The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced it is seeking project proposals from companies to invest up to $11 million in solar energy technology development and commercialization. The Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator program aims to shorten the timeline for companies to transition prototype and pre-commercial PV technologies into pilot and full-scale manufacture.
This will be the fourth installment of the successful PV Incubator program, which represents a significant partnering with U.S. industry to meet aggressive cost and installation goals and accelerate the commercialization of these technologies. DOE funds the program through its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which provides program management and technical expertise.
The program is unique from previous versions in that it offers two tiers. Tier 1 projects will receive up to $1 million each through 12-month phased subcontracts, and focus on accelerating the development of innovative PV module-related technologies to the prototype stage. DOE anticipates selecting 4 – 6 Tier 1 projects for awards. Tier 2 projects will receive up to $4 million each through 18-month phased subcontracts, and focus on shortening the timeline for companies to transition innovative lab-scale and pre-commercial prototypes into pilot and eventually full-scale manufacture. DOE anticipates selecting 2 – 3 Tier 2 projects for awards.