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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November 15, 2023
DOE selected five teams to receive a $10,000 Grand Prize for their community solar projects or programs, which provide meaningful benefits to their subscribers and communities and serve as a replicable model for others
November 9, 2023
SETO awarded ENERGYWERX $500,000 to create five ‘Equitable Solar Communities of Practice’ who will conduct a stakeholder-driven gap analysis and identify resources needed to support more equitable solar deployment.
November 8, 2023
Microgrids are small electric grids that can operate while disconnected from the main grid. Learn how a new tool that networks multiple microgrids with solar-plus-storage together can lead to community resilience.
November 8, 2023
USGS and DOE released the largest and most comprehensive database to date on large-scale solar energy projects in the United States
October 25, 2023
The Energy Department’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) program seeks feedback on a draft transmission system interconnection roadmap.
October 25, 2023
DOE released a draft roadmap to address interconnection challenges on the transmission grid and seeks feedback from the public
Request for Information: Grid Integration of Solar Energy Systems and Other Inverter-based Resources
October 24, 2023
Share your thoughts on the technical challenges and opportunities for grid integration of solar energy systems and other inverter-based resources connected to bulk power systems, distribution systems, microgrids, and behind-the-meter systems.
October 3, 2023
With funding from SETO, the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center developed a policy guide for cooperative and municipal utilities in the Southeast to help them make community solar more available to customers.
Funding Notice: Solar-thermal Fuels and Thermal Energy Storage via Concentrated Solar-thermal Energy
September 21, 2023
The Solar-thermal Fuels and Thermal Energy Storage via Concentrated Solar funding opportunity seeks to reduce costs and advance technology of concentrated solar thermal power for thermal energy storage and other uses, including industrial decarbonization.
September 18, 2023
Siting solar arrays is a challenge shared by developers, state and local governments, and communities. With the help of Energy Department funding, Nevados developed hardware that opens new sites by enabling solar panel installation on uneven terrain.
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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On October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will travel across parts of the United States, blocking up to 90% of the sun for several minutes. What could this mean for our power grid? Learn what to expect when the sun goes dark.
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Harnessing the sun to power your vehicle saves you money, benefits the electric grid, and provides backup power to your home in the future.
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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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