Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000595
Apply for DE FOA 0000595
- The Golden Field Office in the energy environment science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SunShot Concentrating Solar Power Research and Development" 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 Dec 20, 2011 and posted on Oct 25, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 7, 2012 Preliminary Applications Due 11/22/2011 Full Applications Due 2/7/2012 Only Applicants who submit Preliminary Applications by the due date and whose Preliminary Applications are selected will be eligible to submit a Full Application.. (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 SunShot Concentrating Solar Power Research and Development opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0000595) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding announcement under the SunShot Initiative aimed at advancing next-generation concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. The program focuses on applied, potentially game-changing research intended to push CSP well beyond incremental improvements and toward a long-term cost target of about 6 cents per kWh by the end of the decade. DOE is looking for disruptive concepts that can materially improve efficiency, lower costs, and increase reliability compared with current and near-commercial CSP systems, with an emphasis on proving new ideas in core subsystems and the hardware/manufacturing methods needed to make them real.
The technical scope centers on breakthroughs in key CSP building blocks, specifically collectors, receivers, and power cycles, along with related components and production processes. The intent is that successful projects do more than generate paper studies; they should demonstrate and validate new technical concepts in a way that can plausibly feed into later stages such as subsystem integration, engineering-scale prototypes, scale-up engineering, and ultimately commercial manufacturing for power generation. DOE frames this as exploration of transformative approaches that could overcome known performance barriers, including temperature and efficiency limitations that constrain today’s designs.
Applications are organized into four topic areas. Topic 1 targets Advanced Collectors, meaning innovations in how sunlight is gathered and concentrated. Topic 2 covers Advanced Receivers, focusing on the part of the system that absorbs concentrated solar energy and transfers it into a working medium. Topic 3 is Advanced Power Cycles, aimed at new or improved thermodynamic cycles and conversion approaches that can turn high-temperature heat into electricity more efficiently and reliably. Topic 4, Seedling CSP Concepts, is designed for earlier-stage, high-risk ideas that may not fit neatly into the other categories but could represent major step changes if proven.
This announcement is structured as a discretionary funding opportunity using cooperative agreements (which generally implies substantial DOE involvement during the project). A cost share is required (CFDA 81.087 Renewable Energy Research and Development), and the amendment to the announcement clarifies an important detail: the cost share percentages listed in the FOA’s Section III.B are minimum required amounts for each project phase, not optional targets. In addition, the amendment adds formatting requirements for the Project Narrative (specifically font requirements) and requires inclusion of “Current and Pending Support†information (when applicable). That Current and Pending Support section is explicitly not counted against the 25-page project narrative limit. The FOA notes that changes made by the amendment are highlighted in yellow in the posted document, and that all other portions of the funding opportunity remain the same.
The application process runs through DOE’s EERE Exchange website, and submissions must be made there to be considered for award. Applicants must register and create an account in EERE Exchange, and DOE provides a user guide through EERE resources to help with the submission process. The schedule described in the opportunity uses a two-step process: a preliminary application was due on November 22, 2011, and only applicants whose preliminary applications were submitted on time and selected by DOE would be eligible to submit a full application, due February 7, 2012. The opportunity is associated with DOE’s Golden Field Office, and questions about the content of the announcement were directed to the listed contact email (sunshot_csp@go.doe.gov), with support offered for those who had trouble accessing the full announcement electronically.
Overall, this FOA is best read as DOE’s attempt to seed and accelerate high-impact CSP R&D that can change the trajectory of cost and performance, especially by attacking the main technical bottlenecks in collectors, receivers, and power conversion, while still keeping a pathway in mind toward scale-up and commercialization.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the SunShot Concentrating Solar Power Research and Development opportunity?
This opportunity is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding announcement under the SunShot Initiative focused on advancing next-generation concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies through applied research and development.
2. What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number) for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0000595.
3. What is the main goal of this FOA?
The FOA aims to support potentially game-changing CSP research intended to go well beyond incremental improvements. DOE frames a long-term cost target of about 6 cents per kWh by the end of the decade, and is seeking disruptive concepts that can materially improve efficiency, lower costs, and increase reliability compared with current and near-commercial CSP systems.
4. What types of projects is DOE looking for under this opportunity?
DOE is looking for applied, transformative R&D concepts that address known performance barriers in CSP (including temperature and efficiency limitations). The focus is on breakthroughs in core subsystems and the related hardware/manufacturing methods needed to validate and eventually enable later-stage development and commercial manufacturing.
5. Which CSP subsystems are emphasized in the technical scope?
The technical scope centers on key CSP building blocks, specifically collectors, receivers, and power cycles, along with related components and production processes.
6. Does DOE want paper studies, or are demonstrations expected?
The intent is that successful projects do more than paper studies. Projects are expected to demonstrate and validate new technical concepts in a way that can plausibly feed into later stages such as subsystem integration, engineering-scale prototypes, scale-up engineering, and ultimately commercial manufacturing for power generation.
7. What are the topic areas for applications?
Applications are organized into four topic areas:
- Topic 1: Advanced Collectors
- Topic 2: Advanced Receivers
- Topic 3: Advanced Power Cycles
- Topic 4: Seedling CSP Concepts
8. What is Topic 1 (Advanced Collectors) about?
Topic 1 targets innovations in how sunlight is gathered and concentrated (collector advances).
9. What is Topic 2 (Advanced Receivers) about?
Topic 2 focuses on advanced receivers, meaning the part of the system that absorbs concentrated solar energy and transfers it into a working medium.
10. What is Topic 3 (Advanced Power Cycles) about?
Topic 3 is aimed at new or improved thermodynamic cycles and conversion approaches that can turn high-temperature heat into electricity more efficiently and reliably.
11. What is Topic 4 (Seedling CSP Concepts) intended for?
Topic 4 is designed for earlier-stage, high-risk ideas that may not fit neatly into the other categories but could represent major step changes if proven.
12. What award instrument is used for this funding opportunity?
This announcement is structured as a discretionary funding opportunity using cooperative agreements, which generally implies substantial DOE involvement during the project.
13. Is cost share required?
Yes. A cost share is required under this FOA (CFDA 81.087 Renewable Energy Research and Development).
14. What clarification did the amendment make about cost share?
The amendment clarifies that the cost share percentages listed in the FOA's Section III.B are minimum required amounts for each project phase, not optional targets.
15. What changes did the amendment make to application formatting or content requirements?
The amendment adds formatting requirements for the Project Narrative (specifically font requirements) and requires inclusion of "Current and Pending Support" information when applicable.
16. Does the "Current and Pending Support" section count toward the project narrative page limit?
No. The FOA explicitly states that the Current and Pending Support section (when applicable) is not counted against the 25-page project narrative limit.
17. How can applicants identify what changed in the amended FOA?
The FOA notes that changes made by the amendment are highlighted in yellow in the posted document, and that all other portions of the funding opportunity remain the same.
18. Where must applications be submitted?
Applications must be submitted through DOE's EERE Exchange website. Submissions must be made there to be considered for award.
19. Do applicants need to register for EERE Exchange?
Yes. Applicants must register and create an account in EERE Exchange in order to submit an application.
20. Is there guidance available for using EERE Exchange?
Yes. DOE provides a user guide through EERE resources to help with the submission process.
21. What is the application process and timeline described in this opportunity?
The schedule uses a two-step process. A preliminary application was due on November 22, 2011, and only applicants whose preliminary applications were submitted on time and selected by DOE would be eligible to submit a full application, due February 7, 2012.
22. Who is eligible to submit a full application?
Only applicants whose preliminary applications were submitted on time and selected by DOE are eligible to submit a full application.
23. Which DOE office is associated with this FOA?
The opportunity is associated with DOE's Golden Field Office.
24. Where should questions about the content of the FOA be directed?
Questions about the content of the announcement were directed to the contact email: sunshot_csp@go.doe.gov.
25. What if an applicant has trouble accessing the full announcement electronically?
The opportunity notes that support was offered for those who had trouble accessing the full announcement electronically, and directs content questions to the listed contact email.
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