The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Program posts open funding opportunities here for research and development (R&D) projects. This page also contains links to Web sites with related financial opportunities, including funding for small businesses, homeowners, industry, utilities, and state and local governments.
Open and Upcoming DOE Funding Opportunities
How to Apply
Past Funding Opportunities
General Sources of Funding Information
Open and Upcoming Funding Opportunities
Information is available on how to apply for these funding opportunities on the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Web site.
Solar America Initiative
The Solar America Initiative (SAI) is part of the President's Advanced Energy Initiative and will accelerate the development of advanced photovoltaic (PV) materials. SAI's goal is to make PV cost-competitive with other forms of renewable electricity by 2015. Multiple open and upcoming funding opportunities are available through SAI. For more information, see the Funding Opportunities section of the SAI Web site.
Concentrating Solar Power (FOA# DE-PS36-08GO98032)
This opportunity supports long-term research activities and near-term demonstration in developing advanced heat transfer fluids and novel thermal storage concepts for concentrating solar power (CSP) generation. The collaborative public-private partnerships established will work to reduce the nominal-levelized cost of energy of CSP power plants. The announcement date was April 30, 2008. The funding amount for each award is up to $7 M over 4 years. More details are available.
Minority University Research Associates (FOA# DE-PS36-07GO97031)
DOE is planning a financial assistance opportunity to provide support to encourage minority undergraduate and graduate students to pursue careers in science and technology by providing scientific and technical R&D opportunities in solar energy technologies. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will solicit applications from accredited universities and colleges defined as Minority Servicing Institutions (Section § 365(3)) in the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1067k(3)). The FOA is intended to provide undergraduate student support for renewable energy research and education, specifically in the area of solar energy technology within these Minority Servicing Institutions. Objectives include efforts to attract and encourage qualified science, engineering, and business students from minority groups to pursue careers and advanced degrees in these areas, with emphasis in advancing solar energy technology. More details will be posted here as they become available.
Past Funding Opportunities
Concentrating Solar Power (FOA# DE-PS36-07GO97028)
This opportunity is for companies to develop storage solutions, manufacturing approaches, and new system concepts for large-scale concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. The collaborative public-private partnerships established will work to reduce the nominal levelized cost of energy of CSP power plants from 13–17 ¢/kWh in 2007 to a target of 7–10 ¢/kWh by 2015 and 5–7 ¢/kWh by 2020. The awards were announced on November 29, 2007. The funding amount is up to $10 M over 4 years. More details are available.
General Sources of Funding Information
The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy provides Financing Solutions for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for consumers, communities, researchers, small businesses, and inventors and developers.
The sites below provide access to energy efficiency and renewable energy financial incentives, tax rebates, and solicitations offered by DOE and other federal, state, local, and non-government agencies.
Consumers
The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) provides comprehensive information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy, including solar energy applications.
Communities
This DOE-sponsored Smart Communities Network contains a menu of information and services on how your community can adopt sustainable development as a strategy for well-being.
Researchers
Grants.gov is a central storehouse for information on more than 1,000 federal government grants and provides access to some $400 billion in annual awards.
Visit the E-Center for general information on doing business with DOE. View current business opportunities, register to receive notification of new business opportunities, and obtain information and guidance on the acquisition and financial assistance award process.
The DOE Golden Field Office issues solicitations for partnering and subcontracting with the Solar Energy Technologies Program and related technology areas. A list is available of current solicitations from the Golden Field Office.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory offers business and research opportunities. NREL has a strong history of working with industry, academia, government agencies, and diverse businesses outside the Laboratory.
Sandia National Laboratories works closely with industry, small business, universities, and government agencies to bring new technologies to the marketplace.
Small Businesses
Small businesses can find funding opportunity information on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) Web site. The site offers information on U.S. government programs in which federal agencies with large R&D budgets set aside a portion of their funding for competitions among small businesses only. Small businesses that win awards in these programs retain the rights to any technology developed and are encouraged to commercialize the technology.
Inventors and Developers
The SBIR/Gateway is a federal government program administered by 10 federal agencies to help provide early-stage R&D funding to small technology companies (or to individual entrepreneurs who form a company).