The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) accelerates the advancement and deployment of solar technology in support of an equitable transition to a decarbonized economy. Learn more about the office's work at our events and webinars.
Learn how the Inflation Reduction Act could help you save on solar and review our federal solar tax credit resources.
Solar Energy Technologies Office Newsletter
Solar Energy Basics
Research Areas
The Solar office supports development of low-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) technologies to make solar power more accessible.
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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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Systems integration research in SETO helps advance the reliable, resilient, secure, and affordable integration of solar energy onto the nation's grid.
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Soft costs research in SETO addresses challenges associated with non-hardware cost components of a solar energy system.
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SETO supports solar manufacturing and competitiveness R&D to develop pathways to commercialization for disruptive innovation in the solar industry.
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Solar workforce development includes online training, on-the-job training, curriculum development, and other activities that prepare people for solar.
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Despite unprecedented solar deployment, many Americans still lack access to affordable solar electricity. SETO funds research to improve solar access for all.
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News and Success Stories
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December 1, 2022
It used to take weeks to get a permit to install rooftop solar panels. Now permit approval is instant, benefitting consumers, contractors, and local governments that adopt the tool that speeds up the process.
November 9, 2022
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office announced 31 teams as finalists for The Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar.
November 2, 2022
Research Projects Across 19 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico Will Help Communities Improve Energy Planning, Increase Grid Resilience, and Restore Power After Disasters
November 2, 2022
DOE anunció hoy $43 millones de dólares en fondos para 23 proyectos que buscan ayudar a las comunidades a planificar su transición hacia un futuro de energía limpia y mejorar la confiabilidad y seguridad de la red energética
October 17, 2022
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $14 million in funding to researchers to study how solar energy infrastructure interacts with wildlife and ecosystems.
October 17, 2022
El Departamento de Energía de los EE. UU. (DOE, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció hoy la inversión de $14 millones de dólares en fondos para que investigadores ayuden a estudiar cómo la infraestructura de energía solar interactúa con la vida silvestre
October 14, 2022
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office seeks feedback on the cost and value of use, collection, and sharing of data on performance of solar photovoltaic systems and their components.
October 6, 2022
GSA issued a request for information to learn more about the availability of domestically manufactured solar PV panels and components.
October 6, 2022
DOE released a long-term evaluation of the cybersecurity considerations associated with distributed energy resources and the potential risks to the electric grid over the next ten years
October 3, 2022
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a Request for Information (RFI) to determine how DOE could best leverage the Defense Production Act (DPA) authority invoked by President Biden
Learn more about active and inactive SETO-funded projects at national laboratories, state and local governments, universities, nonprofit organizations, and private companies in the solar energy research database.
Blog Posts
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Ceramic particles may be the key to making concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) plants more efficient.
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DOE launched the SolarAPP+ Prize to encourage local governments to adopt SolarAPP+ and ease the permitting process for residential solar.
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The Climate Access Fund is developing innovative, mission-driven solutions to provide affordable solar energy to historically underserved communities in Maryland.
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The giant mirrors used in concentrating solar-thermal power, known as heliostats, are often the most expensive parts of a CSP plant. The possibilities to innovate on heliostats and help reduce costs are endless.
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Solar energy can play an important role in increasing the resilience of the nation’s grid and the communities served by the grid.
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President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, expanding the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics, also known as the Investment Tax Credit (ITC).
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Solar Landscape engaged with communities in New Jersey to connect low- and moderate-income households with community solar subscriptions while providing workforce training and educational opportunities.
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The members of People Power Solar Cooperative in Oakland, California, are demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of community-owned solar, a type of community solar in which residents of a community collectively own a solar system.
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Pollinators—such as bees, butterflies, and other insects—are critical to the success of about 35 percent of global food crop production. Learn about the benefits of establishing pollinator-friendly plants under and around ground-mounted solar arrays.
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Solar cells created with perovskite minerals can be an important tool in the race to deploy clean energy as quickly and cost effectively as possible, but only if we first overcome key technological hurdles
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