Funding Opportunities

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) recently announced $127 million in funding to support the development of carbon dioxide capture, removal, and conversion test centers.  The test centers will support manufacturing facilities and power plants in accelerating the creation and deployment of sustainable technologies to reduce carbon emissions from industrial operations and power generation.  Proposals funded will support test centers in developing technologies to capture, remove, and convert carbon.  The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) features three topic areas that applicants may apply to:

1. Carbon Capture, Removal, and Conversion Test Center at an Electric Generating Unit: Focuses on “providing post-combustion flue gas testing capabilities representative of domestic coal and/or natural gas-based power systems.”
2. Enabling Capital Improvements at Existing Carbon Capture Test Facilities: Focuses on “providing enhanced capabilities and infrastructure improvements at existing flue gas testing centers representative of domestic fossil-based power systems.”
3. Carbon Capture, Removal, and Conversion Technology Test Center at a Cement Manufacturing Facility: Focuses on “providing flue gas testing representative of domestic cement manufacturing facilities.”

Applications are due October 31, 2024. 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) along with the Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) to announce a new climate action funding opportunity.  The DCL will route through the Research Coordination Networks (RCN) program to establish a University-Community Climate Action Network (UCCAN) that will aim to provide leadership in translating climate resilience, adaptation, mitigation, and environmental justice strategies into national solutions.  The UCCAN must represent a diverse and national range of communities and Institutions of Higher Education to collaborate between governments, industry, and local communities.  One cooperative agreement will be funded for up to two years and up to $2 million.  Proposals must be submitted to the RCN solicitation by November 15, 2024.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE's) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) released a request for information (RFI) to solicit feedback from stakeholders on the Energy Efficiency Scaling for Two Decades (EES2) Initiative and the draft EES2 Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap that accompanies this RFI. The roadmap outlines the technology R&D needed to increase the energy efficiency of semiconductor applications 1,000-fold over the next twenty years.

Responses to the RFI must be submitted electronically to micro.electronics@ee.doe.gov no later than 5 p.m. ET on September 30, 2024.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has issued a request for information (RFI) to better understand the market barriers and technical challenges for photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems.  

PVT systems combine standard photovoltaic (PV) panels with waste heat recovery systems and can be coupled with thermal energy storage. Heat from PV panels that is normally lost to the environment can be transferred to a thermal collector at the back of a PV panel to produce domestic hot water, heated ventilation air, or usable thermal energy that is stored for future application. 

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to ​PVT-RFI@ee.doe.gov​ no later than 5 p.m. ET on ​December 31, 2024​.

On September 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced its intent to issue a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) titled Solar Module and Solar Hardware (SMASH) Incubator. This potential funding opportunity will award up to $20 million for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects in crystalline silicon (c-Si) module technology, cadmium telluride (CdTe) module technology, and non-module hardware technology. 

This potential NOFO will encourage innovations in photovoltaics (PV) manufacturing across the supply chain, with the aim of reducing our reliance on imported materials and technologies. These activities will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals to transition to a carbon-free electricity system by 2035 and net-zero by 2050.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) entitled “Advanced Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies to Drive National Decarbonization.”

Clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are important elements of a comprehensive energy portfolio, particularly for use in hard-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy (such as heavy-duty transportation and industrial applications) and to enable long duration energy storage for a clean electric grid. Advancing clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies directly supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of achieving carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050, benefiting all Americans.

$2.4 million in cash prizes and technical assistance vouchers will be granted to innovators who can help simplify the electrification processes for contractors and implementers.

Contact: Alyssa Watson, alyssa@adlventures.com

Deadline: 8 March

The Department of Defense’s ESTCP demonstration/validation program is seeking proposals for innovative environmental and installation energy technology demonstrations as candidates for funding beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.

Pre-Proposal Deadline: 9 March

MassCEC’s MWBE Support Grants provide up to $1 million across three years in grant funds and technical support to organizations that address the barriers faced by MWBEs in the clean energy sector and provide MWBEs with the skills and resources to thrive. Grantees develop or expand programs that provide support to existing MWBEs entering the clean energy sector and/or assist in the creation of new MWBEs in the sector.

Application Deadline: 10 March

The Community Power Accelerator^TM connects developers, investors, philanthropists, and community-based organizations to create an ecosystem of partners that work together to get more equity-focused community solar projects financed and deployed. Part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP), the accelerator will create a pipeline of credit-ready community solar projects—particularly those that provide benefits to underserved communities—and connect them with mission-aligned investors and philanthropic organizations to get these projects funded.

Join the accelerator and apply for the Community Power Accelerator Prize by March 15.

The California Energy Commission will invest up to $15 million in projects to develop, test and demonstrate zero-carbon, cost-effective, prefabricated homes that can be readily deployed, particularly in under-resourced communities including California Native American Tribes. Projects that maximize the spending of CEC funds in California will be given preference.

Pre-Application Workshop (optional but encouraged): 31 January

Application Deadline: 17 March

MassCEC’s Equity Workforce Training Implementation Grants provide up to $1,200,000 across two to three years in grant funds and technical support to applicants developing or expanding programs that provide job training and support services to underserved individuals seeking employment in the clean energy sector.

Application Deadline: 20 March

The Tech Deployment Track is an eight-month accelerator program that compresses the time, proximity, and attention required to forge partnerships, identify projects, and move promising climate tech companies toward deployment of their products or services in Alaska.

Application Deadline: 15 May

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program is designed to assist states, local governments, and Tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use, to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and to improve energy efficiency.

The EECBG Program Formula Grant Application is now open for eligible entities!

Visit the Application Hub to learn how to apply for $430 million in clean energy and energy efficiency funding.

The Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program provides communities with expertise and tools to achieve their clean energy goals. C2C is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by NREL.

C2C connects local governments, tribes, electric utilities, and community-based organizations with national laboratory experts and customized, cutting-edge analysis to achieve clean energy systems that are reflective of local and regional priorities. By bringing together innovative technology, state-of-the-art modeling, and unique abilities to test clean energy plans before installing them in the field, C2C can help close the gap between clean energy ambitions and real-world deployment. Communities lie at the heart of C2C, recognizing that when it comes to clean energy, each community has different institutional contexts, resources, challenges, opportunities, and ambitions. C2C fosters community-led innovation with tailored support, from goal-setting and project development to technology deployment.