Crosscutting Research for Coal-Fueled Power Plants | DE FOA 0002001

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002001

The Department of Energy, through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), issued a discretionary Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "Crosscutting Research for Coal-Fueled Power Plants" (Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0002001). The goal of the program is to fund research and development that tackles practical, near- to mid-term problems affecting the current U.S. fleet of coal-fired power plants while also advancing technologies that could improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of next-generation coal plants. In other words, the FOA is aimed at both keeping existing coal units more reliable and competitive and laying groundwork for future plant designs that operate more efficiently and economically.

The technical scope is described as "crosscutting" because it focuses on capabilities that support many different coal plant configurations and challenges rather than a single narrow component. The FOA highlights three Department of Energy Fossil Energy research areas contributing to this effort: Sensors and Controls, Water Management, and Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis. Projects under Sensors and Controls would generally be expected to improve plant monitoring, diagnostics, automation, and operational decision-making, which can translate into better efficiency, reduced downtime, improved safety, and stronger performance under changing grid demands. Water Management work would focus on reducing water use, improving water treatment and reuse, and addressing operational constraints related to water availability and discharge requirements, which are increasingly important for thermal power plants. Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis efforts would typically aim to create or enhance computational tools and methods that help plant operators and technology developers predict performance, optimize designs and operations, assess system-level tradeoffs, and reduce the cost and time associated with testing and deployment.

The FOA uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, which usually means DOE expects substantial involvement during the project period, such as technical oversight, coordination, and participation in key decisions or milestones. The activity category is Energy, and the listed CFDA number is 81.089. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that would appear in the full FOA text. This often allows participation by universities, private companies, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and other qualified entities, including team arrangements when appropriate.

From a funding perspective, the opportunity lists an award ceiling of $1,500,000 per award and anticipates making about 13 awards, indicating a portfolio approach where multiple different technical solutions or toolsets are funded in parallel rather than concentrating resources into a single large project. The FOA was created on April 9, 2019, and the original closing date was May 21, 2019, reflecting a defined submission window typical of competitive federal R&D solicitations.

Overall, this opportunity is structured to generate deployable research outputs that can strengthen coal plant operations and economics through better sensing and control, smarter and more sustainable water strategies, and improved modeling and analysis capabilities. It is positioned as a practical, applied research program that supports both day-to-day operational improvements for existing plants and technology development pathways that could influence future coal plant performance and cost.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Crosscutting Research for Coal-Fueled Power Plants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.089.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 09, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 21, 2019. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 13 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for DE FOA 0002001

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