The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), two Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs):
1. DE-FOA-0002910, entitled "Reducing Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops (RACIPAC)” and
2. DE-FOA-0002946, entitled “2023 Conversion R&D FOA."
These FOAs support the Bioenergy Technologies Office’s research and development (R&D) priorities in the areas of (a) Renewable Carbon Resources (RCR) and (b) Conversion. Specifically, the RACIPAC FOA will support high-impact R&D focusing on reducing the carbon intensity of agricultural feedstocks, improving soil carbon levels, and protecting cultivated algal crops from pests. The Conversion R&D FOA will support development of technologies that convert domestic lignocellulosic biomass and waste resources including industrial syngas into affordable biofuels and bioproducts that significantly reduce carbon emissions on a life-cycle basis (minimum of 70% decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions), compared to equivalent petroleum-based products.
The R&D activities to be funded under both FOAs support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovations that lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies. These FOAs will advance President Biden’s Administration’s goals to “deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050.“1 R&D activities funded from these FOAs provide routes to transform renewable carbon resources such as agricultural residues and algae into high-quality, environmentally sustainable, conversion-ready feedstocks and to develop and deploy the conversion technologies for the production of chemicals and fuels with >70% reduction in GHG emissions. Additionally, these FOAs will support the President’s goal to produce 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) per year and reduce aviation emissions by 20% by 2030, both of which will unlock the potential for a fully zero-carbon aviation sector by 2050.
It is anticipated the FOAs may include the following Areas of Interest:
1. Reducing Agricultural Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops FOA (RACIPAC):
Area of Interest (AOI) 1: Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices for Low Carbon Intensity (CI) Feedstocks
Area of Interest 2: Algae Crop Protection
2. 2023 Conversion R&D FOA:
Area of Interest 1: Overcoming Barriers to Syngas Conversion
Area of Interest 2: Strategic Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemicals Industry Through Biocatalysts
This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of the EERE’s intention to issue these FOAs in the near term. All of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. EERE will not respond to questions concerning this Notice. Once the FOAs have been released, EERE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions.
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