Request for Information (RFI) on Active Substations with Flexible Large Power Transformers
Posted by Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy
Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement — Request for Information (RFI) on Active Substations with Flexible Large Power Transformers — is cataloged under number DE-FOA-0003581 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 81.135, posted by Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as closed, first posted on September 4, 2025. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a cooperative agreement.
Award economics. The award range on file is Varies by applicant. Cost sharing is not required, so applicants do not need to commit matching funds to be competitive on this opportunity. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.
Deadline and action path. This opportunity closed on September 22, 2025. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number, so monitoring the parent program page is the most reliable way to catch re-announcements. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully — federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed — it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities.
Award Range
Varies by applicant
Close Date
September 22, 2025
Posted
September 4, 2025
Instrument
Cooperative Agreement
Description
This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance. The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future programs. RFI - Active Substations with Flexible Large Power Transformers The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E program to support research and development (R&D) projects focused on technologies to improve the resilience, reliability, and security of the electric grid through innovations in substations. The goal of this potential R&D effort is to support the development of technologies that fast-track the manufacturing of large power transformers (LPT) and other substation components, while increasing their modularity, performance, functionality, and power density. ARPA-E is seeking information at this time regarding transformative, scalable, and rapidly deployable technologies that could: - Reduce the cost, lead time, and size of substation components; - Reduce the requirement for critical materials in substations and the grid; - Improve the power capacity of existing infrastructure; - Improve the stability and resilience of the grid; and - Enhance protection of substation assets from cybersecurity threats. ARPA-E is requesting information about substation-related problems and the technological innovations that could address those problems. While significant and wide-ranging opportunities for improvement exist, ARPA-E programs seek to identify specific priority areas for technology development to make maximum impact. Therefore, this RFI solicits input from a wide range of disciplines and stakeholders such as power systems and power electronics experts, transformer manufacturers, substation developers, magnetic material scientists, energy storage experts, and other related communities to explore innovative and disruptive ideas related to active substations. ARPA-E is interested in input related to substation planning, design and commissioning, magnetic and copper material usage, and system resilience. ARPA-E is also interested in large power transformer-related challenges such as supply chains, manufacturing, and transport. It is expected that respondents will inform the agency of key components or system-level areas where accelerated advancements are needed. Example component areas of interest include, but are not limited to, magnetic and dielectric materials, bushings, electric field management, magnetic flux materials, thermal designs, and winding insulation. Example system-level solutions of interest include, but are not limited to, flexible (hybrid) power transformers with modular power converters, solid-state transformers for high-voltage applications, hybrid transformers with integrated energy storage, modular transformer designs with basic transformer blocks, and mobile substations for capacity and resilience management. To view the RFI in its entirety please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.
Eligibility
99
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Parent Grant Program
Environmental Cleanup
U.S. Department of Energy
Agency Contact
ARPA-E CO <br/>arpa-e-co@hq.doe.gov
Key Dates
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Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.
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