to influence how the federal government defines "cost effective and sustainable" hydropower upgrades, how it quantifies gains, how it accounts for environmental and operational constraints, and how it structures any future activities that may follow from the initiative.
Key administrative details include a posted and created date of February 9, 2012, with responses due by February 21, 2012, and an archive date of March 22, 2012. The listing shows award ceiling and floor as $0, consistent with an RFI rather than a funding competition. The primary public access point referenced is FedConnect (linked in the announcement), which would contain the full RFI text and any instructions for submitting responses. For access issues with the full announcement, DOE provided a point of contact: David Welsh at david.welsh@go.doe.gov.
In practical terms, organizations that would have benefited from responding include utilities and plant owners with candidate upgrade portfolios, turbine-generator and control system manufacturers with modernization solutions, engineering firms with uprate and refurbishment experience, and researchers or developers with technologies that improve efficiency or water-to-wire performance. Strong responses would typically include data-driven observations about what upgrades deliver the best returns, what site conditions limit improvements, what regulatory or environmental considerations most affect implementation, and what metrics or screening methods DOE should use to identify the most promising projects nationwide.
Hydropower Advancement Project (HAP) RFI (DE-FOA-0000629) - Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is this opportunity?
This opportunity is a Department of Energy (DOE) Request for Information (RFI) titled "Hydropower Advancement Project (HAP)" under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0000629, issued through DOE's Golden Field Office. It is a request for input from the hydropower community to help DOE shape and refine a planned initiative focused on improving performance at existing U.S. hydropower facilities.
2) Is this a grant or a funding competition?
No. The listing is not a traditional grant solicitation. It is an RFI, meaning DOE is collecting feedback rather than selecting applicants for an award. This is reflected in the announcement showing an award ceiling and floor of $0.
3) What is DOE trying to accomplish with the Hydropower Advancement Project (HAP)?
DOE is aiming to increase performance at existing hydropower plants in the United States by identifying cost-effective and sustainable upgrade opportunities. The RFI is intended to ensure the planned HAP initiative is grounded in real-world plant conditions, costs, constraints, and measurable outcomes.
4) What types of hydropower projects are in scope?
The focus is on practical upgrades at existing hydropower facilities, not on building entirely new dams or developing greenfield hydropower sites. Respondents are asked to identify modernization and optimization opportunities at plants that are already built and operating.
5) What improvement areas does DOE want respondents to address?
DOE is asking for opportunities to improve three main areas:
- Efficiency: generating more electricity from the same resource and equipment.
- Capacity: increasing the plant's ability to produce power, such as through uprating units or adding generating capability.
- Water utilization: using available water more effectively, including operational improvements or technologies that increase generation without increasing environmental impacts.
6) Why is DOE focused on upgrades at existing hydropower facilities?
The premise described in the RFI summary is that the United States can unlock substantial additional clean electricity by modernizing and optimizing facilities that already exist. DOE notes that improvements at existing facilities can often move faster and face fewer siting challenges than new construction.
7) What national potential does DOE estimate could be captured through upgrades?
DOE estimates that cost-effective and sustainable upgrades at existing hydropower sites could provide roughly:
- 8 to 16 gigawatts (GW) of additional capacity, and
- about 55 terawatt-hours (TWh) of additional annual generation.
8) What kind of feedback is DOE requesting in the RFI?
DOE is explicitly seeking suggestions and comments that help refine HAP before it is executed or expanded, including input on:
- Objectives: what the program should aim to achieve.
- Rationale: why the approach makes sense and how it aligns with sector needs.
- Methodology: how DOE should identify, evaluate, and prioritize upgrade opportunities.
- Execution: how the initiative should be carried out in practice, including barriers and ways to overcome them.
9) Who is eligible to respond to this RFI?
Eligibility is essentially unrestricted. DOE indicates it is open to hearing from a wide range of entities and stakeholders across the hydropower community.
10) What types of organizations would be most relevant to respond?
The opportunity description highlights respondents such as hydropower owners and operators, project and technology developers, equipment manufacturers, consultants, and other relevant stakeholders. Examples noted include utilities and plant owners with upgrade portfolios, turbine-generator and control system manufacturers with modernization solutions, engineering firms with uprate and refurbishment experience, and researchers or developers with efficiency or water-to-wire performance technologies.
11) Is cost sharing or matching required to participate?
No. The opportunity states that no cost sharing or matching is required.
12) What is the CFDA program reference for this opportunity?
The opportunity references CFDA 81.087, Renewable Energy Research and Development.
13) What category is this opportunity listed under?
The opportunity is categorized under Energy.
14) How does DOE want respondents to think about "cost effective and sustainable" upgrades?
Based on the RFI description, DOE is looking for input that helps it define and apply the concepts of "cost effective and sustainable" in a practical way, including how to quantify gains, how to account for environmental and operational constraints, and how to structure future activities that may follow from the initiative.
15) What kinds of details would make an RFI response more useful?
The opportunity notes that strong responses would typically include data-driven observations such as which upgrades deliver the best returns, what site conditions limit improvements, which regulatory or environmental considerations most affect implementation, and what metrics or screening methods DOE should use to identify the most promising projects nationwide.
16) When was the RFI posted, and what were the key dates?
Key administrative dates listed are:
- Posted/Created date: February 9, 2012
- Response due date: February 21, 2012
- Archive date: March 22, 2012
17) Where can the full RFI announcement and submission instructions be found?
The announcement references FedConnect as the primary public access point, where the full RFI text and any instructions for submitting responses would be posted.
18) Who should be contacted for access issues with the full announcement?
For access issues, DOE provided a point of contact: David Welsh at david.welsh@go.doe.gov.
19) Does the listing indicate any funding amount available?
No. The listing shows an award ceiling and floor of $0, which is consistent with an RFI rather than a funding competition.
20) What is DOE ultimately trying to learn from the hydropower community?
DOE is trying to gather practical, experience-based input that helps it understand real plant conditions and constraints, identify the most impactful upgrade pathways, decide how to prioritize opportunities nationwide, and determine how to measure performance improvements in efficiency, capacity, and water utilization at existing hydropower facilities.
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