This is a Notice of Intent to Issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement No.: DE-FOA-0003036 “Energy Storage Demonstration and Validation” | DE FOA 0003035

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003035

This notice describes the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity's intent to release a future Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) called "Energy Storage Demonstration and Validation" (anticipated FOA No. DE-FOA-0003036). The document is a Notice of Intent (NOI), meaning it is provided strictly for advance information and planning. DOE is not accepting applications under the notice, is not requesting public comments, and explicitly warns that the details may change once the actual FOA is published.

The planned FOA is tied to FY2023 Congressional Direction and is expected to support a competitive pilot demonstration grant program authorized under Section 3201 of the Energy Act of 2020. The main emphasis is on demonstrating and validating energy storage projects with a clear domestic and regional supply chain requirement. Specifically, projects are expected to be U.S.-controlled, U.S.-made, and use components and materials that are sourced and supplied from North America. In practice, this points to a program designed to strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains while also proving out storage technologies at meaningful scale in real operating conditions.

A central technical priority highlighted in the notice is the large-scale commercial development and deployment of long cycle life, lithium-based grid-scale batteries and their components. That framing suggests DOE is aiming beyond early-stage research and toward later-stage demonstrations that can validate performance, reliability, and readiness for broader deployment on the electric grid. The wording also signals interest in not only complete battery systems, but also critical subcomponents that affect durability and lifecycle performance, which are major cost and reliability drivers for grid storage.

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and is expected to use a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument. Cooperative agreements typically involve substantial DOE involvement during the project period, such as participation in technical reviews, milestone decisions, or coordination activities. The activity area is listed under energy, science and technology, and research and development, and the program is associated with CFDA number 81.122. The agency listed is the Department of Energy, with the National Energy Technology Laboratory identified in the source data, which often indicates NETL may play an administrative or management role even when the sponsoring office is DOE OE.

Eligibility is described as "unrestricted," meaning it is broadly open to many applicant types (for example, companies, universities, nonprofits, utilities, and state or local entities), subject to any additional limits that would be spelled out in the full FOA. Because the notice is not the final solicitation, the most important eligibility constraints are likely to come from the domestic control, domestic manufacturing, and North American sourcing requirements, which could shape who can apply and what supply chain arrangements would be acceptable.

The notice record shows a creation date of March 8, 2023, and references an original closing date of July 31, 2023, but it also makes clear that applications are not accepted for the Notice of Intent itself. Interested organizations would need to watch for the actual FOA release and rely on that document for definitive deadlines, funding amounts, required cost share (if any), technical topic areas, merit review criteria, and required project deliverables.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "This is a Notice of Intent to Issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement No.: DE-FOA-0003036 “Energy Storage Demonstration and Validation”" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.122.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 08, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 31, 2023 This is a Notice of Intent to issue Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0003036 Applications will not be accepted for the Notice of Intent.. (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 $2.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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