Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) FY 2018 | DE FOA 0001840

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001840

The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) FY 2018 (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001840) is a U.S. Department of Energy opportunity administered through the Golden Field Office to fund early-stage research and related initiatives that strengthen the national solar energy portfolio. The overall aim is to push forward both solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) technologies while also removing barriers to getting those technologies integrated quickly and reliably into the U.S. electricity grid. In addition to technology development, the FOA explicitly includes a workforce focus, reflecting the idea that long-term solar growth depends not only on better hardware and software, but also on having trained people to design, install, operate, and maintain next-generation systems.

This FOA is offered as a discretionary funding opportunity using a Cooperative Agreement, which typically means DOE expects substantial involvement during the project (for example, providing technical direction, coordinating milestones, and monitoring progress more actively than in a standard grant). The funding activity category is Energy, and the listed CFDA number is 81.087. The opportunity was created on April 17, 2018, with an original closing date of June 26, 2018. The posting indicates an award ceiling of 2 (as listed in the source data) and an expected number of awards of 1, suggesting a limited number of selections and a competitive process. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with further clarification intended in the FOA's additional eligibility information, which often covers whether universities, national labs, private companies, nonprofits, state and local governments, or other entities can apply, and under what conditions.

The funding is organized into four major topic areas that collectively cover SETO priorities from grid integration to core technology R&D to workforce development. Topic 1, Advanced Solar Systems Integration Technologies, centers on the technical and operational challenges that arise as solar reaches higher penetration levels on the electric grid. Projects in this area are meant to support the "seamless integration" of significant solar capacity, which commonly involves issues like grid reliability, system interoperability, forecasting and controls, protection and power electronics, and approaches that help utilities and system operators manage variability and maintain stable, secure operation as solar becomes a larger share of generation.

Topic 2, Concentrating Solar Thermal Power Research and Development, targets CSP technologies that concentrate sunlight to produce high-temperature heat. That heat can be converted into electricity and, importantly, can also be stored as thermal energy for later use. This topic supports R&D that improves the performance, cost, and practicality of CSP components and systems, including approaches that enable high-temperature operation and thermal energy storage, and that expand the set of potential end uses beyond electricity (for example, industrial process heat), where high-temperature heat can be especially valuable.

Topic 3, Photovoltaic Research and Development, focuses on advancing PV technologies through improvements in reliability, annual energy yield, and performance validation of novel PV devices, as well as the creation and development of new PV materials. In practical terms, this topic supports work that can make PV modules and systems last longer in real-world conditions, generate more usable energy over the year (not just achieve high efficiency under ideal lab conditions), and accelerate the pathway for emerging PV concepts by demonstrating performance and addressing durability, manufacturability, and other factors that influence whether a new device can succeed outside the lab.

Topic 4, Improving and Expanding the Solar Industry through Workforce Initiatives, emphasizes workforce development as a core part of the solar innovation pipeline. The intent is to support efforts that prepare workers for the industry's future needs, which can include training, education pathways, and initiatives that build capacity across the solar value chain. By including workforce initiatives alongside technical R&D, the FOA recognizes that scaling solar deployment and maintaining high standards of safety, quality, and performance requires a strong talent base as technologies and grid requirements evolve.

Taken together, the FOA reflects SETO's portfolio approach: advancing foundational solar technologies (PV and CSP), ensuring those technologies can be integrated rapidly and reliably into the national grid, and strengthening the workforce needed to support long-term industry growth.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) FY 2018" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 17, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 26, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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