Top News: Solar Competition Deadlines; Solar Office Leadership Changes; Stakeholder Webinar Review
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) made changes to its leadership team; there are a few days left to enter the 2021 Solar District Cup and the American-Made Solar Prize Round 4; get the scoop on our latest quarterly stakeholder webinar; check out a new funding opportunity; and we’re hiring!
Read these stories and more in this edition of the SETO newsletter.
Wanted: Your Solar Prize Round 4 Application
Your solar idea could change the solar industry as we know it, and all you have to do is apply. But hurry—there’s not much time: Until October 8, through the American-Made Solar Prize Round 4, DOE is accepting applications from U.S.-based students, entrepreneurs, and other industry professionals for a chance at a $3 million prize pool. Competitors will also develop critical partnerships with National Labs and other members of the American-Made Network as they advance their prototypes on their path to commercialization. This is just what the recently announced Round 2 winners—Resilient Power Systems from Georgetown, TX, and SunFlex Solar from Tempe, AZ—did. Each team took home $500,000 in cash and $75,000 in support vouchers. You could be next.
 Changes to the Solar Office Leadership Lineup
Now batting second for SETO is our new deputy director, Garrett Nilsen, former program manager of the manufacturing and competitiveness (M&C) team. Stepping up to the plate as acting M&C team program manager is Victor Kane, who has been working on the American-Made Solar Prize since its inception. We welcome Michele Boyd as the new program manager of the strategic analysis and institutional support team. Get to know them.
This Is Not the End: DOE Funds Solutions for PV Reuse and Recycling
If you’re working on solutions for end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) or other electronic waste, DOE’s recently announced $35 million funding opportunity could support your efforts. The Reducing EMbodied-Energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Manufacturing Institute is seeking transformational technologies and research and development projects that can increase circularity of electronic waste, including PV. Submit your proposals by October 19 at 5 p.m. ET.
Last Chance to Enter the 2021 Solar District Cup
Now is the time for college students who are eyeing a career in the solar industry to join the Solar District Cup Class of 2021. This competition invites multidisciplinary teams—including mentors, educators, and industry professionals—to create and present innovative distributed energy systems for a campus or urban district. Submit your designs by September 29 at 5 p.m. ET, and learn more about the winners of the competition’s first round.
 Apply to Work at SETO
SETO has an open position for a management and program analyst on our operations team. Responsibilities include developing materials in support of the annual budget request and preparing monthly financial plans; facilitating and overseeing the financial and contractual aspects of SETO projects; providing recommendations on performance, cost, and reporting schedule requirements; and more. Learn more and apply by October 5.
In Case You Missed It: Stakeholder Webinar on PV Research
Hundreds of you joined us for SETO’s quarterly stakeholder webinar on September 10, as SETO Director Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus and PV Program Manager Lenny Tinker discussed the office’s PV research portfolio, including the PV Fleet Performance Data Initiative, an effort to collect data on field degradation rates of PV modules and create a benchmark of cumulative performance and degradation rates for the U.S. solar fleet. Download the presentation and don’t miss out on our next quarterly webinar in mid-December.
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