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
News and Success Stories
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May 30, 2023
Terabase Energy is transforming the traditionally manual processes of designing arrays, delivering modules, and installing them at the site.
May 11, 2023
Responses are due June 2 for the request for information on the challenges and opportunities associated with scaling the domestic solar manufacturing workforce. SETO will pilot the Solar Manufacturing Internship for Leaders in Energy (SMILE) program.
May 10, 2023
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are seeking solar workers for 1-hour, one-on-one interviews to inform a study about the solar workforce.
May 10, 2023
Selected Projects Across 13 States and Puerto Rico Will Demonstrate How Solar, Wind, and Storage Can Protect and Strengthen America’s Power Grid
May 3, 2023
By the end of 2022, the Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+) online permitting software had eliminated 134,000 days of delays for solar adopters, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) annual performance report.
April 24, 2023
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office released a white paper that outlines pathways to a robust domestic supply chain for solar photovoltaic technologies.
April 20, 2023
Over $8 Billion Available Through Prizes, Private Capital, and a Conditional Loan Commitment Will Expand Access to Cheaper, Cleaner Energy for American Families and Deploy Solar Power to Underrepresented Communities
April 20, 2023
$30 million in funding available to enhance benefits of renewables on the grid
April 20, 2023
Nineteen Projects Across Twelve States Will Help Establish Domestic Solar Supply Chain, Increase Energy Security, and Build on Progress Made to Bring Solar Manufacturing to the United States
April 13, 2023
$6.5 million in funding available for solar energy technology research.
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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Every day, Americans are making the choice to power their lives with solar energy. SETO is connecting the dots for you, demonstrating how solar energy investments accrue over years to benefit individuals, communities, and the nation.
Solar Energy Basics
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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The critical role that interconnection plays in enabling the clean energy transition is why the U.S. Department of Energy established i2x to identify and develop solutions that make interconnection fairer, faster, and simpler.
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Solar panels need to withstand the elements to keep producing power for decades, and water is one of a solar module’s trickiest foes. Using clever measurement and modeling methods, researchers are optimizing the way we seal solar modules to keep water out
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To make agrivoltaics a widely available option for developers in the U.S., questions about cost, liability and other business, legal and regulatory issues need to be addressed.
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As millions of Americans decide to power their homes with solar energy and take advantage of its numerous benefits, consumers should be on the lookout for warning signs of scams.
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Breaking Barriers to Community Solar Development with the Community Power Accelerator ™ Learning Lab
The new community solar training program is designed to provide solar developers with critical resources and know-how to help them launch new equity-focused community solar projects.
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The amount of solar connected to the grid has grown exponentially in the past several years, and with all of this interest and so much information available, let’s take a moment to highlight their benefits.
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SETO is Connecting the Dots on Solar Energy: making connections between solar energy investments and their enduring, long-term benefits and offer a resource hub so that the public can learn about how solar will positively impact our country's future.
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The Midwest Renewable Energy Association developed programs to grow Wisconsin’s solar workforce capacity and replicated their successful programs in surrounding states.
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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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