This FOA supports the development of workforce programs and partnerships that will facilitate the continued deployment of solar energy technologies, while supporting an inclusive workforce with opportunities for career advancement, including through union membership. As part of the whole-of-government approach to advance equity and encourage worker organizing and collective bargaining, this FOA and any related activities will seek to encourage meaningful engagement and participation of labor unions and underserved communities and underrepresented groups, including consultation with Tribal Nations.

Areas of interest include:

• Apprenticeship readiness (pre-apprenticeship) or apprenticeship partnerships
• Community-led training partnerships
• Clean energy sector partnerships

Note that a Letter of Intent and Concept Paper are due before the final application deadline.

The Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment FOA will award $300,000–$13 million for projects that help communities design and deploy geothermal district heating and cooling systems, create related workforce training, and identify and address environmental justice concerns.

The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) anticipates making approximately 1–10 awards under the initial phase, with individual awards varying between $300,000 and $750,000. In the second phase, following a downselect, GTO anticipates making 1–4 awards, with individual awards between $2.5 million and $10 million. GTO seeks diverse teams to form U.S. community coalitions.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) seek to invest in innovative research and development (R&D) as well as research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that enable continued cost reductions, while developing next-generation solar technologies and boosting American solar manufacturing, especially in cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaics.

The research and development (R&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will develop and demonstrate new technologies enabling fast deployment of large amounts of solar generation into the grid.

This FOA will fund innovative solar photovoltaics (PV) R&D that reduces the cost of PV modules, reduces carbon and energy intensity of PV manufacturing processes, and optimizes PV technology for new, specialized markets.

This FOA will fund R&D on innovative cell- and minimodule-level technologies focused on three major goals:

•Enable cost reduction on an LCOE basis through development of durable, high-efficiency cell and module PV technology

•Identify pathways to reduce the carbon intensity and energy intensity of industrial processes required to fabricate PV cells and modules

•Increase technical viability of PV cells and modules tailored for emerging integrated PV sectors, such as building-integrated PV (BIPV) and vehicle-integrated PV.

Topics for the Department of Energy’s FY 2023 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1 Funding Opportunity Announcement are now available. The full Funding Opportunity Announcement will be released on August 8.  The following DOE program offices are participating in this solicitation:

• Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)
• Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
• Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
• Office of Nuclear Physics (NP)

DOE developed a $2.3 billion formula grant program to strengthen and modernize America’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other natural disasters that are exacerbated by the climate crisis. The program will distribute up to $2.3 billion over five years and will provide grants based on a formula that includes, among other things, population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts. Priority will be given to projects that generate the greatest community benefit providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy to everyone, everywhere, anytime.

Competitors are now invited to submit physical prototype systems, emphasizing technological innovation and challenging entrants to think outside the standard forms, materials, and price points of commercially available products. Up to six competitors earning the most points for innovation exceeding minimum performance requirements will share an award of $2 million.

The Prototype Phase has two separate tracks: a luminaire track and a connected systems track. Competitors may submit an entry for either track or separate entries for both tracks. DOE will evaluate each track’s submissions independently. Participation in the prior Concept Phase is not required to be eligible for subsequent phases of the L-Prize.

Prototype submissions will be evaluated in person by the Expert Reviewer Panel for energy efficiency, lighting performance, functionality, and sustainability features. Competitors can earn points for exceeding the minimum technical requirements and for additional technical innovations and approaches to support diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture (UIE) program supports research, education, and extension work by awarding grants to solve key problems of local, regional, and national importance that facilitate development of urban, indoor, and emerging agricultural systems. The program includes food value chain stages: production, harvesting, transportation, aggregation, packaging, distribution, and markets.

The Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program (BAP), also known as the Section 9003 Program, provides loan guarantees to assist in the development of advanced biofuels, renewable
chemicals, and biobased products manufacturing facilities.

The Regional Climate Collaboratives (RCC) Program is a capacity building grant program for under-resourced communities that enables cross-sectoral partners to deepen their relationships and develop processes, plans, and projects that will drive and sustain climate action. RCC seeks to strengthen local coordination, leadership, knowledge, and skills with a focus on increasing access to funding resources for project planning and implementation

The purpose of this notice is to request applications for special projects and programs associated with NOAA’s strategic plan and mission goals, as well as to provide the general public with information and guidelines on how NOAA will select applications and administer discretionary Federal assistance under this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). NOAA issues this BAA for extramural research, innovative projects, and sponsorships (e.g., conferences, newsletters, etc.) that address one or more of the following four mission goal descriptions contained in the NOAA Strategic Plan:

1. Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
2. Weather-Ready Nation
3. Healthy Oceans
4. Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies

The Solar District Cup challenges multidisciplinary student teams to design and model distributed energy systems for a campus or urban district. These systems integrate solar, storage, and other distributed energy capabilities across mixed-use districts, or groups of buildings served by a common electrical distribution feeder. The competition engages students in engineering, finance, urban planning, sustainability, and other disciplines or degree programs to reimagine how energy is generated, managed, and used in a district.