The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) is considering providing financial assistance for operation of a multi-user field test site of (including some construction) for priority use by its MONITOR (Methane Observation Networks with Innovative Technology to Obtain Reductions) program awardees. ARPA-E is seeking information on associated capabilities, costs, and other considerations for operating such a field test site. The MONITOR program will support 11 project teams over three years (totaling $30M) to develop technologies focused on the detection, quantification, and localization of methane emissions. The field test site would enable MONITOR awardees to assess the technical performance of their technologies under realistic conditions on a simulated natural gas well pad.
Interested parties are free to provide any information that they believe may assist ARPA-E; however the Agency will not pay for any information submitted. Comments in response to this RFI should be submitted in PDF format to the email address ARPA-E-RFI@hq.doe.gov with the subject line “Responses for RFI for DE-FOA-0001423”. Information should be submitted not later than 11/13/15.
Respondents are requested to include the following information as part of the submission:
• Company/institution name;
• Individual contact name and title;
• Mailing address;
• Phone number;
• Email address; and
• Type of company/institution (i.e., university, non-governmental organization, small business, large business, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), government-owned/government-operated (GOGO)).
In your response, please address the following prompts and limit your response to no more than eight pages:
• Describe your team’s capabilities, experience, and assets (i.e., equipment and property) relevant to this RFI. (~2 page)
• Describe your overarching technical approach to the design, construction, and operation of a field test site that can test MONITOR-funded technologies under real-world conditions. This should include the ability to test against the program goals. We are also interested in evaluating performance under an expanded set of conditions, which may include changing weather conditions or emissions due to human error. (~3 pages)
• Propose a geographic location for field testing and include a discussion of constraints related to resources or site access. Please specify the proximity to major nearby airports, and include a map. (~0.5 page)
• Provide a diagram of a notional test site. (~1 page)
• Provide a budget estimate, including capital and operating expenditures. (~1 page)
DO NOT SUBMIT CONFIDENTIAL OR PROPRIETY INFORMATION
This RFI is for planning purposes only and does not constitute an FOA. ARPA-E is not presently accepting applications for financial assistance and there is no guarantee that a FOA will be published following ARPA-E’s evaluation of information submitted. ARPA-E may decide at a later date to issue a FOA based, in part, on consideration of the input received.