DOE invests $71 million to fund 18 projects to advance U.S. solar manufacturing
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $71 million to fund 18 projects in 10 states to help grow the network of domestic manufacturers across the U.S. solar energy supply chain. The funding, which includes $16 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be used to support projects that will aid U.S. solar manufacturing capacity, including equipment, silicon ingots and wafers, and both silicon and thin-film solar cell manufacturing. Additionally, these projects are designed to introduce solar technologies to new markets.
According to the department, three of the projects hope to bring silicon wafer and cell manufacturing onshore, while seven projects will work to advance dual-use PV technologies to harness their potential to electrify buildings. Of the remaining eight projects, four will work to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and bolster the supply chain for CdTe systems, and four will prove out tandem PV devices that pair established PV technologies with perovskites.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to building an American-made solar supply chain that boosts innovation, drives down costs for families, and delivers jobs across the nation. Thanks to historic funding and actions from the President’s clean energy agenda, we’re able to deploy more solar power – the cheapest form of energy – to millions more Americans with panels stamped made in the U.S.A.”
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