This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is jointly issued by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) as part of their Interconnection Innovation Exchange (i2X) program1 to support innovative work to enable simpler, faster, and fairer interconnection of clean energy resources while enhancing the reliability, resiliency, and security of our electrical grid.

The two FOA topic areas are as follows: Topic Area 1: Improved Efficiency of EMT Simulations for Interconnection Studies of IBRs Projects in this topic area will seek to improve the efficiency of the interconnection study process for new IBRs, such as solar and wind plants and battery energy storage systems, by improving software tools to study plant dynamics to increase long-term plant reliability. Projects will achieve this both by improving the speed of advanced, high-fidelity EMT modeling and simulation tools used in power systems interconnection studies and by developing a better understanding of when such high-fidelity simulations are necessary in the interconnection process. Topic Area 2: Dynamic Stability-Enhanced Network Assessment Tools Projects in this topic area will develop tools to provide stakeholders with data on transmission system characteristics related to stability, voltage, and grid strength while securing confidential and critical energy infrastructure information. Projects will establish the type of information required by stakeholders, develop a tool or tools, and test and evaluate those tools on at least one real transmission system.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will focus on applied R&D and pilot demonstration for the highest greenhouse gas-emitting (GHG) subsectors, specifically chemicals and fuels; iron and steel; food and beverage; cement and concrete, asphalt pavements, and glass; and forest products. Technology approaches include achieving cost and emissions savings through increased circularity and sustainability across manufacturing to reduce waste and decrease the need for resource extraction. The FOA will fund research, development, and prototype or pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration activities that will accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable technologies that increase efficiency and eliminate industrial GHG emissions for the most energy- and emissions- intensive industrial subsectors. These activities will contribute to a clean and equitable energy economy, bolster the technological and economic competitiveness of domestic manufacturing, and boost the viability and competitiveness of U.S. industrial technology exports.

Applications are open for the next Cleantech Venture Day, which will be held at KPMG, Canary Wharf in London on the 2nd July, 2024.

Applicants must have a solution, product or service which addresses one of the 5 key climate tech themes of Water, Energy, Transport, Built Environment or Circular Economy.

The Keeling Curve Prize, awards $50,000 annually to 10 projects that demonstrate the ability to reduce, replace, or remove greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and oceans. Since 2018, $1.75M has been awarded to 60 nonprofits, for-profits, and startups, and more than 1,130 viable solutions have been vetted. Eligible categories include carbon sinks, energy, finance, social and cultural pathways, and transport and mobility

We’re a hands-on lab for tech providers, developers, educators, & researchers committed to fostering resilient cities by cross-pollinating ideas, pioneering new technologies, & democratizing data. UTX exists for folks who are doers – those who want to test their ideas, make mistakes, and ultimately, solve urban challenges through the development and collective scalability of hardware and software solutions. Our lab creates opportunities to pilot emerging technology in a low risk, turn-key, real-world setting.

The SPARKS program—short for Spurring Projects to Advance energy Research and Knowledge Swiftly—provides a rolling opportunity for the rapid support of early-stage applied research to explore innovative new concepts with the potential for transformational and disruptive changes in energy technology. SPARKS awards are intended to be flexible and may take the form of analyses or exploratory research that provides ARPA-E with useful information for the subsequent development of focused technology programs. Awards under the SPARKS program may also support proof-of-concept research to develop a unique technology concept, either in an area not currently supported by the agency or as a potential enhancement to an ongoing focused technology program. The broad objective of SPARKS is to identify disruptive concepts in energy-related technologies that challenge the status quo and represent a leap beyond today’s technologies. An innovative concept alone is not enough; the idea must also have the potential to be impactful—meaning that, if successful, it represents a fundamentally new paradigm in energy technology with the potential to make a significant impact on ARPA-E’s mission areas.

This six-month fellowship empowers women and people of color to cultivate their technical and professional skills within the gig economy at mHUB. Fellows are offered unparalleled resources at mHUB’s cutting-edge innovation center in Chicago, including access to $6M worth of prototyping equipment, professional and technical development workshops, and a diverse innovation ecosystem.

Breakthrough Energy Fellows (BEF) flagship program, the Innovator Fellowship, is designed to accelerate the development of promising early-stage climate technologies. The Fellowship is a full-time commitment for innovators committed to commercializing their climate technology. Typically, Innovator projects have raised less than $2,000,000 in dilutive funding and are legally incorporated prior to program start date of September 2024.

The Explorers Fellowship offers funding for developing breakthrough climate solutions that are earlier stage, higher technical risk, and may not yet be ready to incorporate. Explorers’ projects are typically in a university lab or research entity, and are overseen by professors, faculty members, or full-time researchers who can remain in position for this part-time opportunity.

This FOA will further reduce risk and improve environmental compatibility of U.S. offshore wind energy and marine energy deployments. It will do this through research into the integrity and monitoring of mooring lines for floating offshore wind
energy systems and marine energy converters, as well as reducing noise generation and propagation during the installation of fixed-bottom offshore wind foundations.

Specifically, this FOA will invest in R&D to support continued innovation and cost reduction for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) voltage-source converter (VSC) transmission systems. This investment is intended to enable future grid upgrades required to integrate increasing renewable energy generation on to the grid, both onshore and offshore.

Telluride Venture Network is creating a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem with services typically unavailable in rural communities.

Launched in 2013, TVN is a nationally recognized, award-winning entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports new, innovative and growing businesses by providing capital funds, mentorship programs, acceleration bootcamps, networking sessions, and project demonstrations.

The Syracuse Surge Accelerator is a one-year in-person accelerator to provide direct resources and support for Black-Indigenous-Persons of Color (BIPOC) entrepreneurs who want to launch and accelerate tech-related and tech-adjacent startups in Syracuse, New York. ​

The program is looking for advance startup concepts and early-stage tech businesses or tech-adjacent services that are founded and operated by a BIPOC founder. They welcome both technical and non-technical founders and their teams who are ready to execute their tech product/service ideas or take their early-stage startups to the next level.