For decades, the Energy Department’s 17 National Laboratories have served as leading institutions for scientific innovation, tackling the world’s biggest scientific challenges. The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) partners with the National Labs and its researchers to develop innovations that lower the costs of solar energy. Using world-class facilities, researchers address complex questions about the performance and cost of solar energy technologies, translating basic science to innovation. 
 
Today, 40-50 percent of SETO’s funding is awarded to National Labs through funding opportunity announcements, multi-year funding programs specially designed for national labs, and collaborative research projects with industry stakeholders and other offices and initiatives in the Energy Department. All projects must meet agreed-upon objectives, deliver on milestones, and yield results relevant to the office’s current research priorities.

Lab Calls

The office periodically issues competitive solicitations only for National Laboratories seeking multi-year funding on a particular topic or theme. Similar to the funding opportunity announcements open to the public, National Laboratories submit proposals that are then evaluated and selected by technical staff in the Energy Department to make sure projects align with the office’s research priorities.

Current Awards

Funding Program Year Announced Amount Awarded

Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2023 Just-in-Time Lab Call

2023 $2.8M
Solar Energy Technologies Office FY2022-24 Lab Call 2021 $235M
Grid Modernization Lab Call FY19-21 2019 $20M
Solar Energy Technologies Office FY2019-21 Lab Call 2018 $62M; FY2019

Past Awards

Funding Program Year Announced Amount Awarded
Resilient Distribution Systems Lab Call 2017 $10M
Grid Modernization Initiative Lab Call 2016 $10M
SunShot National Laboratory Multiyear Partnership (SuNLaMP) 2015 $110M
(FY16-FY18)
Lab Proposal Development Process
  • Photovoltaics Research
  • Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power Research
  • Systems Integration Research
2012 $227M
(FY13-FY15)

Programs and Initiatives

SETO funds programs, collaborative initiatives, and prize competitions at the National Labs, enabling the labs to bring together diverse partners and connect them with the resources of the National Labs. Selected for their expertise and for their ability to provide core support for research programs and testing facilities, National Labs bolster the Energy Department’s technical capabilities while also providing impartial foundational analysis. SETO’s funding enables the labs to provide expert information to a broad set of stakeholders, helping to explore the potential commercial relevance of solar technologies and address the non-hardware costs and deployment barriers of going solar. 

Current Awards

Funding ProgramYear AnnouncedAmount Awarded
Technology Commercialization Fund2016-2023$15.5M
Generation 3 Concentrating Solar Power Systems (Gen3CSP)2018$10M
Multi-Lab Grid Modeling Support for Puerto Rico Phase 22018$5M
American-Made Challenges: Solar Prize2018$3M
Solar Energy Innovation Network2017$11M
Durable Module Materials (DuraMat) National Laboratory Consortium2016$30M
Small Business Voucher Pilot2016-2017$1M

Past Awards

Funding ProgramYear AnnouncedAmount Awarded
Public Utility Commission Analytical Support2017$1.5M
Regional Test Center program2012$26M 
(FY12-FY18)
Solar Energy Research for India and the U.S. (SERIIUS)2012$6.25M

Research Projects at the National Laboratories

SETO funding also enables the National Labs to conduct informative analysis on solar energy technologies and the solar industry, using bottom-up, techno-economic cost modeling to provide important industry benchmarks. National lab researchers and industry partners also work together to conduct feasibility tests that mimic the real-world performance of solar technologies in the field, helping to de-risk solar technologies.

National Lab Success Stories