Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002524
The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), through its Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), issued this Request for Information (RFI) to gather practical feedback on how geothermal technology cost and performance are represented in energy system models and grid planning tools. The opportunity is not a traditional grant solicitation with funding available; instead, it is a structured request for stakeholder input intended to improve the assumptions, datasets, and methods that modelers and planners use when evaluating geothermal power on the grid. The RFI is titled "Opportunities to Improve Geothermal Technology Cost and Performance Modeling Request for Information (RFI)" and is identified as Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002524.
The central goal is to make sure geothermal is modeled accurately as the U.S. power system changes. As wind and solar costs continue to fall and energy storage becomes more widely deployed and more cost-competitive, grid operators and resource adequacy planners increasingly rely on sophisticated modeling to decide which resources to build and how to operate them. In that environment, geothermal's unique value can be undercounted if models rely on outdated or overly simplified assumptions about cost, performance, operational flexibility, capacity contribution, and risk. GTO is essentially asking: where are the current modeling approaches getting geothermal wrong or leaving important details out, and what would help fix those gaps so planning outcomes better reflect geothermal's real-world capabilities and limitations.
The RFI specifically seeks input from a broad set of stakeholders, including energy system modelers, geothermal developers and plant operators, utilities, public utility commissions, universities, national labs, other researchers, government agencies, and anyone else involved in geothermal deployment or analysis. By inviting such a wide group, DOE is trying to capture both technical modeling concerns (how geothermal is parameterized in capacity expansion models, production cost models, and resource adequacy studies) and on-the-ground project realities (actual cost drivers, performance ranges, operational constraints, and how these differ across geothermal resource types and locations).
The motivation behind the RFI is tied to long-term grid reliability and decarbonization. Geothermal can provide firm, dispatchable, low-carbon electricity, which may support reliability as the grid adds more variable renewable generation. However, geothermal will only show up in modeled portfolios and planning decisions at an "appropriate" level if its energy value and capacity value are represented accurately. DOE is signaling that it wants grid planning exercises to capture geothermal's contribution to a reliable, resilient, and decarbonized grid, rather than inadvertently discounting it because of incomplete cost and performance representations.
In terms of administrative details, this opportunity was posted by the Department of Energy's Golden Field Office under CFDA number 81.087 in the broad funding activity category of Energy. The opportunity category and instrument type are both listed as "Other," reflecting that it is an RFI rather than a standard grant or cooperative agreement. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning any entity type could submit input, subject to any clarifications in the official announcement. The notice was created on April 29, 2021, and the original closing date for responses was May 28, 2021. The listing shows an award ceiling of 2 and expected awards of 0, which aligns with the purpose of an RFI: collecting information rather than issuing financial awards.
Overall, the RFI is DOE GTO's attempt to improve the quality and credibility of geothermal representation in the modeling ecosystem that drives major investment and policy decisions. By identifying where existing geothermal cost and performance models may be incomplete, inconsistent, or out of date, DOE can better target future work such as data collection, methodology development, improved techno-economic assumptions, or guidance to analysts and planners. The intended outcome is that geothermal technologies are evaluated on a more accurate, apples-to-apples basis with other generation and storage options, supporting planning decisions that maintain reliability while moving toward a lower-carbon power system.Apply for DE FOA 0002524
- The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Opportunities to Improve Geothermal Technology Cost and Performance Modeling Request for Information (RFI)" 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 Apr 29, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 28, 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this DOE opportunity?
This opportunity is a Request for Information (RFI) from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), issued through the Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO). It is a structured request for stakeholder input on how geothermal technology cost and performance are represented in energy system models and grid planning tools.
Is this a grant or funding opportunity with money available?
No. This is not a traditional grant solicitation and it does not offer funding. The purpose is to collect practical feedback and improve modeling assumptions, datasets, and methods used to evaluate geothermal power on the grid.
What is the title and funding opportunity number?
The RFI is titled "Opportunities to Improve Geothermal Technology Cost and Performance Modeling Request for Information (RFI)" and is identified as Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002524.
Who issued the RFI?
DOE EERE's Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) issued the RFI. The posting is associated with DOE's Golden Field Office.
What is the main goal of the RFI?
The central goal is to improve the accuracy and completeness of how geothermal is modeled as the U.S. power system changes. DOE is seeking input on where current modeling approaches may be outdated, overly simplified, or missing important geothermal-specific details.
Why is DOE focusing on geothermal modeling now?
As wind and solar costs fall and energy storage becomes more widely deployed and cost-competitive, grid operators and resource adequacy planners rely heavily on sophisticated modeling to decide what to build and how to operate the grid. DOE is concerned that geothermal's unique value can be undercounted if models use incomplete assumptions about geothermal cost, performance, flexibility, capacity contribution, and risk.
What kinds of modeling tools or studies does this RFI relate to?
The RFI is aimed at how geothermal is parameterized and represented in energy system models and planning tools, including capacity expansion models, production cost models, and resource adequacy studies.
What specific geothermal attributes is DOE concerned may be misrepresented?
DOE highlights several areas where modeling can go wrong or be overly simplified, including geothermal cost, performance, operational flexibility, capacity contribution (capacity value), and risk. The RFI is intended to identify gaps so geothermal's real-world capabilities and limitations are reflected more accurately.
Who is encouraged to respond to the RFI?
DOE is seeking input from a broad set of stakeholders, including energy system modelers, geothermal developers and plant operators, utilities, public utility commissions, universities, national laboratories, researchers, government agencies, and others involved in geothermal deployment or analysis.
Is eligibility limited to certain organization types?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning any entity type could submit input, subject to any clarifications in the official announcement.
What is DOE hoping to learn from stakeholders?
DOE is asking where current modeling approaches are getting geothermal wrong or leaving out important details, and what would help fix those gaps. This includes both technical modeling concerns and on-the-ground project realities such as actual cost drivers, performance ranges, operational constraints, and differences across geothermal resource types and locations.
How does this RFI relate to grid reliability and decarbonization?
The motivation is tied to long-term grid reliability and decarbonization. Geothermal can provide firm, dispatchable, low-carbon electricity, which may support reliability as the grid adds more variable renewable generation. DOE wants planning exercises to capture geothermal's reliability and resilience contributions instead of inadvertently discounting them due to incomplete modeling inputs.
What is the intended outcome of improving geothermal modeling?
DOE's intended outcome is that geothermal technologies are evaluated on a more accurate, apples-to-apples basis with other generation and storage options. Better modeling could improve the quality and credibility of planning outcomes that drive major investment and policy decisions, while supporting a reliable, resilient, lower-carbon power system.
Does this RFI result in awards or funded projects?
No. The listing shows expected awards of 0, consistent with an RFI focused on collecting information rather than issuing financial awards.
Why does the listing show an award ceiling of 2?
The listing shows an award ceiling of 2 and expected awards of 0, which aligns with the RFI nature of the opportunity (information collection rather than funding). The presence of an "award ceiling" field in the listing does not change the stated purpose that this is not a funding solicitation.
What are the opportunity category and instrument type?
Both the opportunity category and instrument type are listed as "Other," reflecting that this is an RFI rather than a standard grant or cooperative agreement.
What CFDA number is associated with this posting?
The posting is associated with CFDA number 81.087 under the broad funding activity category of Energy.
When was the notice created, and when did it close?
The notice was created on April 29, 2021. The original closing date for responses was May 28, 2021.
What topic area does the RFI fall under?
The RFI falls under the energy category, with a focus on geothermal power and how it is represented in energy system and grid planning models.
What problem is DOE trying to prevent in grid planning outcomes?
DOE is trying to prevent geothermal from being undervalued or overlooked in modeled resource portfolios due to outdated, inconsistent, or overly simplified assumptions about costs and performance. If those inputs are wrong, planning decisions may not reflect geothermal's real-world role in a reliable and decarbonized grid.
What kinds of improvements could come after this RFI?
Based on the information collected, DOE may better target future work such as data collection, methodology development, improved techno-economic assumptions, or guidance for analysts and planners to improve geothermal representation in modeling and planning workflows.
Does the RFI focus only on technical modeling, or also on real-world project experience?
It is designed to capture both. DOE is seeking technical input from modelers and planners, as well as practical, real-world insight from developers and operators about cost drivers, performance ranges, operational constraints, and how these vary by resource type and location.
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