FundOpp_DE-FOA-0003396.pdf

Financial Assistance Notice of Funding Opportunity

Part 1

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Renewable Integration Management with Innovative High Voltage Direct Current Power Circuit Breakers

(REIMAGINE BREAKERS)

Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0003396

Application due: Friday, February 28, 2025, 05:00 PM ET

All modifications to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are HIGHLIGHTED in the body of the NOFO.

Modifications to this NOFO will be posted on Grants.gov and the FedConnect portal.

Grants.gov and FedConnect will automatically notify applicants when a NOFO modification is processed. Applicants must be registered to this NOFO in Grants.gov to receive email notifications. Register in FedConnect as an interested party to this NOFO for announcement messages. It is recommended that you register as soon after release of the NOFO as possible to ensure you receive timely notice of any modifications or other announcements. See Registration Requirements in Part 2 of this NOFO.

Table of Contents

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Navigating the Notice of Funding Opportunity

I. BASIC INFORMATION

A. Key Facts

1. Funding Details

2. Period of Performance

B. Executive Summary C. Agency Contact Information

II. ELIGIBILITY

A. Eligible Applicants

1. Domestic Entities

2. Foreign Entity Participation

B. Limitation on Number of Concept Papers and Applications Eligible for Review C. Cost Sharing

1. Cost Share Requirements

D. FFRDC Eligibility Criteria

1. DOE FFRDCs as the Applicant

2. DOE and Non-DOE FFRDCs as a Subrecipient

III. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A. Background and Context B. Program Goals and Objectives C. Expected Performance Goals D. Topic Areas E. Applications Specifically Not of Interest F. Statement of Substantial Involvement G. Statutory Authority

IV. APPLICATION CONTENT AND FORM

A. Summary B. Concept Paper C. Application Content Requirements

1. Covered Individual Definition, Designation, and Responsibility

2. Summary of Application Requirements

3. Technical Volume

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D. Funding Restrictions

V. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

A. Required Registrations

1. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

2. FedConnect

3. Grants.gov

B. Application Package

1. Grants.gov

C. Submission Date and Times D. Intergovernmental Review

VI. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Standards for Application Evaluation B. Responsiveness Review C. Review Criteria

1. Compliance Criteria

2. Technical Review Criteria

D. Other Selection Factors

VII. SELECTION AND AWARD NOTICES

VIII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Post-Award Requirements and Administration

1. Real Property and Equipment

2. Rights in Technical Data

3. Cost Share Payment

B. Questions and Support

1. Questions

2. Support

IX. OTHER INFORMATION

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Notice of Funding Opportunity Part 1 Before You Begin

Before You Begin

Navigating the Notice of Funding Opportunity The OMB Memorandum M-24-11 directs federal agencies to reduce the burden on applicants in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process and limit the length of the NOFO information requests.

With Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NOFOs, DOE has separated the NOFO into two parts.

The NOFO Part 1 describes the specific DOE programmatic goals and evaluation criteria, eligibility, and other components that are specific to each funding opportunity. The NOFO Part 2 includes the fixed DOE requirements that generally do not change from NOFO to NOFO, including standard information for the application phase, expectations for award negotiations, and post-award requirements. Applicants must review both the NOFO Part 1 and the NOFO Part 2 prior to applying. To facilitate navigation, you will find links throughout this document to additional information found in Part 2.

There are several required one-time actions applicants must take before applying to this NOFO. Some of these actions may take several weeks, so it is vital applicants build in enough time to complete them.

Failure to complete these actions could interfere with application or negotiation deadlines or the ability to receive an award if selected. If you have previously completed the necessary registrations, make sure your registration is active and up to date. All registrations are free. Please refer to NOFO Part 2, Get Registered, for additional information.

This announcement is published in conjunction with NOFO Part 2 Version 1.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/M-24-11-Revisions-to-2-CFR.pdf

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Section I: Basic Information

I. Basic Information

A. Key Facts

Issuing Agency

Department of Energy, Office of Electricity and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office

Funding Opportunity Title

Renewable Integration Management with Innovative High Voltage Direct Current Power Circuit Breakers

(REIMAGINE BREAKERS)

Announcement Type Initial

Number

DE-FOA-0003396

Funding Instrument

Cooperative Agreements

Assistance Listing Number

81.122 Office of Electricity (OE)

Description

Developing standards for High Voltage Direct Current Circuit Breakers (HV DCCB) will support the protection and interoperability of hardware within Multi-Terminal HVDC (MTDC) transmission systems and allow for seamless interconnection and coordination of HV DCCBs into existing high voltage AC & DC transmission systems.

Standardization will provide key stakeholders with guidance to ensure all HV DCCBs developed are compatible with existing and future transmission networks. Additionally, the advancement of HV DCCB designs will aid in the development of novel ideas to reduce overall cost and footprint of the technology.

Program Goals & Objective(s)

The objective of the Announcement is to support R&D that will standardize the technical specifications of high voltage direct current circuit breakers (HV DCCB) as well as advance existing HV DCCB designs for reduced cost and footprint.

Topic Areas

• Topic Area 1: Standardization of HVDC Power Circuit Breaker Technology

• Topic Area 2: Innovative HV DCCB Designs

Eligible Applicants • Domestic Entities (Institutes of higher education; for-profit entities; non-profit entities; state and local government entities and Indian Tribes)

• DOE and Non-DOE FFRDCs (excluding NETL)

KEY DATES

Notice of Funding Opportunity Issue Date:

December 12, Concept Paper Deadline:

January 17, 2025

Application Deadline:

February 28, 2025

Anticipated Selection Notification Date:

August 1, 2025

Anticipated Award Date:

December 1, 2025

Estimated Period of Performance:

December 1, 2025

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FedConnect URL and Helpdesk

FedConnect NOFO URL FedConnect Helpdeskhttps://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Default.htm

Grants.gov URL and Helpdesk

Grants.gov URL Grants.gov Support

1. Funding Details

Multiple Topic Areas Approximate total available funding including all topic areas: $8,000,000

Topic Area 1: Standardization of HVDC Power Circuit Breaker Technology

• Approximate total available funding: $1,500,000

• Approximate number of awards: 1

• Approximate dollar amount of individual awards: up to $1,500,000

• Minimum cost share required: 20% of the Total Project Costs

• Approximate award project period: up to 36 months

• Anticipated length of budget periods: One Continuous with Go/No-Go Decision Point

Topic Area 2: Innovative HVDC Power Circuit Breaker Designs

• Approximate total available funding: $6,500,000

• Approximate number of awards: 2-3

• Approximate dollar amount of individual awards: up to $3,250,000

• Minimum cost share required: 20% of the Total Project Costs

• Approximate award project period: up to 36 months

• Anticipated length of budget periods: One Continuous with Go/No-Go Decision Point

2. Period of Performance

DOE anticipates making awards comprised of one budget period. Project continuation will be contingent upon several elements, including satisfactory performance and DOE’s Go/No-Go decision. For a complete list and more information on the Go/No-Go review, see the NOFO Part 2, Award Administration Information.

B. Executive Summary This NOFO serves as the next action in a series of actions taken by DOE to expand deployment of HVDC transmission technology in the U.S., by investing in standards development and innovative solutions to reduce cost and footprint of HV DCCB technology for widespread use in the U.S. Topic Area 1 aims to expand on the standards development being conducted through DOE FOA 2828‘s Topic Area 1 by developing technical specifications and operational requirements for HVDC power circuit breakers to the suite of available standards. Topic Area 2 aims to explore potential innovative concepts and designs that can reduce the cost to produce, install, and operate HV DCCB, as well as reduce the footprint of the equipment and improve performance, given that power plant and/or platform space is at a premium, http://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/?doc=DE-FOA-0003396&agency=DOE https://fcsupport.unisonglobal.com/support/home https://fcsupport.unisonglobal.com/support/home https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Default.htm https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/support/

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C. Agency Contact Information Office of Electricity U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave SW Washington, D.C. 20585

For questions relating to this specific NOFO, please send emails to DE-FOA-0003396@netl.doe.gov.

DISCLAIMER: Applicants are discouraged from submitting information considered proprietary unless it is deemed essential for proper evaluation of the application. If the application contains information that the applicant organization considers to be trade secrets, information that is commercial or financial, or information that is privileged or confidential, the pages containing that information must be identified as specified in the application instructions. When such information is included in the application, it will be withheld from public disclosure to the extent permitted by law, including the Freedom of Information Act, with the understanding that the information will be used or disclosed only for evaluation of the application. The information contained in the application will be protected by DOE from unauthorized disclosure, consistent with the need for merit review of applications of financial assistance awards to assure the integrity of the competitive process and the accuracy and completeness of the information. If a federal financial assistance award is made as a result of or in connection with an application, the federal government has the right to use or disclose the information to the extent authorized by law. This restriction does not limit the federal government’s right to use the information if it is obtained without restriction from another source.

mailto:DE-FOA-0003396@netl.doe.gov

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Section II: Eligibility

II. Eligibility

To be considered for substantive evaluation, an applicant’s submission must meet the criteria set forth below. If the application does not meet these eligibility requirements, it will be considered ineligible and removed from further evaluation and ineligible for any award. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this NOFO must be submitted. The decision whether to apply in response to this NOFO lies solely with the applicant. The information included here is specific to eligibility requirements for this NOFO. For eligibility requirements applicable to all NOFOs, please consult the NOFO Part 2, Eligibility.

A. Eligible Applicants To be considered for substantive evaluation, an applicant’s submission must meet the criteria set forth below. If the application does not meet these eligibility requirements, it will be considered ineligible and removed from further evaluation.

1. Domestic Entities Domestic entities are eligible to apply as recipients or subrecipients. The following types of domestic entities are eligible to participate as a recipient or subrecipient of this NOFO:

• Institutions of higher education;

• For-profit organization;

• Nonprofit organization;

• State and local governmental entities; and

• Indian Tribes, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance

Act, 25 U.S.C. § 53041

To qualify as a domestic entity, the entity must be organized, chartered, or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular state or territory of the United States or under the laws of the United States; have majority domestic ownership and control; and have a physical place of business in the United States.

2. Foreign Entity Participation In general, foreign entities are not eligible to apply as either a recipient or subrecipient. In limited circumstances, DOE may approve a waiver to allow a foreign entity to participate as a recipient or subrecipient.

A foreign entity may submit an application to this NOFO, but the application must be accompanied by an explicit written waiver request. Likewise, if the applicant seeks to include a foreign entity as a

1 “Indian Tribe,” for the purposes of this NOFO and as defined in in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. § 5304), means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (85 Stat. 688) [43 U.S.C. § 1601, et seq.], which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians. Federally Recognized Indian Tribes are also considered disadvantaged communities for the purposes of Justice40 requirements in this NOFO per https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:25%20section:5304%20edition:prelim) https://uscode.house.gov/statutes/pl/92/203.pdf#:%7E:text=688%20PUBLIC%20LAW%2092-203-DEC.%2018%2C%201971%20%5B85%20STAT.,and%20for%20other%20purposes.%20Alaska%20Native%20Claims%20Settlement https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:43%20section:1601%20edition:prelim) https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf

Version 1.0 Page 9 of 36 subrecipient, the applicant must submit a separate explicit written waiver request in the application for each proposed foreign subrecipient. Please see NOFO Part 2, Application Content Requirements for the requirements for submission of a foreign entity waiver request. The applicant does not have the right to appeal DOE’s decision concerning a waiver request.

Prime recipients and subrecipients must be legally formed in the United States, have majority domestic ownership and control, and have a physical location for business operations in the United States.

Entities that are organized, chartered, or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of the United States or a particular state or territory of the United States and have a physical location for business operations in the United States are eligible to apply for funding as a recipient or subrecipient.

Foreign Entity Participation A foreign entity is eligible to apply for funding as a recipient if it designates in the application a subsidiary or affiliate incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a state or territory of the United States to be the recipient. The application must state the nature of the corporate relationship between the foreign entity and domestic subsidiary or affiliate.

Foreign entities may request a waiver of the requirement to designate a subsidiary in the United States as the recipient in the application (i.e., a foreign entity may request that it be the recipient). To do so, the applicant must submit an explicit written waiver request in the application.

NOFO Part 2, Application Content Requirements lists the information that must be included in a request to waive this requirement. The applicant does not have the right to appeal DOE’s decision concerning a waiver request.

Participant Limitations Participation of the following entities are limited as follows.

• DOE FFRDCs2 are eligible to apply for funding as a recipient or subrecipient.

• Non-DOE FFRDCs are eligible to participate as a subrecipient but are not eligible to apply as a recipient.

• Federal agencies and instrumentalities (other than DOE) are eligible to participate as a subrecipient but are typically not eligible to apply as a recipient.

• NETL is not eligible for award under this announcement and may not be proposed as a subrecipient on another entity’s application. An application that includes NETL as a recipient or subrecipient will be considered non-responsive.

Performance of Work in the United States All work for the awards under this NOFO must be performed in the United States. To request a waiver of this requirement, the applicant must submit an explicit waiver request in the application. Absent an approved waiver, such costs will not be allowable under the award. The NOFO Part 2, Application Content Requirements lists the requirements for submission of a foreign work waiver request.

2 FFRDCs are public-private partnerships that conduct research for the U.S. government. A listing of FFRDCs can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/.

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/

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Ineligible Participants The following entities are ineligible for participation in this NOFO as a recipient, subrecipient, or subcontractor.

• In accordance with 2 CFR 200.214, entities banned from doing business with the U.S.

government such as entities debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participating in federal programs.

• Entities identified on Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control Treasury’s Sanctions Program Specially Designated Nationals list are prohibited from doing business with the United States government and are not eligible. See OFAC - Sanctions List Service (treas.gov).

• Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995, are not eligible to apply for funding.

Entity of Concern Prohibition Entities of Concern are prohibited from participating in projects selected under this NOFO (see NOFO Part 2, Eligibility, Other Eligibility Information, Entity of Concern Prohibition section for details and definitions).

B. Limitation on Number of Concept Papers and Applications Eligible for Review

An entity may submit more than one concept paper and associated application to this NOFO provided that each describes a unique, scientifically distinct project concept and an eligible concept paper was submitted for each Full Application. An entity may submit multiple concept paper and associated applications for each topic area of this NOFO as long as each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project. If an entity submits duplicate concept papers and/or applications, the DOE will only review the last submission. This limitation does not prohibit an applicant from collaborating on other applications (e.g., as a potential subrecipient or partner).

C. Cost Sharing Applicants are expected to follow through on estimated cost share commitments proposed in their applications if selected for award negotiations. Please refer to the NOFO Part 2, Eligibility for more information on Cost Sharing.

1. Cost Share Requirements The cost share must be at least 20% of the total project costs3 for research and development.4

3 Total project costs are the sum of the government share, including FFRDC costs if applicable, and the recipient share of project costs.

4 Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. 109-58, sec. 988. Also see 2 CFR 200.306 and 2 CFR 910.130 for additional cost sharing requirements.

https://sanctionslist.ofac.treas.gov/Home/SdnList

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D. FFRDC Eligibility Criteria

1. DOE FFRDCs as the Applicant

A DOE FFRDC is eligible to apply for funding under this NOFO if its cognizant Contracting Officer provides written authorization and this authorization is submitted with the application.

The following wording is acceptable for the authorization:

Authorization is granted for the Laboratory to participate in the proposed project. The work proposed for the Laboratory is consistent with or complementary to the missions of the Laboratory and will not adversely impact execution of the DOE assigned programs at the Laboratory.

If a DOE FFRDC is selected for award negotiation, the proposed work will be authorized under the DOE work authorization process and performed under the laboratory’s Management and Operating (M&O) contract.

2. DOE and Non-DOE FFRDCs as a Subrecipient As long as they have no conflict, DOE and non-DOE FFRDCs may be proposed as a subrecipient on another entity’s application subject to the following guidelines:

Authorization for non-DOE FFRDCs The federal agency sponsoring the FFRDC must authorize in writing the use of the FFRDC on the proposed project and this authorization must be submitted with the application. The use of a FFRDC must be consistent with its authority under its award.

Authorization for DOE FFRDCs The cognizant Contracting Officer for the FFRDC must authorize in writing the use of the FFRDC on the proposed project and this authorization must be submitted with the application. The following wording is acceptable for this authorization:

Authorization is granted for the Laboratory to participate in the proposed project. The work proposed for the Laboratory is consistent with or complementary to the missions of the Laboratory and will not adversely impact execution of the DOE assigned programs at the Laboratory.

Funding, Cost Share, and Subaward with FFRDCs The recipient and FFRDC are responsible for entering into an appropriate subaward that will govern, among other things, the funding of the FFRDC portion of the work from the recipient under its DOE award. Such an agreement must be fully executed prior to the FFRDC starting work directly allocable to the FA award. The DOE funding office will provide funding for the DOE FFRDC or non-DOE FFRDC, participating as a sub awardee under the DOE financial assistance award to the recipient.

The applicant should prepare the budgets using rates appropriate for funding the FFRDCs through subawards. The applicant’s cost share requirement will be based on the total cost of the project, including the applicant’s, the subrecipient’s, and the FFRDC’s portions of the project.

C. Responsibility

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The recipient will be the responsible authority regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues, including but not limited to disputes and claims arising out of any agreement between the recipient and the FFRDC.

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Section III: Program Description

III. Program Description

A. Background and Context The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is seeking applications under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (Announcement), on behalf of the Office of Electricity’s (OE) Transformer Resilience and Advanced Components (TRAC) Program and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office’s (EERE WETO) Systems Integration Program.

OE works to develop new technologies to enhance the infrastructure that brings electricity into our homes, offices, and factories and to improve the federal and state electricity policies and programs that shape electricity system planning and market operations. OE provides national leadership to ensure that the Nation’s grid is reliable, resilient, and secure and that the electricity is affordable for everyone.

The Nation's sustained economic prosperity, quality of life, and global competitiveness depend on access to an abundance of secure, reliable, and affordable energy resources. Through a mix of technology and policy solutions, OE is addressing the changing dynamics and uncertainties in which the future electric system will need to operate. OE leverages effective partnerships, solid research, and best practices to support diverse interests in achieving economic, societal, and environmental objectives.

Within OE, the Transformer Resilience and Advanced Components (TRAC) program supports modernization and resiliency of the grid by addressing the unique challenges of grid hardware technologies that are responsible for carrying and controlling electricity from where it is generated to where it is needed.

OE’s partner on this NOFO, WETO, invests in wind energy research, development, and demonstration activities that enable and accelerate the innovations needed to advance offshore, land-based, and distributed wind systems; reduce the cost of wind energy; drive deployment in an environmentally conscious manner; and facilitate the integration of high levels of wind energy with the electric grid.

WETO’s goal in renewable systems integration is to remove barriers to enable system planners and operators, via innovation, to capture the economic and environmental benefits of the increasing availability of wind energy, while ensuring overall system reliability, resiliency, and security. This can be accomplished through system studies, data, models, tools development, and validation and field demonstrations, coupled with working directly with stakeholders, including utilities, to help ensure adoption of best practices.

In May 2022, WETO and OE co-hosted a three-day HVDC Workshop that brought together key stakeholders to both discuss the current state-of-the-art of HVDC systems and identify research gaps that need to be filled to advance the technology for renewable integration. Some of the critical gaps identified include the development and advancement of standards to aid in the manufacturability and interoperability of HVDC systems, the R&D of wide bandgap semiconductor devices and other technologies to increase the power capacity of the technology, and the improvement of HVDC power circuit breakers for fault protection on the HVDC system.

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The HVDC workshop informed Topic Area (TA) 1 (High-Voltage Direct Current for Offshore Wind Transmission) of WETO’s DE-FOA-0002828 (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)) FOA to Address Key Deployment Challenges for Offshore, Land-Based, and Distributed Wind) that was released in December of 2022. Relevant subtopics under TA 1 included HVDC standardization and benchmark system development (TA 1a), MTDC basic controls and functional requirements development (TA 1b), and curriculum creation for education and workforce development (TA 1c). OE also released a HVDC American-Made Prize in March 2023 to promote “new innovative solutions to technical challenges in HVDC through the development of new hardware, controls, and advanced concepts.”

In the relevant House Report to the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, DOE was directed to initiate a HVDC “moonshot” initiative to reduce the cost of HVDC technology. This directive prompted targeted information gathering and a stakeholder workshop to collect baseline cost figures and barriers to widespread adoption of HVDC systems. Through these activities, DOE established a goal to reduce the combined capital, operating, and maintenance cost of VSC HVDC systems by 35% by 2035. The target annual levelized cost of HVDC substations is $210/MW/kV by 2035.

Building on the knowledge gained from the previous workshops and studies, FOA 3141 Innovative DEsigns for high-performAnce Low-cost HVDC Converters (IDEAL HVDC) was released with the goal to increase R&D in voltage source converter substations in support of the broader HVDC CORE initiative.

More information regarding project selections can be found here.

In May 2024, WETO and OE co-hosted a direct current power circuit breaker workshop convening key stakeholders to discuss the challenges and gaps in HV DCCB technology inhibiting widespread adoption of MTDC transmission systems in the U.S. Information from the workshop can be found here. The following areas were identified as best suited for DOE to lead: standardization of HV DCCB technology, development of disruptive technologies to advance the industry, execution of pilot demonstrations to showcase technology capabilities, and investment in testing facilities to ensure reliability of the system.

This NOFO aims to address gaps in standardization and development of innovative HV DCCB technologies.

OE and WETO also coordinate HVDC activities with other DOE offices such as Grid Deployment Office’s recent funding opportunity to enable Standardization for Interregional Offshore Transmission and ARPA- E’s latest announcement to develop Disruptive DC Converters for Grid Resilient Infrastructure to Deliver Sustainable energy (DC-GRIDS).

B. Program Goals and Objectives This NOFO seeks applications to support R&D that will standardize the technical specifications of high voltage direct current circuit breakers (HV DCCB) as well as advance existing HV DCCB designs.

Developing standards for HV DCCBs will support the protection and interoperability of hardware within MTDC transmission systems and allow for seamless interconnection and coordination of the technology into existing HV AC & DC transmission systems. Standardization will provide key stakeholders with guidance to ensure all HV DCCBs developed are compatible with existing and future transmission networks. Additionally, the advancement of HV DCCB designs will aid in the development of novel ideas to reduce overall cost and footprint of the technology.

Detailed technical descriptions of the specific Topic Areas are provided in the sections that follow.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/weto-releases-28-million-funding-opportunity-address-key-deployment-challenges https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/117th-congress/house-report/394/1 https://www.energy.gov/oe/hvdc-cost-reduction-core-initiative https://www.energy.gov/oe/articles/doe-announces-11m-high-voltage-direct-current-transmission-projects https://www.energy.gov/oe/2024-doe-direct-current-circuit-breakers-workshop https://www.energy.gov/gdo/standardization-interregional-offshore-wind-transmission https://arpa-e.energy.gov/technologies/programs/dc-grids https://arpa-e.energy.gov/technologies/programs/dc-grids

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C. Expected Performance Goals Because applicant proposed research questions and technical solutions within this topic area may vary, OE and EERE will not prescribe a list of success metrics. However, the application should define success metrics appropriate to the project to be used in technology evaluation.

D. Topic Areas Topic Area 1 – Standardization of HVDC Power Circuit Breaker Technology This topic area aims to further the work of DE-FOA-0002828 and IDEAL-HVDC and address a key gap in the HVDC protection through the development of HV DCCB technical standards. Successful proposals will consider the following when developing a plan to generate HV DCCB standards:

• Fault clearing needs for point-to-point and multi-terminal HVDC systems

• Robust understanding of existing state-of-the-art HV DCCB technology and familiarity of current activities at IEEE, IEC, or CIGRE on DC switching gears

• Gaps in developing a set of standards for the technology

• Understanding of HVAC power circuit breaker standards (such as IEEE C37 and IEC 62271 series) to inform HV DCCB standards

• Needed studies to define functional requirements or technical specifications

• Key stakeholders to include in standards development to drive consensus and adoption

• Coordination with the awardee for FOA 2828 Topic Area 1a and plan to add on to and not compete with the standards developed through that work

1. Specific Requirements:

i. The proposed project must develop vendor neutral HVDC power circuit breaker standards.

ii. The standards should include standard functional requirements such as

a. Rated voltage,

b. Interrupting time,

c. Peak fault interrupting current rating,

d. Peak voltage rating,

e. Insulation level,

f. Continuous, short term, and peak withstand current ratings,

d. Bidirectionality of current interruption,

e. Multiple open/close operation times,

f. Losses

iii. The standard should include interfaces with DC converters.

iv. Standards should also address multi-vendor interoperability of HVDC grid protection.

v. The scope of work proposed should include conducting gap analysis on existing standards and initiating a path towards filling the gaps, such as initiating a Project Authorization Request (PAR38) with IEEE.

vi. The proposed work can be in the form of a roadmap with a timeline and action plan.

vii. Applicants should clearly describe the organizations that they anticipate approaching to modify rules and standards.

viii. The proposal should identify the expected timeframe for approval by the organization along with steps necessary from proposed change to approved implementation.

2. Teaming arrangement:

i. Provide a description of the project team with clear descriptions of each team member’s role in the project. WETO and OE emphasize increasing diversity of research staff, increasing diversity

Version 1.0 Page 16 of 36 of voices in research design, and increasing quantification and emphasis on supporting underserved communities.

ii. It is preferred that the project team include Principal Investigators from multiple research organizations and include academic representation, where strong consideration should be appropriately given to Minority Serving Institutions.

iii. It is required to partner with industry members from at least one of the following groups:

original equipment manufacturers, consultants, electric utilities, and/or system operators.

iv. Coordination with existing HVDC standards effort is encouraged.

v. Include letters of support clearly indicating each team member or advisor’s role in the proposed project and the support of their organization.

Topic Area 2 – Innovative HV DCCB Designs This topic area aims to explore potential innovative concepts and designs that can improve performance, reduce the cost to produce, install, and operate HV DCCB technology as well as reduce the footprint of the equipment, given that power plant and/or platform space is at a premium especially for offshore wind applications. Applicants are encouraged to build from DOE ARPA-E’s BREAKERS program, which focused on developing novel technologies for medium voltage DCCBs, and address unique challenges for HV DCCBs in this NOFO.

Cost reduction can be achieved through a number of routes that will be left up to the proposer to evaluate. Some example areas to investigate include but are not limited to:

• Power Electronic Building Blocks to increase modularity of designs

• Size and weight reduction

• Packaging innovations

• Thermal management innovations

• Voltage Limit

• Operation speeds

• Life span of the technology

1) Specific Requirements:

a) Applicants are required to:

i) Describe the current state-of-the-art and the baseline on which the proposed design will improve;

ii) Propose an innovative, scalable, and manufacturable HV DCCB design that matches or improves upon the design characteristics of an existing commercially available product (350 kV, 25 kA interruption current, 3 ms operation time). Designs should also be flexible to meet forth coming standards developed through Topic Area 1 of this FOA.

iii) Through simulation, emulation, or other analytic approaches, validate that the proposed design(s) can achieve at least 10% of performance improvements in a real-world adjacent scenario as compared to the baseline established;

iv) Provide a cost breakdown of how the innovation will reduce overall lifetime HVDC power circuit breaker costs; and

v) Develop a plan to kickstart the next phase of development for the technology if the design is deemed feasible.

b) Applications are highly encouraged to:

i) Develop a scalable prototype at the component or subcomponent level where applicable;

and https://arpa-e.energy.gov/technologies/programs/breakers#:%7E:text=The%20projects%20that%20comprise%20ARPA-E%E2%80%99s%20BREAKERS%20%28Building%20Reliable,interconnections%2C%20and%20offshore%20oil%2C%20gas%2C%20and%20wind%20production.

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ii) Incorporate considerations for offshore wind substations including, but not limited to:

(1) Designs that address size and platform constraints,

(2) Designs that address offshore specific cost constraints, and

(3) Designs that address unique cooling constraints

2. Teaming arrangement:

i. Provide a description of the project team with clear descriptions of each team member’s role in the project. WETO and OE emphasize increasing diversity of research staff, increasing diversity of voices in research design, and increasing quantification and emphasis on supporting underserved communities.

ii. It is preferred that the project team include Principal Investigators from multiple research organizations and include academic representation, where strong consideration should be appropriately given to Minority Serving Institutions.

iii. Include relevant industry members from one or more of the following groups: original equipment manufacturers, consultants, electric utilities, and/or system operators. Teaming partnerships are highly recommended.

iv. It is highly encouraged to coordinate with the standards development team from Topic Area 1 to help inform design decisions.

v. Include letters of support clearly indicating each team member or advisor’s role in the proposed project and the support of their organization.

E. Applications Specifically Not of Interest The following types of applications will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (Please also refer to the Responsiveness Review section below):

• Applications that fall outside the technical parameters specified in Background and Context above and the Topic Areas section above.

• Applications for proposed technologies that are not based on sound scientific principles (e.g., violates the laws of thermodynamics).

• Standards for other HVDC equipment such as converters or transformers.

• Standards that go beyond those for HV DCCBs.

• Applications that solely focused on development of new protection schemes.

F. Statement of Substantial Involvement DOE anticipates awarding cooperative agreements under this NOFO, which include a statement of DOE’s “substantial involvement” in the work performed under the resulting awards. For cooperative agreements, DOE does not limit its involvement to the administrative requirements of the award.

Instead, DOE has substantial involvement in the direction and redirection of the technical aspects of the project. DOE’s substantial involvement in resulting awards may include the following:

A. DOE shares responsibility with the recipient for the management, control, direction, and performance of the project.

B. DOE may intervene in the conduct or performance of work under this award for programmatic reasons. Intervention includes the interruption or modification of the conduct or performance of project activities.

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C. DOE may redirect or discontinue funding the project based on the outcome of DOE’s evaluation of the project at the Go/No-Go decision point(s).

D. DOE participates in major project decision-making processes.

E. Reviewing project plans, including as required: project management, testing, cybersecurity, interoperability, data management, and technology transfer/commercialization plan in a timely manner then recommending alternate approaches if the plans do not address critical programmatic objectives.

F. Conducting periodic reviews to ensure adequate progress and that the work accomplishes the program and project objectives. Recommending alternate approaches or shifting work emphasis, if needed.

G. Reviewing scientific/technical reports to ensure programmatic needs and the requirements of the Financial Assistance award instrument, including intellectual property rights, are satisfied and providing comments to the Recipient in a timely manner.

H. Promoting and facilitating technology transfer activities, including disseminating program results through presentations and publications.

I. Serving as scientific/technical liaison between recipients and other DOE programs.

G. Statutory Authority The programmatic authorizing statute are:

• PL 95-91, DOE Organization Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7101., et seq. as amended;

• PL 109-58, Energy Policy Act of 2005, 42 U.S.C. § 15801., et seq. as amended;

• PL 116–260, The Energy Act of 2020, div. Z, title III, § 3003 as codified at 42 U.S.C. 16237; and

• PL 110-140, Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, § 1304 as codified at 42 U.S.C. §

17384.

Awards made under this announcement will fall under the purview of 2 CFR Part 200 as adopted and supplemented by 2 CFR Part 910.

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Section IV: Application Content and Form

IV. Application Content and Form

This section includes application information specific to this NOFO Part 1. Refer to the NOFO Part 2, Application Content and Form for standard information that applies to all DOE NOFOs such as formatting and content requirements, and funding restrictions.

A. Summary The application process includes:

Application Submission Phase Eligibility for Submission

Concept Paper Required to be submitted by the specified due date and time to be eligible to submit an application

Application Must be submitted by the specified due date and time to be eligible for comprehensive merit review.

B. Concept Paper Each concept paper must be limited to a single concept, technology, or project. The concept paper must conform to the requirements listed below, including the stated page limits.

Section Page Limit Description Cover Page 1 page maximum The cover page should include the project title, the specific announcement Topic Area being addressed (if applicable), both the technical and business points of contact (including the Administrative Officer, if applicable), names of all team member organizations, the project location(s), and any statements regarding confidentiality.

Technology Description

2 pages maximum

Applicants are required to succinctly describe:

• The proposed technology, including its basic operating principles and how it is unique and innovative;

• How the proposed technology will overcome the shortcomings, limitations, and challenges in the relevant field and application;

• The potential impact that the proposed project would have on the relevant field and application;

• The key technical risks/issues associated with the proposed technology development plan;

Addendum 1 pages maximum

Applicants are required to succinctly describe the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the proposed project team, including:

• Whether the Principal Investigator (PI) or Lead Project Manager (LPM) and project team have the skill and expertise needed to successfully execute the project plan;

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• Whether the applicant has prior experience which demonstrates an ability to perform tasks of similar risk and complexity;

• Whether the applicant has worked together with its teaming partners on prior projects or programs;

• Whether the applicant has adequate access to equipment and facilities necessary to accomplish the effort and/or clearly explain how it intends to obtain access to the necessary equipment and facilities; and

• Applicants may provide graphs, charts, or other data to supplement their Technology Description.

Total concept paper Maximum Page Limit: 4 pages

DOE makes an independent assessment of each concept paper based on the technical review criteria for Concept Papers described below. DOE will encourage a subset of applicants to submit applications.

Other applicants will be discouraged from submitting an application. Please see NOFO Part 2, Selection and Award Notices—Concept Paper Notifications.

C. Application Content Requirements Each application must be limited to a single concept. Applications must conform to the following requirements and must not exceed the stated page limits. Please refer to the NOFO Part 2, Application Content and Form for a complete list of application requirements. Detailed guidance on the content and form of NOFO-specific requirements is provided following the Summary of Application Requirements table below.

1. Covered Individual Definition, Designation, and Responsibility Several of the Application Content Requirements listed below and in the NOFO Part 2 are required of covered individuals.

For the purposes of this NOFO, a Covered Individual means an individual who (a) contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the development or execution of the scope of work of a project proposed for funding by DOE, and (b) is designated as a covered individual by DOE.

DOE designates as covered individuals as any principal investigator (PI); project director (PD); co-principal investigator (Co-PI); co-project director (Co-PD); project manager; and any individual regardless of title that is functionally performing as a PI, PD, Co-PI, Co-PD, or project manager. Status as a consultant, graduate (master’s or PhD) student, or postdoctoral associate does not automatically disqualify a person from being designated as a “covered individual” if they meet the definition in (a) above.

The applicant is responsible for assessing the applicability of (a) above, against each person listed on the application. Further, the applicant is responsible for identifying any such individual to DOE for designation as a covered individual, if not already designated by DOE as described above.

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The applicant’s submission of a current and pending support disclosure and/or biosketch/resume for a particular person serves as an acknowledgement that DOE designates that person as a covered individual.

DOE may further designate covered individuals during award negotiations or the award period of performance.

2. Summary of Application Requirements

Component File Format

Page Limit

File Name

Application for Federal Assistance

(SF-424)

Form n/a N/A

Technical Volume PDF 15 TechnicalVolume.pdf Letters of Commitment PDF 1 page each LOC.pdf

Statement of Project Objectives MS Word

5 SOPO.doc or .docx

Project Management Plan PDF 20 PMP.pdf Budget Information Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A)

MS

Excel n/a SF-424A.xls or .xlsx

Budget Justification Workbook MS Excel n/a Budget_Justification.xls or .xlsx

Subrecipient Budget Justification MS Excel n/a Subrecipient_Budget_Justification.x ls or .xlsx

Work Proposal for FFRDC, (see DOE O 412.1A)

PDF n/a WP.pdf

Authorization for Non-DOE or DOE FFRDCs

PDF n/a FFRDCAuth.pdf

Waiver for Foreign Entity Participation PDF n/a FEW.pdf Performance of Work in the United States (Foreign Work Waiver)

PDF n/a FWW.pdf

Resumes (Research and Development (R&D))

PDF 3 pages each

Resumes.pdf

Current and Pending Support (for each covered individual)

PDF n/a CPS.pdf

Digital Persistent Identifier (for each covered individual)

N/A N/A Include in Current & Pending Support

Research Security Training Requirement (for each covered individual)

N/A N/A Include in Current & Pending Support

Transparency of Foreign Connections PDF n/a BusinessSensitive_TFC.pdf Potentially Duplicative Funding Notice PDF n/a PDFN.pdf Data Management Plan PDF n/a DMP.pdf Environmental Questionnaire PDF n/a ENV.pdf Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, if applicable (SF-LLL)

PDF n/a SF-LLL.pdf https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0412.1-BOrder-a-chg1-AdmChg https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0412.1-BOrder-a-chg1-AdmChg

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Certification Regarding Lobbying (OMB 4040-0013)

PDF n/a Cert Lobbying.pdf

Summary for Public Release PDF 1 Summary.pdf Summary Slide MS

Power Point

1 Slide.pdf

3. Technical Volume

The Technical Volume must conform to the following content and form requirements. This volume must address the technical review criteria as discussed in Technical Review Criteria.

Applicants must provide sufficient citations and references to the primary research literature to justify the claims and approaches made in the Technical Volume. However, DOE and reviewers are under no obligation to review cited sources.

The Technical Volume to the application may not be more than 15 pages, including the cover page, table of contents, and all citations, charts, graphs, maps, photos, or other graphics, and must include all information below. The applicant should consider the weighting of each of the technical review criteria (see Technical Review Criteria) when preparing the Technical Volume.

The Technical Volume should clearly describe and expand upon information provided in the concept paper.

Cover Page:

The cover page must include all of the following:

• The project title

• Specific NOFO topic areas (if applicable)

• Technical and business POCs (e-mail addresses and telephone numbers)

• Senior/key personnel and other covered individuals

• The project team, including recipient name, entity type and names of all team member organizations

• The project location(s)

• The proposed total federal funding level, cost share and period of performance

• The proposed federal funding level and cost share for each project participant

• Statements regarding confidentiality

A sample Project Narrative Cover Page is included as an attachment to this announcement.

Table of Contents: Applicant to capture, at a minimum, all of the required sections identified in this table.

Project Objectives This section should provide a clear, concise statement of the specific objectives/aims of the proposed project.

Merit Review Criteria Discussion

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The section should be formatted to address each of the merit review criterion and sub…