DOE/National Energy Technology Laboratory, P.O. Box 10940, MS 921-107, Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940

A -- BIOMASS COFIRING OPPORTUNITIES SOL DE-PS26-00NT40775 DUE 040400 POC Dona Sheehan, Telephone: 412/386-5918, FAX 412/386-6137, Contracting Officer, Richard D. Rogus; 412/386-6150, FAX: 412/386-6137. WEB: click here to down load a copy of the solicitation, http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicit. E-MAIL: click here to contact the contract specialist via, sheehan@netl.doe.gov. The Department of Energy announces that it intends to conduct a competitive Program Solicitation and award financial assistance (cooperative agreements) to successful applicants. Financial assistance awards made to Universities and Colleges selected under Topic E will be grants. Awards will be made to a limited number of applicants based on evaluation of the responses. Availability of DOE funding will also be a factor in limiting the number of awards.The solicitation (available in Portable Document Format (PDF)) will be released on DOE's NETL World Wide Web Server Internet System (http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicit) on or about February 23, 2000. The anticipated closing date is April 4, 2000. The Office of Biopower and Hydropower Technologies of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has authorized DOE's National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) to act on its behalf and solicit cost-shared applications for research and development that seek to develop technologies for cofiring biomass feedstocks with fossil fuels. Biomass co-firing is the practice of substituting 5% -- 20% biomass (by weight) for fossil fuels (i.e., coal or natural gas) in utility or industrial boilers. Cofiring biomass is one of the few viable, low-cost options for dramatically increasing the generation of biomass power in the United States. The DOE Biomass Cofiring Program, to date, has focused mainly on demonstrating cofiring plant-derived biomass in pulverized coal and cyclone boilers. Several successful test campaigns have generated data for some systems that could be useful in determining cofiring is feasible. Based on prior successful results, the DOE Biomass Cofiring Program seeks to expand the investigation of biomass cofiring with the aim of demonstrating the cost-effective and sustained usage of biomass. It is anticipated that multiple financial assistance awards, Cooperative Agreements, will result from this solicitation. Subject to availability of funds, DOE expects to provide funds totaling $18-22 million. Project period duration and cost-sharing requirements are given below. The program seeks to sponsor both Budget Period I: Feasibility Studies and Small-Scale Research, with an anticipated duration of 12 months, and Budget Period II: Limited Term Cofiring Demonstrations Phase, with an anticipated duration of 24-30 months, on the following topics: A Biomass Cofiring as an Emission Reduction Technique B Gasification-Based Cofiring Strategies C Closed-Loop Biomass Cofiring D Low Rank Coal Cofiring -- Subbituminous & Lignite The program will only sponsor Budget Period I: Feasibility Studies and Small-Scale Research activities on the following topic: E University and Colleges Cofiring Applications Applicants may propose to conduct both Budget Period I and Budget Period II programs in sequence or may offer to forgo Budget Period I and proceed directly to Budget Period II based on completed assessments. All applicants will be required to submit cost sharing according to the level of the project. The cost-sharing for Budget Period I (Feasibility and Small-Scale Research) is 20%. These costs must be explicitly identified. Topic E is only a Budget Period I project and will require 20% cost-sharing. Cost-Sharing: Budget Period I: Feasibility Studies and Small-Scale Research 20% Budget Period II: Limited Term Cofiring Demonstration Phase 50% For the purposes of this solicitation, proposals for Topics A-D should be of the municipal, large industrial or electric utility scale. A future solicitation may address smaller scale-cofiring systems. No preference is made for any type of boiler system as long as it satisfies the objectives of the solicitation. Common Definitions for all Areas Biomass refers to plant materials and/or animal waste used as a source of fuel. Animal Waste refers to the manure produced and any associated bedding material mixed within the manure and excludes animal processing waste. Co-firing refers to the combustion of biomass and coal (or lignite) for power production. Multiple-firing refers to the combustion of biomass, coal, and one or more additional components that seek to compliment the combustion of the coal and biomass. Gasification-Based Cofiring Strategies refers to the ability to gasify the biomass and utilize the produced gas as a co-fired fuel in either a coal-fired or natural gas-fired boiler or other part of the system for fuel usage. Open-loop refers to operations that utilize biomass from operations that are not specifically set-up for biomass production for the energy application (i.e. sawdust from a saw-mill operation, manure from animal production, etc.). Closed-loop refers to operations that specifically plant, grow, harvest, use, and regrow, at the same production site, any biomass fuel or feedstock in a sustainable, permanent manner that is in whole or in part used for energy application. Low-Rank Coal refers to viability of cofiring biomass with lignite or subbituminous coal for application within the fossil-fuel industry. Note: Unsegregated Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), hazardous waste, and medical waste will not be considered as a cofiring fuel. Segregated MSW is an acceptable cofiring fuel for this solicitation and would include non-recyclable paper and non-treated wood waste. There is no interest in receiving applications for aerobic or anaerobic digesters, landfill gas, or animal gas production. Information on the topics can be found at http://www.fetc.doe.gov/business/solicit/index.html under the Notice of Intent dated December 16, 1999. Prospective applicants who would like to be notified as soon as the solicitation is available should register at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business. Provide your E-mail address and click on the heading "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy." Once you subscribe, you will receive an announcement by E-mail that the solicitation has been released to the public. Telephone requests, written requests, E-mail requests, or facsimile requests for a copy of the solicitation package will not be accepted and/or honored. Applications must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the instructions and forms contained in the solicitation. Posted 02/15/00 (W-SN425471). (0046)

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