The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), conducts consistent interactions with Tribes who are members of the Nuclear Energy Tribal Working Group (NETWG). The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to fund a cooperative agreement that engages tribal government leaders and representatives on issues and activities involving the topics for which NE has responsibility such as advanced reactors, siting an interim storage and/or disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste, transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, cultural resource management, STEM education, environmental justice, etc.

DOE’s Building America Program leverages cutting-edge building science research to develop the solutions and best practices needed to advance energy efficiency in homes. Multi-disciplinary teams will bring together expertise in community engagement, retrofit demonstration, research, implementation, and industry to address the hard-to-solve technical challenges of decarbonizing the existing U.S. residential housing stock. Teams will work with communities to conduct collaborative research and demonstration projects in real-world homes, with the aim of accelerating local deployment of highly energy efficient, durable, healthy home upgrades.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship program funds recent graduates and energy professionals to support critical energy organizations to advance clean energy solutions that will help decarbonize the power system, electrify transportation and industry, and make the U.S. power system more resilient, equitable and inclusive. The program recruits candidates from diverse backgrounds to spend up to two years at eligible host institutions.

Prospective Host Institutions should apply to be considered for the program by April 27, 2023. Applications for Innovator Fellows open on May 22 and are due by June 8.

The DOE SC program in High Energy Physics (HEP) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for the DOE Traineeship in Accelerator Science & Engineering, which will provide support to train the next generation of scientists and engineers in this field. Up to 4 grants may be awarded to provide funding to universities or teams of universities to support tuition, stipend, and travel costs for students enrolled in specific accelerator science and engineering degree programs, and to provide modest support for topic-specific curriculum development and program administration. Award terms are expected to be up to five years, with the possibility of renewal for a second term. This program does not support dedicated accelerator research and development efforts; such efforts are supported through the HEP General Accelerator R&D (GARD) program, through accelerator R&D programs elsewhere in DOE, and by other federal agencies.

The Office of Science (SC) hereby announces its interest in applications to advance basic research in support of the Department of Energy’s Energy Earthshots™ initiative. This FOA is a collaborative effort across three SC research programs: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, and Biological and Environmental Research. This FOA will support small teams to build the scientific foundations for the Energy Earthshots:

• Hydrogen Shot
• Long Duration Storage Shot
• Carbon Negative Shot
• Enhanced Geothermal Shot
• Floating Offshore Wind Shot
• Industrial Heat Shot

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized DOE to provide $75 million in incentive payments for Section 243: Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives Program. Owners or operators of existing hydroelectric facilities, including pumped storage hydropower, may apply for funding to make capital improvements that can improve their efficiency by at least 3%. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law states that payments shall not exceed 30% of the costs of the applicable capital improvement. A single qualified hydroelectric facility, including pumped storage hydropower, may only receive one incentive payment from this program within a single fiscal year, and that payment shall not exceed $5 million.

The hydroelectric production incentive payments are a benefit available for electric energy generation and sold for a specified 10-year period as authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, DOE received $125 million to support this hydroelectric production incentive. At this time, DOE is accepting applications from owners and authorized operators of qualified hydroelectric facilities for hydroelectricity generated and sold in calendar years 2021 and 2022.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Competitive Program will award $8.8 million to local governments, state-recognized tribes, or teams of these communities. EECBG Program recipients can use the funding for a wide variety of projects that lower energy costs, reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and reduce overall energy use.

The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing. With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) has been provided over $2 billion for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement grants for agricultural producers and rural small business owners through 2031. Rural Development is accepting applications for six quarterly competitions with the following deadlines:

• June 30, 2023
• September 30, 2023
• December 31, 2023
• March 31, 2024
• June 30, 2024
• September 30, 2024

The MECC invites selected teams to identify a promising market within the blue economy and to determine the best marine energy application within that market to address. Over the course of school year, teams develop materials for two required contests and one optional challenge, outlined below. Teams present their work at the MECC final event, typically held in conjunction with a Spring industry event. MECC teams compete in four required contests:

• Business Plan Challenge: Teams will identify a promising market within the blue economy (either a market identified in the WPTO Powering the Blue Economy report or another potential market within the blue economy) and determine, within that market, the best marine energy application to address. Submissions in this challenge will count for approximately 28% of the total final score.
• Technical Design Challenge: Teams will evaluate the performance requirements in their chosen blue economy market by identifying and interviewing at least three potential end users. Teams will complete a detailed design of a marine-energy-powered device to serve those end users. Submissions in this challenge will count for approximately 30% of the total final score.
• In the Build and Test Challenge: Competitors will build a scaled prototype of their concept and perform a series of lab tests. The submissions in this challenge will count for approximately 16% of the total final score.
• Community Connections Challenge: Competitors will foster connections with the broader marine energy industry and with their local community. The submissions in this challenge will count for approximately 26% of the total final score.

This competition invites interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students to:

• Develop a case study on hydropower’s role in a future power grid supported by 100% renewable energy and the associated opportunities and challenges of incorporating the hydropower fleet into this future power grid.
• Partner with hydropower industry professionals to learn about career opportunities in the hydropower industry
• Conduct educational events to raise awareness of hydropower in their communities.

The Clean Energy Demonstration Program on Current and Former Mine Land will demonstrate the technical and economic viability of deploying clean energy on current (operating) and former (abandoned or inactive) mine land. Up to five clean energy projects will be carried out in geographically diverse regions, at least two of which must be solar projects. These demonstration projects are expected to be replicable, providing knowledge and experience that catalyze the next generation of clean energy on mine land projects.