The Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the FY24 Solar Energy Supply Chain Incubator funding opportunity, which will provide up to $38 million for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that de-risk solar hardware, manufacturing processes, and software products across a wide range of solar technology areas.

SETO’s Incubator funding programs provide early-stage assistance to help startup companies cross technological barriers to commercialization, while encouraging private sector investment. By taking breakthrough innovations and putting them through a rigorous de-risking process, Incubator allows entrepreneurs to focus on rapid commercialization. Once these key risks are addressed, the start-up businesses are ideally suited for private follow-on funding and success.

This FOA also seeks projects that provide outreach, education, or technology development for software that delivers an automated permit review and approval process for rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) with or without energy storage.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) aims to increase U.S. domestic manufacturing across the solar energy supply chain and expand private investment in the country’s solar manufacturing sector. These investments will help accelerate the growth of the solar industry, identify emerging opportunities, and drive down costs for our domestic energy market, positioning the United States on the leading edge of solar industry advances.

Technologies of interest include PV, systems integration, and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) technologies, as well as those that connect solar with storage or electric vehicles and dual-use PV applications like agrivoltaics and vehicle-integrated PV.

Topic Areas

• Topic Area 1: Solar Research and Technology Development – 5-10 projects, $1-2 million each. This topic area focuses on R&D projects at for-profit companies to de-risk new solar components and/or manufacturing processes, while developing and validating a realistic pathway to commercial success.
• Topic Area 2: Solar Technology Demonstration – 5-10 projects, $1-5 million each. This topic area focuses on RD&D projects at established companies or startups for pilot-scale and/or prototype demonstration of solar products. Successful applicants for this topic area will have an existing prototype that requires further testing, engineering work, or demonstration in a controlled environment.
• Topic Area 3: Solar Permitting Software Outreach, Education, and Development – 1-3 projects, $1-5 million each. This topic area focuses on outreach, education, and/or software technology development activities for automated code-compliant solar permitting software. The solar permitting software must be designed for use by solar installers to submit rooftop solar permit applications, and by local governments to automate their review and approval. Projects can be led by for-profit or non-profit entities.

Applicants can also access free Application Education Services through the American-Made Network and can engage with Power Connectors.