***Selections for the 2022 Photovoltaics Research and Development Funding Program were announced on April 20, 2023. View a list of projects here.***

** This webpage was updated on 07/25/2022 to extend the Letter of Intent deadline to 8/5/2022. **

Office: Solar Energy Technologies Office
FOA Number: DE-FOA-0002582
Link to Apply: Apply on EERE Exchange
FOA Amount: $29 million

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the Fiscal Year 2022 Photovoltaics Research and Development (PVRD) funding opportunity, which will award $29 million in funding for projects that reduce costs and supply chain vulnerabilities, further develop durable and recyclable solar technologies, and advance perovskite photovoltaic (PV) technologies toward commercialization. Of the $29 million, $10 million will be funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to increase the reuse and recycling of solar energy technologies.

Minority serving institutions, minority business enterprises, minority owned businesses, woman owned businesses, veteran owned businesses, tribal colleges and universities, community colleges or entities located in an underserved community are encouraged to apply as the prime applicant or participate on an application as a proposed partner to the prime applicant.

Topics

Topic 1: Low-Cost Solutions to Reduce Environmental Burden and Materials Supply Chain Vulnerability (6-10 projects, $1-1.5 million)

Projects in this topic will tackle the hardware costs and environmental impacts of PV materials through research into alternative metallization and contacting materials and processes, which will extend module life and efficient recovery of component materials at end-of-life. The overarching goal of these projects is to lower the levelized cost of electricity generated by PV.

Topic 2: Durable, High-Efficiency Perovskite Modules (1-2 projects, $9-15 million)

Projects in this topic will improve coordination amongst domestic researchers through collaborative, multi-stakeholder efforts to increase the understanding of perovskite module performance and develop processes to achieve stability and larger device areas.

Teaming Partner List

DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to facilitate the formation of new project teams for this funding opportunity. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations who may wish to participate on an application to express their interest to other applicants and to explore potential partnerships.

Download the Teaming Partner List (Excel file)

Any organization that would like to be included on this list should submit the following information: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Topic Area, Brief Description of Capabilities, and Topic Area. Interested parties should email the information to PVRD@ee.doe.gov with the subject line “Teaming Partner Information.” The list will be updated weekly on this webpage and in EERE Exchange.

Disclaimer: By submitting a request to be included on the Teaming Partner List, the requesting organization consents to the publication of the above-referenced information. By enabling and publishing the Teaming Partner List, EERE is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the individuals and organizations that are self-identifying themselves for placement on this Teaming Partner List. EERE will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate any applicants or requesting organizations for the development of such information.

Key Dates

Additional Information

• Download the full funding opportunity on the EERE Exchange website.
• For FOA-specific support, contact PVRD@ee.doe.gov.
• Sign up for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) email list to get notified of new EERE funding opportunities. Also sign up for SETO’s newsletter to stay current with our latest news.

To make the sign-in process more secure, the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange (eXCHANGE) will soon be updated to integrate with Login.gov—a secure service used by the public to sign into participating government agencies. All potential applicants and reviewers will need to have a Login.gov account to access eXCHANGE and apply to open opportunities. For more important information about this change, please read the MFA Quick Guide.