The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a significant investment of $71 million in research, development, and demonstration projects to enhance the domestic solar energy supply chain. This funding includes $16 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aimed at closing gaps in the manufacturing capacity for critical components such as equipment, silicon ingots and wafers, and both silicon and thin-film solar cell manufacturing.

The DOE's initiative aligns with the White House's recent actions to address China's trade practices and bolster domestic manufacturing. These actions include lifting the tariff exemption for bifacial modules and increasing tariffs on sectors like steel, aluminum, semiconductors, and solar cells.

Silicon Solar Manufacturing and Dual-Use Photovoltaics Incubator Funding Program

Three projects were selected under the Silicon Solar Manufacturing and Dual-Use Photovoltaics Incubator funding program. This initiative supports the development of technologies to bring silicon wafer and cell manufacturing to the U.S. The program aims to create new markets for solar technologies, including building-integrated photovoltaics (PV) and agrivoltaics.

The selected projects under this program are:

• Re:Build Manufacturing (Nashua, NH): $1.9 million
• Silfab Solar Cells (Fort Mill, SC): $5 million
• Ubiquity Solar (Hazelwood, MO): $11.2 million
• Appalachian Renewable Power (Stewart, OH): $1.6 million
• GAF Energy (San Jose, CA): $1.6 million
• Noria Energy Holdings (Sausalito, CA): $1.6 million
• RCAM Technologies (Boulder, CO): $600,000
• The R&D Lab (Petaluma, CA): $1 million
• Silfab Solar WA (Bellingham, WA): $400,000
• Wabash (Lafayette, IN): $1.6 million

These projects will help advance dual-use PV technologies, electrify buildings, decarbonize transportation, and reduce land-use conflicts.

Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics Funding Program

The DOE also selected eight projects under the Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics funding program. This initiative focuses on thin-film PV technologies like cadmium telluride (CdTe) and perovskites, which offer advantages over silicon technology, such as lower manufacturing costs and greater energy yield.

The projects aim to improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of CdTe systems, while validating tandem PV devices that combine established PV technologies with perovskites. This program also leverages the U.S. trade partnership with Canada to increase the supply of tellurium.

The selected projects are:

• First Solar (Tempe, AZ and Perrysburg, OH): $6 million
• Cubic PV (Bedford, MA): $6 million
• Tandem PV (San Jose, CA): $4.7 million
• Swift Solar (San Carlos, CA): $7 million
• 5N Plus (Montreal, Canada): $1.6 million
• First Solar (Tempe, AZ and Perrysburg, OH): $15 million
• Brightspot Automation (Boulder, CO): $1.6 million
• Tau Science (Redwood City, CA): $2.1 million

These projects are expected to enhance the domestic production of solar panels, particularly CdTe systems, and bring new solar technologies closer to commercialization.

Source: renewableenergyworld.com