DOE to Award $130M in Solar Tech Research Project Funds

The Department of Energy has selected 67 solar technology research projects to receive $130M in total grants to help address electricity cost, manufacturing competitiveness, grid resiliency challenges in the country.

DOE said Thursday the projects fall under its Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 Funding Program and will include work on photovoltaic and concentrating solar-thermal power systems.

Solar agriculture, artificial intelligence and hybrid plants are among the program's research areas.

The department allocated $14M to finance eight projects aimed at developing PV technology to increase the reliability of silicon solar cell-based power systems and another $7.3M to support 10 projects focused on exploring AI or machine learning approaches for solar forecasting and energy integration.

"Ensuring low-cost, reliable electricity for all Americans while minimizing risk is a top priority for this department," said DOE Secretary Dan Brouillette.

“That means creating domestic manufacturing opportunities and increasing the power system’s resilience in case of disruptions. Projects that advance solar technologies are essential to achieving these goals.”