RFI - Next Generation of Marine and Riverine Hydrokinetic Energy Systems | DE FOA 0002142

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002142

The Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) issued this notice as a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Next Generation of Marine and Riverine Hydrokinetic Energy Systems" (Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0002142). It is important to read this as market and technical outreach rather than a grant competition. ARPA-E is not accepting applications, not making awards, and has not released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under this notice. The entire purpose is to gather ideas and technical feedback that could shape a future ARPA-E program.

The technical focus is on next-generation hydrokinetic energy converters, specifically systems that harvest energy from tidal streams, rivers, and ocean currents, with an emphasis on turbine-based approaches. ARPA-E is looking for concepts that can materially change the cost and performance picture for these technologies. The core goals highlighted in the RFI are major reductions in operations and maintenance (O&M) costs, reductions in installation costs, and improvements that optimize mass and efficiency. In practical terms, ARPA-E is signaling interest in designs that are easier and cheaper to deploy, require fewer vessel days and specialized crews to maintain, can operate reliably in harsh underwater environments, and deliver more energy per unit of material, size, or capital invested.

ARPA-E is explicitly seeking disruptive and novel technologies that are still early in the research and development cycle. The agency is not asking for incremental upgrades or integration strategies that simply combine existing commercial components in new ways. Instead, the RFI invites ideas that could change the underlying engineering assumptions behind marine and riverine hydrokinetic systems, such as fundamentally different architectures, materials, control approaches, maintenance concepts, or deployment methods that would unlock step-change improvements rather than modest gains.

Because cost and reliability in submerged environments are tightly tied to a wide range of technical disciplines, ARPA-E is soliciting input from a broad community. The RFI calls out, among others, developers of tidal, riverine, and ocean-current systems; experts in hydrodynamics and structural dynamics; controls engineering and design optimization; civil, environmental, offshore, and marine engineering; predictive maintenance; robotics; and unmanned underwater vehicles. This emphasis reflects the reality that the biggest cost drivers for hydrokinetic systems often sit outside pure turbine design, including mooring and foundations, corrosion and biofouling, access for inspection and repair, sensor reliability, autonomous intervention, and the ability to predict failures before they become expensive recovery operations.

From an administrative standpoint, the notice is listed under the Department of Energy, ARPA-E, with an activity category of science and technology research and development (CFDA 81.135). Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning ARPA-E was open to receiving information from essentially any type of entity or individual, subject to any specific clarifications in the full text. The RFI was created on June 10, 2019, with an original closing date of July 19, 2019. Although the listing includes fields like "Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement, Grant" and placeholder-looking entries such as an award ceiling and expected awards, those should not be interpreted as real funding details for this notice, since ARPA-E repeatedly states that no FOA exists and no financial assistance applications are being accepted.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as ARPA-E testing the waters for a potential future program aimed at making marine and riverine hydrokinetic power substantially more practical and cost-competitive. The agency is inviting the community to propose bold technical directions that could drive down lifetime costs, simplify installation, and improve performance and durability in challenging underwater operating conditions, with the intent of using those responses to inform program planning rather than to select projects for immediate funding.

• The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "RFI - Next Generation of Marine and Riverine Hydrokinetic Energy Systems" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 10, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 19, 2019 This is a Request for Information only. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.. (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 $1.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• 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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