Goals and Objectives

This page gives details about the goals and objectives of the Solar America Initiative.

Goals

The primary goal of the Solar America Initiative is to ensure that solar energy technologies will play a growing role in U.S. energy supplies and the U.S. economy by making the technology cost-competitive in the near future.

Secondary goals are to achieve market competitiveness for the following technologies:

Photovoltaics (PV) by 2015 through government partnerships with industry, universities, national laboratories, states, and other public entities
Concentrating solar power systems by 2020 through ongoing and new research and development (R&D) activities.

Objectives

Current objectives include the following:

Fill the industry R&D pipeline for next-generation, low-cost, scaleable products
Establish a framework for university involvement in the Solar America Initiative
Calibrate the National Renewable Energy Laboratory research portfolio and role for the future
Ramp up testing and evaluation for development and qualification
Catalyze the collaboration on industry-wide issues such as codes and standards
Expand U.S. policy and regulatory measures.

For more information, see the Solar America Initiative Posture Plan, which summarizes key elements of the Solar America Initiative.