- US DOE has selected 2 companies for Round 4 of its American-Made Solar Prize, one each in solar-thermal and solar PV technologies
- The r&d lab has won the solar PV category for designing a metal residential roofing product that makes solar roof aesthetically pleasing
- Both winners have each won $500,000 to advance their respective technologies
- There is one another competition for solar PV technology that DOE is seeking applicants for – its $3 million American-Made Perovskite Startup Prize
Round 4 of the American-Made Solar Prize launched by the US Department of Energy (DOE) has found 2 winners who will equally share the $3 million prize money. Conducted for both solar-thermal and solar PV, for the latter the r&D lab has been adjudged the winner.
Petaluma, California based the r&d lab team caught attention with its metal residential roofing product that makes solar roofs more aesthetically pleasing. The DOE explained that the roofing product will match the color of the roof to the solar panels, increase the speed of installation and match the lifespans of the solar and roof products.
Solar PV category winner r&d lab was founded by Brian Atchley, an ex-SolarCity and Tesla executive.
Along with winning $500,000 from the DOE to advance their respective technologies, both the winners have also received an additional $75,000 in technical support vouchers redeemable at the energy department’s 17 national labs and other facilities in the American-Made Network. A list of finalists and semifinalists that made it to round 4 can be viewed on the DOE’s website.
This network, comprising a group of technology incubators and accelerators, investors and industry resources, can help the winners get technical services, support private fundraising and also access to manufacturing.
Administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the American-Made Solar Prize has been supporting solar technologies through various rounds of the Solar Prize. Since 2018, the prize has supported 80 teams.
It had launched Round 5 of the Solar Prize in June 2021 for which it is seeking both hardware and software development to support domestic manufacturing (see $5 Million DOE Prize For Solar Energy Deployment).
There is one another competition for solar PV technology that the department is seeking applicants for. Its $3 million American-Made Perovskite Startup Prize will support companies who have ideas to bring perovskite solar technologies into the market. Applications for this competition will be accepted till September 30, 2021. Details are available on the DOE’s website.
In August 2021, the DOE announced winners of a $45 million funding round for solar manufacturing and grid technology projects (see $14 Million Funding For US Solar Manufacturing Innovations).
