US makes $3 million available for new solar energy research program

By accelerating scientific breakthroughs, these research teams support the Department’s SunShot Initiative goal to make solar energy cost competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade—creating jobs, enhancing US energy security, and boosting American competitiveness in the global clean energy economy.

The past decade has seen explosive growth in global solar installations. For American companies to remain competitive in this growing market, they must continue to innovate, lowering the cost of existing products while transitioning breakthrough technologies into production. The Bridging Research Interactions through Collaborative Development Grants in Energy (BRIDGE) funding announced today will enable applied researchers to leverage the tools and expertise of scientists at DOE research facilities so that fundamental scientific discoveries can be rapidly transitioned to existing product lines and projects.

The BRIDGE program is the first within the SunShot Initiative to provide engineers and scientists developing photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies with the tools and expertise of the Department’s Office of Science research facilities, including major facilities for x-ray and neutron scattering, nanoscale science, advanced microcharacterization, environmental molecular sciences, and advanced scientific computing. This collaborative approach will accelerate innovations to lower the cost of PV and concentrated solar thermal power technologies.

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