The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a total of $2.2 million for three California projects to help lower the costs of solar electricity and increase deployment nationwide.
The awards represent the eighth round of the DOE's SunShot Incubator program to invest in companies that address hardware and soft costs of solar, such as permitting and installation.
The three new awards are as follows:
- SolarNexus Inc. of Berkley will receive nearly $497,000 to develop online software apps for solar contractors that will enable them to transfer client- and project-related information to automating processes and assist in finding installation labor.
- Genability of San Francisco will receive $1 million to develop a comparison report for evaluating solar customer payment plans using an analysis of projected versus actual solar savings and a monthly savings statement. The company is also developing a certification system for solar installers.
- CelLink Corp. of Belmont will receive $704,000 to create a new circuit that will be used to build high-efficiency solar panels. The new system is expected to reduce manufacturing costs of solar modules by 10% through the use of less expensive materials and processes.
