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Past Funding Opportunities

This page provides a brief summary of closed Solar America Initiative funding opportunities. To find more details about open funding opportunities, visit our Open and Upcoming Funding Opportunities page.

2008 Funding Opportunities


Research and Development

Title:
Component and Pilot Scale Production: PV Module Incubators
NREL Letters of Interest (LOI) Number:
RAT-8-88012 (2008) and RAT-7-77015 (2007)
(See NREL Current Solicitations for more details.)
Description:
Projects focused on solving technical challenges that must be overcome to scale-up manufacturing and commercialize new products by 2010 and shortening the timeline for companies to transition pre-commercial PV technologies into full-scale manufacturing.
Award Announcement Date:
Pending August 2008 and June 20, 2007
Funding Amount:
Up to $3 M each over 18 months
More details

Market Transformation

Title:
Solar America Cities
FOA#:
DE-PS36-08-GO98003 (2008) and DE-PS36-07GO97007 (2007)
Description:
DOE provides support to cities ready to take a comprehensive, systemic, city-wide approach to solar technology that facilitates mainstream adoption and provides a model for other cities. DOE awarded 25 cities with funding and technical support to develop a fully scoped, city-wide, solar implementation plan to:
  • Integrate solar technology into city energy planning and facilities
  • Streamline city-level regulations and practices that affect solar adoption by residents and local businesses (e.g. permitting, inspections, local codes)
  • Promote solar technology among residents and local businesses (e.g. outreach, curriculum development and/or implementation, incentive programs, etc.
Any U.S. city with a population of 100,000 or more (as defined by the 2000 U.S. Census) was eligible to apply.
Award Announcement Dates:
March 28, 2008 and June 21, 2007
Funding Amount:
Up to $4.9 M and technical support over 2 years
More details

Title:
Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems program (SEGIS).
Description:
Development of advanced inverters, controllers, and other balance-of-system components for photovoltaic (PV) distributed power applications. The goal of the SETP is to increase the value of PV as large numbers of systems are incorporated into the utility distribution system.
Award Announcement Date:
Pending
Funding Amount:
Up to $6.25 M
View RFP (PDF 6.7 MB) Download Adobe Reader.

FAQs
Title:
University Photovoltaic (PV) Product and Process Development
FOA#:
DE-PS36-07GO97027
Description:
The University Process and Product Development Support research emphasizes materials science and process engineering research by universities with the goal of developing new photovoltaic (PV) technologies that will be ready for commercialization by 2010. University research teams may apply with an industry partner who is aligned with the 2015 goals of the Solar America Initiative or apply without a partnership. In either case, a clear commercialization strategy must be provided in the application.
Award Announcement Date:
March 12, 2008
Funding Amount:
Up to $30 M over 3 years
More details

2007 Funding Opportunities


Title:
Systems Development and Manufacturing: Technology Pathway Partnerships (TPP)
FOA#:
DE-PS36-06GO96034
Description:
Cost-shared industry-led projects for photovoltaic (PV) systems development and manufacturing demonstrations. Collective portfolio of projects will reduce direct manufacturing and installation costs by at least 30% by 2010, and will deliver up to 2.4 GW of new manufacturing capacity by year-end 2010.
Award Announcement Date:
March 8, 2007
Funding Amount:
$168 M over 3 years
More details

Title:
Market Transformation: Solar Codes and Standards
FOA#:
DE-PS36-07GO97005
Description:
The working group will address code development and outreach activities in areas critically important to solar market penetration such as interconnection procedures, net metering, product safety, and international standards coordination. They will lead to a major improvement in the responsiveness, effectiveness, and accessibility of codes and standards to U.S. solar stakeholders at all levels. A second topic under this FOA is helping utilities measure the impact and value of distributed photovoltaics on the grid.
Award Announcement Date:
March 26, 2007
Funding Amount:
$4.2 M over 5 years
More details are available on the Solar Codes and Standards and Utility Capacity Credit Valuations pages.

Title:
Market Transformation: State/Utility Solar Technical Outreach
FOA#:
DE-PS36-07GO97006
Description:
Will conduct tailored solar technical outreach to states and utilities and will provide resources and best practices to address solar issues faced by states and utilities.

Funding opportunities to help utilities measure the impact and value of distributed photovoltaics on the grid were announced under the Solar Codes and Standards FOA.
Award Announcement Date:
March 26, 2007
Funding Amount:
$1.7 M over 3 years
More details

Title:
Market Transformation: Solar America Showcase
NOTA#:
DE-PS36-07GO97008
Description:
Solar America Showcases are designed to help facilitate large-scale installations that involve cutting edge solar technologies, novel applications of solar, high visibility sites, and/or high likelihood of replicability. Solar America Showcase is a Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance (NOTA) and does not include direct federal funding for any recipient. Instead, showcase projects include technical assistance through teams of DOE-funded solar experts from national laboratories.
Award Announcement Date:
May 16, 2007
Funding Amount:
Technical assistance only
More details

Title:
Device and Process Proof of Concept: Next Generation PV Device and Processes
FOA#:
DE-PS36-07GO97025
Description:
For companies to perform exploratory R&D for the development of innovative and highly disruptive next-generation solar electric technologies. The device and manufacturing process research that is targeted by this opportunity is expected to produce prototype cells and/or processes by 2015, with full commercialization coming to fruition in the 2020-2030 timeframe.
Award Announcement Date:
April 5, 2007
Funding Amount:
Up to $4 M per year over 3 years
More details