Top News: Apply for Small-Business Funding; Grid-Forming Technologies and Solar Product Projects Wanted; Solar Prize Announcements
Welcome to the last Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) newsletter of 2020! We’re not slowing down: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a funding opportunity for small businesses to develop solar innovations and a $45 million funding opportunity for solar hardware and grid-forming technologies. You can also find out who won Round 3 of the American-Made Solar Prize and check out the Round 4 semifinalists, download the last quarterly stakeholder webinar of the year, and apply for an opportunity to join the SETO team.
Read these stories and more in this edition of the SETO newsletter.
Attention, Small Businesses: Apply for Solar Funding
If you’re a small U.S.-based company looking to make a big difference in solar, DOE can help. Apply for this funding opportunity through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. Funding can range from $50,000 to $250,000 for six months or one year. The deadline to submit your mandatory letter of intent is January 4, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Learn more about this opportunity and its topic areas.
 DOE Announces New Funding for Solar Hardware and Systems Integration
On December 16, DOE announced it will award up to $45 million for research projects that will advance solar hardware and systems integration, including the creation of a grid-forming technologies research consortium dedicated to advancing technologies that support the resiliency of the modernized electric grid. SETO’s 2021 Systems Integration and Hardware Incubator funding program will issue 10 to 20 awards, ranging from $500,000 to $25 million. Register for the informational webinar on January 6, 2021, at 1 p.m. ET, and submit a mandatory letter of intent by January 11, 2021, at 5 p.m. ET.
 The Winner’s Circle: Solar Prize Announcements
On December 4, DOE announced the two grand-prize winners of the American-Made Solar Prize Round 3. Ten finalists presented their innovations to a panel of judges at the Solar Prize Demo Day, and two walked away with $500,000 in cash, plus $75,000 in technical support vouchers. The Round 3 winners are:
-
Maxout Renewables (Livermore, CA)
-
Wattch, Inc. (Atlanta, GA)
The 20 Round 4 semifinalists were also announced, and these teams will move on to the next phase of the competition using their $50,000 cash prizes to develop a proof of concept for their solar innovations. We’ll see what they come up with in March at the next demo day. Stay tuned for details on how to join the event.
 Make Solar Brighter: Join Us!
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Science and Technology Policy is seeking the next generation of leaders in solar energy technologies to help advance SETO’s mission. This is a paid opportunity for recent graduates with a bachelor’s, master’s, and/or Ph.D. degree in quantitative fields and established professionals with relevant post-degree experience. Participants will help the solar office design initiatives that advance photovoltaic, concentrating solar-thermal power, and systems integration technologies, and support tech transfer, analysis, and soft-costs reduction activities. Learn more and apply by January 15, 2021.
Meet the Finalists Reimagining Energy Systems
SETO and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have selected 35 student teams from 34 schools as finalists in the Solar District Cup Class of 2021, a collegiate competition to reimagine energy systems for a campus or urban district. They will advance their designs and submit them to a panel of judges that will determine the winners in April 2021. Learn more about the finalists and their innovations.
 Let’s Rewind: SETO’s Year-End Stakeholder Webinar
About 200 people attended SETO’s quarterly stakeholder webinar on December 17, as SETO Director Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus discussed how the office supports small businesses, U.S. solar manufacturing, and the commercialization of new solar technologies. Special guests were Leila Madrone, founder and chief technical officer of Sunfolding; Catlin Mattheis, co-founder of Fracsun; and Bill Nussey, CEO and co-founder of Solar Inventions—a winner of the American-Made Solar Prize. Download the presentation and stay tuned for the date of our next quarterly webinar.
|
