Core Calls
The DuraMAT Lab Led Core Call process will grow DuraMAT's expertise, tools, and access to facilities while contributing key results that will help improve PV module reliability and performance.
DuraMAT Lab Led Core Process Call — Fiscal Year 2023 DuraMAT "Reliability Forecasting" Projects
Full request for proposals (RFP) is available online. Below is an abbreviated version of the information needed for all proposals. Please download and read the full RFP if you plan to submit.
Submit proposals that adhere to the template and page limits to [email protected] by 11:59 pm MT, Friday, June 2, 2023.
DuraMAT seeks proposals for projects that will enable us to build a capability for “reliability forecasting”, which we define as the ability to predict degradation and failure rates without prior knowledge of how a material, design, interface component, or module performs and degrades. New PV technologies are evolving so rapidly and being deployed in such widely varying locations that we can no longer rely on historical data as a primary indicator of future reliability.
DuraMAT is soliciting two types of proposals during this call: full project proposals (2–3 year efforts) and “Spark” projects (6–9 month efforts; $65,000). The Spark projects are expected to have well-defined final project deliverables. These efforts are expected to support larger DuraMAT reliability forecasting efforts.
Eligibility
Proposals must have a National Lab PI from a DuraMAT core partner lab (NREL, Sandia, or LBNL) or core participant lab (SLAC) and are strongly encouraged to consider partnerships with DuraMAT core participant universities (Stanford University and Arizona State University). Proposals may include team members from industry, national labs, academia, etc., as subcontracts, but at least 70% of the funding must stay within the Department of Energy national laboratories. Read more information on working with DuraMAT. Cost share is encouraged but not required for this proposal call. Collaboration or coordination with other Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) programs (e.g. reliability core, PV proving grounds) is encouraged.
Proposal Format
Proposals must be submitted using the appropriate Word template, available at www.duramat.org.
Full Proposals: Full proposals are strictly limited to six pages, not including the cover page. References, two-page resumes, letters of support, and current/pending support info should be appended to the proposal file and are excluded from the page limit. A template for current/pending support can be found at the end of the template document. No information outside of the page limit will be considered. Anything after the page limit will be cut before the proposals are sent to review.
Spark proposals: These abbreviated proposals are strictly limited to three pages (including references), not including the cover page. No additional supporting documentation is required (e.g., please do not include separate references, two-page resumes, letters of support, or current/pending support info).
Proposal Selection
The DuraMAT industry advisory board (with additional technical experts approved by SETO if needed) will review proposals according to the merit criteria in the RFP. The DuraMAT Leadership Team will make programmatic recommendations based on those rankings to SETO, and the SETO program manager will have final selection authority. DuraMAT anticipates making selections in July 2023 for work starting in October Fiscal Year 2023.
Total award funding: Up to $2,600,000 for one to two projects and one to three Spark projects.
Estimated project funding: Full projects: $825,000 per year for up to 3 years. Spark projects: $65,000 for up to 6–9 months.
If selected for award, PIs will be responsible for submitting a budget package, completed website template, and two-slide project summary.
Download the Core Project Proposal Submission Template
