The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) funds solar energy research and development efforts in seven main categories: photovoltaics, concentrating solar-thermal power, systems integration, soft costs, manufacturing and competitiveness, expanding access to solar energy, and solar workforce development. The R&D projects funded by SETO aim to improve the affordability, performance, and value of solar technologies on the grid. Learn more about SETO’s goals here.
Explore each of the research areas below and the research topics within them. You can also learn about the basics of solar energy and find solar energy resources.
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The Solar office supports development of low-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) technologies to make solar power more accessible. -
SETO supports CSP research and development to improve the performance, reduce the cost, and improve the lifetime and reliability of CSP technologies.
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Soft costs research in SETO addresses challenges associated with non-hardware cost components of a solar energy system.April 2, 2025 -
Systems integration research in SETO helps advance the reliable, resilient, secure, and affordable integration of solar energy onto the nation's grid.April 2, 2025
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- SunShot
SETO supports solar manufacturing and competitiveness R&D to develop pathways to commercialization for disruptive innovation in the solar industry.April 2, 2025 -
Solar workforce development includes online training, on-the-job training, curriculum development, and other activities that prepare people for solar.May 6, 2025
SETO Research Priorities and Highlights
Various publications from SETO explain the office’s activities, projects, and goals. Explore them below. Additionally, reports resulting from research projects can be found on the Office of Science and Technical Information (OSTI) website.