Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced selections for up to $53 million in new projects to advance early-stage solar technologies. Through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, DOE will fund 53 innovative research projects that will lower solar electricity costs and support a growing solar workforce.
“Innovation is key to solar’s continued growth in our nation’s energy portfolio. It increases our energy diversity and reinforces our ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “Developing new skills through workforce training is critical to expanding job opportunities in the renewable sector, which is why we are following through on our program to reach out to military veterans with new projects that will target this committed workforce.”
| Recipient | DOE Award ($) | Cost Share ($) | State | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Dallas | 200,000 | 69,113 | TX | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| Washington State University | 198,578 | 49,645 | WA | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 200,000 | 50,000 | MN | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| Columbia University | 200,000 | 50,000 | NY | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| Colorado School of Mines 2 | 200,000 | 50,000 | CO | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1 | 200,000 | 50,000 | IL | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2 | 200,000 | 50,000 | IL | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| University of Washington 1 | 198,806 | 50,329 | WA | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| Arizona State University 1 | 200,000 | 50,000 | AZ | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| DNV GL | 200,000 | 50,000 | CA | PV: Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) |
| Princeton University | 1,500,000 | 375,000 | NJ | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| University of Michigan | 1,300,000 | 325,474 | MI | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 700,000 | 175,000 | GA | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| Colorado State University | 750,000 | 187,500 | CO | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| KWH Analytics | 1,250,000 | 500,000 | CA | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| Stanford University | 1,469,069 | 375,000 | CA | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| University of Washington 2 | 1,500,000 | 375,000 | WA | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| Arizona State University 2 | 1,000,000 | 250,000 | AZ | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| Cypress Creek Renewables | 1,500,000 | 396,310 | CA | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| Case Western Reserve University | 1,350,000 | 337,500 | OH | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| University of Colorado Boulder | 1,499,764 | 375,235 | CO | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| University of Washington 3 | 681,016 | 179,090 | WA | PV Cells, Modules and Systems |
| Amtech Systems, Inc. | 1,120,000 | 280,000 | AZ | PV: Collaborative Cross-Cutting Research |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1,500,000 | 375,000 | MA | PV: Collaborative Cross-Cutting Research |
| University of Delaware | 800,000 | 200,000 | DE | PV: Collaborative Cross-Cutting Research |
| Arizona State University 3 | 1,500,000 | 375,000 | AZ | PV: Collaborative Cross-Cutting Research |
| Arizona State University 4 | 1,500,000 | 375,000 | AZ | PV: Collaborative Cross-Cutting Research |
| Groundswell | 1,500,000 | 375,000 | DC | PV: Innovative Pathways |
| Int’l Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology | 999,935 | 256,454 | CO | PV: Innovative Pathways |
| Arizona State University 5 | 1,229,307 | 307,328 | AZ | PV: Innovative Pathways |
| Grid Alternatives | 999,470 | 2,022,801 | CA | PV: Innovative Pathways |
| Lucent Optics, Inc. | 400,000 | 100,000 | CA | CSP: SIPS |
| Sundog Solar Technology | 321,000 | 81,000 | CO | CSP: SIPS |
| Dartmouth College | 400,000 | 100,000 | NH | CSP: SIPS |
| Purdue University 1 | 400,000 | 100,000 | IN | CSP: SIPS |
| Purdue University 2 | 400,000 | 100,000 | IN | CSP: SIPS |
| University of California, San Diego | 400,000 | 100,000 | CA | CSP: SIPS |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 1 | 399,991 | 100,102 | VA | CSP: SIPS |
| University of Utah | 400,000 | 100,000 | UT | CSP: SIPS |
| University of Michigan 1 | 260,000 | 65,000 | MI | CSP: SIPS |
| SolarReserve, LLC | 2,000,000 | 500,000 | CA | CSP: Advanced Collectors |
| University of California, Davis | 2,219,315 | 582,988 | CA | CSP: Advanced Power Cycles |
| Comprex, LLC | 1,242,525 | 317,174 | WI | CSP: Advanced Power Cycles |
| Colorado School of Mines 1 | 1,858,170 | 464,712 | CO | CSP: Advanced Thermal Transport |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 2 | 903,045 | 225,764 | VA | CSP: Advanced Power Cycles |
| University of Arizona | 800,000 | 200,000 | AZ | CSP: Advanced Power Cycles |
| Midwest Renewable Energy Association | 800,000 | 900,000 | WI | Workforce: Expansion |
| Blue Lake Rancheria | 600,000 | N/A | CA | Workforce: Expansion |
| Safer Foundation | 800,000 | N/A | IL | Workforce: Expansion |
| Illinois Green Economy Network | 1,250,000 | N/A | IL | Workforce: Expansion |
| The Solar Foundation | 2,000,000 | N/A | DC | Workforce: Expansion |
| Philadelphia Energy Authority | 1,250,000 | 46,500 | PA | Workforce: Expansion |
| Electric Power Research Institute | 6,000,000 | 1,500,000 | TN | Workforce: Digital Adaptation Training for DER |
SOURCE: DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
These selections will advance research and development in photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP). While PV materials convert sunlight directly to electricity, CSP concentrates the incoming sunlight to heat that then generates electricity like a traditional power plant. The projects announced today span across 21 states plus the District of Columbia, and include PV research to increase grid resiliency in Puerto Rico. Selections are in the following areas:
- Photovoltaics Research and Development: $27.7 million for 31 projects that will support early-stage research to advance new PV materials, like perovskites, which can essentially be painted on a surface to generate electricity. More innovation is needed to achieve high efficiency and stable performance over a long-time.
- Concentrating Solar Power Research and Development: $12.4 million for 15 research projects that will advance the high-temperature components of CSP systems such as heat exchangers. These projects will develop materials and designs for collectors, power cycles, and thermal transport systems that can withstand temperatures greater than 700 °C while being corrosion-resistant. Next-generation CSP systems operating at higher temperatures will be able to store more heat and dispatch solar electricity at any time, day or night.
- Improving and Expanding the Solar Industry through Workforce Initiatives: $12.7 million for 7 projects that will pursue initiatives to grow and train the solar workforce. These projects will support training and curriculum development at community colleges and advanced training for a more digital electric power system, which includes communications technology. This includes programs to prepare veterans and interested transitioning military personnel to join the solar workforce, building on DOE’s pilot program, Solar Ready Vets.
See the full list of projects on the website HERE. Award amounts are subject to final negotiation.
