Deadline
-
June 6, 2024
3:00 pm
ET

Voucher Opportunity 7: Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Technology Acceleration (Providers)

Information

Description

Are you a long duration energy storage (LDES) technology innovator, or do you provide services to support LDES technology innovators? 

This voucher opportunity seeks to provide LDES technology companies, including developers, vendors and manufacturers, with services such as market assessment support, business plan formulation, technical modeling or analysis, testing, performance validation, and commercialization strategy support. This support will come from providers, such as national labs, consulting firms, nonprofits, or technology testing centers, to advance non-hydrogen, electricity-in/electricity-out LDES technologies.

Vouchers will be distributed as in-kind support, meaning that ENERGYWERX will directly reimburse the voucher provider for the work they have completed on behalf of the voucher recipients. The value of each voucher will depend on the services defined in the Providers’ capability statements, with estimated values of support services per recipient ranging from $50k to $150k.

Objective

The DOE Voucher Program builds bridges between U.S. entrepreneurs, businesses, technology developers or other relevant partners and third-party voucher providers to advance commercialization and demonstration at scale of innovative energy technologies. Voucher Opportunity (VO-7) includes market assessment support, business plan formulation, technical modeling or analysis, testing, performance validation, and commercialization strategy support for U.S. for-profit companies who are currently developing or manufacturing a long-duration energy storage (LDES) technology.

The first submission window solicits proposals from potential voucher providers. A second submission window will be open soon to solicit requests from potential voucher recipients. Pending availability of funds, additional submission windows may open in the future. 

Voucher Projects: Expected voucher worth between $50,000 - $150,000 of work. Vouchers will be distributed as in-kind support, meaning that ENERGYWERX will directly reimburse the voucher provider for the work they have completed on behalf of the voucher recipients. Only work related to specific technology areas will be eligible to receive a voucher under this opportunity. List of eligible technology areas include:

  • Lithium-ion batteries
  • Flow Batteries
  • Lead-acid Batteries
  • Zinc Batteries
  • Batteries (Other)
  • Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH)
  • Compressed-Air Energy Storage (CAES)
  • Mechanical (Other)
  • Thermal Energy Storage (Bidirectional Electricity-in/ Electricity-out)

Note that hydrogen-based energy storage is excluded from this opportunity and hydrogen innovators are encouraged to explore other DOE opportunities that target hydrogen technologies. For more information on the listed technologies, please reference the Long Duration Storage Shot Technology Strategy Assessments, released in July 2023, that describe 10 energy storage technologies and their pathways to low cost by 2030.

DOE anticipates issuing approximately 3-7 vouchers.

Voucher Providers: Including but not limited to consulting firms, business incubators/accelerators, startup coaches, public funding experts, and National Labs.

Voucher Recipients: Limited to for-profit companies who are developing, commercializing, or manufacturing an innovative LDES technology. Such a technology must have the capability to discharge at rated power for 10 hours or more, and have a pathway to meeting the Long Duration Storage Shot goal of $0.05/kWh levelized cost of storage(LCOS) by 2030.

To support the goal of building a clean and equitable energy economy, voucher projects are encouraged to: (1) support meaningful community and labor engagement; (2) invest in America’s workforce;(3) advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA); and (4) contribute to the President’s goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to DACs (the Justice40 Initiative).

Event Updates

How to Participate

  1. Review the resources from the Informational Webinar/Objective Strategic Session on May 15, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET
  2. Review the resources from the informational Office Hours session on May 30, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET
  3. Complete submission and upload here: Click Here to Submit (Submissions are due NLT June 6, 2024 by 3:00 PM ET)

Important Dates

Opportunity Announcement

For more detailed information on this opportunity from DOE: Click Here to Read More

Objective Strategic Session

Informational Webinar/Objective Strategic Session (IW/OSS) [May 15, 2024]: DOE will provide further details about Voucher Opportunities. Potential voucher recipients can better understand the scope, scale, and intent of the Voucher Program and ask questions of the DOE staff. The virtual IW/OSS will take place on May 15, 2024 from 3:00–4:00 PM ET (30-minute blocks per Voucher Opportunity).

Information "Office Hours" Session(s)

Informational Office Hours [May 30, 2024]: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will host an Informational Office Hours session on May 30, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET to answer any remaining questions from potential applicants before the submission deadline.

Submission Deadline(s)

Submissions are due No Later Than June 6, 2024 by 3:00 PM ET

Process Details

Timeline(s)

Phase 1 - Voucher Provider Capability Statement Submissions Open [April 25, 2024 - June 6, 2024]

  • Informational Webinar/Objective Strategic Session (IW/OSS) [May 15, 2024]: DOE will provide further details about Voucher Opportunities. Potential voucher providers can better understand the scope, scale, and intent of the Voucher Program and ask questions of the DOE staff. The virtual IW/OSS will take place from 3:00 PM-4:00 PM ET.
  • Informational Office Hours [May 30, 2024]: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will host an Informational Office Hours session from 3:00-4:00 PM ET to answer any remaining questions from potential applicants before the submission deadline.

Phase 2 - DOE Selection [Timing TBD]: DOE will review submissions based on relevance to the program objectives and will notify selected entities for next steps.
NOTE:  DOE may choose to meet with submitters or ask additional clarifying questions prior to selection.

Phase 3 - Negotiations [Timing TBD]: Subsequently, selected organizations will meet with ENERGYWERX to negotiate the scope of work, budget, timing, and impact.

Eligibility & Review Criteria

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

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If selected and matched with a recipient, when is the provider paid?

Payments to providers are made on a milestone basis. The milestones will be defined once providers are selected and will be clearly identified in the business-to-business agreement.

For National Lab providers, would the voucher be paid after work is completed, or would it be front funded?

If selected, the mechanism for national lab providers will be different than with private sector providers. Most notably, the labs would receive funding for voucher work directly from DOE via their M&O contract, not via ENERGYWERX.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact ENERGYWERX: info@energywerx.org

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