Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003304
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and specifically the Workforce and Equitable Access (WEA) team, issued this Request for Information (RFI) to gather practical feedback on what tools, resources, and forms of national-level support are needed to make solar plus storage projects work well for low-income and disadvantaged communities (often shortened as LIDAC). Rather than offering grant funding directly, this notice is a structured way for DOE to hear from the public about real-world barriers and proven solutions so that DOE can shape or expand its programs, technical assistance, guidance, and coordination efforts in a way that improves outcomes on the ground.
A core driver behind the RFI is the scale of new federal investment enabled by the Inflation Reduction Act, which set aside major funding intended to accelerate solar adoption while ensuring that the benefits flow to communities that have historically faced higher energy burdens and fewer clean energy opportunities. DOE is essentially signaling that money alone is not enough: successful deployment of distributed solar and storage in LIDAC settings often depends on program design, community trust, consumer protections, workforce readiness, financing structures, permitting and interconnection processes, and long-term operations and maintenance. The RFI is looking for insight into what needs to be in place at a national level so that state and local programs, developers, utilities, community-based organizations, and housing providers can translate historic funding into reliable projects and measurable, equitable benefits.
The opportunity is focused on distributed solar that is located in, or primarily serves, low-income and disadvantaged communities. That includes low-income residential solar paired with batteries, community solar models that allow households to subscribe without needing a suitable rooftop, and other distributed solar applications where the host site or beneficiaries are within LIDAC populations. By explicitly calling out solar plus storage, DOE is emphasizing resilience and reliability benefits in addition to bill savings, such as keeping critical loads powered during outages, supporting community facilities, and improving local energy security. The emphasis on "equitable and successful delivery of benefits" suggests DOE is interested in outcomes like meaningful household savings, fair subscription terms for community solar, durable consumer value over the life of the system, and program structures that reduce the risk of predatory practices or uneven benefit distribution.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary DOE notice categorized under the energy activity area, with CFDA number 81.087, and it is managed through DOE's Golden Field Office. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, which typically means DOE welcomes input broadly from stakeholders such as state and local governments, tribal entities, utilities, community-based organizations, solar and storage developers, financiers, installers, workforce organizations, researchers, and members of the public with relevant experience. The funding instrument type is listed as "Other" and the expected awards are zero, reinforcing that this is not a typical grant competition but an information-gathering step that can influence future technical assistance, program planning, and potentially future funding opportunities.
Key logistics in the source information include the funding opportunity number (DE FOA 0003304), a creation date of January 23, 2024, and an original closing date of February 23, 2024. The award ceiling is shown as 1, but because this is an RFI with no expected awards, that figure is best read as an internal system artifact rather than an indication of a grant amount. In practical terms, the main action for interested parties is to submit comments and recommendations by the deadline, with the aim of shaping how DOE supports equitable solar plus storage deployment nationwide.
Overall, the RFI is DOE's attempt to reduce the gap between ambitious funding goals and what it actually takes to deliver well-functioning, community-aligned solar plus storage projects at scale in underserved areas. The agency is asking stakeholders to help define what coordinated national support should look like, so that distributed solar investments achieve consistent, high-quality results: lower energy burdens, improved resilience, fair access, and durable community benefits in low-income and disadvantaged communities.Apply for DE FOA 0003304
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information: Supporting Successful Solar Plus Storage Deployment Serving Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities" 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 2024-01-23.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-23. (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: Unrestricted.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office FOA to Advance the National Clean Hydrogen Strategy Apply for DE FOA 0003213 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003213 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
| FY24 Energy and Emissions Intensive Industries Apply for DE FOA 0003219 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003219 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $7,000,000 |
| Platform Technologies for Transformative Battery Manufacturing Apply for DE FOA 0003236 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003236 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $4,100,000 |
| Combined Wellbore Construction High Temperature Tools and Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage (RTES) Apply for DE FOA 0003296 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003296 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
| DE-FOA-0003209 Regional Resource Hubs for Purpose-Grown Energy Crops Apply for DE FOA 0003209 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003209 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
| Fiscal Year 2024 Technology Integration (TI) Funding Opportunity Announcement Apply for DE FOA 0003250 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003250 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| Flexible and Innovative Transformer Technologies (FITT) Apply for DE FOA 0003071 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003071 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $7,000,000 |
| Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0003274: Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity (MACRO) Apply for DE FOA 0003276 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003276 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Notice of Intent (NOI) to issue Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled “Concentrating Solar Flux to Heat and Power.” Apply for DE FOA 0003338 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003338 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
| 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 |
| Local Government Energy Program: Communities Sparking Investment in Transformative Energy Apply for DE FOA 0003229 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003229 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $3,600,000 |
| Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL): Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI) Apply for DE FOA 0003225 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003225 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
| Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program Section 40209 Apply for DE FOA 0003294 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003294 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $100,000,000 |
| Solar and Wind Interconnection for Future Transmission (SWIFTR) Apply for DE FOA 0003246 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003246 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| NOTICE OF INTENT (NOI) TO ISSUE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT DE-FOA-0003183: BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) SECTION 41007(B)(1): AERODYNAMICS FOR EXTREME-SCALE OFFSHORE WIND PERFORMANCE AND SURVIVAL (AESOPS) Apply for DE FOA 0003318 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003318 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Promoting Domestic and International Consensus on Clean Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Technologies Apply for DE FOA 0003355 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003355 Agency: Headquarters Category: Energy Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
| Concentrating Solar Flux to Heat & Power Apply for DE FOA 0003269 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003269 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
| DE-FOA-0003274 - MACRO - Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity Apply for DE FOA 0003274 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003274 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Notice of Intent: Smart Manufacturing Technologies for Material and Process Innovation Funding Opportunity Announcement Apply for DE FOA 0003328 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003328 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Notice of Intent (NOI) for Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA0003334 titled “Offshore Wind National and Regional Research and Development.” Apply for DE FOA 0003345 Funding Number: DE FOA 0003345 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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