DE-FOA-0003218 Notice of Intent to Issue DE-FOA-0003219 IEDO Energy & Emissions-Intensive Industries Program.pdf

This is a No�ce of Intent (NOI) only. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein, or EERE may not issue a FOA at all.

No�ce of Intent No. DE-FOA-0003218

No�ce of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0003219

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) on behalf of the Industrial Efficiency and Decarboniza�on Office (IEDO), in support of IEDO’s Energy- and Emissions- Intensive Industries (EEII) program. The solicita�on will be �tled “FY24 Energy- and Emissions- Intensive Industries FOA.”

The industrial sector is considered one of the most difficult to decarbonize because of the diversity and complexity of energy inputs, processes, and opera�ons.1 Achieving net-zero emissions across the U.S. economy by 2050 will require an aggressive, mul�dimensional approach to elimina�ng industrial emissions. This FOA will advance the Biden Administra�on’s goals to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050”2 to the benefit of all Americans.

To atain these goals, IEDO provides funding, management, and the strategic direc�on necessary for a balanced na�onal program of research, development, and demonstra�on (RD&D), as well as technical assistance and workforce development, to drive transforma�ve innova�on in energy, materials, and produc�on efficiency and to accelerate decarboniza�on across the industrial sector. IEDO’s RD&D strategy focuses on two complementary approaches:

tackling subsector-specific decarboniza�on challenges through the energy- and emissions-intensive industries and pursuing cross-sector challenges that are common across many industries.

This FOA will be focused on subsector-specific decarboniza�on approaches for the highest emi�ng and most challenging to address industrial subsectors. IEDO expects to provide addi�onal funding opportuni�es that focus on cross-sector approaches for industrial decarboniza�on, specifically, DE-FOA-0003206 Fiscal Year 2024 Cross-Sector Technologies FOA (hence forth FY24 CST FOA).

IEDO is commited to pushing the fron�ers of science and engineering; catalyzing clean energy jobs through research, development, demonstra�on, and deployment (RDD&D); and ensuring environmental jus�ce and inclusion of underserved communi�es. In addi�on to consuming significant amounts of energy, resul�ng in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, many processes

1 Na�onal Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States Energy Sector, February 2021, htps://www.nap.edu/catalog/25932/accelera�ng-decarboniza�on-of-the-us-energy-system.

2 Execu�ve Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” January 27, 2021.

https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25932/accelerating-decarbonization-of-the-us-energy-system https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25932/accelerating-decarbonization-of-the-us-energy-system

This is a No�ce of Intent (NOI) only. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is used in industrial facili�es produce air pollutants with harmful impacts on respiratory and cardiovascular health, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and par�culate mater (PM). In the United States, disadvantaged communi�es are dispropor�onately exposed to these types of emissions, resul�ng in social, economic, and health burdens beyond those of the general popula�on. Addressing pollu�on from industrial energy use to remediate these burdens is an integral step toward achieving environmental jus�ce.3

The EEII program within IEDO focuses on improving efficiency and decarbonizing industries with the largest energy use and GHG emissions (i.e., chemicals and refining, iron and steel, cement and concrete, forest and paper products, food and beverage, and other industries such as glass and aluminum). Together, these industries account for over 65% of the U.S. and global industrial manufacturing emissions, and products from these industries are inputs to other subsectors.

Therefore, decarbonizing these industries will have both significant immediate impacts on manufacturing overall and far-reaching impacts on supply chains in many areas of the economy.

These “hard-to-abate” industries present very specific challenges spanning technology, market, economics, and supply chains. Reaching net-zero goals cost-effec�vely will require more than broad decarboniza�on tools (e.g., fuel switching, electrifica�on, and carbon capture). Fully decarbonizing the U.S. industrial sector in a way that is environmentally sustainable and maintains our compe��ve edge will require technology solu�ons that are not yet commercially available or economically viable.

The EEII program takes an industry-specific approach to decarboniza�on while also leveraging knowledge and opportuni�es between industries. In addi�on, the program seeks to iden�fy and develop emerging technologies with transforma�ve poten�al for industrial decarboniza�on that are technically and economically advantageous. Technology development as part of this program involves partnerships between industry, universi�es, na�onal laboratories, and federal agencies. IEDO’s vision is to support U.S. industries as leaders in compe��ve low-carbon manufacturing, thereby gaining a broader posi�on of global leadership in manufacturing. To this end, the United States must advance and adopt innova�ve low-energy and low-emi�ng technologies that have cost, performance, and resource efficiency advantages over tradi�onal manufacturing.

This FOA will focus on applied R&D and pilot demonstra�on for the highest GHG-emi�ng subsectors, specifically: chemicals and fuels; iron and steel; food and beverage; building and infrastructure materials (including cement and concrete, asphalt pavements, and glass); and forest products. Technology approaches include achieving cost and emissions savings through

3 DOE Office of Economic Impact and Diversity. “How Energy Jus�ce, Presiden�al Ini�a�ves, and Execu�ve Orders Shape Equity at DOE.” January 3, 2022. htps://www.energy.gov/diversity/ar�cles/how-energy-jus�ce-presiden�al-ini�a�ves-and-execu�ve-orders-shape-equity.

https://www.energy.gov/diversity/articles/how-energy-justice-presidential-initiatives-and-executive-orders-shape-equity https://www.energy.gov/diversity/articles/how-energy-justice-presidential-initiatives-and-executive-orders-shape-equity

This is a No�ce of Intent (NOI) only. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is increased circularity and sustainability across manufacturing to reduce waste and decrease the need for resource extrac�on. The FOA will fund research, development, and prototype or pilot-scale technology valida�on and demonstra�on ac�vi�es that will accelerate the development and adop�on of sustainable technologies that increase efficiency and eliminate industrial GHG emissions for the most energy- and emissions- intensive industrial subsectors. These ac�vi�es will contribute to a clean and equitable energy economy, bolster the technological and economic compe��veness of domes�c manufacturing, and boost the viability and compe��veness of U.S. industrial technology exports.

To accelerate the development of these emerging industrial decarboniza�on technologies, DOE created the Technologies for Industrial Emissions Reduc�on Development (TIEReD) Program.

This program leverages resources across DOE applied research offices to invest in fundamental science, research, development, ini�al pilot-scale demonstra�ons projects, and technical assistance and workforce development. Rooted in the principles iden�fied in the 2022 Industrial Decarboniza�on Roadmap, DOE is building an innova�on pipeline to accelerate the development and adop�on of industrial decarboniza�on technologies.4 The TIEReD Program leverages resources, exper�se, and investments from the DOE Offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), Nuclear Energy (NE), Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), and the Office of Science (SC) to achieve deep decarboniza�on across the U.S. industrial sector. The program complements the demonstra�on and large-scale deployment efforts led by the DOE Offices of Clean Energy Demonstra�ons (OCED) and Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) and the Loan Programs Office (LPO).

In support of the TIEReD program, this FOA is an�cipated to include a joint topic with the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) soliciting pre-Front-End Engineering and Design (pre-FEED) studies for the integration of clean hydrogen and carbon capture in the industrial sector. This topic will allow industry to explore opportunities to integrate transforma�onal process technologies with carbon capture and hydrogen technologies, suppor�ng the development of integrated, decarbonized industrial processes to enable net-zero industrial genera�on of products while understanding the impacts of these technologies on costs and emissions.

To support the industrial decarboniza�on approaches, DOE launched several Energy Earthshots™, including two supported by this FOA: the Clean Fuels and Products Shot™ and the Industrial Heat Shot™. The Clean Fuels and Products Shot is an ini�a�ve to reduce emissions from the fuels and chemicals industry through alterna�ve sources of carbon. This ini�a�ve aims

4 DOE, Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, 2022, htps://www.energy.gov/eere/doe-industrial-decarboniza�on-roadmap.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/doe-industrial-decarbonization-roadmap https://www.energy.gov/eere/doe-industrial-decarbonization-roadmap

This is a No�ce of Intent (NOI) only. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is to lower GHG emissions at least 85% compared to fossil-based sources by 2035.5 The Industrial Heat Shot™ is aimed at drama�cally reducing the cost, energy use, and carbon emissions associated with industrial heat demand.6 By reaching the targets of these Energy Earthshots™, the U.S. industrial sector will be on course to reduce its carbon-equivalent emissions by 650 million metric tons by 2050.7

This FOA will address a subset of these priori�es, as described in the topics listed below. Topics 1 through 5 are an�cipated to allow for mul�ple �ers of funding including ini�al laboratory valida�ons to seed future work, a �er for research and development-only projects, and a �er for projects that include scope for technology demonstra�on for research and development-only projects and a �er for projects that include scope for technology demonstra�on integrated into industrial opera�ons. Topics may allow applica�ons between Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2 and 7. Topic 6 is an�cipated to support preliminary front-end engineering (Pre-FEED) projects.

Topic 1: Decarbonizing Chemicals and Fuels

The chemicals industry supports over 25% of the U.S. GDP and emits the most carbon of any U.S. manufacturing subsector. This topic is an�cipated to focus on addressing challenges specific to chemical processes and related to improving energy and material efficiency, u�lizing low-carbon energy sources, and advancing technologies that u�lize sustainable chemical feedstocks.

Poten�al areas of interest include advanced processes to enable conversion of sustainable feedstocks for high-volume energy- and emissions-intensive hydrocarbon chemicals and fuels, advanced processes for produc�on of non-hydrocarbon products, and chemical value chain decarboniza�on through alterna�ve chemical pathways for fuels and products.

Topic 2: Decarbonizing Iron and Steel

Steel is a vital material for many economic sectors, with uses in transporta�on, buildings, infrastructure, and industrial equipment. This topic is an�cipated to focus on decarboniza�on opportuni�es in iron and steel produc�on. Poten�al areas of interest include RD&D in alterna�ve ironmaking, iron ore quality improvements including ore beneficia�on, improving circularity through minimizing/removing elemental contamina�on, and low-carbon steelmaking technologies.

5 DOE, Energy Earthshots – Clean Fuels and Products Shot Fact Sheet, May 2023, htps://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-05/EERE-Earthshots_CleanFuels-Products-Factsheet-508-v3.pdf.

6 DOE, Energy Earthshots – Industrial Heat Shot Fact Sheet, September 2022, htps://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/earth-shot-industrial-heat-fact-sheet.pdf.

https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-05/EERE-Earthshots_CleanFuels-Products-Factsheet-508-v3.pdf https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/earth-shot-industrial-heat-fact-sheet.pdf

This is a No�ce of Intent (NOI) only. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is

Topic 3: Decarbonizing Food and Beverage Products

The food and beverage industry employed 1.7 million workers to produce and ship nearly $900 billion of products in 2018, making this industry an important employment and economic driver.

Poten�al areas of interest for this topic include innova�ons in food packaging, low-energy and low-carbon innova�ons in commercial foodservice, decarboniza�on of alterna�ve protein produc�on, energy recombina�on in food and beverage processing, and reduc�on of energy consump�on and GHG emissions during post-harves�ng ac�vi�es.

Topic 4: Decarbonizing Cement and Concrete, Asphalt Pavements, and Glass

Glass, asphalt, cement, and concrete play an essen�al role in the U.S. economy and are used in buildings, roadways, infrastructure, and consumer products. Poten�al areas of interest include:

low-carbon asphalt pavement materials; novel concrete binders and formula�ons; novel portland cement produc�on processes; and glass decarboniza�on through alterna�ve feedstocks, more tolerant formula�on, and enhanced post-consumer recycling.

Topic 5: Decarbonizing Forest Products

The U.S. forest products industry is the third-largest energy consumer in the U.S. manufacturing sector and contributes 8% of total energy-related emissions from U.S. manufacturing. This topic is an�cipated to focus on decarboniza�on opportuni�es. Poten�al areas of interest include novel dewatering or drying technologies and innova�ve fiber prepara�on, pulping, and chemical recovery processes.

Topic 6 Industrial Pre-FEED Studies

Net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 for the industrial sector will be achieved through implemen�ng complementary and integrated approaches and technologies. It is an�cipated that this topic, co-funded by FECM, HFTO, and IEDO, would include pre-Front-End Engineering and Design (pre-FEED) studies that support the development of decarbonized industrial processes using approaches that include pre-commercial technologies. Poten�al pre-FEED areas of interest could include: (a) integra�on of green hydrogen as a feedstock in chemicals, iron, and steel produc�on; (b) carbon capture for select industrial sectors; and (c) integrated process and capture for chemical produc�on, mineral processing, and iron and steel.

EERE envisions awarding mul�ple financial assistance awards in the form of coopera�ve agreements. The es�mated period of performance for each award will be approximately one to three years.

Many of the topics and areas of interest covered in this an�cipated FOA are similar in scope to those included in DE-FOA-0002997 (IEDO FY23 Mul�-Topic FOA, henceforth “FY23 MT FOA”) and considered in the recently released no�ce of intent for FY24 CST FOA. Applicants who

This is a No�ce of Intent (NOI) only. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is responded to the FY23 MT FOA or who plan to respond to the FY24 CST FOA are strongly discouraged from resubmi�ng largely iden�cal applica�ons to those currently under review.

DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the forma�on of new project teams for the FOA. All en��es interested in par�cipa�ng as part of an applicant team can provide their contact informa�on for the Teaming Partner List. The list allows organiza�ons to express their interest and to explore poten�al partnerships.

• Updates to the Teaming Partner List will be available on the EERE eXCHANGE website.

The Teaming Partner List will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who have provided their organiza�on’s teaming partner informa�on.

• SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Any organiza�on that would like to be included on this list should submit informa�on to the Teaming Partner List via the EERE eXCHANGE.

• DISCLAIMER: By submi�ng a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the reques�ng organiza�on consents to the publica�on of the above-referenced informa�on. By facilita�ng the Teaming Partner List, DOE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evalua�ng the qualifica�ons of the individuals and organiza�ons that self-iden�fy for placement on this Teaming Partner List. DOE will not pay for the provision of any informa�on, nor will it compensate any applicants or reques�ng organiza�ons for the development of such informa�on.

This no�ce of intent is issued so that interested par�es are aware of EERE’s inten�on to issue this FOA in the near term. All the informa�on contained in this no�ce is subject to change. EERE will not respond to ques�ons concerning this no�ce. Once the FOA has been released, EERE will provide an avenue for poten�al applicants to submit ques�ons.

EERE plans to issue the FOA in or about December 2023 via the EERE eXCHANGE website:

htps://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/. If applicants wish to receive official no�fica�ons and informa�on from EERE regarding this FOA, they should register in EERE eXCHANGE. When the FOA is released, applica�ons will be accepted only through EERE eXCHANGE.

In an�cipa�on of the FOA’s release, applicants are advised to complete the steps explained below, which are required for applica�on submission.

• Register and create an account in EERE eXCHANGE at htps://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov. This account will allow the user to apply to any open EERE FOAs that are currently in EERE eXCHANGE.

To access EERE eXCHANGE, poten�al applicants will be required to have a Login.gov account. As part of the eXCHANGE registra�on process, new users are directed to create an account in Login.gov. Please note that the email address associated with Login.gov must match the email address associated with the eXCHANGE account. For more https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaId9acb988b-1446-41b8-a0e7-3265e92f80b9 https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ https://login.gov/

This is a No�ce of Intent (NOI) only. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is informa�on, refer to the Exchange Mul�-Factor Authen�ca�on (MFA) Quick Guide in the Manuals sec�on of eXCHANGE.

It is recommended that each organiza�on or business unit, whether ac�ng as part of a team or as a single en�ty, use only one account as the contact point for each submission. Ques�ons related to the registra�on process and use of the EERE eXCHANGE website should be submited to EERE-eXCHANGESupport@hq.doe.gov.

• Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at htps://www.sam.gov.

Designa�ng an electronic business point of contact (EBiz POC) and obtaining a special password, called an MPIN, are important steps in SAM registra�on. Please update your SAM registra�on annually. Upon registra�on, SAM will automa�cally assign a Unique En�ty ID (UEI).

NOTE: Because of the high demand of UEI requests and SAM registra�ons, en�ty legal business name and address valida�ons are taking longer than usual to process.

En��es should start the UEI and SAM registra�on process as soon as possible. If en��es have technical difficul�es with the UEI valida�on or SAM registra�on process, they should use the HELP feature on SAM.gov. SAM.gov will work en�ty service �ckets in the order in which they are received and asks that en��es not create mul�ple service �ckets for the same request or technical issue. Addi�onal en�ty valida�on resources can be found at GSAFSD Tier 0 Knowledge Base – Valida�ng your En�ty.

• Register in FedConnect at htps://www.fedconnect.net. Crea�ng an organiza�on account requires the organiza�on’s SAM MPIN. For more informa�on about the SAM MPIN or other registra�on requirements, review the FedConnect Ready, Set, Go! Guide:

htps://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marke�ng/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_S et_Go.pdf.

• Register in Grants.gov (htp://www.grants.gov/) to receive automa�c updates when amendments to an FOA are posted. However, please note that applica�ons will not be accepted through Grants.gov. All applica�ons must be submited through EERE eXCHANGE.

https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx mailto:EERE-eXCHANGESupport@hq.doe.gov https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0058422&sys_kb_id=1b5f22581b2115102fe5ed7ae54bcb4e&spa=1 https://www.fedconnect.net/ https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf http://www.grants.gov/