DOE Announces Solar Energy Research Funding
Nearly $60 million is being made available for solar energy research by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Nearly $60 million is being made available for solar energy research by the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The funding is intended to increase the use of solar power across the U.S., according to the DOE. The projects allocated to receive funding include:
- DOE will provide a total of $2.5 million in financial assistance to the thirteen competitively selected, cost-shared Solar American Cities, including: Ann Arbor, MI; Austin, TX; Berkeley, CA; Boston, MA; Madison, WI; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; and Tucson, AZ. These cities have been identified as large cities with high electrical demand. In addition to funding, DOE will provide hands-on assistance from technical and policy experts to help these cities integrate solar technologies into city energy planning, zoning, and facilities.
- Up to $30 million will be provided to universities in support of research and development that will lower costs, increase availability, and improve the efficiency of photovoltaic solar products. Over the next three years, this funding is expected support university work on materials and process research to yield near-term improvements in solar products.
- Up to $27 million will be provided for 10 photovoltaic module incubator projects. These projects, subject to negotiation of final terms and Congressional appropriations, will receive up to $27 million in DOE funding over 18 months. With a minimum 20 percent cost share from industry, the total research investment is expected to reach $71 million. In these projects, businesses will address the challenges related to reducing cost, improving performance, and expanding manufacturing capacity of innovative PV technologies to move from small-scale to pilot production.
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