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Author: US DOE EERE Staff     Published: 8/29/2024      EERE

U.S. Department of Energy - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Solar Energy Technologies Office

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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: 6 minutes, 25 seconds

SETO on the Road

SETO is going to RE+ 2024, a clean energy industry conference in Anaheim, California. Register for workshops and mark your calendars for the other panels and events listed below and on our website. Remember to visit us at the DOE Booth (#MM1227).

RE+ 2024

Don’t forget to sign up for SETO’s workshops on:

Where to find SETO Director, Becca Jones-Albertus, at RE+:

What’s New?

You Hit Us with Your Best Sun Shots: Check Out Our Photo Competition Winners

SETO announced the winners of the American-Made Solar Photo Competition: Hit Me with Your Sun Shot. The photos capture the continuously evolving solar energy industry that is shaping our clean energy future, celebrating solar energy through a lens of positive change and hope. Check out the winning entries, which are all available for public download.

photo comp winners collage

SETO’s Manufacturing Workforce Prize Gets a Funding Boost

On August 19, SETO increased the total prize pool for the American-Made Upskill Prize to $7.75 million. Round two is now open for submissions. Teams can apply by Nov. 20 for the chance to receive up to $500,000 each for their comprehensive workforce training plans.

upskill prize

The Perovskite Startup Prize Comes to a Close

The American-Made Perovskite Startup Prize was designed to accelerate the development and manufacturing of perovskite solar cells by moving world-class research out of the lab and into new U.S. companies. SETO closed the three-year competition after selecting six companies to earn cash prizes and receive expert support to further develop their technologies. One grand prize winner was awarded $500,000 plus a $100,000 technical support voucher for demonstrating substantial progress, undergoing technology validation, and solidifying a network of mentors and partners.

Upcoming Deadlines

Don’t forget to participate in these funding opportunities, prizes, and solicitations:

Some Light 🌞 Reading

New DOE Data on Clean Energy Jobs

DOE released the 2024 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), finding that clean energy employment grew at nearly twice the rate of traditional energy sectors and the overall economy. The USEER examines employment trends across traditional and emerging energy sectors, highlighting the expansion of the energy workforce and the growth of new domestic supply chain roles.

Blog Post: Four Kinds of Solar Workers Powering the Clean Energy Transition

Meeting our climate goals and decarbonizing the power sector will create millions of clean energy jobs. SETO is supporting careers across the solar energy supply chain—from researchers in the labs to installers on rooftops—with an emphasis on improving equity and diversity in the industry. Learn more about SETO research to support solar workforce development.

Video: Energy Transitions Partnership Project Gathers Washington Tribes for Solar Training

As part of DOE’s Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project, Spark Northwest brought together members of the Makah, Nooksack, and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribes for a solar training at Northwest Indian College. Learn how regional partner organizations like Spark Northwest are helping build capacity within Tribes and other communities across the United States as they plan for more resilient energy futures.

$41M Investment to Expand the Use of Renewable Power

DOE announced $41 million for 14 projects to develop technologies to harness renewable energy sources like wind and solar to produce liquids for sustainable fuels or chemicals that can be transported and stored as easily as gasoline.

Submit Input to Help Increase Energy Efficiency of Semiconductor Applications

DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office released a request for information to solicit feedback from stakeholders on the Energy Efficiency Scaling for Two Decades (EES2) Initiative and the draft EES2 Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap. The roadmap outlines the technology R&D needed to increase the energy efficiency of semiconductor applications 1,000-fold over the next twenty years. Submit feedback by September 30.

DOE Invests in Solar and Storage in Puerto Rico

The DOE Loan Programs Office announced a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $861.3 million to Clean Flexible Energy, LLC. to finance the construction of two solar PV farms equipped with battery storage and two standalone battery energy storage systems in Puerto Rico. DOE also announced its intention to invest $325 million for the new Programa de Comunidades Resilientes to improve community-level energy resilience for vulnerable populations across Puerto Rico.

Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute’s Internship Program

The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute hosted the second year of its Renewable Energy Internship Program this summer. This paid internship program is funded, in part, by SETO’s Deploying Solar with Wildlife and Ecosystem Services Benefits (SolWEB) Funding Program.

Join an EECBG Program Blueprint Cohort for Solar Project Implementation Support

State, local, and Tribal governments pursuing clean energy planning and deployment work are invited to sign up to join a Blueprint Cohort as part of DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. Blueprint Cohorts deliver monthly expert-led training sessions, interactive workshops, and opportunities for peer learning and discussion, across 13 EECBG Program Blueprint topic areas, including four renewables-focused cohorts.

NREL Researchers Highlight Opportunities for Manufacturing Perovskite Solar Panels with a Long-Term Vision

Solar panels made of perovskites may eventually play an important role amid global decarbonization efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As the technology emerges from the testing stages, National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) researchers are thinking critically about how best to design the solar panels to minimize their impact on the environment decades from now.

DOE Funds 68 Innovator Fellows to Help Advance Clean Energy Projects Across the Country 

Congratulations to the 2024 class of the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship (CEIF)! DOE recruited 68 Fellows to spend up to two years at critical energy organizations across 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, where they will help advance decarbonization, resilience, and energy equity projects. These fellows will be on the frontlines of where federal investment in clean energy is transforming communities, filling gaps in capacity so organizations can get the job done faster

Upcoming Events

Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program Cohort 2025 Applications Webinar

September 4 | 1 p.m. ET | Virtual

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Webinar: Solar Community Assistance for Local Equity

September 4 | 2 p.m. ET | Virtual

AquaPV: Industry Guidance for Floating PV Deployment for US Reservoirs

September 18 | 2 p.m. ET | Virtual

i2X Solution e-Xchanges: Promoting Economic Efficiency in Interconnection

September 19 | 12 p.m. ET | Virtual

i2X Forum for the Implementation of Reliability Standards for Transmission (FIRST)

September 24 | 11 a.m. ET | Virtual

Equitable Solar Communities of Practice Convenings

September & October | Virtual

In Case You Missed It

Learn more about SETO or DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.