The American-Made Upskill Prize for the Solar Manufacturing Workforce (Upskill Prize) is a multi-million-dollar competition designed to accelerate the expansion of the U.S. solar manufacturing workforce and equip workers with the skills necessary to revitalize the domestic solar module manufacturing supply chain. This prize addresses critical workforce needs at various stages of the U.S. solar photovoltaics (PV) module supply chain.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Integrated Energy Systems Office (IESO) aims to support the growth of a reliable domestic PV supply chain, which will require scaling the solar workforce to meet new demand. The Upskill Prize encourages the expansion of the U.S. solar manufacturing workforce by rewarding proposals that focus on high-quality employment prospects and skillsets that can be utilized for career growth.
Overview
The prize incentivizes partnerships between U.S. manufacturers and training organizations, aiming to attract new workers to careers in solar manufacturing with job-ready training programs. Eligible manufacturers include those in polysilicon, ingot, wafer, cell, module, and module components like glass. Competing teams propose comprehensive workforce training plans that are composed of either or both:
- New Worker Training: Develop and propose plans to train new workers with the skills they need to be successful in the solar manufacturing industry, particularly at new or expanding manufacturing facilities.
- Incumbent Worker Training: Develop and propose plans to train incumbent workers with new skills needed to support the growth of solar manufacturing.
The Upskill Prize offers a total prize pool of $7.75 million. Winning teams receive up to $500,000 each for their submitted comprehensive workforce training plans.
Timeline
SETO will accept applications and select winners on a rolling basis.
- DOE announced the prize on March 8, 2024, and announced Round 1 winners on July 16, 2024.
- DOE opened Round 2 on July 16, 2024, and announced Round 2 winners on November 12, 2026.
Round 1 Winners
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL) and First Solar (Lafayette, LA): This project is establishing a semiconductor technical training center focused on thin-film solar processes to support the workforce at First Solar’s new Louisiana facility. The training center will be located at ULL Research Park and provide training for operators, technicians, engineers, data scientists, and managers.
- Crossroads Solar Enterprises and the Purdue University Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Carmel, IN): This project is offering solar manufacturing training to returning citizens (formerly incarcerated individuals). The training will support both new and incumbent workers at Crossroads Solar on equipment maintenance and quality management. Employees will also receive a certificate from Purdue after completing training.
Round 2 Winners
- First Solar Ohio (Perrysburg, OH): First Solar Ohio partnered with Northwest State Community College (NWCC) to expand its existing technical training program for production associates. In this enhanced program, five specialized courses at NWCC will upskill First Solar’s manufacturing, engineering, technician, and maintenance workforces.
- Hemlock Semiconductor Operational Excellence and Training (Hemlock, Michigan): As part of its facility and workforce expansion efforts, Hemlock Semiconductor is partnering with Delta College to provide training for new manufacturing operators. Delta College will provide a 12-week course in chemical process technical skills, while Hemlock will provide a 12-week on-site training tailored to the operators’ specific areas, followed by a certification of program completion.
- Our Borealis (Fort Mill, South Carolina): Silfab Solar is developing a solar photovoltaic cell manufacturing facility in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It will partner with York Technical College to offer a 90-day onboarding program, combining on-site and online training and college courses. Additionally, prize funding will be used to implement an apprenticeship program for at least three internal employees who want to upskill to a more technical role and to hire a technical training consultant for on-site equipment training and the development of training materials.
- Qcells-SEI Training (Dalton, Georgia): Hanwha Qcells Technologies has partnered with Solar Energy International (SEI) to provide online and hands-on training for new and incumbent engineers at its manufacturing locations in Dalton and Cartersville, Georgia. SEI will provide training in the fundamentals of solar photovoltaic manufacturing, while Qcells will provide a certification course in advanced manufacturing processes and safety protocols.
Additional Resources
- Sign up to compete or follow along with the competition on HeroX.
- Download the rules.
- Join the American-Made program to support competitors.
- For questions about the Upskill Prize, email challenge@nlr.gov.
- Learn about IESO's open funding opportunities.
The American-Made Upskill Prize for the Solar Manufacturing Workforce is a part of the American-Made program and is administered by the National Laboratory of the Rockies.