Money

DOE Announces Three New Funding Opportunities

June 3, 2010
AlgaeIndustryMagazine.com

The Department of Energy has announced three new programs to provide financial assistance for developers of biofuels and clean energy solutions.

1. $11 Million for Biofuels Technology Development

This program will run for over three years for research and development in the area of thermochemical conversion of biomass into advanced biofuels that are compatible with existing fueling infrastructure. The objective of this funding is to improve the conversion of non-food biomass to liquid transportation hydrocarbon fuels via pyrolysis, a process that decomposes biomass using heat in the absence of oxygen to produce a bio-oil that can be upgraded to renewable diesel, gasoline, or jet fuel. This funding opportunity is part of the Department’s effort to accelerate development and deployment of sustainable, renewable biofuels that significantly reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Previous research has shown the potential of upgrading biomass pyrolysis oil to a form that is stable for six months under ambient conditions. DOE is seeking projects that will further upgrade stabilized bio-oil into a refinery-ready intermediate, and demonstrate production of a final hydrocarbon fuel. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is requesting applications for projects that will:

Demonstrate the capability of long-term processing to address the corrosivity issues associated with stabilized bio-oil
Catalytically de-oxygenate the many molecular fragments that collectively comprise bio-oil
Demonstrate the ability to produce a final liquid transportation hydrocarbon fuel that can be blended at up to 30 percent by weight with petroleum fuels, or produce an upgraded bio-oil compatible with existing petroleum refining unit operations
Provide extensive supporting data on the physical and chemical property requirements of the petroleum operations to demonstrate the compatibility of the resulting liquid hydrocarbon product with petroleum refining unit operations.

DOE anticipates selecting three to four projects under this announcement and will require a minimum of 20% cost share from applicants. Selected projects will also be required to include an analysis of greenhouse gas reductions as compared with petroleum fuels. Eligible applicants are universities, national laboratories, or companies that have capabilities uniquely suited to the objectives of this FOA.

Applications for this funding opportunity are due July 9, 2010. The complete FOA can be viewed here at Grants.gov.

For more information visit DOE’s Biomass Program Web site.

2. $2.1 Million to Speed Innovative Ideas into the Market

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled Innovation Ecosystem Development Initiative seeks applications proposing approaches to accelerate the commercialization of clean energy technologies developed at universities. Applications should propose a strategy to foster an entrepreneurial environment, provide a description of the proposed innovation ecosystem, and describe a specific implementation plan.

An “innovation ecosystem” may include:

The network of leaders, service providers, and entrepreneurs who are expected to participate
Connections to sources of capital (angel networks, venture community, and other financial institutions)
Strategies for mentoring and training future entrepreneurs
Programs that would encourage and train graduate-level researchers to start up small and innovative businesses
Other sources of funding that can leverage the federal investment
The composition of a board of advisors or evaluation panel
An explanation of how federal funds will be leveraged with non-federal funds.

A total of up to $2.1 million is available for this program, and DOE expects to make two awards. Annual grants per awardee will not exceed $350,000 for a term of three years.

DOE will favor applications that incorporate novel approaches or novel extensions of successful programs. The expected results of this solicitation are to accelerate the rate of movement of innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy concepts from university laboratories to the market. Applicants may include, but are not limited to, universities, national laboratories, private research institutions, trade organizations, entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, and clean-tech investors.

To apply or request further information regarding the announcement, please view the FOA here at Grants.gov. Applications are due July 9, 2010.

To provide further information about this initiative, DOE will hold a series of webinars and post an updated list of frequently asked questions each week. Individuals and entities interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to register.

Webinar Schedule: June 7, 2010 at 1pm EDT www1.gotomeeting.com/register/513453577 June 15, 2010 at 1pm EDT www1.gotomeeting.com/register/491703769 June 23, 2010 at 1pm EDT www1.gotomeeting.com/register/679281185 June 28, 2010 at 1pm EDT www1.gotomeeting.com/register/704974312

The webinars are free of charge, but you must register in advance to obtain the URL and password for logging on and the phone number to connect to the audio.

3. $5 Million for Sustainable Bioenergy Feedstock Production

The intent of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to quantify and understand the environmental impacts of different strategies for producing large quantities of energy crops and other crop residues at the watershed scale. This is part of DOE’s commitment to expanding domestic bioenergy without negatively impacting environmental quality, biodiversity, and the availability of food, feed, fiber, and water.

Biomass will play a significant role in a renewable energy future, especially for the production of liquid transportation fuels, as well as biopower and bioproducts. America’s vast agricultural and forest lands have the potential to produce a wide variety of biomass feedstocks, all of which must be grown and harvested sustainably without adverse impacts or long-term cumulative effects. The lack of reliable environmental data at the watershed scale for high-yielding energy crops and other feedstocks removed from the landscape to ascertain the sustainability of these production systems is a critical barrier to achieving a robust biofuel and biopower industry. Furthermore, there is not adequate information and tools for implementing and managing sustainable high-yield energy crops across the landscape.

Through this FOA, DOE seeks projects that will result in a better understanding of how to design and implement sustainable energy crop production systems at the watershed scale. Selected projects are also required to provide a model or set of tools to assist in the sustainable implementation of production systems at the watershed scale within a broadly defined region of the country.

The complete FOA can be viewed at the Grants.gov Web site. The expected close date of this announcement is July 16, 2010.