Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) no. DE-FOA-0002948 entitled Increasing Utilization and Reliability of Electric Infrastructure with Grid-enhancing technologies (GETs). | DE FOA 0002947

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002947

This notice is a heads-up from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), that DOE expects to release a future Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) focused on "Increasing Utilization and Reliability of Electric Infrastructure with Grid-enhancing Technologies (GETs)." In practical terms, the opportunity is aimed at accelerating the deployment and validation of technologies that can make the existing power grid carry more power, operate more flexibly, and remain reliable under changing conditions, without necessarily relying on major new transmission construction. The notice makes clear that it is informational only: DOE is not requesting feedback, and it is not accepting applications at this time. All details should be treated as preliminary and subject to change once the full FOA is formally issued.

The anticipated FOA is expected to be grounded in the findings of DOE's 2022 report, "Grid Enhancing Technologies: A Case Study on Ratepayer Impact." That framing signals that DOE is not only interested in whether GETs can improve grid performance, but also in how their costs and benefits show up for customers and ratepayers. In other words, projects may be expected to generate evidence that these technologies can increase utilization of existing infrastructure and improve reliability in ways that are economically defensible and measurable, such as by reducing congestion costs, lowering the need for expensive upgrades, improving resilience, or enabling more cost-effective integration of new generation and load.

From the posting details, the anticipated funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which usually means DOE would expect substantial involvement during the project, such as active technical engagement, milestone reviews, and coordinated decision-making as work progresses. The activity category is listed as science and technology and other research and development, pointing to a focus on demonstration, validation, measurement, and applied R and D rather than purely conceptual studies. The program is associated with CFDA number 81.122, which is commonly used for DOE energy-related financial assistance listings.

Eligibility is described as "unrestricted," meaning the opportunity is intended to be open to a wide range of applicant types (for example, private companies, utilities, universities, nonprofits, state or local entities, and others), although the notice also indicates that final eligibility requirements could be clarified or narrowed in the eventual FOA text. The listing shows an award ceiling of 2 (as posted), but it does not specify units or total program funding in the notice excerpt, and it lists expected awards as 0, which is consistent with this being a notice of intent rather than an active solicitation. The creation date is January 4, 2023, and an original closing date of February 28, 2023 appears in the record, but since applications are not being accepted under a notice of intent, that date should be viewed as an administrative placeholder rather than a true application deadline.

Overall, the key takeaway is that DOE is signaling an upcoming competitive funding opportunity centered on grid-enhancing technologies that can help unlock additional capacity and reliability from the existing electric grid. Interested organizations should treat this as an early planning signal to start aligning potential project concepts, partnerships, and deployment sites with the goals implied by the 2022 DOE report (especially measurable grid benefits and ratepayer impacts), while waiting for the final FOA (DE-FOA-0002948) to confirm specific topics, requirements, submission instructions, cost share expectations, and evaluation criteria.

• The Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) no. DE-FOA-0002948 entitled Increasing Utilization and Reliability of Electric Infrastructure with Grid-enhancing technologies (GETs)." 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 Jan 04, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 28, 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 $2.00 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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