[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 23 (Thursday, February 5, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6144-6146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2460]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance (NOTA); Solar 
America Showcases (General) 2009

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance (DE-PS36-
09GO99021).

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) today gives Notice of 
Opportunity

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for Technical Assistance (NOTA). The purpose of this NOTA is to support 
the goal of DOE's Solar America Initiative (SAI) to reduce the cost of 
solar photovoltaic technologies so that they become cost-competitive 
with grid electricity by 2015. The SAI represents a significant 
enhancement of DOE's business strategy of partnering with key 
stakeholders to accelerate commercialization of photovoltaic (PV) 
system research and development (R&D) to meet aggressive cost and 
installed capacity goals. DOE's Solar Energy Technologies Program uses 
research and development (R&D), testing and evaluation, and market 
transformation (MT) approaches to meet its SAI goal. MT efforts aim to 
reduce market barriers and promote market expansion of solar energy 
technologies through non-R&D activities. There are several aspects to 
SAI MT that should be kept in mind by Applicants to this NOTA:
     DOE is looking to identify and remove market barriers. DOE 
is seeking to identify and minimize or remove barriers to solar 
technology commercialization as quickly and efficiently as possible.
     DOE is looking for significant market changing activities. 
DOE is seeking to make large and significant changes in the marketplace 
through its market transformation activities.
     DOE is focused on near- and mid-term results. Accordingly, 
emphasis will be on projects and activities with the greatest potential 
to assist the DOE in reaching its SAI goal by 2015 (for more 
information, see SAI Web site at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america/index.html).
     DOE is looking for performers and partners who are 
committed to the SAI mission. In order to achieve the SAI mission of 
2015, DOE is inclined to partner and work with highly motivated 
entities.
    The DOE will provide Technical Assistance to large-scale, high-
visibility solar installation projects that have the ability to impact 
the market for solar technologies through large project size, use of a 
novel solar technology, and/or use of a novel application for a solar 
technology. In addition, it is desired that the project be replicable 
or have replicable components. Large-scale installations may include 
photovoltaic, concentrating solar power, solar water heating, and solar 
space heating applications.
    Technical assistance will not be provided for research, 
development, or early-stage testing and evaluation of any technology or 
product. Solar America Showcases focus on providing support to projects 
in which a commercially-ready technology is to be installed in a large-
scale application with full financial project commitment already in 
place. Support for research, product development or early stage testing 
and evaluation of solar products or technologies may be available under 
other Solar America Initiative opportunities.
    DOE will not purchase hardware or otherwise provide direct funding 
to organizations selected from this Notice.
    For further detail, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 
this document, and the full Notice of Opportunity for Technical 
Assistance (NOTA) at the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System 
(IIPS) Web site: http://e-center.doe.gov/.

DATES: Requests for Technical Assistance must be submitted by 11:59 PM 
Eastern Time via the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) 
Web site: http://e-center.doe.gov/ on the dates indicated in the table 
below to be considered under this Notice. Requests received after the 
submission due date/time will automatically be considered and reviewed 
in the next cycle other than the last cycle. DOE reserves the right to 
add other submission dates or repost the Notice, pending review of the 
requests for Technical Assistance received during the open period. DOE 
may continue to enter into Memoranda of Agreements (MOA) with selected 
organizations/entities, until the total value of DOE's Technical 
Assistance has been allocated or all selected projects have received 
the required Technical Assistance needed.

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       Notice closing  date               Submission due  date/time
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03/31/2009........................  03/31/2009 11:59 PM ET.
06/30/2009........................  06/30/2009 11:59 PM ET.
09/30/2009........................  09/30/2009 11:59 PM ET.
12/30/2009........................  12/30/2009 11:59 PM ET.
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ADDRESSES: All requests for Technical Assistance must be submitted to 
the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) Web site: http://e-center.doe.gov/. Applications submitted via any other method will 
not be considered for Technical Assistance under this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding the content of the 
notice must be submitted through the ``Submit Question'' feature of the 
DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) at http://e-center.doe.gov. Locate the Notice on IIPS and then click on the 
``Submit Question'' button. Enter required information. You will 
receive an electronic notification that your question has been 
answered. DOE will try to respond to a question within 3 business days, 
unless a similar question and answer have already been posted on the 
Web site. All questions must be submitted no later than one week prior 
to the closing date.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of Solar America Showcases (SAS) 
is to accelerate demand for solar technologies among key end-use market 
sectors. Under this activity, DOE will provide Technical Assistance to 
large-scale, high-visibility solar installation projects that have the 
ability to impact the market for solar technologies through large 
project size, use of a novel solar technology, and/or use of a novel 
application for a solar technology. In addition, it is desired that the 
project be replicable or have replicable components. It is not expected 
that all projects will meet all of these parameters, but projects would 
ideally reflect some or most of these qualities. Showcases may utilize 
photovoltaic (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), and solar water/air 
heating (SWAH) applications.
    DOE will not purchase hardware or provide any direct funding to 
selected organizations through this Notice. Awards are comprised of 
Technical Assistance only.
    To provide more guidance regarding the types of installations DOE 
is looking to support, additional information is provided below on the 
parameters for (and examples of) projects for which DOE anticipates 
receiving requests for Technical Assistance under this Notice.
    Regarding the scale of the project, DOE is looking for projects 
with total capacity of 250 kW or greater. Projects may include multiple 
sites, and do not have to be co-located. The impact and visibility of a 
geographically divided project, however, must remain high. In addition 
to the initial installation, the kW total may also include planned 
follow-on activities (direct replication efforts). Examples include 
installations in residential subdivisions, shopping centers, office 
buildings or parks, big box retail locations, factories, and utility 
solar production.
    Regarding the visibility of the project, DOE anticipates projects 
that are highly visible, such as centrally located in towns, are sited 
in high-traffic vehicle or pedestrian areas, house hundreds of 
residents or workers, are located in an area frequented by tourists, 
are located in a popular public destination (e.g. shopping centers, 
courthouses, etc.), or have some other high visibility component. The 
project would also have an outreach component that

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provides information about the installation, such as a kiosk that 
displays information about the solar energy system.
    Regarding the novel solar technology, DOE proposes to support 
projects that introduce new solar technologies that hold the promise of 
reducing initial costs, simplifying installation, and boosting consumer 
confidence, but which have little testing to date that demonstrates 
such improvements. Examples include new cell or module technology, new 
materials, or innovative installation and mounting techniques. By 
offering Technical Assistance, DOE envisions helping these new solar 
technologies develop a performance record in the marketplace, identify 
technical problems early in mass product releases, and devise solutions 
and alternatives that move specific solar technologies to cost-
competitiveness by 2015.
    Regarding the novel solar application, DOE expects to support 
projects that utilize solar technology in new ways. One example would 
be to include new methods of building integration beyond traditional 
roof-mounted modules. DOE also supports innovative designs and methods 
that open up previously untapped markets or end uses to solar 
technology adoption. Acceptable applications could also include those 
that are currently in use in other geographic areas, but not in the 
vicinity (State, region) of the proposed site.
    Regarding replicability, DOE expects to support projects that can 
either be replicated by the entity requesting the Technical Assistance 
or by others. The entire project should be replicable, or have 
replicable components, unless installations are of an extremely large 
size that justifies DOE support without replicability. Replication of 
projects is a critical component to advance solar commercialization and 
will be strongly considered under this opportunity.
    Subject to annual Congressional appropriations, the estimated value 
of the Technical Assistance to be available under this Notice is 
approximately $2,000,000 during calendar year 2009.
    Although there is no fixed limit on the amount of this annual 
funding that can be dedicated to Technical Assistance under any one 
project, individual projects will rarely receive assistance valued at 
more than $500,000, unless the proposed project is truly exceptional in 
how it advances the SAI goal. Technical Assistance may be provided to 
selected projects until the total Technical Assistance budget has been 
allocated or all selected projects have received the appropriate amount 
of Technical Assistance. DOE may choose to offer a similar opportunity 
for Technical Assistance in future years.
    DOE anticipates entering into 8 to 16 agreements to provide 
Technical Assistance to selected organizations under this Notice during 
calendar year 2009. The actual number of agreements will depend on the 
amount of Technical Assistance required by selected projects and the 
amount of DOE funding available to support the Technical Assistance.
    The period of performance of any individual agreements will be 
negotiated to accommodate the specific project being supported. Typical 
projects will range from 18 to 24 months in length.
    DOE will provide tailored hands-on Technical Assistance to the 
selected organization(s) through the use of specifically assembled 
Technical Assistance Teams. Members of these Teams will be subject 
matter and technical experts in areas such as architecture, finance, 
planning, project management, etc. Significant participants of these 
Teams will be the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia 
National Laboratories (SNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the 
Southwest and Southeast Regional Experiment Stations (RESs), which are 
housed at New Mexico State University and Florida Solar Energy Center, 
respectively, as well as CH2M HILL, a global engineering firm selected 
competitively under a prior DOE procurement. Other entities may be 
added to the Teams by DOE as necessary. DOE may choose to contract for 
non-lab Technical Assistance Team members, mainly to provide the non-
solar-specific Technical Assistance, through a separate procurement 
instrument.
    Technical Assistance provided under this Notice is designed to help 
entities make informed decisions. Technical Assistance Teams will 
provide information and options to enable policy, planning, and 
purchasing decisions. DOE and the Technical Assistance Teams will not 
direct behavior or decisions, or require entities to take any 
particular course of action. The role of DOE stops short of the actual 
decision-making on projects.
    Any legal entity, to include private sector for-profit and non-
profit organizations, State and local governments, and trade and other 
associations may request DOE Technical Assistance under this Notice, as 
long as the installation proposed by the organization, and for which 
the Technical Assistance will be provided, is located in the United 
States.
    Federal agencies are not permitted to request Technical Assistance 
under this Notice.
    Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) 
Contractors may not submit a request for Technical Assistance, may not 
participate as a team partner with any entity requesting Technical 
Assistance, and may not assist any entity with a request for Technical 
Assistance under this Notice.
    Nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after 
December 31, 1995 are not permitted to submit a request for Technical 
Assistance under this Notice.
    Cities that have been named ``Solar America Cities'' under a 
separate DOE award are eligible under this Notice as long as the 
requested technical assistance is complementary and not duplicative of 
the technical assistance provided under the Solar America Cities Award 
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
    Technical Assistance described under this Notice will be provided 
via a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DOE, the organization 
selected to receive the Technical Assistance, and the Technical 
Assistance Team Leader responsible for providing the Technical 
Assistance.
    A MOA is a collaborative agreement between the Federal Government 
and other parties to work together on a mutually beneficial activity. 
The MOA will detail the scope of the Technical Assistance activities, 
the forms of collaboration, the responsibilities of the partners to the 
Agreement, and the treatment of any potential intellectual property. 
Federal funding will not be provided to a partner under a MOA. View the 
full NOTA at the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) Web 
site: http://e-center.doe.gov/.

    Issued in Golden, CO on January 28, 2009.
Mary Foreman,
Assistant Manager, Office of Acquisition and Financial Assistance, 
DOE--Golden Field Office.
[FR Doc. E9-2460 Filed 2-4-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P