DOE Announces $30 Million for Next Generation Biofuels Research
DOE announced on December 14, 2010 that funds will be made available for small-scale process integration projects that support the development of advanced biofuels. The biofuels could replace gasoline or diesel without requiring special upgrades or changes to the vehicle or fueling infrastructure. The funding opportunity announcement, reference number DE-FOA-0000337 (the “FOA”) will provide up to $30 million over the next 3 to 4 years to support up to 5 projects.
Successful proposals will focus on optimizing and integrating processes that convert biomass into biofuels and bioproducts that can be used to support hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals. These process improvements could include, for example:
- Pretreatment methods that alter the biomass to improve the yield of sugars in subsequent process steps;
- More cost-efficient enzymes that produce sugars;
- Fermentation organisms and catalysts that convert the sugars into fuel and chemical intermediates.
Successful applicants will demonstrate the economics and efficiency of their proposed process.
This FOA is largely focused on agricultural residues but other feedstock sources can be proposed if the applicant can show compelling evidence that the feedstock will be sustainably available by 2015. However, certain feedstocks and processes are excluded from the scope of this FOA:
- Proposals that use pure sugar feeds and ‘model’ hydrolysates are not eligible for funding under this FOA
- Proposals that include thermochemical processes (example: fermentation of syngas from a gasification process).
- Early- and late-stage processes (i.e. prior to pretreatment and saccharification or after conversion to final product) will not be eligible for funding.
- If a catalytic conversion process is proposed, the hydrogenation process may not be included in the proposed process improvements to be funded under this FOA.
A complete description of the FOA solicitation, eligibility requirements, and application instructions can be found at https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/PublicPages/PublicSearch/Public_Opportunities.aspx
Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on February 7, 2011. Applicants are requested (but not required) to submit a letter of intent by January 17, 2011.
Apply Now for REAP Grants and Loan Guarantees
The USDA announced today that it is accepting applications under the Rural Energy for America Program (“REAP”). REAP provides grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to purchase renewable energy systems, make energy efficiency improvements and conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy systems.
REAP funds are available in the following amounts:
- Grants for energy efficiency projects are available for up to the lesser of $250,000 or 25% of the project costs.
- Grants for renewable energy systems are available for up to the lesser of $500,000 or 25% of the project costs.
- Grants for feasibility studies for renewable energy systems are available for up to the lesser of $50,000 or 50% of the costs of the study.
- Loan guarantees are available for up to the lesser of $25 million or 75% of the project costs.
Applicants must be agricultural producers or rural small businesses. Agricultural producers are farmers or ranchers that obtain more than half of their gross income from agricultural operations. Small rural businesses are small businesses, as determined in accordance with the Small Business Administration's small business size standards, located in rural areas. Applications are due July 31, 2009.
