Funding-Plants Engineered To Replace Oil (PETRO); May 19, 2011

 

Agency Name

 

DOE 

 

Description

 

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is an agency within the Department of Energy (DOE) that has funded the development and deployment of transformational and disruptive energy technologies and systems since 2009. ARPA-E focuses on high-risk concepts with potentially high rewards. When it established ARPA-E, Congress directed ARPA-E to: (1) enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that result in reductions of imports of energy from foreign sources, reductions of energy-related emissions, and improvements in the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; and (2) ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. Pursuant to its statute, ARPA-E seeks to accomplish its mission by identifying and promoting revolutionary advances in fundamental sciences, by translating scientific discoveries and cutting-edge inventions into technological innovations, and by accelerating transformational technological advances in areas that industry by itself is not likely to support because of technical and financial uncertainty. Technologies for low-cost production of advanced biofuels are limited by the small amount of available energy captured by photosynthesis and the inefficient processes used to convert plant matter to fuel. PETRO aims to create plants that capture more energy from sunlight and convert that energy directly into fuels. ARPA-E seeks to fund technologies that optimize the biochemical processes of energy capture and conversion to develop robust, farm-ready crops that deliver more energy per acre with less processing prior to the pump. If successful, PETRO will create biofuels for half their current cost, finally making them cost-competitive with fuels from oil. To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. Applicants are required to submit all questions regarding this FOA to ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. Every Friday, ARPA-E will post responses to any questions that were received by Wednesday at 12 PM ET. (Questions received after Wednesday at 12 PM ET will be answered the following week.) ARPA-E will cease to accept questions 72 hours in advance of the applicable deadline. Responses to the last questions will be posted at least 24 hours in advance of the applicable deadline. ARPA-E may consolidate similar questions for administrative purposes. Responses are posted to Frequently Asked Questions at the ARPA-E website at: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/About/FAQs.aspx. Applicants may submit questions regarding ARPA-E the online application portal, ARPA-E eXCHANGE, to ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov. ARPA-E will promptly respond to emails that raise legitimate, techni cal issues with ARPA-E eXCHANGE. ARPA-E will refer any questions regarding FOAs to ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. ARPA-E will not accept or respond to communications received by other means (e.g., fax, telephone, mail, hand delivery). Emails sent to other email addresses will be disregarded. Applicants are required to submit concept papers to the ARPA-E exchange at https://arpa-e-foa-energy.gov/.  

 

Announcement Number: DE-FOA-0000470

 

Due Date: May 19, 2011   

 

Link to Full Announcement

 

https://arpa-e-foa-energy.gov/  

 

Contact Information

 

John T. Harris, Contracting Officer, 202-287-1044
john.harris@hq.doe.gov