The U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) today released a $15.7 million funding opportunity to advance the domestic manufacturing of next generation batteries and energy storage.
This opportunity will advance platform technologies upon which battery manufacturing capabilities can be built. This research and development will improve manufacturability and scalability of sodium-ion batteries, flow batteries, and nanolayered films for energy storage. The funding opportunity will also integrate smart manufacturing technologies to increase productivity and lower the cost for domestic battery production.
Batteries are critical to the U.S. transition to a clean energy economy and to national competitiveness – for grid storage, the resilience of homes and businesses, the success of the domestic industrial sector, and the electrification of the transportation sector.
AMMTO estimates making up to 13 awards in the following topic areas under this funding opportunity and encourages underserved communities and underrepresented groups to participate.
Topic Area 1: Platforms for Next Generation Battery Manufacturing - $10.7 million total for 3–8 projects
This topic area focuses on platforms that enable flexible, scalable, and highly controllable battery manufacturing processes through the development of advanced machines. This topic emphasizes processes for the manufacture of critical battery components and systems as well as developing machines for the integration of platform technologies that address manufacturability and scalability of battery technologies.
- Subtopic 1.1: Processes and Machines for Sodium-Ion Batteries: This subtopic focuses on advanced processes and/or high-performance processing machines for low cost, large-scale, sustainable, commercial manufacture of sodium-ion batteries.
- Subtopic 1.2: Processes and Design for Manufacturability of Flow Batteries: This subtopic focuses on design and manufacturing of flow battery membranes, as well as system design and manufacturing for scale-up of flow battery production and cost-effective integration of flow battery systems.
- Subtopic 1.3: Scalable Manufacturing of Nanolayered Films for Energy Storage: This subtopic focuses on scalable manufacturing processes and equipment for nanolayered films.
Topic Area 2: Smart Manufacturing Platforms for Battery Production - $5 million total for 2–5 projects
Smart manufacturing technologies have great potential to enable automated battery manufacturing operations by using processing and manufacturing data combined with computational learning technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence and machine learning). This topic emphasizes development of broadly applicable smart manufacturing platforms that can be leveraged to enhance the core aspects of battery manufacturing (e.g., manufacturability, scalability, and reproducibility). Project teams will focus on smart manufacturing processes and smart equipment capable of smart design, control, and monitoring of battery manufacturing processes.
An entity may submit only one Concept Paper and one Full Application for each topic area/sub-topic area of this FOA.
Interested applicants should upload the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: [Last name]_DOE-DE-FOA-0003236_2024) no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:
1. Cover Page (1 page, pdf):
- Descriptive title of proposed activity
- PI name, departmental affiliations(s) and contact information
- Co-PI's names and departmental affiliation(s)
- Names of other key personnel
- Participating institution(s)
- Number and title of this funding opportunity
2. Technology Descriotion (no more than three pages, pdf, references are counted toward the maximum page requirement)
- Applicants are required to succinctly describe:
- The proposed technology, including its basic operating principles and how it is unique and innovative;
- The proposed technology’s target level of performance (applicants should provide technical data or other support to show how the proposed target could be met);
- The current state of the art in the relevant field and application, including key shortcomings, limitations, and challenges;
- How the proposed technology will overcome the shortcomings, limitations, and challenges in the relevant field and application;
- The potential impact that the proposed project would have on the relevant field and application;
- How the proposed location of the proposed project will support technology development and long-term success;
- The key technical risks/issues associated with the proposed technology development plan; and
- The impact that EERE funding would have on the proposed project.
3. Three-page CV's of Investigators
Formatting Guidelines:
Font/size: Calibri (12 pt.)
Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)
Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.