Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003270
The U.S. Department of Energy, through its Golden Field Office, issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Based Turbomachinery for Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Plants" under Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0003270. This notice is not a typical grant solicitation where proposals are submitted for immediate funding decisions. Instead, it is an information-gathering request meant to collect input from industry, academia, governments, nonprofits, tribes, and other stakeholders on technical needs, barriers, and opportunities related to supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) turbomachinery for concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) plants. The intent is usually to shape future DOE priorities, refine research and development roadmaps, and inform any later funding opportunity announcements that may provide actual awards.
The topic focuses on turbomachinery built around the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as the working fluid in power cycles. In the context of CSP, sCO2 power blocks are often discussed because they can potentially offer higher thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency and smaller equipment footprints compared to traditional steam Rankine cycles, particularly at the higher temperatures CSP developers are aiming for. Turbomachinery in this area generally includes turbines, compressors, rotating seals, bearings, gearboxes, and associated high-pressure, high-temperature components that must operate reliably in a dense-fluid, near-critical regime. For CSP plants, these components must also integrate with thermal energy storage and solar-thermal receivers, and they need to handle operational realities such as daily cycling, transient conditions, and startup/shutdown behavior while maintaining performance and durability.
The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and lists "Grant" as the funding instrument type, with the activity category labeled as energy and the associated CFDA number 81.087. Even so, the structure and description make clear that this particular posting is an RFI, meaning the main "deliverable" is feedback rather than a funded project. The listing shows an award ceiling of 1 and expected awards of 0, which aligns with the idea that DOE is not planning to issue awards under this notice. The RFI was created on December 20, 2023, and a modification (Modification 00001) extended the response deadline to February 20, 2024. In practical terms, the key action for interested parties is to submit timely responses by that date so their perspectives can be considered in DOE planning.
Eligibility is broad and covers most common applicant types across the public, private, and nonprofit landscape. Specifically, eligible respondents include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations including small businesses; and even individuals. This wide eligibility is consistent with an RFI, where the agency wants diverse technical and market input rather than restricting participation to traditional research performers.
Taken together, this notice is best read as a signal of DOE interest in accelerating or de-risking sCO2 turbomachinery that could be deployed in CSP applications. Organizations working on advanced turbines and compressors, high-temperature materials and coatings, seals and bearings for sCO2 service, controls and modeling for near-critical operation, component testing and validation infrastructure, integration of sCO2 cycles with CSP thermal storage, and reliability under cyclic solar-driven duty are the kinds of stakeholders who typically have valuable information to provide. Responding to an RFI like this can be strategically useful because it can influence how DOE defines technical targets, testing needs, demonstration pathways, and future funding topics, even though this specific opportunity is not set up to make grant awards.Apply for DE FOA 0003270
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information: Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Based Turbomachinery for Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Plants" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-20.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-20. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is this DOE opportunity (DE FOA 0003270) about?
This is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Golden Field Office Request for Information (RFI) titled "Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Based Turbomachinery for Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Plants" under Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0003270. It is designed to gather input on technical needs, barriers, and opportunities related to supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) turbomachinery for concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) plants.
Is this a grant solicitation with funding awards?
No. Although the listing includes "Grant" as a funding instrument type and is categorized as discretionary, the notice is explicitly an RFI. That means DOE is collecting information rather than requesting project proposals for immediate funding decisions.
What is the main purpose of this RFI?
The purpose is to collect perspectives from stakeholders to help DOE shape future priorities, refine research and development roadmaps, and inform potential future funding opportunity announcements that could later provide actual awards.
Who is issuing the RFI?
The RFI is issued by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Golden Field Office.
What technology area does the RFI focus on?
The focus is on turbomachinery that uses supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) as the working fluid in power cycles, specifically as applied to concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) plants.
Why is sCO2 of interest for CSP power blocks?
In the CSP context, sCO2 power blocks are often discussed because they can potentially provide higher thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency and smaller equipment footprints than traditional steam Rankine cycles, especially at the higher temperatures CSP developers are targeting.
What does "turbomachinery" include for this RFI?
In this context, turbomachinery generally includes turbines, compressors, rotating seals, bearings, gearboxes, and other associated high-pressure and high-temperature components that must operate reliably in dense-fluid, near-critical conditions.
What CSP-specific operating conditions are relevant to sCO2 turbomachinery?
For CSP plants, components must integrate with solar-thermal receivers and thermal energy storage, and they must handle daily cycling, transient conditions, and startup/shutdown behavior while maintaining performance and durability.
What kinds of input is DOE trying to collect?
DOE is seeking input on technical needs, barriers, and opportunities for sCO2-based turbomachinery in CSP applications. The intent is to understand what is holding deployment back, what performance and reliability issues matter most, and what development or validation work could accelerate progress.
Who can respond to this RFI?
Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of potential respondents: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations including small businesses; and individuals.
Does eligibility mean DOE will fund respondents?
No. The wide eligibility reflects the information-gathering nature of an RFI. Responding provides feedback to DOE, but it does not mean DOE will make awards under this notice.
What do the listed "expected awards: 0" and "award ceiling: 1" mean here?
The listing shows expected awards of 0 and an award ceiling of 1, which aligns with the RFI structure: DOE is not planning to issue awards under this posting because it is not a funding solicitation for projects.
What is the deadline to respond?
The response deadline was extended by Modification 00001 to February 20, 2024.
When was this RFI created, and was it modified?
The RFI was created on December 20, 2023. A modification (Modification 00001) extended the response deadline to February 20, 2024.
What is the key action an interested organization should take?
The key action is to submit a response to the RFI by the deadline so DOE can consider the respondent's perspectives in planning and priority setting.
What kinds of stakeholders are especially relevant to this RFI?
Stakeholders likely to have valuable input include organizations working on advanced turbines and compressors; high-temperature materials and coatings; seals and bearings designed for sCO2 service; controls and modeling for near-critical operation; component testing and validation infrastructure; integration of sCO2 cycles with CSP thermal energy storage; and approaches to ensuring reliability under cyclic, solar-driven operating duty.
What types of components or subsystems might DOE be looking to learn more about?
Based on the RFI description, DOE is interested in the full set of turbomachinery and related high-pressure/high-temperature components needed for sCO2 power cycles, including turbines, compressors, seals, bearings, gearboxes, and enabling technologies that support reliable operation near the critical regime.
How does responding to an RFI like this help an organization?
Responding can be strategically useful because it may influence how DOE defines technical targets, identifies key testing and validation needs, outlines demonstration pathways, and structures topics for potential future funding opportunities, even though this specific notice is not set up to make grant awards.
What activity category and CFDA number are associated with this notice?
The activity category is listed as energy, and the associated CFDA number is 81.087.
Should respondents treat this like a traditional proposal submission?
No. This is not a typical solicitation where proposals compete for immediate funding. The deliverable is information and feedback intended to inform DOE planning and possible later funding actions.
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| DE-FOA-0003298: CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT ON TRIBAL LANDS - 2024 Apply for DE FOA 0003298 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003298 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $5,000,000 |
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