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The FOA will support early-stage research that spans the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) portfolio, seeking to advance both solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) technologies and to facilitate the swift integration of those technologies into the nation's electricity grid. It also is designed to support efforts that prepare the workforce for the solar industry's future needs. The FOA is organized into the following high level Topic Areas: Topic 1: Advanced Solar Systems Integration Technologies describes SETO research priorities in the seamless integration of high penetrations of solar energy onto the nation's electricity grid. Topic 2: Concentrating Solar Thermal Power Research and Development describes SETO research priorities that support solar technologies that focus sunlight to generate and store high-temperature heat for electricity generation and other end uses. Topic 3: Photovoltaic Research and Development describes SETO research priorities that support the further development of photovoltaic technologies that improve system reliability, annual energy yield, demonstrate performance of novel PV devices and develop new PV materials. Topic 4: Improving and Expanding the Solar Industry through Workforce Initiatives describes SETO research priorities that support solar workforce development.

Overall electricity access rate in Zambia currently stands at 31%. The situation is more challenging in rural areas where the access to electricity is less than 5%. This low access impedes Zambia's economic development. Increased access to electricity can increase economic growth and spur investment and trade, thereby reducing poverty. The national electricity grid will not be extended soon to most of the areas that currently lack electricity. Therefore, the increased utilization of other technologies, such as solar, offers an immediate and more realistic solution to the electricity access challenge. To support the increased utilization of solar technologies, there is a need to develop a cadre of trained solar professionals (installation and maintenance) throughout Zambia who can offer their services to both institutional and residential users. Furthermore, there are various projects to install solar technologies underway in support of different sector goals, such as health, education, water and sanitation. Supporting the development of expanded solar technology human capacity will ensure that solar technologies are installed, operating correctly, and well maintained. USAID/Zambia seeks information to help inform an intervention that is aimed at supporting a Zambia-based organization to provide regular training in solar technology installation and maintenance. The goal is to increase the use of solar technologies in Zambia via the development of these trained solar professionals.

Complete information, including the full FOA, can be found on the EERE Exchange website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will fund research that can enable significant reductions in the lifetime costs of power electronics (PE) for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy that align with meeting the SunShot 2030 goals, and likewise enable versatile control functionalities to support grid integration of solar PV for enhanced grid services. Power electronics technology is fundamental for renewable energy systems, and especially for solar PV as the critical link between solar PV arrays and the electric grid. In comparison to the state of the art, the SunShot Initiative seeks to fund early-stage solar PE research projects to enable the following objectives: 1) Lower the lifetime cost of residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar PV inverter/converter solutions; 2) Develop innovative modular, multi-purpose solar PV power electronics designs that offer enhanced services for improved lifetime value and lower grid integration costs.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO) is seeking applications under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to fund applied research and development to enable the reduction of the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) generated by concentrating solar power (CSP) to 6 ¢/kWh-electric or less, without subsidies. This FOA intends to develop integrated thermal system solutions to overcome the temperature limitations of current CSP systems, while lowering capital costs by enabling the use of advanced turbines and achieving a higher overall system efficiency in converting solar thermal energy into electricity. Applications to this FOA are expected to advance individual high temperature components which have been developed at lab scale, and test them as an integrated system at a multi-MW thermal scale that can accept solar thermal energy, store it, and efficiently deliver it to a working fluid at high temperature, representative of a high efficiency power cycle.

The overarching goal of this FOA is to support the development of capabilities that will allow increased deployment of solar power generation at optimal cost. Better solar forecasting will allow the reduction of balancing, dispatch, and unit commitment costs associated with errors in the prediction of solar power generation. These costs scale with solar penetration, therefore it is important to keep them in check with advancements in the forecasting science, implementations of forecasting models with rapid execution, and seamless integration of forecasting tools in the electric system operations.

The challenge to the teams competing in Solar Decathlon 2015 is to safely and effectively design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive in less than 24 months. The Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an educational workforce development program designed to educate university-level students. The Solar Decathlon is also a public outreach demonstration designed to foster greater adoption of clean energy technologies and energy efficiency. 

The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is requesting input on integrated data and analysis needs across the solar value chain to inform near to mid-term plans for the development of information based network planning, real time optimization, and bankability tools in the context of the SunShot 2030 goals. SETO aims to better understand the information-related problems and questions that exist for key stakeholders, including manufacturers, project developers, financiers, engineering procurement and construction businesses, state and local jurisdictions, researchers, analysts, and others supporting the technological advancement and wide scale adoption of solar technology.

Solar System Observations (SSO) supports primarily ground-based and limited airborne- and space-based astronomical observations of bodies in our Solar System. Proposals are solicited for observations over the entire range of wavelengths, from the ultraviolet to radio, that contribute to the understanding of the nature and evolution of the Solar System and its individual constituents. Additionally, SSO supports NASA's commitment to discover and inventory potentially hazardous near Earth objects with sizes down to at least ~100 meters and to characterize that population through determination of their orbital elements. This program element will also consider proposals that characterize a representative sample of these objects by measuring their sizes, shapes, and compositions.

The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is requesting input on integrated data and analysis needs across the solar value chain to inform near to mid-term plans for the development of information based network planning, real time optimization, and bankability tools in the context of the SunShot 2030 goals. SETO aims to better understand the information-related problems and questions that exist for key stakeholders, including manufacturers, project developers, financiers, engineering procurement and construction businesses, state and local jurisdictions, researchers, analysts, and others supporting the technological advancement and wide scale adoption of solar technology. All submissions must be submitted via solaranalysis@ee.doe.gov.

Research in the area of "Emerging Worlds" aims to answer the fundamental science question of how the Solar System formed and evolved. It helps to advance the strategic science goal to "explore and observe the objects in the Solar System to understand how they formed and evolve" through basic research that supports planetary exploration, aids in the development of missions, and provides context for the interpretation of all Solar System observations that are relevant to its formation and evolution. Major interdisciplinary efforts to solve key questions are particularly valued.

The mission of the Solar Energy Technology Office's Tech-to-Market sub-program is to enable the widespread market penetration of highly impactful solar technologies and solutions through technology research, development and demonstration to overcome technical, institutional and market challenges. Historically, annual funding opportunities have been separated by stage of technology development (Incubator and SolarMat). In the interest of optimizing the application and selection process, these funding opportunities have been combined into a single FOA, with the goal of bringing disruptive innovation to the solar industry in the near term that will take root in the U.S. The purpose of this funding program is to help remove barriers that are addressable by technology and business innovation. 

The Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO) Program supports the development of spacecraft-based instrument systems that show promise for use in future planetary missions. The goal of the program is to conduct planetary and astrobiology science instrument feasibility studies, concept formation, proof of concept instruments, and advanced component technology development to the point where they may be proposed in response to C.13. Maturation of Instruments for Solar System Exploration (MatISSE) Program Therefore, the proposed instrument system or advanced components must address specific scientific objectives of likely future planetary science missions.

The Solar and Planetary Research Grants (SPG) Program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for observational, theoretical, laboratory, and archival data studies in the science of our solar system and extrasolar planetary systems. Proposals for projects and tools that enable and enhance research in those areas may also be submitted.

The solar and heliospheric research communities are dedicated to promoting enhanced understanding of, and predictive capabilities for, solar disturbances that propagate to the Earth. Broad-based, grass-roots associations such as SHINE have developed to focus community effort on these scientific questions. Proposals are solicited for research directly related to topics under consideration and discussion at community workshops organized by SHINE. Information on the current activities of SHINE may be found at the following web site: http://www.shinecon.org

The Geospace Section of the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, to ensure the health and vitality of solar and space sciences on university teaching faculties, is pleased to offer awards for the creation of new tenure-track faculty positions within the intellectual disciplines which comprise the space sciences. The aim of these awards is to integrate research topics in solar and space physics into basic physics, astronomy, electrical engineering, geoscience, meteorology, computer science, and applied mathematics programs, and to develop space physics graduate programs capable of training the next generation of leaders in this field. Space Science is interdisciplinary in nature and the Faculty Development in the Space Sciences awardees will be expected to establish partnerships within the university community.

The Geospace Section of the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences is pleased to offer awards for the creation of new tenure-track faculty positions within the intellectual disciplines which comprise the space sciences to ensure the health and vitality of solar and space sciences on university teaching faculties. The aim of these awards is to integrate research topics in solar and space physics into basic physics, astronomy, electrical engineering, geoscience, meteorology, computer science, and applied mathematics programs, and to develop space physics graduate programs capable of training the next generation of leaders in this field. Space Science is interdisciplinary in nature and the Faculty Development in the Space Sciences awardees will be expected to establish partnerships within the university community.  NSF funding will support the entire academic year salary and benefits of the newly recruited tenure-track faculty member for a duration of up to five years with a total award amount not to exceed $1,500,000.

The Educational Materials for Professional Organizations Working on Efficiency and Renewable Energy Developments (EMPOWERED) funding program is a collaborative effort across EERE's Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), and Building Technologies Office (BTO), to provide professionals with educational materials and training resources in fields newly interacting with distributed energy resources (DER). In this program, DER includes distributed solar, like on homes and businesses, as well as efficient building technologies and sustainable transportation technologies, such as electric vehicles. The goal of this program is to create resources that will help those on the front lines of DER adoption-like first responders, safety officials, and building managers and owners keep up with these rapidly emerging and advancing technologies. These professionals are at the forefront of America's energy transition and play a role in easing adoption, ensuring safety, and reducing installation costs. Because of this, the participating EERE offices see these professionals as key to enabling understanding and acceptance of new energy technologies.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have adopted its use and translated the variables into civil engineering applications, specifically pavement design. FHWA's Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Climate Tool provides access to the MERRA-2 database and generates site-specific climate data in compatible formats for AASHTO Pavement ME Design (Pavement ME). AASHTO will soon use MERRA-2 climatic data for AASHTOWare applications. MERRA-2 data sets include accurate hourly solar radiation values based on measured cloud-covered fractions which can significantly improve the accuracy of predicted pavement temperatures. Studies reveal challenges in matching the predictions from the Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model (EICM) with field observations and pavement performance. Variations in measurement of climatic attributes have also been reported to Operating Weather Stations (OWS). MERRA-2 data provides opportunities for enhancements to the climatic parameters and climatic module calculations for pavement design using Pavement ME. It provides improved climatology, higher frequency outputs including hourly data updates, and additional locations beyond the United States. Available data categories include: temperature, precipitation, surface pressure, cloud cover, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation. The objectives of this project are to (1) evaluate the impact of using NASA's Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) through the FHWA LTPP Climate Tool to improve the climatic inputs and related models for Pavement ME; (2) enhance and simplify climate input parameters for Pavement ME that can be implemented by transportation agencies; and (3) develop climate-related models based on identified parameter enhancements

This solicitation addresses the overlapping objectives of theNational Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan(NSW-SAP) and theNational Strategic Computing Initiative(NSCI) Update through a pilot program. The goal of this pilot program is to transform development of predictive modeling of the coupled evolution of the magnetized solar atmosphere and the solar wind, and their interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere. This requires advancing our understanding of the necessary and sufficient requirements of model complexity, computational performance, and observational inputs. The pilot program is also expected to directly contribute to the long-term goal of creating space weather models with quantifiable predictive capability.

This program element solicits proposals for the acquisition and analysis of new scientific data from the K2 mission (http://keplerscience.arc.nasa.gov). K2 repurposes the space-borne hardware and ground-based operations of the Kepler mission (http://keplerscience.arc.nasa.gov) for a pointed survey of predetermined locations along the ecliptic plane. The single, visible-wavelength instrument on board K2 provides high-precision photometry capability, with short cadence and long cadence modes (1 minute and 30 minute exposures, respectively), and provides a powerful tool for broadband variability analyses of planetary, stellar, extragalactic, and solar system sources.

This program element solicits proposals for the acquisition and analysis of new scientific data from the K2 mission (http://keplerscience.arc.nasa.gov). K2 repurposes the space-borne hardware and ground-based operations of the Kepler mission (http://keplerscience.arc.nasa.gov) for a pointed survey of predetermined locations along the ecliptic plane. The single, visible-wavelength instrument on board K2 provides high-precision photometry capability, with short cadence and long cadence modes (1 minute and 30 minute exposures, respectively), and provides a powerful tool for broadband variability analyses of planetary, stellar, extragalactic, and solar system sources.