For Applicants | Focus Areas | Planet NI Priority Countries / Renewable Energy and Microgrids Applicant Resources Apply Application Process Eligibility Focus Areas Find a USG-Supported Partner Frequently Asked Questions Eligible Countries: Bangladesh Brazil Colombia Egypt Ethiopia India Indonesia Lebanon Mexico Morocco Pakistan Philippines South Africa Thailand Tunisia Vietnam Additional Criteria for Applicants: Please see Section VI of the Solicitation for General Eligibility requirements. Applicants are required to explain how proposed PEER project leverages NI technology Objectives: USAID and the Global Development Lab are working to test and scale technological solutions to achieve sustainable development and prosperity in emerging countries. USAID is collaborating with National Instruments (NI), a provider of automated measurement and instrument control solutions, via its Planet NI program, to support PEER projects that can leverage NI technology to accelerate productivity, innovation and discovery. According to international energy statistics, there is a direct correlation between economic growth and electricity supply. In addition, it is expected that the demand for reliable sources of electricity will increase significantly in developing countries as population, urbanization, and GDP increase. PEER is seeking to support projects that use NI technologies to increase power generation from renewable energy sources, improve energy efficiency and system reliability, and enhance energy storage and overall grid integration. Specifically, PEER is requesting proposals that: Improve efficiency in generating electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind; Design local solutions to test and validate solar and/or wind components; Control and monitor renewable energy plants; Design and deploy fault-tolerant and scalable microgrids that can operate on their own or can be integrated into existing grids; or Strengthen the link between local energy needs and local research/engineering capacity building. Applicants should review the current NI technology at http://www.ni.com/solutions and http://www.ni.com/power/ and consult with NI (email: planetni.peer@ni.com) prior to proposal submission to discuss the feasibility of using NI technology and tools in the proposed project. Pre-proposals must include a description of the type(s) of NI technologies or tools that will be needed and how they would be used. Total budget figures should include an estimate of the cost of the NI technologies, if any, based on conversations with Planet NI. If there is no cost, the NI equipment should still be listed. If after consulting NI, applicants determine that it is not feasible to use NI tools in the project, they may wish to consider submitting a pre-proposal under the Open Call / Multiple Research Fields.