U.S. Department of Energy • Solar Energy Technologies Program 

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 

Solar Program Status and Updates 

Beyond the Lab: Solar Program Support 

for Early Stage Market Penetration 

The Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP) has spent the past several months 

expanding our concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) technologies 

programs. Building on the initial progress of the Solar America Initiative (SAI), 

we are continuing to aggressively support innovative research while accelerating 

the rate of deployment for proven CSP and PV technologies by supporting market 

transformation activities. The programs are growing more robust to reach the 

priorities and goals of the SAI. These programs include: 

•	 Technology Pathway Partnerships – to reduce the full system costs of new product 

designs targeted at residential, commercial, and utility markets by funding the 

development of low-cost manufacturing processes and new technology; 

•	 Solar Incubators – to address the challenges faced by small businesses in taking 

proof-of-concept technologies to pilot and full-scale manufacturing; 

•	 Solar America Cities – to assist municipalities with policy and technical issues as 

communities increase their usage of CSP and PV energy; 

•	 Solar America Showcases – to accelerate demand for solar technologies among 

key end-use market sectors by supporting large-scale, high-visibility projects; 

•	 Education, Training, and Certification – to provide national coordination of 

the development of training curricula, and consistent accreditation and 

certification requirements for PV installers; 

•	 University Process and Product Development Support – to assist the efficient 

transition of PV technology from laboratory to marketplace by supporting 

universities so they may leverage their knowledge and offer guidance to industry; 

•	 Future Generation PV Device and Processes – to support the development of 

long-term technological advances through exploratory R&D. 

OCTOBER 2007
 

Solar Program Status & Updates 

Beyond the Lab: Solar Program Support 

for Early Stage Market Penetration....... 1 

Technology Development 

Solar Energy Technology Program Develops 

Technology Roadmaps to Define Paths for 

Photovoltaic R&D and Determine Research 

Planning at the National Labs ............ 2 

CSP Deployment: DOE Plans 

and Market Development................ 3 

Preliminary Grid Integration 

Study Results Delivered ................. 4 

Market Transformation 

Solar America Cities Update............. 5
 

Solar America Board of Codes and 

Standards (Solar ABCs) Update.......... 5 

State and Utility Technical 

Outreach Update ......................... 5 

Funding Opportunity 

Announcements and Awards .......... 6-8 

News & Updates 

Solar Prog. Welcomes New Additions.... 9 

Events Spotlight: Solar Decathlon... 10-11 

Solar Events Calendar .................. 12 

National Laboratory Technology 

Developments & DOE News.... throughout 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007 

To complement the on-going programs, researchers at the National Renewable 

Energy Laboratory (NREL) have drafted a first set of PV Technology Roadmaps 

for the solar community. We are seeking to improve these Roadmaps with inputs 

from industry and universities. We are also working with the Solar Energy Industries 

Association (SEIA) to develop an updated Industry Roadmap that will serve as an 

important tool for players in the quickly evolving solar market. 

The SETP program will host a feature event – the Solar Decathlon – in Washington, 

D.C. from October 12-20, 2007. The Solar Decathlon is held once every two years 

on the National Mall to highlight energy efficiency and solar energy technologies, 

and to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. Twenty 

university teams will compete against one another to design, build, and operate the 

most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. For more information, 

please visit the Solar Decathlon website: www.solardecathlon.org. 

Technology Development 

Solar Energy Technology Program Develops Technology 

Roadmaps to Define Paths for Photovoltaic R&D and 

Determine Research Planning at the National Labs 

Historically, NREL and Sandia National Laboratory (Sandia) have been home to 

the largest PV research program in the United States. As today’s global PV industry 

grows to more $10 billion in sales and private investment in R&D measuring in the 

hundreds of millions of dollars, the scale of private investment is outpacing federal 

investment. In response to this and to the fact that the global PV industry doubling 

every two years, SETP has established the Technology Roadmaps as a means by 

which it, and industry, can assess and guide the progress of PV R&D. 

The Roadmaps cover the following ten PV R&D areas: Wafer-Silicon, Thin Film 

Silicon, Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS), Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), 

Concentrating Photovoltaics, Organic Photovoltaics, Sensitized Cell Photovoltaics, 

Multiple-Exciton-Generation Photovoltaics, Intermediate-Band Photovoltaics, and 

Nano-Architecture Photovoltaics. Each Roadmap defines metrics for measuring its 

technology’s current status and estimating its future potential and defines the R&D 

needed to reach that potential. The first drafts of the Technology Roadmaps can 

be found at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america/planning.html. Public 

input can be sent to the contacts listed on the website or offered at the Annual Solar 

Program Review Meeting in March 2008. 

The Roadmaps are focused on the rapidly changing needs of the industry. The first 

Roadmaps were drafted in 2007 by researchers at NREL with informal input from 

industry and university participants; DOE plans to update them every two years 

with formal input from relevant industry players. This bi-annual review of R&D 

goals will allow NREL and Sandia to operate with greater flexibility and dynamism 

in responding to the needs of a rapidly changing industry, providing the national 

labs with relevant metrics and near-term goals. These Roadmaps will also serve as 

a yardstick for industry to measure its progress. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

NREL Supports Field-Testing of 

SEGS Heat-Collection Elements 

NREL has provided significant support 

to FPL Energy, owner of seven parabolic 

trough Solar Electric Generating Stations 

(SEGS) in southern California, and to 

SunRay Energy, owner of two SEGS, for 

the temperature measurement of heatcollection elements (HCEs). Almost 100,000 

HCEs have been imaged and characterized 

using a measurement system developed 

at NREL in FY 2007. The system measures 

the thermal insulation of receivers and 

allows assessment of methods for in-situ 

restoration of receiver performance. NREL 

has trained FPL personnel to perform the 

tests on their own. The nine SEGS have 

a combined 354 MW installed capacity, 

making them the largest solar installation 

of any kind in the world. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

DOE/NREL Sponsor the “REAP 

2007” Conference 

DOE/NREL sponsored the Minority University 

Research Associate (MURA) Program’s 2007 

Renewable Energy Academic Partnership 

(REAP) Conference and Review Meeting. 

REAP was held in Newark, DE, on August 

20-22 in conjunction with the “Sustainable 

Energy from Solar Hydrogen” National 

Science Foundation (NSF) Integrative 

Graduate Education Research Training 

Program (IGERT) Workshop at the University 

of Delaware. Participation included 

undergraduate and graduate students, along 

with faculty, from eight MURA Program 

Universities and the University of Delaware’s 

NSF/IGERT program. Participants presented 

more than 30 talks and 20 posters that 

described their research involving various 

renewable technologies. In addition to the 

technical sessions, the conference included 

a professional development workshop, as 

well as invited talks from NREL, university, 

and industry leaders. 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2007 

DOE SETP is currently using the Technology Roadmaps to make funding decisions 

for Fiscal Year 2008 in the PV R&D programs at NREL and Sandia National 

Laboratories. The Roadmaps have also generated ideas for research that could be 

jointly funded by industry partners via Cooperative Research and Development 

Agreements (CRADA’s). With the industry changing so rapidly, the Roadmaps 

are enabling the program to operate with greater dynamism and flexibility. NREL 

and Sandia staff collected their best ideas to respond to the needs outlined in the 

Roadmaps, and prepared proposals of work they could do with various levels of 

funding. NREL, Sandia, and DOE management reviewed the proposals and selected 

those with the most promise of helping make the solar industry successful in the 

coming years. External reviewers will be used in the future to bring the wisdom of 

the larger solar community into this process. The use of the Technology Roadmaps 

together with the competitive planning process will greatly enhance the SETP. 

Figure1. PV Wafer Silicon Roadmap Metrics & PV Roadmap Cover 

Parameter Present Status (2007) 

Polysilicon Cost $45-$60/kg 

Wire Sawing Cost $0.25/W 

Wafer Size ~ 250 cm2 

Wafer Thickness 200-250 μm 

Volume Manufacturing 100-200 MW/yr plants 

Automation Partial 

Efficiency - Best Lab Cells 25% 

Efficiency - Commercial Module 12%-18% 

Module Manufacturing Cost $2/W (at $30/kg) 

CSP Deployment: DOE Plans and Market Development 

Despite the high initial costs presently associated with CSP technology, plants 

are being developed in the U.S. and abroad, due in part to DOE’s financial and 

technological support of this burgeoning industry. At present, DOE is reviewing 

applications submitted for the Concentrating Solar Power FOA (see Figure 2), with 

the decision helping to shape the Solar Program’s CSP direction. Additionally, DOE 

is providing technical support to the Joint Development Group – a consortium 

of utilities in the Southwestern United States working to determine how to best 

utilize power from CSP. The past two years brought about the construction and 

activation of two new parabolic trough solar power plants in the Southwest. A 1 

megawatt (MW) solar trough plant, Arizona’s first and the first built in the U.S. in 

18 years, came online in April 2006 in Red Rock. The second plant, Nevada Solar 

One in Boulder City, is the third largest CSP plant in the world with 64 MW, began 

operating in June 2007 with the sale of all electricity to Nevada Power Company and 

Sierra Pacific Power Company. As much as 4,000 MW of additional CSP projects 

are currently proposed or under development in the U.S. Southwest. Furthermore, 

Pacific Gas & Electric recently announced the signing of a 25-year power purchase 

agreement to buy the electricity produced from the proposed $2 billion, 553-MW 

Mojave Solar Park. 

Aerial photo of Acciona’s Nevada Solar One, a 

64-MW parabolic trough power plant near Las 

Vegas, NV, that covers 280 acres (photo credit: 

Acciona Solar Power). 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

Receiver Heat-Loss Tests Completed 

NREL completed receiver heat-loss 

tests on Solel and Schott heat-collection 

elements delivered in FY 2007 for testing. 

Researchers used a receiver test facility 

developed in FY 2006. Heat loss from 

receiver tubes was measured over a wide 

temperature range. A paper detailing the 

results of the tests was delivered to DOE 

as a 3rd-quarter Joule milestone. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

SAM Now Includes Detailed 

Parabolic Trough Model 

A detailed parabolic trough performance, 

cost, and finance model has been 

integrated into the Solar Advisor Model 

(SAM), a comprehensive solar technology 

systems analysis model accessible at 

www.nrel.gov/analysis/sam/. The trough 

model, which includes a storage option, 

has found use from developers and 

due-diligence firms. Dish/Stirling-engine 

system modeling is nearing completion 

and will be integrated into SAM in FY 

2008. NREL is also working with a 

university partner and industry to develop 

one or more central receiver models to be 

integrated into SAM in FY 2008 or 2009. 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007 

Projects assisted by DOE are also influencing the international CSP market, where 

installations are on the rise as well. The DOE-supported Solar One and Solar Two 

power tower projects, built in the 1980s and 1990s respectively, in the U.S. are the 

conceptual models for the 17-MW Solar Tres power tower in the Andalusia region of 

Spain. It will be the first commercial molten-salt central receiver plant in the world 

and will have a 15-hour molten-salt thermal storage system. Elsewhere in Spain, 

operation began in Seville earlier this year at the PS10 plant, an 11-MW, 115-meter 

high power tower surrounded by 624 moveable mirrors used to concentrate the sun’s 

rays; and construction is underway in the province of Granada to build AndaSol 

1 & 2, both 50-MW trough plants with a 71⁄2-hour molten-salt thermal-storage 

system. Likewise in North Africa and Israel, CSP plants, and markets for CSP plants, 

are under various stages of development. They include: Israel’s 150-MW trough 

plant in the Negev desert; Egypt’s 150-MW trough plant in Kuraymat; Mexico’s 

30-MW trough plant in the Sonora region; and a South African power tower with 

molten-salt thermal-storage. 

Preliminary Grid Integration Study Results Delivered 

The SETP Grid/Building Integration Program has received interim results in the 

form of more than 100 specific objectives from the Renewable Systems Interconnection (RSI) study. An outgrowth of the Solar America Initiative (SAI), the RSI 

study was created to address the technical, regulatory, and business issues related 

to interconnection that have the potential to limit the market uptake of distributed 

PV and other renewable technologies. 

The study was catalyzed by the recognition that the deployment of PV is occurring 

at a far more rapid rate than previously anticipated in some regions of the country. 

This accelerated deployment of distributed electricity sources that will be feeding 

power back into the grid has the potential to create problems on the distribution 

system, a system that was designed for unidirectional rather than bidirectional flow 

of power. 

DOE has brought together a team of industry experts for the study. When completed, 

it will consist of 14 individual reports that address issues related to distributed 

systems technology development, advanced distribution systems integration, 

system level tests and demonstrations, technical and market analysis, and resource 

assessment. Given that integration-related issues are likely to emerge first for PV 

technology, the RSI study focuses primarily on distributed PV. The combined efforts 

of the 14-report RSI have yielded a number of objectives, which include improved 

stand-alone capabilities of distributed PV with storage capabilities; development 

and validation of remote monitoring and dispatch control platforms (e.g., software, 

sensors); establishment of grid infrastructure design and operation requirements 

for local and regional grids; and development of new solar resource forecasting 

capabilities for short- and long-term system planning and cash flow analyses. The final 

study results are scheduled to be delivered in December 2007. From these findings, 

the Grid/Building Integration Program is developing a Multi-year Research Plan 

which will coordinate efforts among DOE and key states. The Executive Summary 

of the report can be accessed on the SETP website at: http://www1.eere.energy. 

gov/solar/pdfs/rsi.pdf. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

2007 Parabolic Trough 

Workshop Hosted by NREL 

The 2007 Parabolic Trough Technology 

Workshop was hosted by NREL on March 

8-9 in Golden, Colorado. NREL worked 

closely with DLR, the German Aerospace 

Center, to organize this workshop 

whose purpose was to: (1) exchange 

technical information, (2) collaborate 

on SolarPACES projects relating to 

receiver testing and dry cooling, and (3) 

gather industry input on laboratory R&D 

directions. Nearly 150 people attended, 

with representatives from the national 

laboratories, universities, manufacturing 

companies, major Southwestern utilities 

and developers, finance firms, and 

consultants in the solar community. 

This attendance is a fivefold increase in 

participation over previous years. The 

workshop featured presentations on the 

following parabolic trough power plant 

topics: current and future market vision, 

project developments, solar resource 

assessment, technology trends, moltensalt heat-transfer fluids, direct steam 

generation, and advanced tools and 

testing capabilities. Presentations and 

poster session material can be found at 

www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/ 

wkshp_2007.html. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

National Academy of 

Sciences Study 

The SETP presented at the National 

Academy of Sciences for a study of 

electricity generation from renewable 

technologies on September 18, 2007. 

All of DOE’s EERE programs are taking 

part in the review, titled “America’s 

Energy Future: Panel on Electric Power 

Generation from Renewable Energy 

Sources.” This was the first meeting of 

the on-going study. 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007 

Market Transformation 

Solar America Cities Update 

Announced in June 2007, the Solar America Cities awards were given to 13 cities 

who have committed to achieving a sustainable solar infrastructure through a 

comprehensive, city-wide approach that facilitates mainstream adoption of solar 

energy. DOE is providing a total of $2.6 million in financial assistance to the Cities 

program, in addition to approximately $3.25 million in technical assistance that is 

being provided by Tiger Teams led by NREL, Sandia, the Florida Solar Energy 

Center and New Mexico State University. 

To learn more about the unique challenges and technical assistance needs of the 

awardees, DOE officials visited with participants and interested stakeholders in all 

13 cities. All cities showed tremendous enthusiasm in pulling together a diverse set 

of motivated stakeholders and partners who will actively work on implementing the 

Solar America Cities activities. The cities also showed a strong interest in setting up 

collaborative networks with other cities to share best practices and lessons learned. 

Currently, DOE is working to facilitate collaboration between cities and deploy Tiger 

Team technical assistance. In 2008, DOE will award another 8-12 cities, bringing 

the total number of Solar America Cities to roughly 21-25. 

Solar America Board of Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) Update 

The Solar ABCs held its first stakeholder meeting at the end of the Solar Power 2007 

conference in Long Beach, CA. More than 200 people participated in this initial 

meeting. Led by 13 Steering Committee member organizations, the Solar ABCs will 

identify current issues, establish a dialogue among key stakeholders, and catalyze 

appropriate activities to support the development of codes and standards that 

facilitate the installation of high quality, safe PV systems. Interested stakeholders are 

encouraged to participate in and provide input to any of the Solar ABCs’10 panels 

through stakeholder meetings and discussion forums on the Solar ABCs website 

at: http://www.SolarABCs.org. A quarterly Solar ABCs newsletter will report on 

panel activities and list opportunities for involvement in future activities. For more 

information on how you can become involved, please contact Solar ABCs Project 

Administrator Larry Sherwood at larry@sherwoodassociates.com. 

State and Utility Technical Outreach Update 

As part of DOE’s outreach to state legislators, the National Council of State 

Legislatures is hosting a two-day Solar Energy Institute in conjunction with the 

Solar Decathlon. The Institute is an opportunity for interested state legislators to 

learn more about the current status of solar technology and policy within the U.S. 

Through state policies, state legislators can influence the market uptake of solar 

technologies, as well as other energy efficient and renewable energy technologies. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

TroughNet Website Focuses 

on Parabolic Trough Issues 

TroughNet is a technical resource for 

evaluating parabolic trough solar power plant 

technologies. The TroughNet website at 

www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet/ provides up-todate information in the following areas: 

•	 Technologies—solar fields, thermal 

energy storage, and power plant systems. 

•	 Market and economic assessment— 

market overview; solar resource 

assessment and siting; cost reduction 

opportunities; financing, incentives and 

barriers; economic and environmental 

benefits; and market development and 

deployment initiatives. 

•	 Research and development—in the 

areas of solar fields, thermal energy 

storage and heat-transfer fluid, and 

power plant technologies. 

•	 Data resources—including industry 

partners; U.S. power plant data; solar 

data, models and tools; and system and 

component testing. 

•	 FAQs, workshops, and publications— 

answers to common questions, 

information on upcoming workshops 

and material from past workshops, 

and a guide to selected documents. 

You can subscribe at www.nrel.gov/csp/ 

troughnet/subscribe.html to receive updates 

when new information is added to the site. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

Thermal-Storage Plan Developed 

NREL and Sandia, with support from 

industry, have developed a thermalstorage development plan, which was 

delivered to DOE as a 1st-quarter Joule 

milestone. The report provides a detailed 

plan for developing thermal-storage 

systems for parabolic trough systems. 

It also describes the market conditions 

that would contribute to the successful 

penetration of concentrating solar power 

in baseload markets. 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007 

Figure 2. Summary of Solar Program R&D Funding Opportunities CLOSED PENDING OPEN PROPOSED

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY 

ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) 

OR SOLICITATION 

AWARD 

DATE 

FUNDING 

AMOUNT DESCRIPTION STATUS 

Systems Development and March 8, $168 M Cost-shared industry-led projects for PV systems • Amonix (CA) 

Manufacturing: Technology 2007 over 3 years development, and manufacturing demonstrations. • Boeing (CA) 

Pathway Partnerships (TPP) Collective portfolio of projects will reduce direct 

manufacturing and installation costs by at least 

30% by 2010, and will deliver up to 2.4 GW of new 

manufacturing capacity by year-end 2010. 

• BP Solar (MD) 

• Dow Chemical (MI) 

• General Electric (DE) 

• GreenRay (MA) 

• Konarka (MA) 

• Miasole (CA) 

• Nanosolar (CA) 

• Soliant (CA) 

• SunPower (CA), includes 

PowerLight (CA) 

• United Solar Ovonic (MI) 

Market Transformation: March 26, $4.2 M Working Group will address code development and Solar America Board of 

Codes and Standards 2007 over 5 years outreach activities in areas of critical importance 

to solar market penetration (e.g., interconnection 

procedures, net metering, product safety, 

international standards coordination). Will lead 

to a major improvement in the responsiveness, 

effectiveness, and accessibility of codes and 

standards to U.S. solar stakeholders at all levels. 

Codes and Standards 

(SolarABCs) 

PV Capacity Credit 

Valuation Study: 

• State University 

of New York (NY) 

• Tucson Electric Power (AZ) 

Market Transformation: March 27, $1.7 M Will conduct tailored solar technical outreach to Utility Technical Outreach: 

State/Utility Solar 2007 over 3 years states and utilities and will provide resources and • Solar Electric Power 

Technical Outreach best practices to address solar issues faced by 

states and utilities. 

Association (DC) 

State Technical Outreach: 

• Clean Energy Group (VT) 

• National Assocation 

of Regulatory Utility 

Commissioners (DC) 

• National Conference of 

State Legislatures (CO) 

Market Transformation: 

Solar America Showcases 

(SAS) 

October 11, 

2006 

Technical 

assistance 

only 

‘Showcases are designed to help facilitate 

large-scale installations that involve cutting-edge 

solar technologies, novel applications of solar, highvisibility sites, and/or high likelihood of replicability. 

SAS does not provide financial assistance; instead, 

it provides technical assistance through teams 

of DOE-funded solar experts from the National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sandia National 

Laboratories, the Southeast and Southwest Regional 

Experiment Stations, and private firms. 

• City of San Jose (CA) 

• Forest City Military 

Communities (HI) 

• Orange County 

Convention Center (FL) 

Continued on following page 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007 

Summary of Solar Program R&D Funding Opportunities, Continued CLOSED PENDING OPEN PROPOSED 

FOA OR SOLICITATION AWARD 

DATE 

FUNDING 

AMOUNT DESCRIPTION STATUS 

Component and Pilot Scale 

Production: PV Module 

Incubators 

March 27, 

2007 

$27 M 

over 18 

months 

Projects focused on solving technical challenges 

that must be overcome to scale-up manufacturing 

and commercialize new products by 2010 and 

shortening the timeline for companies to transition 

pre-commercial PV technologies into full-scale 

manufacturing. 

• AVA Solar (CO) 

• Blue Square Energy (MD) 

• CaliSolar (CA) 

• EnFocus Engineering (CA) 

• MicroLink Devices (IL) 

• Plextronics (PA) 

• PrimeStar Solar (CO) 

• Solaria (CA) 

• SolFocus (CA) 

• SoloPower (CA) 

Market Transformation: 

Solar America Cities 

June 21, 

2007 

$2.5 M 

and technical 

support over 

2 years 

Cities will integrate solar technologies into city 

energy planning, zoning, and facilities; streamline 

city-level regulations and practices that affect 

solar adoption by residents and local businesses 

(e.g., permitting, inspections, local codes); and 

promote solar technology among residents and local 

businesses (e.g., outreach, curriculum development, 

and/or implementation, incentive programs). 

• Ann Arbor (MI) 

• Austin (TX) 

• Berkeley (CA) 

• Boston (MA) 

• Madison (WI) 

• New Orleans (LA) 

• New York (NY) 

• Pittsburgh (PA) 

• Portland (OR) 

• Salt Lake City (UT) 

• San Diego (CA) 

• San Francisco (CA) 

• Tucson (AZ) 

FOA OR SOLICITATION CLOSING 

DATE 

FUNDING 

AMOUNT DESCRIPTION STATUS 

Device and Process 

Proof of Concept: Future 

Generation PV Device and 

Processes 

April 5, 

2007 

Up to $4M 

per year over 

3 years 

For companies to perform exploratory R&D for 

developing innovative, highly disruptive futuregeneration solar electric technologies. Device and 

manufacturing process research targeted here 

is expected to produce prototype cells and/or 

processes by 2015, with full commercialization in 

the 2020–2030 timeframe. 

Applications were received. 

In Merit Review process, 

decisions expected by late 

October 2007. 

Concentrating Solar Power 

Funding Opportunity 

Announcement 

May 24, 

2007 

$10M–$20M 

over 2 years 

For companies to develop storage solutions, 

manufacturing approaches, and new system 

concepts for large-scale concentrating solar 

power (CSP) plants. Collaborative public/private 

partnerships established herein will work to reduce 

the nominal levelized cost of energy of CSP power 

plants from 13–17 ¢/kWh in 2007 to 7–10¢/kWh by 

2015 and 5–7¢/kWh by 2020. 

Applications were received. 

In Merit Review process, 

decisions expected by late 

October 2007. 

FOA OR SOLICITATION CLOSING 

DATE 

FUNDING 

AMOUNT DESCRIPTION STATUS 

Systems Development and 

Manufacturing: University 

Product and Process 

Development Support 

October 16, 

2007 

Up to $30M 

over 3 years 

For universities to perform targeted materials 

science and process engineering research 

that offers direct, near-term improvements in 

PV products and development processes for 

commercialization by 2010. 

Continued on following page 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007 

Summary of Solar Program R&D Funding Opportunities, Continued CLOSED PENDING OPEN PROPOSED 

FOA OR SOLICITATION 

Component and Pilot Scale 

Production: Solar Energy 

Grid Integration Systems 

Component and Pilot Scale 

Production: PV Module 

Incubators 

Solar America Cities 

Solar America Showcases 

Minority University 

Research Associates 

RELEASE 

DATE 

FUNDING 

AMOUNT DESCRIPTION STATUS 

Fall 2007 

FY 2008 

FY 2008 

FY 2008 

FY 2008 

$20M–$25M 

over 3 years 

TBD by 

appropriations 

TBD by 

appropriations 

Technical 

assistance 

only 

TBD by 

appropriations 

‘To perform exploratory R&D targeting dramatic 

improvements in inverters and energy management 

technologies for solar electricity production. 

Projects focused on solving technical challenges 

that must be overcome to scale-up manufacturing 

and commercialize new products by 2010 and 

shortening the timeline for companies to transition 

pre-commercial PV technologies into full-scale 

manufacturing. 

Building on the success of the initial Solar America 

Cities FOA, the Solar Program plans to issue a 

similar FOA to allow more cities to participate. This 

initiative may select up to 10 cities for awards. Solar 

America Cities are recognized as partners who are 

highly committed to solar technology adoption at the 

local level. 

The Solar America Showcases Notice of Technical 

Assistance (NOTA) was well received and the Solar 

Program plans to release a similar NOTA. To receive 

technical assistance for a Solar America Showcase, 

the project must be a large-scale (>100 kW), 

high-visibility solar installation that uses a novel 

solar technology, a novel application for a solar 

technology, and replicable components. 

DOE plans to provide support to attract and 

encourage qualified science, engineering, and 

business minority undergraduate and graduate 

students to pursue advanced degrees and 

careers in science and technology by providing 

scientific and technical R&D opportunities in solar 

energy technologies. Will solicit applications from 

accredited universities and colleges defined as 

Minority Serving Institutions. 

The Solar Program is 

scheduled to release this 

FOA in early October 2007, 

which will provide up to 

$6-$8 million per year for 

3 years. There will be up to 

fourteen Phase 1 recipients 

in FY08. The FOA will close 

60 business days after it is 

released. 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007 

News & Updates 

The Solar Program Welcomes New Additions 

Three new members have recently joined the SETP: Kevin Lynn, a senior PV 

Engineer contractor with Sentech, Inc., and two 2007 Presidential Management 

Fellows, Hannah Muller and Katie Bolcar. 

Before joining SETP, Kevin Lynn was a Senior Research 

Engineer at the Florida Solar Energy Center and the principal 

investigator at the Southeast Regional Experiment Station 

(SERES), a project with the Department of Energy focused 

on PV system research. This work included developing 

training materials for installers and code officials, working 

with builders, and testing the performance of PV modules 

and inverters. Kevin has a MS in Mathematics and Materials 

Science, with his graduate work focused on developing novel 

methods of manufacturing Copper Indium Diselenide 

(CIS) solar cells. Kevin will be working on coordinating technical assistance for the 

Solar America Cities and Solar Showcase programs, as well as providing support 

on training and solar codes and standards. 

Hannah Muller has joined SETP as an Energy Technology 

Program Specialist. Hannah earned her Master’s in Environmental Policy from the Bren School of Environmental 

Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara and will 

use her experience with local climate change initiatives and 

environmental planning to enhance the technical outreach 

efforts of the Market Transformation team. 

Katie Bolcar graduated from Duke University with a joint 

Master in Public Policy and Environmental Management, 

where she focused on energy policy including climate 

change, international development, and electricity markets. 

As part of the SETP Market Transformation group, she 

will be leading the Education, Training, and Certification 

activities as well as assisting in other areas. 

(top) Craig Cornelius, Acting SETP Program 

Manager at Solar Power Conference. (bottom 

left) Attendees at the 22nd EU PVSEC in Milan, 

Italy. (bottom right) Some of the residential 

scale inverters on display at EU PVSEC 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

Solar Power 2007 Conference 

More than 12,000 people participated 

in this year’s Solar Power Conference 

in Long Beach, California on September 

24-27. Craig Cornelius, DOE’s Solar 

Program Manager, led a delegation that 

participated in a range of discussions. 

Presentations from DOE such as, “Update 

from Washington: The Federal Solar Policy 

Landscape,” and “DOE Solar Programs: 

What’s Hot, What’s Next,” gave audiences 

details on how program funds are being 

allocated, as well as how the program 

is geared to address the near-term 

challenges in solar energy. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENTS & DOE NEWS 

22nd EU PVSEC in Milan, Italy 

The 22nd European Photovoltaic Solar 

Energy Conference and Exhibition took 

place in Milan, Italy during the first week 

of September. Representatives from the 

national labs and SETP joined other global 

leaders in PV at the conference to gain 

perspective on how the global market is 

evolving, in addition to participating in 

discussions on the technical issues facing 

the industry. 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007 

Event Spotlight: Solar Decathlon 

October 1-0, 007, on the National Mall, Washington, D.C. 

The third Solar Decathlon competition (www.solardecathlon.org) will be taking 

place October 12-20 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. There will be 20 

college teams participating in the competition: 16 teams from 13 states and four 

teams representing Canada, Germany, Puerto Rico, and Spain. The competition 

challenges each team to design, build, and operate a house that will be judged on 

effective utilization of solar energy, energy efficiency, practicality, and aesthetics. 

During each of the past two Solar Decathlons, more than 100,000 visitors flocked 

to the National Mall to visit the “solar village.” 

Opening Ceremony 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 10AM-11AM 

•	 Master of Ceremonies, Assistant 

Secretary, Alexander Karsner 

•	 Welcome, Secretary of Energy 

Samuel W. Bodman 

•	 Introduction of Solar 


Decathlon Teams
 

•	 Ribbon Cutting 

•	 Tour of Homes 

Consumer Workshops 

The U.S. DOE and other event sponsors 

are offering solar energy and energy 

efficiency workshops for consumers: 

•	 WEEKENDS: 


10:00AM
 

11:30AM
 

1:00PM
 

2:30PM
 

4:00PM
 

•	 WEEKDAYS (except Oct. 18): 

10:00AM 

11:30AM 

1:00PM 

2:30PM 

Building Industry Day 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 

Workshops for the building industry 

will be offered at: 

9:00AM Solar Applications 

for Homes 

(John Quale, ASHRAE) 

10:00AM Enabling Solar Energy 

(Audey Korpus, Xantrex) 

11:00AM Creating Differentiation 

in a Cooled Housing Market 

(Charlie Popeck, Honeywell) 

12:00PM	 Introduction to the National 

Green Building Program 

(NAHB) 

1:00PM	 Zero Energy Homes 

(Jeff Christian, DOE) 

2:00PM	 Strategies for Successful 

Green Homebuilding 

(Jay Hall, USGBC) 

3:00PM	 Solar Hot Water System 

Performance 

(Duncan Prahl, DOE) 

4:00PM	 Solar for Builders 

(Paul Garvison, BP) 

5:00PM	 Presolarizing: What To 

Do Before You Innovate 

(Dana Bres, PATH) 

The U.S. DOE and other sponsors 

will also be presenting an “Ask the 

Experts” panel from 9AM-5PM to 

answer questions on green buildings. 

Winner Announced 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, PM 

Scenes from the 2005 Solar Decathlon. 

View the map and event schedule on the 

following page. 

Contests and Scoring 

The Decathlon consists of 10 contests, 

which all have their own point values that 

make up a raw score to determine the 

winning college/university. 

• Architecture – 200 points 

• Engineering – 150 points 

• Market Viability – 150 points 

• Communications – 100 points 

• Comfort Zone – 100 points 

• Appliances – 100 points 

• Hot Water – 100 points 

• Lighting – 100 points 

• Energy Balance – 100 points 

• Getting Around – 100 points 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007
 

Figure 3. Solar Decathloon Map 

Penn State 

Team Montréal (École de Technologie Supériore, 

Université de Montréal,McGill University) 

Lawrence Technological University 

The National Mall 

Washington, D.C. 

October 12-20, 2007 

www.solardecathlon.org Figure 4. Solar Decathlon Schedule 

Sunday Monday 

This is a preliminary schedule and is subject to 

change. 

Oct 7 (Day 5) Oct 8 (Day 6) 

REST DAY ASSEMBLY (Use of heavy machinery (24 hours) 

prohibited during 

designated hours, but “SOLAR-ONLY” quiet, light work may 

continue) BEGINS 

(24 hours) (7 a.m.) 

Oct 14 (Day 12) Oct 15 (Day 13) 

IMPOUND IMPOUND (midnight – 7 a.m.) (midnight – 7 a.m.) 

CONTESTS CONTESTS (8 a.m. – 6 p.m.) (8 a.m. – midnight) 

ARCHITECTURE 

WORKSHOPS 

PUBLIC TOURS and 

AWARDS 

(10 a.m.) (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.) 

IMPOUND PUBLIC TOURS and (10 p.m. – midnight) WORKSHOPS 

(11 a.m. – 3 p.m.) 

IMPOUND (10 p.m. – midnight) 

Oct 21 (Day 19) Oct 22 (Day 20) 

DISASSEMBLY DISASSEMBLY (24 hours) (24 hours) 

2007 SOLAR DECATHLON SCHEDULE 

10th Street 

101 102

103 104

105 106

107 108

109 110

12th Street Exhibits

111 112

113 114

115 116

117 118

119 120

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid 

Texas A&M University 

University of Cincinnati 

Cornell University 

Kansas Project Solar House 110	 (Kansas State University and 

University of Kansas) 

Technische Universität Darmstadt 

Carnegie Mellon University 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

118 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

New York Institute of Technology 

Santa Clara University 

Universidad de Puerto Rico 

University of Texas at Austin 

University of Maryland 

University of Missouri-Rolla 

University of Colorado at Boulder 

Georgia Institute of Technology 

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 

Oct 2 (Day 0) Oct 3 (Day1) Oct 4 (Day 2) Oct 5 (Day 3) Oct 6 (Day 4) 

REGISTRATION 

(4 p.m. – 8 p.m.) ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLY 

ALL-TEAM MEETING (24 hours; (24 hours) (24 hours) (24 hours) 

(6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Start at 12:01 a.m.) 

Oct 9 (Day 7) Oct 10 (Day 8) Oct 11 (Day 9) Oct 12 (Day 10) Oct 13 (Day 11) 

ASSEMBLY FINISH WORK and ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLY IMPOUND (midnight – 7 a.m.) COMMISSIONING (24 hours) (midnight – 7 a.m.) FINISH WORK and 

COMMISSIONING 

(24 hours) (midnight – 9 a.m.) 

OPENING CEREMONY CONTESTS (7 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and (10 a.m. – 11 a.m.) (8 a.m. – 6 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. – midnight) 

PUBLIC and VIP TOURS 

OPENING CEREMONY PUBLIC TOURS DRESS REHEARSAL 

(11 a.m. – 3 p.m.) 

(10 a.m. – 5 p.m.) (1 p.m.) COMMISSIONING 

(3 p.m. – 7 p.m.) IMPOUND 

MEDIA OPEN HOUSE 

SPONSOR TOURS & IMPOUND (7 p.m. – midnight)

(7 p.m. – midnight) (5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) 

Oct 16 (Day 14) Oct 17 (Day 15) Oct 18 (Day 16) Oct 19 (Day 17) Oct 20 (Day 18) 

IMPOUND IMPOUND 

IMPOUND IMPOUND IMPOUND (midnight – 7 a.m.) (midnight – 7 a.m.) (midnight – 7 a.m.) (midnight – 7 a.m.) (midnight – 7 a.m.) 

CONTESTS CONTESTS
 (24 hours)
 PUBLIC TOURS and 

CONTESTS CONTESTS (8 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.) WORKSHOPS (24 hours) (24 hours) AWARDS CEREMONY (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.) ENGINEERING AWARDS REHEARSAL (2:00 p.m.) “SOLAR-ONLY” COMMUNICATIONS LIGHTING AWARDS (10 a.m.) 

ENDS 

MARKET VIABILITY AWARDS (10 a.m.) PUBLIC TOURS ONLY (6 p.m.) (No workshops) AWARDS (10 a.m.) 

(11 a.m. – 3 p.m.) WORKSHOPS ONLY (10 a.m.) VICTORY RECEPTION (No public tours) PUBLIC TOURS and AWARDS CEREMONY and IMPOUND (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.) PUBLIC TOURS and (7 p.m. – 10 p.m.) WORKSHOPS (2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.) BUILDING INDUSTRY DAY (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.) (Workshops for building DISASSEMBLY IMPOUND IMPOUND (10 p.m. – midnight) industry only) (10 p.m. – midnight) (10 p.m. – midnight) 

(9 a.m. – 6 p.m.) 

(10 p.m. – midnight) 

IMPOUND 

IMPOUND 

(10 p.m. – midnight) 

Phase I - Unrestricted Assembly: Day 1, 12:01 a.m. – Day 6, 7:00 a.m. 

All power sources are permitted, provided they comply with the Solar Decathlon Rules and Regulations. 

Phase II – Restricted Assembly: Day 6, 7:00 a.m. (beginning of “Solar Only” – Day 9, 7:00 a.m. 

Same as Phase I except that only the house power system (including solar thermal) can be used to charge house battery, mechanical, and 

thermal mass systems. Note: The Organizers will deliver water to the teams’ designated tanks early in Phase II. 

Phase III – Commissioning and Contests: Day 9, 7:00 a.m. – Day 18, 6:00 p.m. (end of “Solar Only”) 

The use of power sources that are not considered part of the house power system (including solar thermal) is prohibited. 

Phase IV – Disassembly: Day 18, 6:00 p.m. –Day 21, 12:00 a.m. (Disassembly does not continue into Day 21) 

Same as Phase I. 

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 007 

SOLAR EVENTS CALENDAR 

Semicon Europa 2007 

October 9-11, 2007: Stuttgart, Germany 

www.semi.org/semiconeuropa 

Photovoltaic Forum & Exposition Taiwan 2007 

October 11-12, 2007: Taipei, Taiwan 

www.taipeitradeshows.com.tw/pv 

2007 Solar Decathlon 

October 12 -20, 2007: Washington, DC 

www.solardecathlon.org 

Solar Energy Asia 2007 

October 16-19, 2007: Singapore 

www.terrapinn.com/2007/solar/ 

Southeast Solar Summit 

October 24-25, 2007: Oak Ridge, TN 

www.ornl.gov/sci/solarsummit/ 

Solar Industry Conference 2007 

October 24-25, 2007, Madrid, Spain 

www.solarpraxis.de 

The 2nd Annual Investing in Solar 

October 29-30, 2007: Las Vegas, NV 

www.frallc.com/conference.aspx?ccode=B544 

The Concentrated Solar Power Summit 

November 5-6, 2007: Seville, Spain 

www.csptoday.com 

Greenbuild 2007 

November 7-9, 2007: Chicago, IL 

www.greenbuildexpo.org 

PVTech Expo 2007 

November 11-15, 2007: Rome, Italy 

www.pvtech.it 

Energy Efficiency Global Forum and Exposition 

November 11-14, 2007: Washington, DC 

www.eeglobalforum.com 

2007 Material Research (MRS) Fall Meeting 

November 26-30, 2007: Boston, MA 

www.mrs.org/meetings 

PVSEC-17: 17th International Photovoltaic 

Science & Engineering Conference 

December 3-7, 2007: Fukuoka, Japan 

www.pvsec17.jp 

Solar Silicon and PV Production 

Equipment Conference 

January 15-16, 2008: Shenzhen, China 

www.photon-expo.com 

Int’l Renewable Energies Exhibition & Conference 

February 17-21, 2008: Adelaide, SA, Australia 

www.solarcitiescongress.com.au 

Solar 2008 

February 24-28, 2008: Cairo, Egypt 

www.photoenergy.org 

Washington Int’l Renewable Energy Conference 

March 1-7.2008, Washington, DC 

www.acore.org 

23rd Photovoltaic Symposium 

March 5-7, 2008: Bad Staffelstein, Germany 

www.otti.de 

Asia Solar Energy PV Exhibition and Forum 

March 5-7, 2008: Shanghai, China 

www.asiasolarexpo.com 

DOE SOLAR WEB SITES 

SOLAR: 

Solar America Initiative: 

www.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america 

EERE Solar Energy Technologies Program: 

www.eere.energy.gov/solar 

NREL Solar Research: www.nrel.gov/solar 

PHOTOVOLTAICS: 

NREL PV Research: www.nrel.gov/pv 

SNL PV Systems R&D: www.sandia.gov/pv 

BNL PV Environmental, Health and Safety 

Assistance Center: www.pv.bnl.gov 

ORNL Solar Technologies Program: 

www.ornl.gov/sci/solar 

PV Value Clearinghouse: 

www.nrel.gov/analysis/pvclearinghouse/ 

CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER: 

NREL CSP Research: www.nrel.gov/csp 

TroughNet: www.nrel.gov/csp/troughnet 

BUILDINGS: 

EERE Buildings Technologies Program: www. 

eere.energy.gov/buildings 

NREL Buildings Research: 

www.nrel.gov/buildings 

Solar Decathlon: 

www.solardecathlon.org 

OTHER: 

Golden Field Office: 

www.eere.energy.gov/golden 

Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS): 

https://e-center.doe.gov/iips/faopor.nsf/ 

ViewMenu?ReadForm 

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU 

This DOE Solar Energy Technologies 

Program Newsletter is for you—the 

participants and stakeholders in the DOE 

Solar Program and the Solar America 

Initiative. We envision sending this 

newsletter every quarter. If you have 

any comments or suggestions about the 

frequency or content of the newsletter, 

please e-mail solar@ee.doe.gov. 

A Strong Energy Portfolio 

for a Strong America 

Energy efficiency and clean, renewable 

energy will mean a stronger economy, a 

cleaner environment, and greater energy 

independence for America. Working 

with a wide array of state, community, 

industry, and university partners, the 

U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

invests in a diverse portfolio of energy 

technologies. 

For more information contact: 

EERE Information Center 

1-877-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463) 

www.eere.energy.gov 

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