SunShot

Sandia’s research in solar photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) helps advance the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative to decrease total cost of solar energy systems by 75% by 2020 and make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of electricity generation without subsidies.

Sandia researchers address technical and market barriers to SunShot goals of high solar energy penetration by evaluating and improving the performance, reliability, and cost effectiveness of solar systems, materials, and balance of systems (BOS). Sandia also helps enable high levels of solar penetration on the electricity grid through extensive research in distribution systems integration.

Sandia partners with industry and other solar stakeholders to ensure thorough and balanced research. To learn more about working with us, visit the lab’s Partnerships page.

Photovoltaics & Distributed Systems Integration Research

• Reducing Soft Costs of Rooftop Solar Installations Attributed to Structural Considerations
• Mitigating Industry-Wide Risks through Data Collection and Assessment
• Development of Design Templates and Standardized Suitability Criteria to Expedite Permitting for Solar Power Plants
• Increasing Prediction Accuracy and Confidence in PV System Performance
• Advancing Solar Integration on Transmission Systems
• Residential and Commercial Real Estate and PV Energy Systems: Providing Credible Estimates of Premiums to Drive Demand and Lower BOS Costs
• Accelerating Cost-Effective Deployment of Solar Generation on the Distribution Grid
• Accelerating Development of Advanced Inverters
• Advanced Solar Resource Modeling and Analysis
• Advanced Measurement and Analysis of PV Derate Factors
• Characterizing Emerging Photovoltaic Technologies
• Prognostics and Health Management

Concentrating Solar Power

• Demonstration of Key Components to Support Thermal Storage for Dish Stirling Systems
• High-Temperature Solar Selective Coating Development for Power Tower Receivers
• National Solar Thermal Test Facility Maintenance and Development

SunShot News

Solar Test Facility Upgrades Complete, Leading to Better Sandia Capabilities to Support Power IndustryA recent overhaul of the DOE’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF), operated by Sandia, is dramatically improving researchers’ ability to understand and use concentrating solar power (CSP). The $17.8M upgrade to the NSTTF adds state-of-the-art test capabilities, and the resulting research is expected to lead to more solar power use on the electric grid. [...]

Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the United States Kick-OffThe purpose of the Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the United States (SERIIUS) is to establish a Joint Clean Energy R&D Center (JCERDC)—to create an environment for cooperation and innovation “without borders” in order to develop and improve emerging revolutionary solar electricity technologies and contribute to the long-term success of India’s Jawaharlal Nehru [...]

Sandia to Study the Little ThingsThe Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies at Sandia recently received a $900,000 grant to investigate the tiniest parts of solar materials. The new grant, announced by the U.S. Department of Energy in late August, will fund development of new microscopy tools to help understand the chemical and electronic structure of thin-film photovoltaic, or solar, materials and how microscopic [...]