Author: US DOE Staff Published: 7/11/2024 SETO
What’s Inside: Solar Snapshot, the newsletter of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), shares recent announcements; deadlines; upcoming events; and more.
If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, you can subscribe here. Reach out to us at solar@ee.doe.gov with any inquiries or suggestions. Estimated read time: 3 minutes, 52 seconds
What’s New?
Upcoming Prize Explores the “Moo”tual Benefits of Cattle Agrivoltaics
SETO announced the intention to launch the American-Made Large Animal and Solar System Operations (LASSO) Prize, which offers more than $8 million in cash prizes to bring cattle agrivoltaics projects to life. With around one-third of U.S. land used for grazing cattle, co-locating photovoltaics and grazing operations could help preserve agricultural land, generate additional income for landowners, farmers, and ranchers, and ease barriers to solar energy deployment. The LASSO Prize will bring together multiple stakeholders to develop innovative co-location practices, build pilot sites, and share information on best practices, costs, energy, and agricultural outcomes. Follow the competition and start building your team today.
Upcoming Deadlines
Don’t forget to participate in these funding opportunities, prizes, and solicitations:
- Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator Funding Opportunity – U.S. companies are encouraged to submit mandatory concept papers by July 19.
- Solar Technologies’ Rapid Integration and Validation for Energy Systems (STRIVES) Funding Opportunity – Professionals in the inverter-based resource (IBR) space who are interested in applying must submit mandatory concept papers by July 25.
Some Light 🌞 Reading
Deadline Approaching to Join Our Team: Science, Technology, and Policy Fellowship
Are you a student, researcher, or professional with a passion for solar energy? You can join SETO in advancing solar technologies and deployment through the Science, Technology, and Policy Fellowship! A background in solar energy is not required. Selected participants will play an integral role in designing and implementing new initiatives to make solar energy more affordable and reliable. Applications are due July 15.
Communications Framework for Solar Energy Project Proponents and State Fish and Wildlife Agencies
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the American Clean Power Association, and the Energy Wildlife Action Coalition recently published a guide for proactive and effective communication between large-scale solar project developers and state fish and wildlife agencies. This framework establishes expectations for the frequency of engagement and includes communication prompts to use throughout a solar project’s lifecycle, from relationship building and preliminary area analyses to decommissioning.
DOE Announces Intent to Invest $100M in Energy Storage Demonstrations
The DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations issued a notice of intent to fund up to $100 million in pilot-scale energy storage demonstration projects, focusing on non-lithium technologies, long-duration systems, and stationary storage applications. This funding aims to support the advancement of a diverse set of long-duration energy storage technologies towards commercial viability and utility-scale deployment.
Submit Input for the DOE Environmental Justice Strategic Plan
The DOE Office of Energy Justice and Equity released a request for information seeking public input intended to assist in establishing DOE’s vision, goals, priority actions, and metrics to address environmental justice. Share your thoughts by July 31.
Upcoming Events
Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon) 2024 Annual Workshop
July 16-17 | Anaheim, CA
This year, the annual HelioCon workshop will take place at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Energy Sustainability conference. Register and check out the agenda, session topics, and more.
i2X Solution e-Xchanges: Possibilities to Improve Interconnection Data Access & Transparency
July 18 | 1 p.m. ET | Virtual
Register for an upcoming webinar where the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) team will discuss the first goal of the Transmission Interconnection Roadmap: improving interconnection data transparency. Check out upcoming and past Solution e-Xchanges.
SETO at the 2024 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting
July 21-25 | Seattle, WA
Join SETO at the 2024 IEEE Power & Energy General Meeting where many members of the systems integration team will lead tutorials and serve on panels covering topics that include grid resilience, distributed energy resources, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
Equitable Solar Communities of Practice Convenings
July & August | Virtual
The Equitable Solar Communities of Practice is hosting virtual community convenings this summer. These events will bring together industry experts, community members, and stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities in scaling equitable solar energy. Each Community of Practice is led by an expert organization that will share their insights and gather participant feedback. Check out the session topics and register:
- Meaningful Household Savings | July 23 | 2 p.m. ET
- Community-led Economic Development | July 30 | 3 p.m. ET
- Resilience, Storage, and Grid Benefits | August 5 | 1 p.m. ET
- Access and Consumer | August 22 | 2 p.m. ET
i2X Forum for the Implementation of Reliability Standards for Transmission (FIRST)
July 30 | 11 a.m. ET | Virtual
i2X FIRST is a series of monthly interactive meetings to facilitate the adoption of new and recently updated standards relevant for interconnected clean energy resources like solar and wind energy. Register for all the i2X FIRST even
In Case You Missed It
American-Made Solar Prize Round 8 Informational Webinar: Watch a recording and download the slide deck (PDF).