The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has pledged up to $125.5 million in new funding to advance solar technology research.
Through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office, DOE continues to advance research and development of solar technologies that reduce the cost of solar, increase the competitiveness of American manufacturing and businesses and improve the reliability of the grid.
“Solar energy has grown tremendously in the last decade,” says Dan Brouillette, U.S. Secretary of Energy. “The research and development supported by this investment will build on the technological foundations necessary to continue the solar industry’s growth and preserve American energy choice, independence and security.”
DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 Funding Program (SETO 2020) will help to continue the steady decline in solar costs. In addition, projects will tackle key emerging challenges facing the solar industry, including enabling solar and storage, enhancing cybersecurity protections, manufacturing, developing solar-powered microgrids and siting solar with agriculture.
“We’re excited about these new funding opportunities,” says Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary of energy efficiency and renewable energy. “We look forward to working with the National Labs and private sector partners to advance clean, affordable and reliable energy for American families and businesses.”
For more information on the Solar Energy Technologies Office, you can visit the website here.
Photo: The DOE’s solar project map.
