Mod 000001: Added “Applicant Education Services” section IV.A.ii.
This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). Some of the awards made under this FOA will be funded with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
BIL is a once-in-a-generation investment in modernizing and upgrading American infrastructure to enhance U.S. competitiveness, drive the creation of good-paying union jobs, tackle the climate crisis, and ensure strong access to economic, environmental, and other benefits for disadvantaged communities. BIL appropriates more than $62 billion to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)4 to invest in American manufacturing and workers; expand access to energy efficiency and clean energy; deliver reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans; and demonstrate and deploy the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy demonstrations.
DOE’s BIL investments will support efforts to build a clean and equitable energy economy that achieves a zero-carbon electricity system by 2035, and to put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 20505 to benefit all Americans.
This FOA will invest appropriations of $45 million over three years for development of new solar photovoltaics (PV) technologies to improve U.S. domestic manufacturing and competitiveness and secure our domestic energy supply chains.
The activities under this FOA are partly funded by BIL section 41007(c)(2)—the Advanced Solar Energy Manufacturing Initiative, which appropriates $20 million to carry out this activity, and was authorized by the Energy Act of 2020. In addition, appropriations from fiscal year 2023 will be used, authorized under Division Z Section 3004(b) of the Energy Act of 2020, (42 U.S.C. 16238(b)). These activities support the broader government-wide approach to strengthening critical domestic manufacturing and supply chains and to maximize the benefits of the clean energy transition as the nation works to curb the climate crisis, empower workers, and advance environmental justice. These BIL sections are focused on: Photovoltaics and Manufacturability of low cost, high quality solar systems
This funding opportunity has two topic areas. Topic 1 is focused on demonstration activities that support the domestic silicon PV module supply chain. Topic 2 is focused on RD&D and product development for dual-use PV with the aim of developing these market segments in the United States and increasing deployment.In both Topic Areas, SETO funding aims to retire technical, business, and market risks of solar hardware to validate pathways to commercial success through customer engagement and trials. Successful awardees will be well positioned to attract follow-on private investment, grow their businesses, generate revenue, and create jobs. This will help address SETO’s aims to support U.S. manufacturing across the solar value chain..