The solicitation calls for the formation of a US-based consortium to work with Chinese counterparts to bolster collaborative efforts to help ensure energy, water, and environmental security and combat climate change. The consortium will be funded with $12.5 million DOE support and $12.5 million recipient cost share for a total of $25 million over the 5-year period of performance.

This US investment will be matched by an equivalent effort in China, bringing the total bilateral investment to $50 million.

The new energy-water track was initially announced in November 2014, when President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping renewed their commitment to CERC with $200 million in total funding over five years. In addition to expanding work under CERC by $50 million for research in energy and water, the announcement in November extends ongoing collaborative efforts to 2020, adding $150 million to continue initiatives already underway. These focus on the development and deployment of clean vehicles, building energy efficiency, and advanced coal technologies for carbon capture, utilization and sequestration.

This FOA also seeks to transform how water is used in energy production and electricity generation, while improving water quality and availability for a diverse range of human applications. It builds on the contents of The Water-Energy Nexus: Challenge and Opportunities, which DOE issued in June 2014.

Topics covered in the FOA include: water use reduction at thermoelectric plants; treatment & management of non-traditional waters; improving sustainable hydropower design and operation; climate impact modeling, methods, and scenarios to support improved understanding of energy and water systems; and data and analysis to inform planning, policy, and other decisions.

Initially launched in November 2009 by President Barack Obama and former Chinese President Hu Jintao, CERC accelerates development and deployment of clean energy technologies for the benefit of both countries. CERC’s mission is to facilitate technical collaboration in mutually agreed areas and accelerate transition to an efficient and low‐carbon economy, while mitigating the long‐term threat of climate change.