Deadline: 18-Feb-22
The USAID Energy Secure Philippines (ESP) Activity through its Energy Evolution Challenge grant facility seeks applications to fund, in the form of grants, qualified organizations/companies to catalyze innovative, replicable, and scalable energy systems solutions in the Fish- and AgroProcessing Industries in the Philippines where they do not already exist or complement existing ones.
This RFA provides prospective applicants with a fair opportunity to develop and submit applications to USAID ESP Activity for potential funding. The grant will support entities that have a robust design and plan, and capacity to subsequently implement innovative energy solutions that will showcase the benefits of institutionalizing energy management systems in either or both target industries.
The $34 million USAID-funded Energy Secure Philippines (ESP) Activity focuses on advancing inclusive economic growth and resilient development through increasing private investment in order to promote advanced technology deployment and boost the energy sector’s resilience to shocks and stresses. To achieve this objective, ESP aims to mobilize $750 million in private sector investment that will stimulate 500 megawatts in additional generation capacity. ESP’s $7.5 million grants program aims to catalyze and encourage private sector engagement and collaboration with local non-governmental entities in the implementation of complementary and reinforcing energy interventions.
Themes
- Policy and technical research/studies
- Innovative energy technologies, systems, or applications
The grant will have three parts:
- Identification of the Fish- and/or Agro-Processing facility which is representative of or closely represents the processing industrial segment/s in the country, and where potentials for replication and scaling up to the same segment is high. Equally important at this stage is selection of the specific enterprise whose top management is keen and committed to implement the recommended priority measures within the timeframe of the USAID ESP Activity.
- Conduct of energy audit where baseline energy consumption in the industrial facility is established, and opportunities, both technical and non-technical, to optimize energy use is systematically identified, analyzed and prioritized – complete with cost/benefit analysis. The array of energy interventions, particularly the utilization of advanced energy and hybrid systems should not only result in the reduction in energy intensity and other allied resources like water but also improvement in value-add to the final product. It is crucial that concerned facility officials/personnel are actively involved in this whole exercise. The resources and arrangements for the implementation of the energy efficiency measures are likewise initially defined.
- Implementation of priority innovative energy system/s with quick returns and significant impacts are made within the timeframe of USAID ESP Activity. In this phase, the grantee will have to finalize the energy narrative (additionality included) in the enterprise, including post-implementation monitoring and verification to measure actual energy reduction and monetary savings, among other things. Accompanying compendium of the array of energy efficiency measures applicable to similar processing industry segments, complete with the potential impact of energy-smart Fish- and/or Agro-Processing Industry, and sources of as well as appropriate financing instruments and government incentives will form part of this phase.
Funding Information
Amount: Up to PhP25,000,000
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility requirements to qualify for funding under this RFA:
- USAID ESP Activity grant support may be extended to energy innovators, technology providers, enterprises, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, businesses, commercial establishments, academic institutions, and research institutions, that meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Demonstrated experience working in the energy industry in the Philippines
- USAID ESP Activity grant support may be extended to energy innovators, technology providers, enterprises, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, businesses, commercial establishments, academic institutions, and research institutions, that meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Applications meet minimum evaluation criteria for:
- Soundness of technical approach
- Understanding of local context, and
- Qualifications of proposed personnel
- Demonstrated financial capacity to manage USG grants
- Cost realism of the budget
- Past performance / proven track record
- All Energy Secure Philippines grant support may not be extended to the following:
- Organizations that are not legally registered
- Any entity that has been found to have misused USAID funds in the past (unless specifically approved by USAID contracting officer)
- Political parties, groupings, or institutions or their subsidiaries and affiliates
- Any entity that will have conflict of interest by participating in the call for grants
- Any entity whose name appears on the List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement and Non-procurement Programs
- Any entity with a member that appears on the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons list
- Any entity with members directly or indirectly involved in money laundering, acts of terrorism, gambling, prostitution and child trafficking, drugs.
For more information, visit https://www.rti.org/sites/default/files/usaid_esp_guc_rfa-2022-02_innovative_energy_systems_in_fish_and_agro-processing_industries.pdf