Funding Opportunity Announcement: FY 2018 Solar Energy Technologies Office

The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) will issue $105.5M in funding for about 70 projects that address the affordability, flexibility, and performance of solar technologies on the grid. This funding opportunity spans the office’s portfolio and seeks early-stage research projects that advance both solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) technologies. Funding will also facilitate the swift integration of PV and CSP technologies into the nation’s electricity grid and support efforts that prepare the workforce for the solar industry’s future needs.

This funding opportunity combines all of SETO’s technology areas into one request. This consolidated funding strategy enables the office to accelerate its cycles of learning in solar research and reduce government overhead costs.

Awards will be separated into four topics:

• TOPIC 1: Advanced Solar Systems Integration Technologies
  $46M, ~14 projects
  Systems integration projects will advance research that improves power electronics, solar plus storage, and PV-integrated sensor technologies and enables the seamless integration of solar energy onto the nation’s electricity grid.


• TOPIC 2: Concentrating Solar Power Research and Development
  $24M, ~21 projects
  CSP projects support progress toward 2030 cost goals and will focus on advancing components found in CSP sub-systems, including collectors, power cycles, and thermal transport systems, while pursuing new methods for introducing innovation to CSP research.


• TOPIC 3: Photovoltaics Research and Development
  $27M, ~28 projects
  PV projects support early-stage research that increase performance, reduce materials and processing costs, and improve reliability of PV cells, modules, and systems to enable the industry to achieve its 2030 cost goals. 


• TOPIC 4: Improving and Expanding the Solar Industry through Workforce Initiatives
  $8.5M, ~4 projects
  Workforce projects seek to prepare the solar industry for a digital future while also increasing the number of veterans and participants in the solar industry.

SETO expects to make about 70 awards under the 2018 SETO FOA, each ranging between $200,000 and $4.5 million for a total investment of $105.5 million. Technical projects are required to have at least 20 percent cost share, yielding a total public-private investment of more than $125M.

Prior to submitting a full application for this opportunity, a brief, mandatory letter of intent is due on May 4 at 3:00PM ET and a concept paper is due on May 9 at 3:00PM ET. See all application deadlines in the table below and learn more about the 2018 SETO FOA’s technical background.