Since its beginning in 2011, the SunShot Initiative has amassed hundreds of awardees who are helping to reach SunShot’s goal to make solar energy affordable for every American. Awardees include national laboratories, private companies, universities, state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations and are located in nearly every state in the country.

Project Map

Explore all active awardees and those who have recently completed awards on the SunShot Initiative Project Map. Each project has detailed information, including the year it was awarded, the amount of funding it received, and which SunShot subprogram manages it. Multiple methods of data sorting are available. View the SunShot Solar Projects Map.

Competitive Awards

All SunShot awardees apply for research and development funding through open funding opportunity announcements within each of the five SunShot subprograms. This competitive process ensures that only the projects with the most promise receive funding. All projects are reviewed on a quarterly basis to ensure they meet predetermined milestones set at the beginning of the project. Continuation of awards is dependent on successful progress.

Explore current and past funding programs.

In addition to the funding from SunShot, awardees must include a cost share in their projects. The requirement generally stipulates that the awardee must share 20 percent of the overall budget for research and development projects and 50 percent for demonstration and commercial application activities. In many cases, a cost share exemption is granted for basic or fundamental research. Learn more about the Energy Department’s Financial Assistance.

Awardee Successes

SunShot awardees play a crucial role in helping to address the major challenges to broader solar adoption, from improving solar cell efficiencies and manufacturing techniques to reducing the amount of red tape involved in obtaining permits for a solar installation. In the process, awardees have celebrated dozens of major successes. View SunShot Success Stories.

Social Media

SunShot awardees are active on social media, sharing their latest innovations and project progress. Check out the hashtag #SunShot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join in on the conversation.