The SunShot Initiative is currently accepting applications for the Solar in Your Community Challenge. Apply today.
Current Awards
| Funding Program | Year Announced | Amount Awarded |
| Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies 2 – State Energy Strategies (SEEDS2-SES) | 2016 | $21M |
| Solar Training and Education for Professionals | 2016 | $10M |
| Orange Button℠ - Solar Bankability Data to Advance Transactions and Access (SB-DATA) | 2016 | $3.6M |
| Solar Powering America by Recognizing Communities (SPARC) | 2015 | $13M |
| SunShot Prize | 2015 | $10M |
| Solar Market Pathways | 2015 | $16.5M |
| SunShot National Laboratory Multiyear Partnership (SuNLaMP) | 2015 | $24M |
| Catalyst Energy Innovation Prize | 2014 | $1M |
| Rooftop Solar Challenge II | 2013 | $12M |
| Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED) | 2013 | $15.1M |
| Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies (SEEDS) | 2013 | $9M |
| SunShot Incubator Round 6 | 2012 | $8M |
Past Awards
| Funding Program | Year Announced | Amount Awarded |
| Solar Outreach Partnership (Solar Ops) | 2009 | $10M |
| Rooftop Solar Challenge | 2011 | $12M |
| Solar Projects to Reduce Market Barriers and Non-Hardware Balance of System Costs | 2011 | $13.6M |
For more information on available funding, visit the financial opportunities page.
COST SHARE
The SunShot Initiative issues competitive solicitations that fund cooperative research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects by private companies, universities, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour or $1 per watt (not including incentives). Per Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, all of our awards have a cost share requirement that awardees must meet to receive their funding, which can be met through direct or indirect project costs. The cost sharing requirements generally require a 20 percent cost share for research and development, with an exemption for basic or fundamental research and development, and a 50 percent cost share for demonstration and commercial application activities. Learn more about the Energy Department’s Financial Assistance.