Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003289
The Fiscal Year 2024 Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator FOA (DE-FOA-0003289) is a U.S. Department of Energy opportunity run through the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and administered by the Golden Field Office. It is designed to put federal funding behind research, development, and demonstration projects that reduce technical and commercial risk in the solar supply chain, with a focus on solar hardware, manufacturing processes, and software products. In practical terms, DOE is looking for work that helps promising solar technologies move from earlier lab validation through prototype and pilot-scale demonstration so they can be manufactured and deployed more confidently and at larger scale. The broader policy purpose is to support national decarbonization goals by accelerating innovations that make clean energy cheaper, easier to deploy, and more reliable.
The funding available under the FOA is up to $39 million total, and DOE expects to make roughly 11 to 23 awards. Individual awards are anticipated to fall in the $1 million to $6 million range, with an award ceiling of $6,000,000. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which usually means DOE expects substantial involvement during the project period (for example, federal project management, technical reviews, or milestone-based decision points). The activity category is Energy, and the CFDA/Assistance Listing number is 81.087.
On the technical side, the scope is intentionally broad across solar technology areas and readiness levels. DOE highlights interest in photovoltaics (PV), systems integration topics that help solar operate effectively within the grid and with other energy assets, and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP). The FOA also explicitly calls out technologies that connect solar with energy storage or electric vehicles, as well as dual-use PV concepts such as agrivoltaics and vehicle-integrated PV. The common thread is de-risking: improving manufacturability, demonstrating performance, validating new processes, and proving out software or enabling tools that remove bottlenecks in deployment.
A notable emphasis is on software and “soft cost” improvements related to permitting. The FOA seeks projects that provide outreach, education, or technology development for software capable of delivering an automated permit review and approval process for rooftop solar PV systems, with or without paired energy storage. This is aimed at streamlining and standardizing permitting workflows that often slow down residential and commercial rooftop adoption. Both for-profit and non-profit entities can apply under this topic, signaling DOE interest in practical, deployable tools that can be adopted by jurisdictions and the solar industry.
Eligibility is open to a range of organization types, including for-profit organizations (including small businesses) and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education as the nonprofit category is phrased in the listing). SETO also encourages for-profit applicants to partner with a diverse mix of institutions such as universities, nonprofits, state and local governments, and Tribal governments, which can strengthen technical capability, broaden impact, and support adoption pathways. Applicants are also pointed to support resources, including free Application Education Services through the American-Made Network and potential engagement with Power Connectors, which can help teams refine plans, connect with expertise, or improve competitiveness.
Timing matters for this FOA because it includes a required pre-application step. A mandatory concept paper must be submitted by July 19, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time before a full application is allowed. The full application deadline listed for the opportunity is October 7, 2024. The FOA was created on June 6, 2024. Overall, this program is best understood as an incubator-style push to strengthen the domestic solar supply chain and deployment ecosystem by funding projects that prove technical readiness, validate manufacturing approaches, and tackle real-world barriers like permitting automation.Apply for DE FOA 0003289
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2024 Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator FOA" 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 2024-06-06.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-07. (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 $6,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 23 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.
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| Geothermal Resources’ Value In Implementing Decarbonization (GRID) Apply for DE FOA 0003346 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003346 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Water Power Innovation Network Apply for DE FOA 0003323 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003323 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| DE-FOA-0003389 Request for Information (RFI) on Renewable Propane Production Technologies and Uses Apply for DE FOA 0003389 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003389 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) number DE-FOA-0003343 entitled Undocumented Orphaned Well Research and Development Apply for DE FOA 0003377 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003377 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Smart Manufacturing Technologies for Material and Process Innovation Apply for DE FOA 0003329 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003329 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Connected Communities 2.0: Innovations to Manage Growing Transportation, Building, and Industrial Loads to the Grid Apply for DE FOA 0003136 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003136 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $6,000,000 |
| Request for Information (RFI) on Enhancing Coordination of the Lab Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) Apply for DE FOA 0003435 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003435 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Offshore Wind National and Regional Research and Development Apply for DE FOA 0003334 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003334 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $5,000,000 |
| REQUEST FOR INFORMATION & NOTICE OF INTENT: Nuclear Safety Training and Workforce Development Program Apply for DE RFI NOI 0003410 Funding Number: DE RFI NOI 0003410 Agency: Idaho Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $100,000,000 |
| Notice of Intent (NOI) to Issue Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office Funding Opportunity Announcement to Advance the National Clean Hydrogen Strategy Apply for DE FOA 0003212 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003212 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $30,000,000 |
| Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Smart Manufacturing and Recycling Tactics for States (SMART) Apply for DE FOA 0003376 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003376 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $63,000,000 |
| Critical Facility Energy Resilience (CiFER) Apply for DE FOA 0003384 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003384 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $5,000,000 |
| Notice of Intent (NOI) related to Aligning Manufacturability & Pre-production Design (AMPD) for Storage Technologies Apply for DE FOA 0003424 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003424 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| DE-FOA-0003426: RFI Microelectronics Energy Efficiency Scaling for 2 Decades (EES2) R&D Roadmap — Public Feedback Apply for DE FOA 0003426 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003426 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Harnessing Solar Energy to Develop Irrigation Techniques Apply for DOS BAGHDAD PD 2024 006 Funding Number: DOS BAGHDAD PD 2024 006 Agency: U.S. Mission to Iraq Category: Energy Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Fiscal Year 2025 University Reactor Sharing and Outreach Apply for DE FOA 0003313 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003313 Agency: Idaho Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Notice of Intent DE-FOA-0003423: Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas FY24 Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0003428 Apply for DE FOA 0003423 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003423 Agency: Headquarters Category: Energy Funding Amount: $50,000,000 |
| Energy Storage Pilot Demonstrations Apply for DE FOA 0003399 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003399 Agency: Headquarters Category: Energy Funding Amount: $20,000,000 |
| Notice of Intent to Issue Fiscal Year 2025 Solar Module and Solar Hardware (SMASH) Incubator Notice of Funding Opportunity Apply for DE FOA 0003459 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003459 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Notice of Intent (NOI) to Issue Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Advanced Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies to Drive National Decarbonization DE-FOA-0003439 Apply for DE FOA 0003438 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003438 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
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