Advanced Solar Systems Integration Technologies Notice of Intent (NOI) | DE FOA 0001986

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001986

The Department of Energy (DOE), through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and its Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) for a planned Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "Advanced Solar Systems Integration Technologies" (Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0001986). This notice signals DOE's interest in supporting early-stage research and development that helps solar energy work more effectively as part of a reliable, resilient, and flexible U.S. electric grid. The overarching theme is not simply deploying more solar, but improving the technologies and integration approaches that allow solar to be securely connected, better controlled, and more valuable to grid operations while also driving down the cost of solar electricity.

The opportunity is centered on "systems integration" challenges, meaning the practical and technical work required to make solar generation operate smoothly alongside other grid resources and under changing grid conditions. SETO highlights priorities that include improving the performance and flexibility of solar technologies, enabling greater use, storage, and dispatch of solar energy, and strengthening the grid-facing capabilities that let solar contribute to reliability rather than create operational strain. In plain terms, this is about turning solar into a resource that grid operators can depend on and manage effectively, including during periods of variability and high penetration.

A major emphasis in the NOI is energy sector resilience and security. DOE explicitly connects solar integration R&D to the need to withstand cyber threats, physical attacks, and natural disasters. The notice points to the value of improving the strategic location of solar systems and boosting "situational awareness" for solar assets, which generally refers to better monitoring, visibility, diagnostics, and operational understanding of how systems are performing and how they may be affected during disruptions. The idea is that better placement strategies and better real-time awareness can help maintain continuity of service during widespread or coordinated events, reducing downtime and aiding recovery.

The NOI also underscores interest in accelerating the transfer of solutions that improve resilience, which suggests a focus on approaches that move beyond theoretical concepts and can be adopted more quickly in real-world settings. While the notice does not list specific topic areas or technical requirements, the framing implies interest in innovations that help solar integrate securely with the grid, improve operational control, and support grid services, potentially including tools, methods, and architectures that improve how solar interacts with storage, communications, and grid management systems.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding in the energy area, with awards anticipated to be issued as cooperative agreements. A cooperative agreement typically means DOE expects substantial involvement during the project period, such as collaboration on technical direction, milestones, reviews, and project management. Eligibility is listed as "unrestricted," meaning it is open to any type of applicant entity, subject to any additional eligibility details that would appear in the full FOA text if issued. The awarding agency is DOE's Golden Field Office, and the CFDA number associated with the program is 81.087.

Timing and certainty are important caveats in this notice. The creation date for the NOI is August 31, 2018, and it lists an original closing date of October 1, 2018, but the document is clear that this is an NOI only. DOE notes it may issue a FOA as described, may issue one that is significantly different, or may not issue a FOA at all. In other words, the notice is intended to alert potential applicants and stakeholders to DOE's funding intentions and priorities, but it is not itself an application solicitation.

Finally, the source data indicates an expected number of awards of one, and an "award ceiling" value shown as 1. Because the ceiling is presented as a single digit without units and the expected awards count is also one, those fields should be treated cautiously without the full FOA context; they may reflect placeholder values commonly used in preliminary notices rather than a definitive funding amount. The most reliable takeaway is the programmatic intent: DOE is signaling planned support for early-stage, innovative solar integration technologies that enhance grid reliability, enable secure and flexible operations, and improve resilience against cyber and physical disruptions while contributing to lower-cost solar electricity.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advanced Solar Systems Integration Technologies Notice of Intent (NOI)" 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 Aug 31, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 01, 2018 This is a Notice of Intent (NOI) only. EERE may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein, or EERE may not issue a FOA at all.. (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.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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.

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