GFO-17-901

Renewable Intermediate Fuel Production for Jet-Fuel in Heavy-Duty Transportation Sector

California Energy Commission

Pre-Application Workshop: August 25, 2017

Pre-Application Questions, Answers, and Clarifications

State of California

California Energy Commission

Administrative

  1. Is the maximum award amount per project $1.5 million or $3 million?
  2. The maximum amount that can be requested per proposal is $3 million, the minimum amount that can be requested is $1.5 million. Please refer to pages 5-6 of the application manual.
  3. Will the presentation and workshop recording be available?
  4. Yes, please visit the solicitation website at:
  1. I am having difficulty finding any information about the technology proposed by the two companies that received awards for GFO-16-901. Is there an Abstract somewhere that I can read on-line? Upon request, can one review these two proposals that were awarded by CEC?
  2. Projects under GFO-16-901 have not been awarded. Abstracts of projects proposed for funding under GFO-16-901 are currently not available online; however per the Public Records Act, solicitation files for these projects can be requested via the Commission Agreement Officer for GFO-16-901. Please refer to page 9 of the application manual of GFO-16-901 for contact information. The application manual can be found at:
  1. If you only get one serious respondent, will GFO-17-901 still be considered a competitive solicitation?
  2. Yes. The number of proposals received does not define the competitiveness of the solicitation.

General

  1. We understand the desire for "pilot scale" demonstrations that can rather quickly scale-up to >500,000 gallons per year, and greater than 100 ton/day. However, why insert a requirement -- at pilot-scale -- for 50,000 gallons of production during the contract term?
  2. Theminimum 50,000 gallons of bio-oil intermediate fuel requirement is intended to validate the performance and state of technology at pilot-scale.
  1. The requirement for 1,200 barrels of production implies that only existing large-scale "pilot" facilities will qualify for funding. Since the technology is based on thermochemical conversion platforms, is there more than one company in California that qualifies?
  1. Yes, based on staff’s scoping efforts and the response to GFO-16-901, there are multiple entities in California with the capability to meet this solicitation’s goals and objectives.
  1. For previous biofuels solicitations, the 50,000 gallon production requirement made some sense because there were a number of existing large pilot-scale conversion methods competing for funding (fermentation, etc.), and a number of existing commercial facilities that could engage in R&D to increase production. However, with regard to the thermochemical platforms in California, how many existing pilot-scale facilities are able to produce 50,000 gallons during the contract term?
  1. The solicitation is not limited to existing pilot-scale facilities. There are a number of facilities capable of producing 50,000 gallons or more of intermediate fuel, but this solicitation requires thermochemical conversion processes that may be incorporated into existing or non-existing pilot scale facilities.
  1. Will use of biomass waste score more favorably than use of energy crops?
  1. Staff will use the solicitation requirements and scoring criteria, including Attachment 12 (Block Flow Data Worksheet), to evaluate the overall merit and technological viability of the proposed project. For projects proposing the use of an energy or purpose grown crop, the scoring team will assess the water, energy, land and GHG impacts of the proposed feedstock.
  1. CEC would like the bio-oil intermediate to meet biorefinery specifications. Can you please indicate what these specifications are or where they can be found?
  1. Refineries may have unique specifications; applicants are encouraged to partner with refineries to determine their specifications.
  1. Workshop slide 9 stated “… efficiently produce bio-based intermediate fuels and potential co-products.” Are co-products acceptable as part of this project to improve the value proposition of the bio-oil production process?
  1. Yes, successful proposals will focus on the production of the intermediate fuel, however, co-products are acceptable and may strengthen the benefits of the proposal.

GFO-17-901