As part of the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund, FuzeHub’s Manufacturing Grants are designed to encourage collaboration between not-for-profit organizations and small to medium-sized manufacturing companies in New York State. The partnership created with the not-for-profit organization serves as a pathway to technology transfer, adoption and implementation of new manufacturing processes, as well as the creation of enhanced products and services, and help manufacturing companies achieve success from early stage, proof of concept through maturity.

Awards resulting from the FOA will focus on enhancing MSI programs to help foster a sustainable and diverse DOE Environmental Management (EM) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce pipeline. The awards will also aid in promoting the development of a nationally engaged scientific and engineering workforce that will lead to future career pathways in the DOE EM complex for underrepresented groups. The total estimated value of the FOA is $24,500,000 and resulting financial assistance awards will have periods of performance ranging from 12-36 months.

This FOA will fund research in three (3) Topics Areas that develop technologies to address emerging challenges and enhance the benefits of variable renewable energy sources (VRE), inverter-based resources (IBR), and distributed energy resources (DER), in utility long-term planning activities and the daily operation of the grid. The new state-of-the-art planning and operations tools developed under this FOA will enable solar energy to be more optimally utilized over time and allow it to be utilized in place of traditional generation, providing Americans with more cheap and secure sources of clean energy.

• Topic Area 1: System Planning Tools for Future Power Systems
• Topic Area 2: Variability Management in Grid Operations
• Topic Area 3: Rapid System Health and Risk Assessment Tools for Grid Operators

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) 2023 funding opportunity. This funding opportunity will award $6.5 million for seedling R&D projects that focus on innovative and novel ideas in photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) and are riskier than research ideas based on established technologies.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is releasing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications in accordance with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. This FOA represents a more than $6 billion opportunity to catalyze high-impact, large-scale, transformational advanced industrial facilities to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in energy-intensive industrial subsectors. DOE expects to award up to approximately 65 projects in high GHG-emitting industries and for cross-cutting technologies.

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 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 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.

Bio-Solutions Startup Program 2023 Global Edition is seeking applications from startups that have developed a technology and/or business model with high growth potential and looking for a strategic partner and investor. Applicants should be at the pre-seed/seed financing level and technology should be Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 and up. The program is aimed at startups in existence for more than one year and with a minimum of two employees. We are looking for startups with solutions in eucalyptus biomass and/or sustainable packaging domains. As our goal is to have a great impact, we seek applications with large scale potential.

This program will support all U.S. states, including Washington, D.C. and U.S. territories, in accelerating the deployment of smart manufacturing technologies by SMMs by providing financial assistance to SMMs to implement smart manufacturing technologies and practices and broaden access to high-performance computing resources. With this funding, states and territories will be able to create new programming or build on existing programs that provide technical assistance to SMMs. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for funding that cover initiatives such as, but not limited to:

• Promoting the benefits of smart manufacturing technologies among SMMs based on national and regional economic development and supply chain priorities;
• Identifying and providing financial assistance to facilitate SMMs’ access to and implementation of smart manufacturing and high-performance computing resources and technologies; and
• Securing partnerships with labor unions and other stakeholders to expand and diversify the smart manufacturing talent pool and develop, promote, and scale adoption of smart manufacturing training.

The FOA provides funding for research, development, and demonstration to:

• Improve the efficiency, increase the durability, and reduce the cost of producing clean hydrogen using electrolyzers to less than $2 per kilogram by 2026
• Advance new manufacturing technologies and techniques for clean hydrogen production and use equipment, specifically for electrolyzer and fuel cell technologies
• Create innovative and practical approaches to increase the reuse and recycling of clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies

The following topics, in two areas of interest, are included in this funding opportunity.

Area of Interest 1: Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program

1. Low Cost, High-Throughput Electrolyzer Manufacturing
2. Electrolyzer Component and Supply Chain Development
3. Advanced Electrolyzer Technology and Component Development

Area of Interest 2: Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling

1. Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assembly and Stack Manufacturing and Automation
2. Fuel Cell Supply Chain Development
3. Recovery and Recycling Consortium