The Critical Facility Energy Resilience (CiFER) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), numbered DE-FOA-0003384, is a program launched by the Department of Energy (DOE) through the Office of Electricity (OE). This initiative supports large-scale demonstration projects focused on advancing innovative energy storage technologies to enhance energy resilience in critical infrastructure. The goal is to deploy bi-directional electrical energy storage systems that can improve reliability, resiliency, and affordability of electricity in critical settings, ensuring continuity of operations during grid outages or other emergencies. The storage solutions should demonstrate scalability, cost-effectiveness, and domestic manufacturing attributes.

The program emphasizes projects that deploy advanced energy storage systems at host sites identified as critical infrastructure, such as healthcare facilities, telecommunications centers, and emergency response centers. A key requirement is that the energy storage system should discharge at least 100 kW of electricity for a minimum of 10 hours or provide a justified explanation for shorter durations with equivalent overall value. Technologies must be innovative and mature enough for field deployment, beyond the early research and development stages. Projects will focus on demonstrating system efficiency, long operational life, low cost, and high availability, while considering the integration of domestic materials and components to support local supply chains.

Applicants are encouraged to form partnerships among technology providers, facility owners, and analytics experts. Successful applications will detail the specific resiliency benefits offered by the proposed storage system, the methodologies for analyzing these benefits, and a plan for disseminating findings to potential end-users, investors, and the wider community. Data sharing with the DOE’s Rapid Operational Validation Initiative (ROVI) is mandatory, facilitating the evaluation of the project’s performance on a national scale.

The DOE plans to support up to three projects, with $15 million in total federal funding available. Projects will be structured in two phases: the research and development phase (Phase I) and the demonstration phase (Phase II). The research and development phase, covering technology refinement and integration, requires a 20 percent cost share, while the demonstration phase, focused on system deployment and operation, necessitates a 50 percent cost share. Certain applicants, including small utilities, institutions of higher education, tribal organizations, and disadvantaged communities, may qualify for a reduced demonstration cost share of 20 percent.

Eligible applicants include domestic institutions of higher education, for-profit and non-profit entities, state and local governments, and federally recognized tribes. Foreign entities can participate as subrecipients only if they obtain a specific waiver from the DOE.

Applications are due by October 4, 2024, with awards expected to be announced by February 18, 2025, and project starts anticipated for May 19, 2025. Interested applicants must register with several systems, including SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and FedConnect.net, before submitting their applications.

This program offers an important opportunity to support the development and deployment of advanced energy storage technologies that address the resilience needs of critical infrastructure while advancing U.S. energy security and supporting local manufacturing and workforce development.