New DOE Solar Funding

In mid-September, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $40 million in investments across the solar energy supply chain, including the selection of four projects to improve the lifecycle of photovoltaic (PV) solar systems.

The selected projects will:

1 – Maximize the environmental benefit of solar energy technologies by increasing system lifetime and work to facilitate material recovery once the system is decommissioned.

2 – Provide a prize program that will open new markets for solar energy system equipment, and announce winners in the “American-Made Solar Prize Round 7.”

3 – Publish a notice of intent for up to $20 million to advance solar manufacturing. These investments will support the federal government’s efforts to boost domestic manufacturing and competitiveness while reducing waste and improving sustainability of solar technologies.

“The U.S. has doubled annual solar installations over the past four years, and today’s announcement further supports manufacturers as they create more resilient solar energy technologies and maximize the life of their products.” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.

1 – Improving PV Sustainability

DOE announced the selection of four research and development projects to receive $16 million, including $8 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aimed at reducing the costs and impacts of solar energy technologies. The “Materials, Operations, and Recycling of Photovoltaics (MORE PV)” funding program supports DOE’s “Photovoltaics End-of-Life Action Plan,” which aims to halve the cost of recycling by 2030 and reduce the environmental impact of solar energy modules at end-of-life.

Keeping solar panels in the field longer by making them more durable and easier to repair will slow and reduce the flow of solar panels into the waste stream. Research to understand and prevent common causes of early breakdowns and power loss, such as damage from extreme weather, can extend solar panel lifespans.

The funding program also set up the “Solar Partnership to Advance Recycling and Circularity (Solar PARC)” to improve materials recovery and develop safe end-of-life practices for PV system components. This partnership of about 30 organizations, led by the Electric Power Research Institute and including academic and industrial stakeholders, aims to improve the circularity and lifecycle impact of PV systems through technology solutions, strategic partnerships, and community benefits.

The selected projects are:

– Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA): $8 million

– Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH): $4 million

– kWh Analytics (Sacramento, CA): $2.4 million

– University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, NC): $1.3 million

DOE also announced the upcoming $3 million “American-Made Promoting Registration of Inverters and Modules with Ecolabel (PRIME) Prize.” The prize aims to incentivize the registration of solar PV module and inverter products through the Global Electronics Council’s Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) ecolabel standard. Ecolabels, which are marks placed on product packaging to identify products that meet specific environmental performance criteria, can help address environmental impacts and end-of-life management for PV products.

2 – Spurring Solar Innovation

The “American-Made Solar Prize” is a multimillion-dollar prize program designed to spur innovations in U.S. solar hardware and software technologies and address challenges to rapid, equitable solar energy deployment. Through seven rounds of the Solar Prize, DOE has awarded $21.6 million in cash prizes to support solar technologies.

3 – Advancing Solar Technologies and New Markets

DOE issued a “notice of intent” for new funding that will provide up to $20 million for research, development, and demonstration projects that advance innovative solar module technologies and de-risk solar hardware for a wide range of solar technology areas.

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