A laptop with a screen that says "What's Next for Solar?" with a play button

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) hosts webinars to provide updates on the office’s work to our stakeholders. Led by SETO Director Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus, these webinars discuss SETO’s priorities and provide information on current and upcoming activities.

Recent Stakeholder Webinars

Sep. 27, 2022: Reaching for the Solar Future: How the Investment Reduction Act Impacts Solar Deployment and Expands Manufacturing
  • This webinar discussed the implications of the Investment Reduction Act (IRA) for solar deployment and manufacturing and reviewed SETO’s role in implementing this historic investment in the clean energy economy.

View a list of all upcoming SETO events.

Past Stakeholder Webinars

 

    Graphic advertising upcoming webinar "Heating Up: Advances in Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power" on Feb 10 at 3 p.m. ET
    February 10, 2022, 3:00-4:00pm ET: Heating Up: Advances in Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power

    This SETO stakeholder webinar discussed the latest advances in concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP). SETO leadership was joined by guest speaker Chiranjeev Kalra, Vice President of Power Generation Engineering at Heliogen, to highlight developments in reliability testing and commercialization of next-generation CSP technology.

    Two photos of people working on solar panels and text advertising a webinar on Solar Workforce on August 19, 2021, at 1 pm ET

    Solar Workforce Priorities and Vision

    August 19, 2021, 1-2 p.m. ET

    This webinar focused on current research and future priorities of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) for building a diverse and well-supported solar industry workforce, including results from recent stakeholder outreach. SETO Deputy Director Garrett Nilsen gave an update on the latest office activities and a panel of external experts Rob Wallace, CEO of Power52 Energy Solutions, Elbert Walters III, Executive Director of Powering Chicago, and Chris Perron, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Procurement, and Construction at Nexamp discussed solar workforce development. 

    Download the slides

     

    SETO SolarAPP Webinar graphic

    Leadership Roundtable: Empowering Cities to Accelerate Rooftop Solar Installations Across America

    July 15, 2021, 1–2 p.m. ET

    This webinar was held on July 15, 2021, at 1 p.m. ET and featured U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm for the launch of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP+) tool. SolarAPP+ makes it easy for local governments to permit residential solar project applications by reviewing projects for building code compliance and instantly approving the project. Guests discussed how local governments are speeding up the permit process and reducing barriers for solar energy. Webinar topics included: 

    Guest Speakers:

    • Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary of Energy
    • Regina Romero, Mayor of Tucson, Arizona
    • Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose, California
    • Lynn Jurich, CEO of Sunrun
    • Will Jawando, Councilmember of Montgomery County, Maryland
    • John Alita, Deputy City Manager of Stockton, California
    • Jeff Cook, NREL SolarAPP+ Project Lead
    • Becca-Jones Albertus, Director of the Solar Energy Technologies Office

    View the recording and download the slides.

     

    A Force for Change: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in the Solar Industry

    This webinar was held on May 4, 2021, at 11 a.m. ET and featured Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm announcing over $15 million in new funding to support equitable solar deployment by addressing the barriers people face in accessing the benefits of solar, through technical assistance, community solar, and workforce development. Webinar topics included:

    Guest Speakers

    • Jennifer M. Granholm, Energy Secretary
    • Kelly Speakes-Backman, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
    • Shalanda Baker, Deputy Director for Energy Justice
    • Becca Jones-Albertus, Director of the Solar Energy Technologies Office
    • Jennifer Kropke, Director of Energy Jobs
    • Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association
    • Sylvester Taylor, Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1
    • Van Vincent, President and CEO of VLV Development
    • Bryan Garcia, CEO of Connecticut Green Bank
    • Donnel Baird, CEO of BlocPower

    View the recording.

     

    Streamlining Solar Permitting with SolarAPP+

    This webinar was held on April 29, 2021, and featured SETO Director Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus, Solar Energy Industries Association President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper, and NREL SolarAPP+ Project Lead Jeff Cook. The Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP+) tool is an online platform that makes it easier for local governments to quickly and safely approve rooftop solar and solar+storage projects. It was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and a collaborative team of industry and local government stakeholders. This webinar discussed the pilot test of SolarAPP+ and what the future holds for the tool. 

    View the recording and download the slides.

     

    100% Clean: How DOE’s Solar Investments Will Help to Achieve Ambitious Decarbonization Goals

    This webinar was held on March 25, 2021, at 2:30 p.m. ET and featured Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm announcing $128 million in new solar energy initiatives. Webinar topics included:

    Guest Speakers:

    • Jennifer M. Granholm, Energy Secretary
    • Gina McCarthy, National Climate Advisor
    • Kelly Speakes-Backman, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
    • Becca Jones-Albertus, Director of the Solar Energy Technologies Office
    • Stephan DeLuca, CEO of Energy Materials Corporation
    • Joseph Berry, senior scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
    • Clifford Ho, senior scientist, Sandia National Laboratories

    View the recording and download the slides.

     

    December 2020 SETO Quarterly Stakeholder Webinar

    This webinar was held on December 17, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. ET and focused on SETO's work supporting solar entrepreneurs. Webinar topics included:

    View the recording (Password: UpZMpmw4; Use Google Chrome for best results).

    Download the presentation and transcript.

     

    September 2020 SETO Quarterly Stakeholder Webinar

    This SETO Quarterly Webinar was held on September 10, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. ET. Webinar topics included:

    Download the presentation. 

     

    June 2020 SETO Quarterly Stakeholder Webinar

    This SETO Quarterly Webinar was held on June 4, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. ET. Webinar topics included:

    View the recording (Password: qPk2aJJP; Use Google Chrome for best results).

    Download the presentation and transcript.

     

    January 2020 SETO Quarterly Stakeholder Webinar

    This SETO Quarterly Webinar was held on January 23, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Webinar topics included:

    Download the presentation.

    October 2019 SETO Quarterly Stakeholder Webinar

    This SETO Quarterly Webinar was held October 10, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. ET. This webinar discussed the following topics:

    • Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) priorities and vision – EERE Assistant Secretary Daniel R Simmons
    • Solar Office overview and Q3 updates
    • Systems Integration research overview
      • ComEd guest speaker: Shay Bahramirad

    Download the presentation

     

    July 2019 SETO Quarterly Stakeholder Webinar

    This SETO Quarterly Webinar was held July 26, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. ET. This webinar discussed the following topics:

    View the recording (Password: Solar2019; Use Google Chrome for best results).

    Download the presentation

     

    ​Find a complete list of past SETO events and webinars.