The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $128m funding for new projects to advance solar technologies in the country.
The DOE will provide funding for 75 research projects that will reduce solar electricity costs, while increasing solar manufacturing, reduce red tape, and make the solar systems more resilient to cyber-attacks.
The funding for the projects will be provided through the Solar Energy Technologies of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
DOE said that the projects are expected to improve the research and development in photovoltaics (PV), concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), soft costs reduction, innovations in manufacturing, and systems integration.
US energy secretary Rick Perry said: “It is undeniable that this Administration has proven its dedication to an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy. In the last three years, we have doubled our solar capacity
“At DOE, we’re working to ensure that solar is more affordable for every American by reducing regulatory burdens and increasing the security and resiliency of our solar energy supply.”
Details of the project receiving the DOE funding
Under the new funding, $23.6m will be provided for 21 projects that will aim to reduce the cost of solar photovoltaics and provide affordable electricity for US consumers and businesses.
The DOE has allocated a total of $30m funding for 13 research projects that will make CSP provide power at any time and in any season. The research includes new materials and technologies that enable a solar field to operate autonomously without any human input.
Further, $17.6m will be provided for 19 research projects to reduce the costs of non-hardware components used in the solar system and $6.8m for 7 research projects for innovations in manufacturing projects.
A total of $50m funding for 15 projects will be provided to improve the grid operators’ ability to integrate increasing amounts of solar generation onto the grid in a cost-effective way.
Earlier in October this year, DOE provided $28m funding to selected 13 projects to advance wind energy across the US.
