Funding Notice: Oxygen-conducting SOFC and SOEC Research and Development for Hydrogen Production

Office: Carbon Management
FOA number: DE-FOA-0003366
Download the full funding opportunity: FedConnect
Funding Amount: $4,000,000 

Background Information

On September 26, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced up to $4 million in federal funding to make clean hydrogen a more available and affordable fuel for electricity generation, industrial decarbonization, and transportation. Specifically, the funding opportunity will support research and development (R&D) projects that will expand the versatility and applicability of solid oxide fuel cell technology—a source of efficient, low-cost electricity from hydrogen or natural gas—with a focus on reversible solid oxide fuel cell (R-SOFC) systems. This technology has many energy efficiency and clean energy applications, including hydrogen production, hydrogen energy storage, energy conversion and storage for renewable and surplus energy, microgrids, combined heat and power, and more. 

Technology advanced under this FOA will support DOE’s Hydrogen Shot initiative, which seeks to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per 1 kilogram in one decade to enable the commercial development of new, clean hydrogen pathways in the United States.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include individuals, institutions of higher education, for- and non-profit organizations, state and local governments, and tribal nations.

Areas of Interest 

Projects selected under this funding opportunity will help to achieve a low long-term degradation rate in high-temperature reversible solid oxide fuel cell systems by performing research on the following two areas of interest:

1. Solid oxide fuel cell and solid oxide electrolysis cells research and development for reduced long-term degradation at high current density and high steam utilization.
2. Solid oxide fuel cell and solid oxide electrolysis cells component materials thermodynamic database.

Funding 

DOE expects to make up to six awards between $500,000 and $750,000 each with a minimum of a 20% cost-sharing from the awardees.

Key Dates

Additional Information

• Download the full funding opportunity on FedConnect
• All applicants must register and apply on Grants.gov and submit questions through FedConnect 

Last Updated: September 26, 2024