The Zero-Emission Shipping Mission, an international coalition of countries, private industry, research institutes, and civil society of which the US is a core member, set the goal to demonstrate commercially-viable zero-emission ships by 2030. This transformation requires coordination among all aspects of the shipping supply chain including feedstock supply, alternative fuel production, ship and engine manufacturers, port management, safety implementation, and government regulation. One of the largest and most nuanced discussions around maritime emissions reduction is which alternative fuel(s) to utilize. The alternative fuels under evaluation are biofuels (biodiesel, renewable diesel, bio-intermediates/residuals), renewable natural gas (RNG), methanol, hydrogen, and ammonia. Each alternative fuel comes with its own set of regionally-sensitive advantages and disadvantages. To date, this has made selection of future fuels extremely difficult. The purpose of this RFI is to understand the maritime industry’s current alternative fuels trajectory, the driving forces behind it, and the key barriers to achieving this transition.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to maritime industry alternative fuel advancement and getting to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is specifically interested in information on the maritime industry’s current alternative fuels trajectory, the driving forces behind it, and the key barriers to achieving this transition. This is solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). EERE is not accepting applications.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to ZESM@ee.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm (ET) on July 14, 2023.