Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2019 Funding Program | DE FOA 0002064

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002064

The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Fiscal Year 2019 Funding Program (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002064) is a U.S. Department of Energy grant opportunity aimed at pushing solar energy technologies forward so they are cheaper, more reliable, and better performing when connected to the electric grid. The program is built around the idea that solar costs have been falling quickly, and the next wave of progress depends on sustained innovation that tackles not only the solar devices themselves, but also the way they are produced, installed, and integrated into the broader energy system. Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement, SETO intends to support high-impact, early-stage research, development, and demonstration projects that can create measurable improvements and help more Americans benefit from affordable solar energy.

This opportunity is offered as a discretionary funding program using cooperative agreements, meaning awardees should expect substantial involvement from the Department of Energy during the project period rather than a hands-off grant. The administering agency is the Department of Energy, Golden Field Office, and the program is listed under CFDA number 81.087 (Energy). Eligibility is described as unrestricted, which generally means a wide range of applicants can apply (such as companies, universities, nonprofits, national laboratories, state and local governments, and other organizations), with the caveat that applicants must still follow any specific eligibility conditions described in the full announcement text.

The FOA is organized into five topic areas that together cover the solar technology pipeline from core hardware advances to real-world deployment barriers. Topic Area 1, Photovoltaics Research and Development, focuses on improving PV technologies, which can include advances in cell and module performance, durability, reliability, and pathways to lower cost. Topic Area 2, Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Research and Development, supports innovation in CSP systems that use mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight to generate heat and then electricity, often with the potential to pair with thermal energy storage for dispatchable power. Topic Area 3, Balance of Systems Soft Costs Reduction, targets the non-hardware costs that can still make solar expensive even when panels are cheap, such as permitting, inspection, interconnection, customer acquisition, financing complexity, and other process-related barriers. Topic Area 4, Innovations in Manufacturing Hardware Incubator, is aimed at early-stage manufacturing innovations, emphasizing new hardware concepts, production approaches, and scalable manufacturing methods that can strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce cost through better processes and equipment. Topic Area 5, Advanced Solar Systems Integration Technologies, focuses on making solar work better on the grid, including integration challenges tied to variability, forecasting, power electronics, controls, grid services, interoperability, and other technologies that allow higher penetrations of solar while maintaining reliability.

The funding profile provided in the source data indicates an expected 56 awards, with an award ceiling listed as 2 (as written in the dataset), suggesting the maximum award amount may be capped at a specific level that should be verified in the full FOA document since the number appears truncated without units. The opportunity was created on March 26, 2019, with an original application closing date of July 25, 2019. Overall, the program is designed to seed and accelerate early-stage innovations across photovoltaics, solar-thermal power, cost and process improvements, manufacturing breakthroughs, and grid integration solutions, with the broader goal of enabling affordable solar deployment at scale while keeping the electric system stable and efficient.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2019 Funding Program" 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 Mar 26, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 25, 2019. (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 56 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for DE FOA 0002064

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