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.

Upcoming Webinars

Solar Workforce Priorities and Vision

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

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR

Join the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) for a webinar focused on workforce development in the solar industry. Learn about SETO’s current research and future priorities for building a diverse and well-supported solar industry workforce, including results from recent stakeholder outreach.  SETO Deputy Director Garrett Nilsen will also give an update on the latest SETO activities.

View a list of all upcoming SETO events and browse past webinars below. 

Past Webinars

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: 

• Summer of Solar campaign
• Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP+) tool

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:

• Request for Information: Workforce Development Strategies Supporting the Solar Industry  – soliciting feedback about targeted training efforts and future workforce funding
• Request for Information: Equitable Access to Community-Based Solar – soliciting feedback about how to improve access to the resources necessary for underserved communities to participate in the clean energy transition
• Funding Opportunity Announcement: SolSmart Program Management  - $10 million for administration of program that recognizes local governments that streamline installation of clean energy systems
• Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN) Round 3 – $5.5 million to support diverse teams that design solutions to reduce barriers to solar energy deployment

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:

• DOE's expedited timeline for utility-scale solar cost targets: $0.03 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) by 2025 and $0.02/kWh by 2030
• Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2021 Photovoltaics and Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power (PV and CSP) funding opportunity - $40 million for PV and CSP research and development projects 
• Generation 3 CSP Final Selection - $25 million awarded to build a demonstration for a Generation 3 CSP power plant 
• Perovskite Funding Program Selections - $40 million awarded to advance perovskite PV device, manufacturing, and validation projects
• Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) PV Accelerator Program - $20 million for new consortium to advance CdTe thin-film solar cell technologies
• American-Made Perovskite Startup Prize - New $3 million prize competition to help entrepreneurs launch new businesses to accelerate commercialization of perovskite solar technologies

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.

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