WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today 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 maximize the environmental benefit of solar energy technologies by increasing system lifetime and work to facilitate material recovery once the system is decommissioned. DOE also launched a prize program that will open new markets for solar energy system equipment, announced winners in the American-Made Solar Prize Round 7, and issued a notice of intent for up to $20 million to advance solar manufacturing. These investments will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to boost domestic manufacturing and competitiveness while reducing waste and improving sustainability of solar technologies.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is investing in a clean energy future that’s built to last,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “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.”
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, Operation, 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:
- 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
- Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA): $8 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. PV manufacturers can sign up to follow the competition.
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. After a live demo day in which Solar Prize Round 7 finalist teams pitched their solutions to a panel of judges at RE+, SETO announced that two teams each received $500,000 for their early-stage innovations addressing challenges to the rapid deployment of equitable solar energy. The winning teams are:
- Fram Energy (Newburgh, NY)
- Gritt Robotics (Belmont, CA)
Competitors can apply to compete in Round 8 of the Solar Prize until September 26.
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.
Learn more about SETO research in manufacturing and competitiveness and PV sustainability, and register for a webinar to learn more about the Photovoltaics End-of-Life Plan. Originally published at https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-announces-40-million-support-domestic-solar-supply-chain-0
