U.S. Offshore Wind Removing Market Barriers | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): U.S. Offshore Wind Removing Market Barriers (DE-FOA-0000414)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) discretionary funding opportunity titled "U.S. Offshore Wind Removing Market Barriers" under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0000414, released through DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

2) What is the main purpose of this program?

The purpose is to accelerate offshore wind development in the United States by funding research and applied studies that reduce non-hardware barriers that slow projects down, increase costs, or create uncertainty for developers, regulators, financiers, utilities, and coastal stakeholders.

3) Does this funding pay to build commercial offshore wind farms?

No. The emphasis is not on constructing commercial wind farms directly. Instead, DOE is focused on funding analyses, data development, tools, and planning work that help offshore wind projects become easier to permit, finance, design, interconnect, and operate.

4) What kinds of activities and deliverables is DOE looking for?

DOE indicated it would fund social, environmental, and technical analyses, along with engineering and planning activities needed to execute the proposed scope of work. Typical deliverables include datasets, modeling results, validated methodologies, planning studies, design-condition recommendations, risk frameworks, and decision-support tools.

5) What award types were anticipated?

Awards were to be provided through cooperative agreements and grants. DOE anticipated an active role in project oversight and coordination for at least some selections (which is commonly associated with cooperative agreements).

6) What program category and CFDA is associated with this opportunity?

The program falls under the Energy activity category and is associated with CFDA 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development).

7) Is cost share (matching) required?

Yes. A cost share or matching contribution was required, meaning applicants were expected to provide non-federal resources (for example, cash, in-kind labor, data, equipment use, or partner support), as permitted by the full announcement.

8) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, which generally suggests the opportunity was open to a wide range of applicant types (such as universities, private companies, nonprofits, state and local governments, utilities, and research organizations), subject to any limitations described in the full FOA text.

9) How is the work organized (topic areas)?

DOE organized the work into seven topic areas intended to reduce uncertainty and improve decision-making across the offshore wind project lifecycle.

10) What is Topic Area 1: Offshore Wind Market and Economic Analysis?

This topic targets studies that clarify project economics, cost drivers, financing conditions, market structures, and policy or regulatory factors that influence offshore wind deployment.

11) What is Topic Area 2: Environmental Risk Reduction?

This topic supports efforts to better understand and manage environmental impacts and permitting risks. It can include methods, monitoring approaches, mitigation strategies, and other work that helps stakeholders evaluate and reduce environmental uncertainties.

12) What is Topic Area 3: Manufacturing and Supply Chain Development?

This topic focuses on identifying and addressing constraints in domestic manufacturing capacity, port and staging needs, component supply, workforce considerations, and logistics issues that affect the ability to scale offshore wind in the U.S.

13) What is Topic Area 4: Transmission Planning and Interconnection Studies?

This topic centers on grid integration challenges, offshore and onshore transmission planning, interconnection processes, and analytical work that helps utilities and planners integrate offshore wind reliably and cost-effectively.

14) What is Topic Area 5: Optimized Infrastructure and Operations?

This topic is oriented toward practical engineering and planning to improve how offshore projects are built and operated. It includes installation strategies, vessels and port interfaces, operations and maintenance concepts, reliability planning, and approaches that reduce lifecycle costs and downtime.

15) What is Topic Area 6: Resource Characterization and Design Conditions?

This topic aims to strengthen the data and assumptions used in engineering design by improving understanding of offshore wind resources and site conditions such as wind, waves, turbulence, extreme events, and other environmental inputs that influence turbine and foundation design requirements.

16) What is Topic Area 7: Impact on Electronic Equipment in the Marine Environment?

This topic addresses how offshore wind installations may interact with or affect electronic systems in marine settings, including navigation, communications, sensing, and other equipment potentially sensitive to electromagnetic or operational conditions offshore.

17) What is the application process timeline?

The opportunity used a staged process with multiple deadlines: a letter of intent, a preliminary application, invitations for selected applicants to submit final applications, and a final application due date that also served as the closing date.

18) When was the letter of intent (LOI) due?

The letter of intent was due March 11, 2011 at 7:00 PM EST.

19) When was the preliminary application due?

The preliminary application was due March 25, 2011 at 7:00 PM EST.

20) When did DOE anticipate inviting selected applicants to submit final applications?

DOE anticipated issuing invitations on May 13, 2011.

21) When were final applications due, and what was the closing date?

Final applications were due June 10, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST. This also served as the closing date.

22) How much funding was available and what were the award sizes?

The listing shows estimated total funding and award floor/ceiling fields as 0. This typically means the summary record did not populate those values, and applicants would need to consult the full FOA for actual funding ranges and expected award sizes.

23) Which DOE office administered this opportunity?

The administering office listed was DOE's Golden Field Office.

24) Where was the primary public link to access the opportunity?

The primary public link for the opportunity was provided via FedConnect.

25) Who should be contacted for access issues?

The contact listed for access issues was Fania K. Gordon, Grants and Agreements Specialist, at fania.gordon@go.doe.gov.

26) Who are the intended beneficiaries or stakeholders for the results of funded work?

DOE framed the work as reducing uncertainty and improving decision-making for offshore wind developers, regulators, financiers, utilities, and coastal stakeholders by producing usable analyses, data, tools, and planning outputs.

27) What types of barriers is DOE trying to remove?

The focus is on non-hardware barriers that can slow projects down, raise costs, or increase uncertainty. This can include issues affecting permitting, environmental risk management, supply chain constraints, transmission planning and interconnection, operational planning, and foundational design data.

28) Does this opportunity support both research and applied studies?

Yes. DOE described supporting research and applied studies, including social, environmental, and technical analyses, as well as engineering and planning activities.

29) What does DOE mean by reducing uncertainty across the offshore wind project lifecycle?

Based on the topic areas and stated goals, this refers to improving information and decision-support from early market and economic analysis, through permitting and environmental assessment, manufacturing and logistics readiness, transmission and interconnection planning, construction and operations planning, and the data used for engineering design conditions.

30) Is DOE expected to be actively involved after award?

At least for some selections, yes. Because DOE planned awards through cooperative agreements and grants, it anticipated an active role in project oversight and coordination for at least some projects.