Department of Energy Announces Two New Solar Energy Opportunities

The Department of Energy recently announced two new solar energy initiatives. The initiatives are overseen by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Solar Energy Technology office and are aimed at increasing the presence of solar energy in American households.

The first new initiative is the National Community Solar Partnership. This initiative has been developed to open up and grant community solar access to every household in the U.S. by 2025. The National Community Solar Partnership seeks to provide both public and private sector stakeholders with the tools to create and implement affordable solar models that satisfies the needs of their communities. The Partnership will provide support in the form of technical assistance, tools, and information to nonprofits, as well as other public and private sector partners to enable them to provide more communities with solar installations.

The second new initiative is the Solar District Cup. This initiative is funded by both SETO and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It is a collegiate-level program focused on engaging students in the engineering, urban planning, finance, and related disciplines to reimagine how energy is generated, managed, and used in a district. All student applicants will be required to present their solutions to judges at the Solar Power Southeast 2020 conference in Atlanta, where the winners will be selected and announced.  

For further information and to submit an application for the National Community Solar Partnership: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-energy-technologies-office-quarterly-stakeholder-webinars

For further information on the Solar District Cup: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-district-cup