This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) to invest in innovative research that accelerates the large-scale development and deployment of solar technology to support an equitable transition to a decarbonized electricity system by 2035 and decarbonized energy sector by 2050. Decarbonizing the grid responsibly and equitably requires that wildlife and ecosystems associated with solar energy facilities are well understood. Achieving this goal will support the nationwide effort to meet the threat of climate change and ensure that all Americans as well as the nation’s wildlife and ecosystems benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy. Climate change is a threat not just to human societies but also “presents a growing threat to the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats in profound ways.”[1]
The goal of this funding opportunity is to develop solutions and/or strategies that minimize the adverse impacts of solar energy on wildlife and maximize the ecosystem benefits while enabling the rapid deployment of ground-mounted solar energy. SETO is interested in projects that will produce results with broad relevance to solar stakeholders by establishing methods, technologies, models, best management practices, and/or resources that facilitate solar energy’s pivotal role in achieving a 100% clean electricity system by 2035 and a net-zero energy system by 2050. Successful projects will produce research results that are generalizable to multiple sites, pertinent to multiple stakeholder groups, impactful in a short timeframe (i.e., 3 years or less), and engage local communities most affected by solar energy deployment.
Deadlines:
- Required Concept Papers: April 11, 2022
- Full Applications: June 20, 2022
Topic Area 1: Wildlife-Solar Energy Interactions – 2-4 projects, $1-2M each
Projects in this topic area will develop innovative methods or technologies for monitoring wildlife-solar interactions, maximizing benefits and mitigate adverse impacts on wildlife, or building data-sharing infrastructure regarding wildlife at solar energy facilities.
Topic Area 2: Ecosystem Services from Solar Facilities – 2-4 projects, $500,000-$2M each
Projects in this topic area will characterize, quantify, and/or optimize the ecosystem benefits that solar energy facilities can provide, such as soil formation, pollination of food crops, and carbon sequestration. Projects will improve solar energy siting practices by developing models, tools, or methodologies for assessing the cost and value of these benefits in solar energy deployment decisions.
An entity may submit more than one Concept Paper and Full Application to this FOA, provided that each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project and provided that an eligible Concept Paper was submitted for each Full Application.
EERE expects to make a total of approximately $10,000,000 of federal funding available for new awards under this FOA, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. EERE anticipates making approximately 4-8 awards under this FOA. EERE may issue one, multiple, or no awards. Individual awards may vary between $500,000 and $2,000,000.