Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002793
The Department of Energy, through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and its Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), released a discretionary funding opportunity called "Marine Energy Systems Innovation at Sea" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002793). The program is designed to speed up the development and real-world validation of marine renewable energy technologies, especially those that harvest energy from waves and ocean currents. A central theme of the announcement is using marine energy to cut the energy demand and carbon footprint of desalination, with the practical goal of delivering zero-carbon, affordable, and reliable drinking water for disaster relief, emergency response, and smaller communities dealing with water scarcity and water security concerns. In other words, the FOA is not only about generating clean electricity offshore, but also about turning that resource into a tangible public benefit: resilient water supply in coastal and island settings.
A key focus is on wave-powered desalination, building on earlier work that has already shown small, modular systems can be feasible through theory, lab experiments, and short at-sea trials. WPTO is pushing the field beyond brief demonstrations by emphasizing longer duration deployments and operations in real coastal environments. Projects are expected to address the challenges of nearshore conditions, where wave climates, bathymetry, and operational constraints can vary widely, and where systems must be robust, maintainable, and safe over weeks to months rather than hours or days. The FOA highlights long-duration at-sea testing windows ranging from roughly two weeks up to six months, aiming to generate higher-quality performance and reliability data and to uncover engineering and operational issues that only appear with sustained operation (for example, fouling, corrosion, storm response, component wear, maintenance logistics, and water production consistency).
The technical scope includes innovation and advancement of wave energy converters (WECs) suitable for nearshore environments, along with component and subsystem technology development and testing that can improve readiness for field deployment. This can involve improving conversion efficiency, survivability, control systems, power take-off components, water production subsystems, and integration approaches that make wave-to-water systems more modular and scalable. Another feature of the opportunity is its attention to end-user needs assessments. WPTO explicitly connects design and technology advancement to user requirements, meaning applicants are expected to think about who will use the water, under what conditions, what reliability and portability requirements exist, and how the system would be operated in the real world during emergencies or in remote communities.
Beyond wave energy and desalination demonstrations, the FOA also supports commercialization-related activities for novel marine energy technologies. This signals an interest in proposals that can move beyond research results into pathways that attract partners, reduce cost, improve manufacturability, clarify market fit, and strengthen prospects for deployment. In addition, the funding announcement includes support for a feasibility assessment of an ocean current test facility located off the coast of the United States, reflecting DOE interest in expanding test infrastructure and validating ocean current technologies in a structured, accessible way.
Awards are planned to be made as cooperative agreements, which typically means substantial federal involvement during project execution (such as technical collaboration, milestones, reporting, and structured project management). The agency listed is the Department of Energy, Golden Field Office. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the competition is broadly open to many entity types, subject to any eligibility clarifications contained in the FOA itself. The program anticipated about 14 awards, with an award ceiling of $2,125,000 per award. The FOA was created on September 30, 2022, and the original closing date was February 24, 2023. The assistance listing (CFDA) associated with the opportunity is 81.087. Additional details, requirements, and the official application instructions are hosted on EERE Exchange at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.Apply for DE FOA 0002793
- The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Marine Energy Systems Innovation at Sea" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 30, 2022.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 24, 2023. (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 $2,125,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 14 candidate(s).
- 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Marine Energy Systems Innovation at Sea (DE-FOA-0002793)
1) What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity is called Marine Energy Systems Innovation at Sea.
2) Who is offering this grant?
The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and its Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO). The listed agency office is the DOE Golden Field Office.
3) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is DE-FOA-0002793.
4) What is the overall purpose of this program?
The program is designed to accelerate development and real-world validation of marine renewable energy technologies, especially technologies that harvest energy from waves and ocean currents, with a strong emphasis on longer-duration, real-environment testing.
5) What public benefit is emphasized in this FOA?
A central theme is using marine energy to reduce the energy demand and carbon footprint of desalination, with the practical goal of delivering zero-carbon, affordable, reliable drinking water for:
- Disaster relief
- Emergency response
- Smaller communities facing water scarcity and water security concerns (including coastal and island settings)
6) Is this FOA only about generating offshore electricity?
No. While marine energy generation is part of the scope, the FOA highlights turning that offshore renewable resource into a tangible outcome, particularly resilient water supply via desalination.
7) What specific technology area is a key focus?
A key focus is wave-powered desalination, building on prior efforts that have shown small, modular systems can be feasible through theory, laboratory work, and short at-sea trials.
8) What is WPTO trying to move beyond in this funding opportunity?
WPTO is pushing beyond brief demonstrations by emphasizing longer duration deployments and operations in real coastal environments. The intent is to generate higher-quality performance and reliability data and to surface issues that only appear during sustained operation.
9) What deployment or testing durations are highlighted?
The FOA highlights long-duration at-sea testing windows ranging from roughly two weeks up to six months.
10) Why does the FOA emphasize long-duration at-sea testing?
Long-duration operation can reveal engineering and operational challenges that may not appear in short tests, including:
- Fouling
- Corrosion
- Storm response
- Component wear
- Maintenance logistics
- Water production consistency over time
11) What environment is particularly emphasized for deployments?
The FOA emphasizes nearshore environments, where wave climates, bathymetry, and operational constraints can vary widely, and where systems must remain robust and maintainable for weeks to months.
12) What kinds of marine energy technologies are included?
The program targets marine renewable energy technologies, with emphasis on wave energy converters (WECs) and also includes interest in ocean current technologies (including a feasibility assessment for an ocean current test facility).
13) What types of wave energy converter (WEC) work are within scope?
The FOA includes innovation and advancement of WECs suitable for nearshore environments, along with component and subsystem development and testing to improve readiness for field deployment.
14) What component and subsystem improvements are mentioned?
The FOA mentions work that could improve, among other areas:
- Conversion efficiency
- Survivability
- Control systems
- Power take-off components
- Water production subsystems
- Integration approaches that support modularity and scalability (wave-to-water systems)
15) Does the FOA require attention to real-world user needs?
Yes. The FOA highlights end-user needs assessments and explicitly connects technology advancement to user requirements. Applicants are expected to consider who will use the water, under what conditions, and what reliability, portability, and operational needs exist in real deployments (including emergency use and remote community use).
16) Does the FOA support commercialization-related work?
Yes. In addition to demonstrations and technical development, the FOA supports commercialization-related activities for novel marine energy technologies, signaling interest in pathways that strengthen prospects for real deployment.
17) What kinds of commercialization themes are implied by the FOA description?
Based on the FOA summary, commercialization-related activities may involve efforts to:
- Move beyond research results toward deployment pathways
- Attract partners
- Reduce cost
- Improve manufacturability
- Clarify market fit
18) Is there anything in the FOA related to test infrastructure?
Yes. The funding announcement includes support for a feasibility assessment of an ocean current test facility located off the coast of the United States.
19) What award type will DOE use for selected projects?
Awards are planned to be made as cooperative agreements, which typically involve substantial federal involvement during project execution (for example, technical collaboration, milestones, reporting, and structured project management).
20) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the competition is broadly open to many entity types, subject to any eligibility clarifications contained in the FOA itself.
21) How many awards does DOE anticipate making?
The program anticipated about 14 awards.
22) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $2,125,000 per award.
23) What is the assistance listing (CFDA) number associated with this opportunity?
The assistance listing (CFDA) associated with the opportunity is 81.087.
24) When was the FOA created?
The FOA was created on September 30, 2022.
25) What was the original closing date?
The original closing date was February 24, 2023.
26) Where can applicants find the official application instructions and requirements?
Official details, requirements, and application instructions are hosted on EERE Exchange at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.
27) What kinds of operational challenges should proposals be prepared to address?
The FOA description emphasizes that long-duration nearshore operation can expose issues such as fouling, corrosion, storm response, component wear, maintenance logistics, and consistent water production. Proposals aligned with the FOA would be expected to account for these real-world challenges during sustained at-sea operation.
28) What does the FOA suggest about system design priorities for wave-to-water applications?
The FOA points toward systems that are modular and scalable, capable of operating safely and reliably in varying nearshore conditions, and aligned with end-user requirements for emergency response and small or remote communities.
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