The United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced yesterday that it intends to “cut the cost of solar energy by 60% over the next 10 years, in addition to almost $ 128 million in financing to reduce costs, improve performance and accelerate the deployment of technologies of solar energy. “
The new target advances its previous target of solar cost on a public service scale by five years. This DOE announcement is part of the Biden government’s plan to decarbonize the U.S. energy sector by 2035.
DOE writes:
To achieve this goal in the next 15 years, hundreds of gigawatts of solar energy need to be installed up to five times faster than now. To that end, DOE is accelerating its 2030 utility scale solar cost target by five years – setting a new target of reducing the current cost from 4.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 3 cents / kWh in 2025 and 2 cents / kWh in 2030.
The funding announced through the DOE Department of Solar Energy Technologies (SETO – and right on the front page are funding opportunities, resources and research areas) will support the advancement of materials used to make solar cells [via the DOE website]:
$ 40 million for perovskite R&D: Perovskites are a family of emerging solar materials that have the potential to make highly efficient thin-film solar cells at very low production costs. DOE is awarding $ 40 million to 22 projects that will advance the research and development of perovskite photovoltaic devices and manufacturing – as well as performance through the formation of a new $ 14 million test center to provide neutral validation and independent of the performance of new perovskite devices.
$ 3 million Perovskite award for startups: This new prize competition will accelerate the paths of entrepreneurs to commercialize perovskite technologies, providing start-up capital for their newly formed companies.
$ 20 million for CdTe thin films: The National Renewable Energy Laboratory will form a consortium to develop cheaper CdTe thin-film solar technologies, developed in the United States and representing 20% of the modules installed in the country. This consortium will move forward with low-cost manufacturing techniques and domestic research capabilities to increase opportunities for U.S. workers and entrepreneurs to capture a larger share of the $ 60 billion global solar manufacturing sector.
DOE also announced $ 7 million as part of a new financing opportunity for projects to extend the life of silicon-based photovoltaic systems from about 30 years to 50 years to lower energy costs and reduce waste. The objective is to improve the components of the photovoltaic system, such as inverters, connectors, cables, racks and trackers.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said:
In many parts of the country, solar energy is already cheaper than coal and other fossil fuels and, with more innovation, we can cut the cost again by more than half in a decade.
This first wave of funding will help us add even more affordable clean energy to the grid, jobs for communities across the country and will put us on the fast track towards President Biden’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.
The solar sector now boasts one of the fastest growing employment rates in the United States and is expected to be the main source of new generation of electricity in the country this year.
Electrek’s Take
This is really exciting. It reminds me of James Montgomery Flagg’s Uncle Sam poster “I want you for the US Army” from both world wars. It is a call to arms, but for solar innovation. And DOE is using creative ways to encourage Americans to live up to the occasion.
If you click on the “$ 40 million to 22 projects” link above, you can see all the interesting projects that are underway at universities and other organizations. And the startup award resembles clean energy and EV projects in the private sector, as in Elemental Excelerator, where Electrek recently spoke with Danielle J. Harris, director of mobility innovation (who is currently accepting applications for cohort 10).
Necessity is the mother of invention, right? It’s a great time to be a clean energy entrepreneur or researcher. I can’t wait to see what will come out of that call for the greatness of green energy.
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