The Biden administration just dropped a huge $71 million injection to supercharge America’s solar industry. This influx of cash is set to create jobs, slash energy costs, and build a cleaner, greener future.
Funding to Improve Solar Manufacturing Capabilities
According to the Department of Energy (DOE), this funding will improve America’s solar manufacturing capabilities, address huge gaps in the supply chain and advance research into innovative solar technologies.
$16 Million from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
The DOE revealed this huge funding boost, which includes $16 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Filling Gaps in Solar Energy Production
The goal? To fill key gaps in the production of essential solar energy parts, like silicon wafers and cells that turn sunlight into electricity.
Exploring Dual-Use Photovoltaic Applications
It will also go towards exploring new markets for dual-use photovoltaic (PV) applications. This means finding ways to use solar panels for two purposes at once, like integrating them into buildings to provide energy and structural support (building-integrated PV), or using them on farms to generate electricity while also supporting farming activities (solar-powered farms).
Biden Administration’s Solar Manufacturing Commitment
This is part of a broader effort from the Biden administration to make sure that more solar parts are manufactured at home, creating good-paying jobs and driving down energy bills for American families.
Building an American-Made Solar Supply Chain
In a statement Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm spoke about the administration’s commitment, explaining, “The Biden-Harris Administration is dedicated to building an American-made solar supply chain that boosts innovation, drives down costs for families, and delivers jobs across the nation.”
Driving Down Energy Costs for Families
Granholm also stated that, “Thanks to historic funding and actions from the President’s clean energy agenda, we’re able to deploy more solar power – the cheapest form of energy – to millions more Americans with panels stamped made in the U.S.A.”
Support for Silicon Solar Manufacturing and Dual-Use PV
Ten key projects have been selected for the “Silicon Solar Manufacturing and Dual-Use Photovoltaics Incubator funding program,” which gives $27 million in support of developing new technologies to improve silicon wafer and cell manufacturing production in the U.S.
Overview of Selected Projects
These projects include: Re:Build Manufacturing (Nashua, NH): $1.9 million, Silfab Solar Cells (Fort Mill, SC): $5 million, Ubiquity Solar (Hazelwood, MO): $11.2 million, and Appalachian Renewable Power (Stewart, OH): $1.6 million
Millions For Select Projects
Along with GAF Energy (San Jose, CA): $1.6 million, Noria Energy Holdings (Sausalito, CA): $1.6 million, RCAM Technologies (Boulder, CO): $600,000, The R&D Lab (Petaluma, CA): $1 million, Silfab Solar WA (Bellingham, WA): $400,000, and Wabash (Lafayette, IN): $1.6 million
Commercialization and Scaling Up
The money will help new solar companies prove their tech works, scale up manufacturing, and speed up commercialization.
Impact of Dual-Use PV Technologies
Other projects will focus on dual-use PV tech, which can power buildings, decarbonize transport, and reduce land-use conflicts.
Advancing Thin-Film Technologies
The investment also targets thin-film PV tech, like cadmium telluride (CdTe) and perovskites, which are easier and cheaper to make and offer higher energy yields.
Building The Supply Chain
Projects selected for the Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics funding program will improve efficiency, cut costs, and strengthen the supply chain for CdTe systems.
Millions Awarded To Solar Energy Companies
Key projects include: First Solar (Tempe, AZ and Perrysburg, OH): $21 million across two projects, Cubic PV (Bedford, MA): $6 million, and Tandem PV (San Jose, CA): $4.7 million
Solar Firms Receiving Massive Contributions
Swift Solar (San Carlos, CA): $7 million, 5N Plus (Montreal, Canada): $1.6 million, Brightspot Automation (Boulder, CO): $1.6 million, and Tau Science (Redwood City, CA): $2.1 million
Improving Domestic Competitiveness
These projects should help improve domestic CdTe PV competitiveness and will explore innovative uses of materials to build up the supply chain.
Biden’s 100% Clean Electricity Grid Goal
This entire investment is part of the Biden Administration’s broader push to achieve a 100% clean electricity grid by 2035 and a net-zero economy by 2050.
Justice40 Initiative and Community Benefits
By boosting solar energy – the fastest-growing power source – the administration is trying to help communities most affected by pollution. It’s a key part of the Justice40 initiative, which mandates that 40% of the benefits from federal climate and clean energy investments get reinvested into underserved areas.
Long-Term Benefits of Solar Investment
While $71 million might seem like a lot, it’s a minor investment compared to the long-term benefits of a healthier planet, a strong economy, and big savings for American households.
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