Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0000439
Apply for DE FOA 0000439
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Wind Power Next Gen Drivetrain 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 Feb 7, 2011 and posted on Feb 7, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 1, 2011 Letter of Intent Due Date 3/7/2011, 1159 PM Eastern Time Application Due Date 4/1/2011, 1159 PM Eastern Time. (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.
- The following domestic entities are eligible to apply for this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) (1) Institutions of higher education (2) nonprofit and for profit private entities (3) State and local governments (4) Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) and (5) consortia of entities (1) through (4). For purposes of this FOA only, domestic entities constitute entities with a presence in the United States that will perform a substantial amount of work pursuant to this FOA within the United States.
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Opportunity Summary:
The U.S. Wind Power Next Gen Drivetrain Development grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0000439) is a discretionary grant program issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), specifically through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Wind and Water Power Program, with administration tied to DOE's Golden Field Office. The main purpose of the announcement is to push forward "next generation" wind turbine drivetrain technologies that can measurably reduce the cost of energy (COE) from wind power. In practical terms, DOE is looking for innovations in the drivetrain portion of a wind turbine system (the components that convert the rotor's mechanical energy into electrical power) because improvements there can directly lower upfront capital costs, reduce operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses over time, limit replacement and downtime costs, and potentially increase lifetime energy production through better efficiency and reliability.
This FOA is focused less on full-scale manufacturing or immediate commercial deployment and more on early-stage design and de-risking work. DOE's stated interest is in projects that create conceptual designs for innovative drivetrain systems and then perform risk-reduction analyses to show those concepts are technically plausible and worth further investment. That typically implies activities such as system-level architecture definition, modeling and simulation, component sizing and trade studies, reliability and failure-mode assessments, maintainability and service logistics considerations, and other engineering analyses aimed at identifying and reducing technical, integration, and performance risks before moving into expensive prototyping and field validation. The emphasis on "risk reduction analyses" signals that DOE wants applicants to do more than propose novel ideas; proposals should show a credible plan for evaluating weak points, uncertainty, and potential failure mechanisms, and for demonstrating why the concept could realistically improve COE drivers.
The funding activity category is Energy, and the program is listed under CFDA 81.087, Renewable Energy Research and Development. A cost-sharing or matching requirement applies, meaning recipients are expected to contribute a portion of total project costs from non-federal sources. The opportunity is marked as "Unrestricted" in eligible applicant type, and the eligibility text clarifies that a wide range of domestic entities may apply. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofit and for-profit private entities, state and local governments, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), and consortia made up of any combination of those entities. For this FOA, "domestic entities" are defined as those with a presence in the United States that will perform a substantial amount of the proposed work within the United States.
Key dates are clearly specified and were time-bound to 2011: the Letter of Intent was due March 7, 2011 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, and full applications were due April 1, 2011 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time (the original and current closing date both listed as April 1, 2011). While the public listing includes fields for estimated total funding and award size (ceiling and floor), those values are shown as 0 in the provided source data, which usually indicates that the public summary page did not populate those fields rather than confirming that no funding was available. Applicants were directed to FedConnect for the full announcement and submission details, and the point of contact listed for access issues was Jane B. Sanders, Grants and Agreements Specialist, at jane.sanders@go.doe.gov.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a DOE-driven push to reduce wind energy costs by improving one of the turbine's most cost- and reliability-critical subsystems. It invites a broad set of U.S.-based organizations to propose drivetrain concepts and back them up with rigorous analysis that addresses performance, reliability, maintainability, and economic impact, with the expectation that strong conceptual and risk-reduction work will set the stage for later prototyping and validation efforts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the U.S. Wind Power Next Gen Drivetrain Development funding opportunity?
It is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) focused on advancing "next generation" wind turbine drivetrain technologies. The goal is to develop innovative drivetrain concepts and perform analysis to de-risk those concepts so they can ultimately help reduce the cost of energy (COE) from wind power.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0000439.
Which DOE office is sponsoring this opportunity?
The opportunity is issued by DOE through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind and Water Power Program, with administration tied to DOE's Golden Field Office.
What problem is DOE trying to solve with this FOA?
DOE is targeting drivetrain improvements because the drivetrain is a cost- and reliability-critical subsystem in a wind turbine. Innovations there can reduce capital costs, lower operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses, reduce replacement and downtime costs, and potentially increase lifetime energy production through better efficiency and reliability. All of these factors can contribute to reducing wind power COE.
What is a wind turbine "drivetrain" in the context of this FOA?
In practical terms, the drivetrain refers to the components that convert the rotor's mechanical energy into electrical power. The FOA focuses on innovations in this subsystem.
What kinds of projects is DOE looking for under this announcement?
DOE is looking for projects that create conceptual designs for innovative drivetrain systems and then perform risk-reduction analyses to demonstrate the concepts are technically plausible and merit further investment.
Is this FOA intended to fund full-scale manufacturing or immediate commercial deployment?
No. The FOA is described as being focused more on early-stage design and de-risking work rather than full-scale manufacturing or immediate commercial deployment.
What does DOE mean by "risk-reduction analyses" for drivetrain concepts?
Based on the announcement description, risk-reduction analyses are engineering and technical evaluations intended to identify and reduce technical, integration, and performance risks before expensive prototyping and field validation. The FOA signals that applicants should go beyond proposing a novel idea and provide a credible plan to evaluate uncertainties and potential failure mechanisms.
What are examples of activities that fit the conceptual design and risk-reduction focus?
The FOA description indicates activities such as system-level architecture definition, modeling and simulation, component sizing and trade studies, reliability and failure-mode assessments, maintainability and service logistics considerations, and other engineering analyses aimed at reducing risk prior to prototyping and validation.
What is the main performance metric DOE is trying to improve?
The overarching objective is to measurably reduce the cost of energy (COE) from wind power. The FOA ties drivetrain improvements to key COE drivers like capital cost, O&M cost, downtime, replacement frequency, efficiency, reliability, and lifetime energy production.
What is the funding activity category for this opportunity?
The funding activity category is Energy.
What CFDA program is this opportunity associated with?
It is listed under CFDA 81.087, Renewable Energy Research and Development.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. A cost-sharing (matching) requirement applies, meaning recipients are expected to contribute a portion of the total project costs from non-federal sources.
Who is eligible to apply?
The eligible applicant type is marked as "Unrestricted," and the eligibility description indicates a wide range of domestic entities may apply. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofit and for-profit private entities, state and local governments, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), and consortia made up of any combination of those entities.
What does DOE mean by "domestic entities" for eligibility?
For this FOA, domestic entities are defined as those with a presence in the United States that will perform a substantial amount of the proposed work within the United States.
Can a consortium apply?
Yes. Consortia consisting of any combination of the eligible entity types are included as eligible applicants.
Are the application deadlines provided in the opportunity information?
Yes. The key dates provided are time-bound to 2011: the Letter of Intent was due March 7, 2011 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, and full applications were due April 1, 2011 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The closing date is listed as April 1, 2011.
Where were applicants directed to find the full announcement and submission details?
Applicants were directed to FedConnect for the full announcement and submission details.
Does the public summary specify the total funding amount or typical award size?
The public listing includes fields for estimated total funding and award size (ceiling and floor), but the values are shown as 0 in the provided source data. This is described as likely reflecting unpopulated fields on the summary page rather than confirming that no funding was available.
Who is the listed point of contact for access issues?
The point of contact listed for access issues is Jane B. Sanders, Grants and Agreements Specialist, at jane.sanders@go.doe.gov.
What is the practical takeaway of this FOA for prospective applicants?
The opportunity is positioned as a DOE effort to reduce wind energy costs by improving a critical subsystem (the drivetrain). It invites U.S.-based organizations to propose innovative drivetrain concepts and support them with rigorous analyses addressing performance, reliability, maintainability, and economic impact, with the expectation that strong conceptual and risk-reduction work can set the stage for later prototyping and validation.
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