Voucher Opportunity 8: Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Community Development (Providers)
Information
Description
Are you a community interested in demonstrating or deploying long duration energy storage (LDES) technology, or do you provide energy services to communities?
This voucher opportunity seeks to provide communities who wish to benefit from the decarbonization, resilience, affordability, and workforce benefits of energy storage and are interested in innovative, first-time long-duration energy storage (LDES) deployments. These communities will receive services such as siting/permitting support, storage project road mapping, regional modeling, energy use analysis, technical feasibility studies, technology solution decision-making, or community engagement. While there are no restrictions on eligible communities, supporting disadvantaged communities (DACs) is an important goal of this opportunity. Providers may include national labs, consulting firms, or nonprofits.
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-8) targets recipients including municipalities, tribes and tribal organization, state or local governments, community development organizations, or utilities, who are seeking to deploy innovative LDES for the first time. These recipients will receive technical assistance services such as siting/permitting support, storage project road mapping, regional modeling, energy use analysis, technical feasibility studies, technology solution decision-making, or community engagement. While there are no restrictions on eligible communities, supporting disadvantaged communities (DACs) is an important goal of this opportunity.
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 demonstration and deployment of LDES will be eligible to receive a voucher under this opportunity. All innovative LDES technologies are eligible for consideration, however communities wishing to explore hydrogen-based energy storage are encouraged to explore other DOE opportunities that target hydrogen technologies. For more information on innovative LDES technologies, please reference the Long Duration Storage Shot Technology Strategy Assessments, released in 2023, that describes 10 energy storage technologies and their pathways to low cost by 2030.
DOE anticipates issuing approximately 3-7 vouchers.
Voucher Providers: Technical assistance providers, including but not limited to consulting firms, nonprofits, and national labs.
Voucher Recipients: Limited to municipalities, tribes and tribal organizations, state or local governments, community development organizations, or utilities that have an interest in deploying storage to meet a community benefit objective. Recipients should be first-time deployers of energy storage, or should require assistance to deploy or apply energy storage in a new or innovative way.
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
- Review the resources from the Informational Webinar/Objective Strategic Session on May 15, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET
- Review the resources from the informational Office Hours session on May 30, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET
- Complete submission and upload here: Click Here to Submit (Submissions are due NLT June 6, 2024 by 3:00 PM ET)
Notice for all parties interested in ENERGYWERX events and programs: Announcement of ENERGYWERX events that are considered to have a high potential for further efforts that may be accomplished via FAR-based contracting instruments, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for prototype projects 10 USC 4022, prizes for advanced technology achievements 10 USC 4025, and/or prize competitions 15 USC 3719, may be made at the www.energywerx.org website. All announcements made at the www.energywerx.org website are considered to satisfy the reasonable effort to obtain competition in accordance with 10 USC 4025, 15 USC 3719 (e) and 10 USC 4022. All FAR-based actions will follow announcement procedures per FAR 5.201(b) accordingly.