$6.5 million in funding available for solar energy technology research.
Solar Energy Technologies Office
April 13, 2023
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***Selections for the 2023 Small Innovation Projects in Solar Funding Program were announced on January 11, 2024. View a list of projects here.***
Office: Solar Energy Technologies Office
FOA number: DE-FOA-0002888
Link to apply: Apply on EERE Exchange
FOA Amount: $6.5 million
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) 2023 funding opportunity. This funding opportunity will award $6.5 million for seedling R&D projects that focus on innovative and novel ideas in photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) and are riskier than research ideas based on established technologies.
This funding opportunity is designed to streamline the application process to encourage applications from early-career researchers who have never applied or been selected for a SETO project award. In addition, applicants must submit a plan to broaden the participation of well-qualified members of underrepresented groups on their teams. These efforts will help to achieve the Biden administration’s goal to increase the diversity of those working in applied energy research fields.
SETO expects to make about 14 to 24 awards each ranging between $250,000 and $400,000. Diverse teams from universities, federally funded research and development centers, nonprofits, community-based organizations, state agencies, local governments, and solar developers are encouraged to apply.
Topic Areas
SIPS Topic Area 1: CSP (7-12 projects, $400,000 each)
This topic area will support small, focused projects investigating the applicability and robustness of novel ideas in CSP. Responsive concepts include all aspects of CSP plants with thermal energy storage, as well as solar-thermal industrial process heat innovations and solar-thermal fuel systems.
SIPS Topic Area 2: PV (7-12 projects, $250,000 each)
Projects in this topic area will focus on new and emerging areas of PV research that can produce significant results within the first year of performance and, if successful, lay the foundation for continued research. These projects should aim to significantly lower costs and improve the power conversion efficiency, fielded energy output, reuse and recycling of system components, service lifetime, and manufacturability of PV technologies.
Key Dates
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FOA Issue Date: |
April 13, 2023 |
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Submission Deadline for Full Applications: |
June 1, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. ET |
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Expected Date for EERE Selection Notifications: |
October 2023 |
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Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiations: |
Fall 2023 |
Additional Information
- Download the full funding opportunity on the EERE Exchange website
- For FOA-specific support, contact [email protected]
- For EERE Exchange support, contact [email protected]
- Explore past SIPS projects
- View SETO's SIPS infographic
- Sign up for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) email list to get notified of new EERE funding opportunities
- Sign up for SETO’s newsletter to stay current with our latest news