DE-FOA-0003289_EERE_SETO_FY24 Supply Chain Incubator_FOA.pdf

Template Version November 2023

EERE T 540.117-01: Funding Opportunity Announcement

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Fiscal Year 2024 Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: DE-FOA-0003289

FOA Type: Initial Assistance Listing Number: 81.087

FOA Issue Date: June 6, 2024 Informational Webinar: June 13, 2024 4 p.m. ET Submission Deadline for Concept Papers: July 19, 2024 5 p.m. ET Expected Date for Concept Paper Encourage/Discourage Decision August 23, 2024 Submission Deadline for Full Applications: October 7, 2024 5 p.m. ET Expected Date for Applicant Interview January 14-21, 2025 Expected Date for EERE Selection Notifications: March 25, 2025 Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiations: April - October, 2025

• Applicants must submit a Concept Paper by 5 p.m. ET on the due date listed above to be eligible to submit a Full Application.

• To apply to this FOA, applicants must register with and submit application materials through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE's) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) eXCHANGE at https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov, EERE’s online application portal.

• Applicants must designate primary and backup points of contact in EERE eXCHANGE with whom EERE will communicate to conduct award negotiations. If an application is selected for award negotiations, it is not a commitment to issue an award. It is imperative that the applicant/selectee be responsive during award negotiations and meet negotiation deadlines. Failure to do so may result in cancelation of further award negotiations and rescission of the selection.

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) – Each applicant (unless the applicant is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR 25.110) is required to: (1) register in the SAM at www.sam.gov before submitting an application; (2) provide a valid UEI number in the application; and (3) maintain an active SAM registration with current information when the applicant has an active federal https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/

Questions about this FOA? Email solar.incubator@ee.doe.gov.

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award or an application or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency. DOE may not make a federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable UEI and SAM requirements, and if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time DOE is ready to make a federal award, DOE will determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a federal award to another applicant.

NOTE: Due to the high number of UEI requests and SAM registrations, entity legal business name and address validations are taking longer than expected to process.

Entities should start the UEI and SAM registration process as soon as possible. If entities have technical difficulties with the UEI validation or SAM registration process, they should use the help feature on SAM.gov. SAM.gov will address service tickets in the order in which they are received and asks that entities not create multiple service tickets for the same request or technical issue. Additional entity validation resources can be found here: GSAFSD Tier 0 Knowledge Base - Validating your Entity.

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents.................................................................................................................................................... i

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Background and Context

i. Background and Purpose

ii. Technology Space and Strategic Goals

iii. Teaming Partner List

B. Topic Areas

i. Technologies of Interest

ii. Topic Area 1: Solar Research and Technology Development

iii. Topic Area 2: Solar Technology Demonstration

iv. Topic Area 3: Solar Permitting Software Outreach, Education, and Development

C. Applications Specifically Not of Interest

i. Topic Area 1 and 2

ii. Topic Area 3

D. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion E. Authorizing Statutes

II. Award Information

A. Award Overview

i. Estimated Funding

ii. Period of Performance

iii. New Applications Only

B. EERE Funding Agreements

i. Cooperative Agreements

ii. Funding Agreements with Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

i. Domestic Entities

ii. Foreign Entities

B. Cost Sharing

i. Legal Responsibility

ii. Cost Share Allocation

iii. Cost Share Types and Allowability

iv. Cost Share Contributions by FFRDCs

v. Cost Share Verification

vi. Cost Share Payment

C. Compliance Criteria D. Responsiveness Criteria E. Other Eligibility Requirements

i. Requirements for DOE/NNSA and Non-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs Included as a Subrecipient F. Limitation on Number of Concept Papers and Full Applications Eligible for Review G. Questions Regarding Eligibility

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Application Process

i. Additional Information on EERE eXCHANGE

ii. Application Education Services subject line.

ii

B. Application Forms C. Content and Form of the Concept Paper D. Content and Form of the Full Application

i. Full Application Content Requirements

ii. SF-424: Application for Federal Assistance

iii. Technical Volume

iv. Resumes

v. Letters of Commitment

vi. Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO)

vii. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan

viii. Budget Justification Workbook

ix. Summary for Public Release

x. Summary Slide

xi. Subrecipient Budget Justification (if applicable)

xii. Budget for DOE/NNSA FFRDC (if applicable)

xiii. Authorization for Non-DOE/NNSA or DOE/NNSA FFRDCs (if applicable)

xiv. SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

xv. Waiver Requests (if applicable)

xvi. Current and Pending Support

xvii. Locations of Work

xviii. Transparency of Foreign Connections

xix. Potentially Duplicative Funding Notice

xx. Summary of Relevant, Prior Work Efforts

E. Post Selection Information Requests F. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) G. Submission Dates and Times H. Intergovernmental Review I. Funding Restrictions

i. Allowable Costs

ii. Pre-Award Costs

iii. Performance of Work in the United States (Foreign Work Waiver)

iv. Construction

v. Foreign Travel

vi. Equipment and Supplies

vii. Build America Buy America Requirements for Infrastructure Projects

viii. Lobbying

ix. Risk Assessment

x. Invoice Review and Approval

xii. Affirmative Action and Pay Transparency Requirements

xiii. Foreign Collaboration Considerations

V. Application Review Information

A. Technical Review Criteria

i. Concept Papers

ii. Full Applications

B. Standards for Application Evaluation C. Other Selection Factors

i. Program Policy Factors D. Evaluation and Selection Process

i. Overview

ii. Pre-Selection Interviews

iii. Pre-Selection Clarification

iv. Recipient Responsibility and Qualifications subject line.

iii

v. Selection E. Anticipated Notice of Selection and Award Negotiation Dates

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

i. Ineligible Submissions

ii. Concept Paper Notifications

iii. Full Application Notifications

iv. Applicants Selected for Award Negotiations

v. Alternate Selection Determinations

vi. Unsuccessful Applicants

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

i. Registration Requirements

ii. Award Administrative Requirements

iii. Foreign National Participation

iv. Subaward and Executive Reporting

v. National Policy Requirements

vi. Environmental Review in Accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

vii. Flood Resilience

viii. Applicant Representations and Certifications

ix. Statement of Federal Stewardship

x. Statement of Substantial Involvement

xi. Subject Invention Utilization Reporting

xii. Intellectual Property Provisions

xiii. Reporting

xiv. Go/No-Go Review

xv. Conference Spending

xvi. Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Financing Statements

xvii. Real Property and Equipment

xviii. Implementation of Executive Order 13798, Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty

xix. Participants and Collaborating Organizations

xx. Current and Pending Support

xxi. U.S. Manufacturing Commitments

xxii. Interim Conflict of Interest Policy for Financial Assistance

xxiii. Data Management Plan

xxiv. Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

xxv. Human Subjects Research

VII. Questions/Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information

A. FOA Modifications B. Government Right to Reject or Negotiate C. Commitment of Public Funds D. Treatment of Application Information E. Evaluation and Administration by Non-Federal Personnel F. Notice Regarding Eligible/Ineligible Activities G. Notice of Right to Conduct a Review of Financial Capability H. Requirement for Full and Complete Disclosure I. Retention of Submissions J. Title to Subject Inventions K. Government Rights in Subject Inventions L. Rights in Technical Data subject line.

iv

M. Copyright N. Export Control O. Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment P. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Q. Annual Independent Audits R. Informational Webinar

Appendix A – Cost Share Information

Appendix B – Sample Cost Share Calculation for Blended Cost Share Percentage

Appendix C – Waiver Requests For: 1. Foreign Entity Participation; and 2. Foreign Work

Appendix D – Required Use of American Iron, Steel, Manufactured Products, and Construction Materials Buy America Requirements for Infrastructure Projects

Appendix F – Definition of Technology Readiness Levels

Appendix G – List of Acronyms

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I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Background and Context

i. Background and Purpose The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) is issuing the fiscal year 2024 Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden Administration. This FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and 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,”1 to the benefit of all Americans. DOE is committed to pushing the frontiers of science and engineering; catalyzing clean energy jobs through research, development, demonstration, and deployment; and ensuring environmental justice and inclusion of underserved communities.

The research and development (R&D) and demonstration (RD&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 support the DOE decarbonization goals by advancing innovative solar hardware, software, and manufacturing processes across a broad range of technology readiness levels, from laboratory-scale to pilot-scale testing and prototype demonstration.

In September 2021, DOE released the Solar Futures Study,2 which provides a vision for solar power’s role in cost-effectively contributing to the nation’s decarbonization goals. According to the Solar Futures Study, solar power will need to grow from supplying 5% of U.S. electricity demand in 2022 to 40% by 2035. This will require the United States to install 30 gigawatts alternating current (GWac) of solar generation capacity each year between now and 2025 and ramp up to 60 GWac per year from 2025 to 2030. With supportive policies, electrification, and aggressive cost reductions, solar installations in the United States could supply 1 terawatt (TWac) of generating capacity for the power grid by 2035 and 1.6 TWac of capacity by 2050.

1 The White House. January 27, 2021. Executive Order (EO) 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.”

2 U.S. Department of Energy. September 2021. Solar Futures Study, www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-futures-study.

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The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act provides federal tax incentives for solar deployment and domestic solar manufacturing that significantly support SETO’s mission. These include extension of a tax credit that can be claimed for solar installations and a new tax credit for solar component manufacturing in the United States.3 DOE estimates that the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits will expand the deployment of solar energy and help reduce carbon emissions to 40% below 2005 levels by 2030.4

SETO supports solar energy research, development, demonstration, and technical assistance in seven areas—photovoltaics (PV), concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), systems integration, manufacturing and competitiveness, systems strategic analysis and institutional support, solar workforce development, and equitable access to solar energy—with the goal of improving the affordability, reliability, and domestic benefit of solar technologies on the electric grid.5 Achieving this vision requires that the solar industry achieve SETO’s 2030 cost reduction targets.6 In many parts of the country, solar electricity is already the lowest-cost form of new electricity generation capacity, but solar electricity is not yet cost-effective everywhere. There are multiple pathways to achieve these goals, but all require sustained innovation across solar energy technologies.

ii. Technology Space and Strategic Goals With this FOA, SETO aims to promote innovative solar research, technology development, and product demonstration that can substantively increase U.S.

domestic manufacturing across the solar energy supply chain and expand private investment in America’s solar manufacturing sector.7 These investments will help accelerate the growth of the solar industry, identify emerging opportunities, and drive down costs for our domestic energy market, positioning the United States on the leading edge of solar industry advances.

SETO’s Manufacturing and Competitiveness program8 supports the transformation of research and development into products that can be

3 SETO. “Federal Solar Tax Credits for Businesses.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/federal-solar-tax-credits-businesses.

4 DOE Office of Policy. August 2022. “DOE Projects Monumental Emissions Reduction from Inflation Reduction Act.” www.energy.gov/articles/doe-projects-monumental-emissions-reduction-inflation-reduction-act.

5 SETO. “Solar Energy Research Access.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-energy-research-areas.

6 SETO. “Goals of the Solar Energy Technologies Office.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/goals-solar-energy-technologies-office.

7 SETO. February 2023. “Building a Bridge to a More Robust and Secure Solar Energy Supply Chain.”

www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/Building_a_Bridge_to_a_More_Robust_and_ Secure_Solar_Energy_Supply_Chain.pdf.

8 SETO. “Manufacturing and Competitiveness Team.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/manufacturing-and-competitiveness-team.

mailto:solar.incubator@ee.doe.gov https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/federal-solar-tax-credits-businesses https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/federal-solar-tax-credits-businesses https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-projects-monumental-emissions-reduction-inflation-reduction-act https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-energy-research-areas https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/goals-solar-energy-technologies-office https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/goals-solar-energy-technologies-office http://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/Building_a_Bridge_to_a_More_Robust_and_Secure_Solar_Energy_Supply_Chain.pdf http://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/Building_a_Bridge_to_a_More_Robust_and_Secure_Solar_Energy_Supply_Chain.pdf http://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/manufacturing-and-competitiveness-team http://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/manufacturing-and-competitiveness-team

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manufactured in the United States. SETO’s work in this area has helped lower manufacturing costs, increase efficiency and performance of PV and CSP solar energy systems, improve the reliability of solar technologies, and create hundreds of companies that are pushing the boundaries of innovation and bringing new products and services to the market. Over the last 15 years, SETO’s Manufacturing and Competitiveness program has invested over $372 million in the U.S. innovation community, leading to nearly $12 billion in follow-on private funding. Overall, SETO currently supports nearly 400 solar RD&D projects across the country. These investments have helped American companies innovate to make our solar supply chain more secure and increase energy affordability across the country.9

SETO’s Incubator funding programs provide early-stage assistance to help start-up companies cross technological barriers to commercialization, while encouraging private sector investment. By taking breakthrough innovations and putting them through a rigorous de-risking process, Incubator allows entrepreneurs to focus on rapid commercialization. Once these key risks are addressed, the start-up businesses are ideally suited for private follow-on funding and success.

Since the first Incubator program was launched in 2007, more than 150 start-up companies have received awards, working to develop and launch transformative PV, CSP, grid integration, system installation, and soft costs products and services.10 By supporting a broad range of solar technologies at both the R&D stage and the demonstration stage, Incubator projects have the potential to significantly lower the total installed cost of solar energy systems.

As the solar industry enters the next decade, SETO is working to integrate solar energy into the fabric of the American landscape—to help communities achieve their energy and resilience goals, explore new applications of solar power, drive innovation and entrepreneurship, and lower electricity costs. As an example, SETO supports American-made products that can open new markets, including emerging PV applications such as agricultural and floating solar installations, and building- and vehicle-integrated PV. In general, these applications are referred to as “dual-use PV,”11 as the solar energy generation is combined with at least one other functionality that the PV system is performing. These markets require application-specific hardware and technology, including novel PV module architectures, mounting, tracking, and other balance-of-system components.

9 SETO. February 2023. Building a Bridge to a More Robust and Secure Solar Energy Supply Chain.

www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023- 03/Building_a_Bridge_to_a_More_Robust_and_Secure_Solar_Energy_Supply_Chain.pdf.

10 SETO. “Incubator Program.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/incubator-program.

11 SETO. “Dual-Use Photovoltaic Technologies.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/dual-use-photovoltaic-technologies.

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iii. Teaming Partner List

DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the formation of project teams for this FOA. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations that may wish to participate on a project to express their interest to other applicants and explore potential partnerships.

The Teaming Partner List will be available on EERE eXCHANGE and will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who provide their organization’s information.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: View the Teaming Partner List by visiting the EERE eXCHANGE homepage and clicking on Teaming Partners within the left-hand navigation pane. This page allows users to view published Teaming Partner Lists.

To join the Teaming Partner List, submit a request within eXCHANGE. Select the appropriate Teaming Partner List from the drop-down menu and fill in the following information: Investigator Name, Organization Name, Organization Type, Topic Area, Background and Capabilities, Website, Contact Address, Contact Email, and Contact Phone.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the requesting organization consents to the publication of the above-referenced information. By facilitating the Teaming Partner List, DOE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. DOE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any applicants or requesting organizations for the development of such information.

Private, for-profit manufacturing entities—the target applicants for this FOA— would benefit greatly from developing strong partnerships within this ecosystem. As such, applicants are strongly encouraged to form teams for projects under this FOA. Applicants are encouraged to partner with academia, national laboratories, other industry members, supply chain partners, equipment developers, and institutions representing a diversity of individuals, such as, but not limited to, Tribal communities, minority serving institutions,12 minority business enterprises, minority-owned businesses, woman-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, or entities located in underserved communities.

12 Minority serving institutions (MSIs) include historically Black colleges and universities/other minority institutions as educational entities recognized by the Office of Civil Rights and U.S. Department of Education and identified on the Office of Civil Rights' Department of Education accredited postsecondary minorities’ institution list. See www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html.

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html

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Applicants are particularly encouraged to partner with a diverse set of organizations to advance demonstration and field-testing activities.

B. Topic Areas

i. Technologies of Interest This FOA will focus on de-risking new solar hardware components, manufacturing processes, or software products across a wide range of solar technology areas, in the R&D stage for Topic Area 1 and 3, and in the RD&D stage for Topic Area 2. This section defines the technologies of particular interest for this FOA.

PV technologies generate power using semiconductor devices, also known as “solar cells,” that absorb energy from sunlight and convert it into electrical energy. Solar cells are connected to form larger power-generating units known as “solar modules” or “panels.”13

Power electronics convert electricity from one form to another. A common example in a solar system is an inverter, which converts direct current (dc) electricity generated by PV modules into alternating current (ac) electricity for use on the grid.14 Other examples include dc/dc converters or optimizers and solid-state transformers.

Grid integration technologies refers to the electricity grid infrastructure, hardware, and software controls that enable widespread adoption of solar energy.15

Multiport systems connect solar energy systems with energy storage systems (such as batteries) and/or local loads (such as electric vehicle charging) to the grid. In some instances, the ports may be bidirectional. For example, electrical energy could flow from the solar system to an electric vehicle when there is excess solar energy capacity, but at other times electrical energy could flow from an electric vehicle to the grid. Likewise, the grid connection could be bidirectional, to support both grid export of solar energy and charging of an electric vehicle or stationary storage batteries from the grid.

Structural or electrical balance of system (BOS) hardware includes all components used in solar power installations other than the PV module, power

13 SETO. “How Does Solar Work?” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/how-does-solar-work.

14 SETO. “Solar Power Electronic Devices.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-power-electronic-devices.

15 SETO. “Solar Systems Integration Basics.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-systems-integration-basics.

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electronics, and local energy storage.16 BOS hardware typically consists of structures for mounting the PV modules or array, wires, disconnects, fuses, and combiner boxes.

Manufacturing process technologies can provide benefits such as automated process control, in-line metrology to help improve the quality of the final product, reduced production cycle time, improved yield, and reduced costs. Low-cost quality control technologies increase the reliability and quality of manufactured solar products. Improved operations and maintenance technologies enable manufacturing processes to run smoothly without downtime and at higher production yields, minimizing overall costs.

CSP systems use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat, which can then be used to produce electricity, be stored for later use via thermal energy storage, or provide heat for industrial processes.17 CSP can be configured as a power tower, which arranges mirrors around a central tower that acts as the receiver, or as linear systems with rows of mirrors that concentrate the sunlight onto parallel tube receivers positioned above them.18 Smaller CSP systems can be located directly where power or process heat is needed.

Photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collectors, also known as hybrid solar collectors, convert incoming solar radiation into both thermal and electrical energy.19 By producing two usable types of energy within the same collector, PVT can be more efficient than either PV or solar-thermal alone. The electricity produced can be pushed onto the grid, while the heat can be used for conditioning of building space, hot water, or industrial processes.

Software products can directly or indirectly reduce costs, optimize performance, or provide a novel service or functionality for a solar system across its life span.

Examples of software products that could reduce the costs of solar power systems include those that automate system design, siting, permitting, installation logistics, interconnection documentation, operations and maintenance scheduling, and transaction financing. Solar energy cost and data analysis software can examine technology costs and location-specific

16 SETO. “Power Electronics and Balance of System Hardware Technologies.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/power-electronics-and-balance-system-hardware-technologies.

17 SETO. “Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Basics.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/concentrating-solar-thermal-power-basics.

18 SETO. “Power Tower System Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Basics.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/power-tower-system-concentrating-solar-thermal-power-basics.

19 Dean, J., P. McNutt, L. Lisell, J. Burch, D. Jones, and D. Heinicke. January 2015. Photovoltaic-Thermal New Technology Demonstration. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/63474.pdf.

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competitive advantages, as well as assess the performance of solar energy installations.

Dual-use PV applications are a type of PV application where the PV modules serve additional functions besides the generation of electricity.20 Examples of dual-use PV applications include agrivoltaics (APV), building-integrated PV (BIPV), floating PV (FPV), and vehicle-integrated PV (VIPV).

Please also see Section I.C. Applications Specifically Not of Interest (see Section I.C) before starting an application to ensure your application is within the scope of this FOA (see Sections I.B.ii and iii).

ii. Topic Area 1: Solar Research and Technology Development

Topic Area 1 is focused on R&D activities with the goal of de-risking new solar components and/or manufacturing processes, while developing and validating a realistic pathway to commercial success.

A successful applicant for Topic Area 1 will be a domestically incorporated company with an existing technology at the proof-of-concept stage that can demonstrate critical functionality in a controlled environment. The technology could be the basis for a hardware or software product or a new manufacturing or system installation process. The technology must provide advantages compared to the state of the art at a laboratory or prototype scale, where the technology readiness level (TRL)21 ranges from 3 to 5 at the time of application (see Appendix F for TRL definitions). There must be significant technical and business risks that still need to be retired for which private funding is unlikely due to the early-stage nature of the proposed product or process.

Through this award, the awardee will advance their technology to a manufacturing-relevant prototype made in a lab environment. The research will seek to prove all the technology’s commercially relevant functionalities as well as feasibility of any critical, high-risk manufacturing steps. The project must be structured to answer critical questions required to reduce the associated technical and business risks of the product.

DOE anticipates federal funding of up to $10 million for Topic Area 1. A minimum 20% recipient cost share is required for projects in this topic area, in cases where all the activities proposed can be classified as R&D. Applications with a combination of R&D and subsequent demonstration tasks resulting from the

20 SETO. “Dual-Use Photovoltaic Technologies.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/dual-use-photovoltaic-technologies.

21 DOE. Technology Readiness Assessment Guide. www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0413.3-EGuide-04a-admchg1/@@images/file.

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R&D activities are permissible under Topic Area 1. The type of activities that are considered demonstration tasks are prototype product demonstration, pilot-scale demonstration of manufacturing processes, and field testing.

Demonstration tasks require a minimum 50% recipient cost share, so mixed R&D and demonstration projects will have a cost share between 20 and 50% depending on the mix of tasks. For details about cost share requirements, see Section III.B and Appendices A and B.

Applications must fall within one of these areas:

• PV technologies, including materials, cells, cell fabrication, modules, and module assembly, including module bill of materials.

• Power electronic hardware components for solar systems that improve performance, functionality, reliability, ease of installation, or manufacturability compared to the state of the art, including, but not limited to, solar inverters; dc/dc converters or optimizers; solid-state transformers;

processes that incorporate wide-bandgap or ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide, gallium nitride, or gallium (III) oxide;

and solutions employing modular converter topologies for improved reliability.

• Hardware components or control algorithms for integrating solar energy systems into the electric grid and allowing solar energy systems to provide operational services to the grid in ways comparable to or better than conventional generators (e.g., grid-forming inverters or other advanced inverter functionality).

• Multiport systems that integrate solar generation with energy storage, electric vehicle charging, or both.

• Structural or electrical BOS hardware components, including, but not limited to, structures for mounting PV arrays or modules, tracking systems, wires, disconnects, fuses, and combiner boxes, with a particular interest in APV applications to include solar cattle grazing.

• Hardware tools for PV manufacturing, including in-line metrology, operations and maintenance, and quality control.

• CSP hardware, including components for collector systems, solar receivers, thermal energy storage, and power cycles for electric power generation or unique coupling hardware for industrial process heat use cases.

• Rapid and low-cost manufacture, assembly, and installation processes for the CSP collector field, heliostat, or line-focusing systems.

• Rapid and low-cost construction innovations for central tower architecture in a power tower CSP facility.

• PVT hardware components, including solar modules and control systems.

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• Software products that directly or indirectly reduce costs, optimize performance, or provide a novel service or functionality at any point within the life cycle of a solar system. Software products should focus on scalability, ease of integration, user interface design, or improvement of the state of the art, when applicable.

• Hardware components needed for specific dual-use PV22 applications, including PV module architectures, mounting, tracking, electrical connection and integration, or other BOS hardware, including advanced integrated solar roof of facade hardware and applications that focus on cost reduction, operation and maintenance, and lower operating temperatures.

iii. Topic Area 2: Solar Technology Demonstration

Topic Area 2 will fund pilot-scale and/or prototype demonstration of solar products. Successful applicants for this topic area will be established companies or start-ups incorporated in the United States with an existing prototype whose technical functionalities require further evaluation testing, engineering work, or demonstration in a controlled environment to bring the existing technology to the appropriate maturity level of at least TRL 7 by the end of the project (see Appendix F).

A successful application will target one or more of the following objectives:

• Prototype product demonstration of new solar hardware component(s), software modules, control algorithms, or novel system architectures at commercially relevant pilot scale.

• Pilot demonstration of high-volume or high-throughput manufacturing processes for solar products that have a reasonable prospect to be manufactured competitively in the United States.

• Production of a sufficiently large number of prototype products for statistically robust field testing.

Applications must include the identification and pursuit of domestic manufacturing pathways. In addition, applicants should include a systematic evaluation methodology in their project plans, such as design of experiments for field testing. Well-designed test plans should examine the expected range of operation and generate statistical confidence in the results.

DOE anticipates federal funding of up to $23 million for Topic Area 2. A minimum 50% recipient cost share is required for projects within this topic area, with the expectation that all activities can be classified as research, development, and demonstration tasks. Generally, tasks that consist of empirical or physical

22 SETO. “Dual-Use Photovoltaic Technologies.” www.energy.gov/eere/solar/dual-use-photovoltaic-technologies.

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demonstration of technical feasibility and economic potential of a technology at a commercially relevant scale are considered demonstration tasks and require 50% cost share. For details about cost share requirements, see Section III.B and Appendices A and B.

Applications must fall within one of these areas:

• Manufacturing and process innovations in PV, PVT, or CSP technologies.

• Pilot-scale prototype production and performance validation of advanced power electronics products combining hardware, controls, and software that improve performance, functionality, reliability, ease of installation, or manufacturability of solar power systems compared to the state of the art.

• Prototype demonstration of systems that fully integrate distributed PV with energy storage systems, electric vehicle charging systems, or both.

• Hardware and software products that could significantly reduce solar BOS hardware costs.

• Prototype demonstration of solar system integration products that enhance the ability of solar energy systems to contribute to grid reliability, resilience, and security.

• Field demonstration of prototype products for dual-use PV applications, including APV, BIPV, FPV, and VIPV23

iv. Topic Area 3: Solar Permitting Software Outreach, Education, and

Development Topic Area 3 will fund outreach, education, or software technology development activities for solar permitting software that has an automated, code compliance permit review and approval process for rooftop solar PV or rooftop solar PV with energy storage systems. The solar permitting software must be designed for use by local governments and solar installers to submit, review, and approve rooftop solar permits. The software must be beyond the planning, design, and development stage of the software development life cycle.

Applications in this topic area will address rooftop solar permitting inefficiencies by increasing the use of software that includes automated, instantaneous code compliance review. Complex and varying rooftop solar PV permitting processes among local governments across the country can result in increased costs and installation delays. Solar permitting software can be used by local governments to streamline and standardize permitting and inspection processes and approvals, saving local governments time and money while ensuring code compliance.

23 SETO. www.energy.gov/eere/solar/dual-use-photovoltaic-technologies.

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Successful applicants for this topic area will be non-profits, established for-profit companies, or startups incorporated in the United States with an operating solar permitting software and existing userbase that require additional support to achieve widespread adoption.

DOE anticipates federal funding of up to $5 million for Topic Area 3. A minimum 20% recipient cost share is required for projects in this topic area. If the recipient earns program income, resulting from the sale of a product with technology developed during the award period, the recipient must use the program income to meet its cost sharing requirement. For details about cost share requirements, see Section III.B and Appendices A and B.

Applications must fall within one of these areas:

• Outreach activities to expand the number of local governments using solar permitting software

• Education activities that train local government staff and solar installers on the use of solar permitting software

• Software technology development related to rooftop solar PV or rooftop solar PV with energy storage systems

All work under EERE funding agreements must be performed in the United States. See Section IV.I.iii. Performance of Work in the United States (Foreign Work Waiver) and Appendix C – Waiver Requests for: 1. Foreign Entity Participation; and 2. Foreign Work.

C. Applications Specifically Not of Interest

i. Topic Area 1 and 2 The following types of applications submitted to Topic Area 1 and 2 will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (see Section III.D.

Responsiveness Criteria):

• Products incorporating cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV or perovskite PV technologies.24

• Products based on PV technologies with very low possibility of being manufactured domestically at a competitive cost, such as:

o PV cells and modules based on copper indium gallium selenide, copper zinc tin sulfide;

24 See the September 2023 FOA “DE-FOA-0003058: Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics.”

www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/funding-notice-advancing-us-thin-film-solar-photovoltaics.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/funding-notice-advancing-us-thin-film-solar-photovoltaics

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o PV cells and modules based on III-V semiconductors such as gallium arsenide;

o PV cells and modules based on amorphous silicon thin films;

o Technologies utilizing nanomaterials as active PV absorbers, such as colloidal quantum dots or nanocrystals, nanorods, and/or nanowires;

o Concentrated PV; and o Luminescent solar concentrators or solar spectrum splitting technologies involving more than two absorbing layers, or any nonplanar solar splitting technology.

• Products to improve maximum power-point tracking as a main emphasis.

• Products for space PV applications, including space PV cells, modules, or hardware.

• Products for indoor solar applications, wearables, consumer electronics, or

Internet of Things applications.

• Products and manufacturing processes for solar windows, roofing shingles, and/or roofing tiles.

• Software products with many existing competitors in the market, including for:

o Tracking solar system performance or data collection;

o Facilitating solar system design or system monitoring;

o Designing transmission and distribution power grids with limited exposure to inverter-based resources;

o Improving customer and/or business acquisition processes;

o Providing finance, tax, or monetary benefits; or o Listing, presenting, sorting, or otherwise organizing physical locations, websites, databases, or other collections of solar industrial data without meaningful, state-of-the-art processing.

• Software products comparable to what are already publicly available from government sources or government-funded research institutions without demonstrating significant objective improvements.

• Products and/or field demonstration of prototype products for sheep grazing and pollinator habitats under APV.

• Products intended to reduce material usage, improve installation quality and resilience of PV systems, and address handling of PV systems at the end of life.25

• Products that do not convincingly demonstrate a clear, direct, and immediate relevance and impact for solar energy systems, especially if they are being developed for a broader set of applications than just solar energy.

• Products with business plans that lack a clear validation of market assumptions.

• Undifferentiated products, incremental advances, or duplicative products.

25 See the July 2023 FOA “DE-FOA-0002985: Materials, Operation, and Recycling of Photovoltaics (MORE PV).”

www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/funding-notice-materials-operation-and-recycling-photovoltaics-more-pv.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/funding-notice-materials-operation-and-recycling-photovoltaics-more-pv

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• Projects unlikely to be impacted by federal funds. Federal funds are intended to enable projects to sufficiently retire risk for follow-on investment or catalyze development. Projects that have sufficient funds and resources to be executed without federal funds are not of interest.

• Ideas, technologies, or products that have already received federal support for the same technology at the same TRL.

ii. Topic Area 3

The following types of applications submitted to Topic Area 3 will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (see Section III.D.

Responsiveness Criteria):

• Software development for technologies other than rooftop solar PV or rooftop solar PV plus energy storage.

• Software platforms for financing; ground-mounted solar PV siting and permitting; and/or operations, maintenance, and monitoring.

• Software platforms for solar customer acquisition. Platforms may have customer acquisition as a component, but the proposed work cannot include solar customer acquisition functionalities.

• Solar permitting software that does not include code compliance review.

• Software platforms exclusively for the automated site assessment and design of rooftop PV systems.

• Education and outreach not related to rooftop solar PV or rooftop solar PV plus energy storage automated permitting.

D. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

It is the policy of the Biden Administration that:

The Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity26 for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government. Because advancing equity requires a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision-making processes, executive departments

26 The term “equity” means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons; Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

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and agencies (agencies) must recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity.

By advancing equity across the Federal Government, we can create opportunities for the improvement of communities that have been historically underserved, which benefits everyone.27

As part of this whole-of-government approach, this FOA seeks to encourage the participation of underserved communities28 and underrepresented groups.

Applicants are highly encouraged to include individuals from groups historically underrepresented29, 30 in STEM on their project teams. As part of the application, applicants are required to describe how diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives will be incorporated in the project. Specifically, applicants are required to submit a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan that describes the actions the applicant will take to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment, support people from

27 The White House. January 20, 2021. Executive Order 13985, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.” www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/.

28 The term “underserved communities” refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life, as exemplified by the list in the definition of “equity.” (E.O. 13985.) For purposes of this FOA, as applicable to geographic communities, applicants can refer to economically distressed communities identified by the Internal Revenue Service as Qualified Opportunity Zones; communities identified as disadvantaged or underserved communities by their respective states; communities identified on the Index of Deep Disadvantage referenced at news.umich.edu/new-index-ranks-americas-100-most-disadvantaged-communities/; and communities that otherwise meet the definition of “underserved communities” stated above.

29 According to the National Science Foundation’s 2019 report titled Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minority groups— Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and American Indians or Alaska Natives—are vastly underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields that drive the energy sector.

That is, their representation in STEM education and STEM employment is smaller than their representation in the U.S. population.