Department of Energy to Invest up to $9 Million

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that the Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will invest up to $9 million on three projects in California to support the development of early stage solar energy technologies and help them advance to full commercial scale. The total investment of up to $12 million – $10 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – will help companies to further expand a clean energy economy and make solar energy more cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity.

“Expanding the solar power industry in the U.S. can create new jobs, reduce carbon pollution and save consumers money,” said Secretary Chu. “By partnering with NREL, these companies will be able to gain from their expertise, accelerate the pace of innovation and help get technologies to market faster.”

Companies awarded under DOE’s Photovoltaic Incubator Program will work with NREL to transition prototype and pre-commercial PV technologies into pilot and full-scale manufacturing. The anticipated subcontracts, up to $3 million each, will be awarded as 18-month phased subcontracts with payment made upon completion of project milestones.

Through the Recovery Act, the DOE is investing more than $117 million in developing and deploying solar energy technologies.  While supporting cutting edge research and development on photovoltaics and concentrated solar power at the National Laboratories, the Department is also making significant investments in training solar systems installers, supporting the growth of grid-tied solar photovoltaic systems, and the use of solar energy in U.S. cities.

The partnership projects announced today include:

California

Alta Devices, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) up to $3 million
Alta Devices will focus efforts on developing an innovative high-efficiency (>20%), low-cost compound-semiconductor photovoltaic module, with market entry expected in 2011.

Solar Junction Corp. (San Jose, CA) up to $3 million
Solar Junction will develop a manufacturing process to produce a very high efficiency multi-junction cell.  These high performing cells will be utilized by concentrating PV (CPV) manufacturers to produce lower cost CPV systems.

Tetra Sun (Saratoga, CA) up to $3 million
Tetra Sun will focus efforts on a back surface passivation for high efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells. This effort will result in a high efficiency low-cost C-Si solar cell.