U.S. Department of Energy Invests $71 Million in Solar Energy Manufacturing Projects

In line with President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) unveiled a $71 million investment today, with $16 million allocated from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This investment aims to bolster research, development, and demonstration projects across the U.S. solar energy supply chain, addressing critical gaps in domestic manufacturing capacity.

Selected projects will focus on enhancing various aspects of the solar supply chain, including equipment, silicon ingots and wafers, and both silicon and thin-film solar cell manufacturing. Additionally, efforts will be made to explore new markets for solar technologies, such as dual-use photovoltaic applications, which encompass building-integrated PV and agrivoltaics.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm emphasized the administration’s commitment to fostering an American-made solar supply chain, which is poised to drive innovation, reduce costs for consumers, and create jobs nationwide. Granholm noted that these initiatives are crucial for deploying more solar power, positioning it as the most economical energy source, and ensuring that panels are manufactured domestically.

Key highlights of the investment include the selection of ten projects under the Silicon Solar Manufacturing and Dual-Use Photovoltaics Incubator funding program. These projects will focus on developing technologies to bring silicon wafer and cell manufacturing onshore, enabling new solar companies to scale up their operations and accelerate their path to commercialization.

Furthermore, eight projects were chosen under the Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics funding program. These projects aim to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and bolster the supply chain for thin-film PV technologies, including cadmium telluride (CdTe) and perovskites. The investment also seeks to leverage partnerships with countries like Canada to enhance the domestic supply of critical materials like tellurium.

Overall, these initiatives underscore the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advancing clean energy goals, promoting innovation in solar manufacturing, and ensuring that the benefits of such investments reach marginalized communities, in line with the Justice40 initiative.