The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 13 industry solar technology development projects for negotiation for up to $168 million in funding, subject to appropriation from Congress.
According to the DOE, these projects will help reduce the cost of producing and distributing solar energy. They are the first agreements developed as part of President Bush's Solar America Initiative (SAI), which aims to accelerate the development of advanced solar electric technologies and was announced in his 2006 State of the Union Address.
‘Solar technology can play a crucial role in moving toward affordable net zero energy homes and businesses, which combine energy efficiency and renewable energy produced on-site,’ says Samuel W. Bodman, U.S. secretary of energy. ‘Efficient buildings with solar power generation can help reduce peak demand and ease the need for expensive new generating capacity, transmission and distribution lines as our economy grows.’
As part of the cost-shared agreements, the teams will contribute more than 50% of the funding for these projects for a total value of up to $357 million over three years. The teams, comprising companies, laboratories, universities and nonprofit organizations, include Amonix, Boeing, BP Solar, Dow Chemical, General Electric, Greenray, Konarka, Miasole, Nanosolar, Powerlight, Practical Instruments, SunPower and United Solar Ovonic.
