Request for Information (RFI) on Hydrogen Program’s Demonstration Opportunities aligned with HyShot Initiative | DE FOA 0002529

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002529

The Department of Energy (DOE), through its Hydrogen Program, issued this notice as a Request for Information (RFI) rather than a traditional grant solicitation. The RFI is tied to DOE's HyShot initiative, which is the first of DOE's Earthshots and is meant to push for major, breakthrough progress toward low-cost, clean hydrogen produced and used at scale. Instead of asking for proposals to fund right away, DOE is collecting practical, experience-based input from the public to help shape what future hydrogen demonstration and deployment efforts should look like in the United States, with the bigger objective of supporting a net-zero carbon economy by 2050 while also supporting job creation and U.S. technology leadership.

This RFI is broad and cross-cutting by design. DOE's Hydrogen Program spans several DOE offices, including Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Fossil Energy (FE), Nuclear Energy (NE), Electricity (OE), and Science (SC). Coordination for the RFI runs through the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), which is bringing together perspectives across those offices so DOE can think about hydrogen as an end-to-end system. In addition, the information gathered is intended to inform other relevant parts of DOE that may influence later funding, financing, deployment assistance, or technology commercialization efforts, such as the Loan Programs Office, the Office of Technology Transfer, the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, and the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity.

At its core, DOE is asking stakeholders to identify and describe viable hydrogen demonstration and deployment projects, especially those that can accelerate real-world adoption. The focus is not limited to hydrogen production alone; it spans production, storage, delivery infrastructure, and end uses. DOE is looking for input on projects that can materially reduce emissions, support clean hydrogen supply chains, and help move technologies from research into operational settings. This includes concepts that could validate performance at scale, address integration challenges (for example, connecting production to transport and end users), and prove out business and operating models that could be replicated regionally or nationally.

DOE also signals that responses will be used for internal planning and portfolio decisions across its research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities. In practical terms, that means the RFI may influence what DOE prioritizes next: possible new technical focus areas, demonstrations that should be launched, where the biggest barriers and capability gaps are, what kinds of analyses are needed, which regions or hubs appear most promising, and what kinds of workforce and career pathways could be built around hydrogen. DOE explicitly notes interest in sustainable careers and the consideration of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which suggests respondents may want to address community benefits, workforce development, equitable access to opportunities, and other impacts beyond purely technical performance.

Even though this opportunity appears in a grants-style format with a title and tracking number, it is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and DOE is not accepting applications for awards under this notice. The posting lists an expected number of awards as zero and indicates it is meant only to gather information. The eligibility is essentially unrestricted, meaning DOE is open to hearing from any type of organization or stakeholder that has relevant insights, subject to any additional instructions contained in the full RFI materials.

Key administrative details provided include the opportunity number (DE-FOA-0002529), the sponsoring agency office (DOE, Golden Field Office), the program area (Energy, CFDA 81.087), and the original response window (created June 7, 2021, with responses due July 7, 2021). The bottom line is that this RFI is a planning tool meant to inform DOE's next steps under HyShot by gathering concrete ideas and feedback on demonstration opportunities that can help make clean hydrogen affordable and widely deployable.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI) on Hydrogen Program’s Demonstration Opportunities aligned with HyShot Initiative" 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 Jun 07, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 07, 2021. (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.

Apply for DE FOA 0002529

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