President Announces $117M for Solar Projects 

The Administration’s vision for the energy 

future of America continues to brighten the 

solar world. On May 27, 2009, President 

Obama announced more than $467 million 

from the American Reinvestment and Recovery 

Act (ARRA) to accelerate the growth of solar 

and geothermal energy in the United States. 

Of this amount, more than $117 million is 

dedicated specifically to solar technologies: 

•	 Photovoltaics (PV) – $51.5 million

•	 Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) – $25.6 million 

•	 High Penetration Solar Deployment – $40.5 million

ARRA solar funding announcements are posted on the Web site of the Solar 

Energy Technologies Program (SETP) at www.eere.energy.gov/solar/recovery.html. 

Current opportunities include funding in the following areas: 

•	 PV Technology Incubators – focuses on solving technical challenges to scaling 

up manufacturing and commercializing new products by 2012.

•	 Foundational PV and CSP Research and Development (National Laboratory Call) – 

complements ongoing SETP-funded private sector research and is 

restricted to DOE national labs.

•	 Solar Market Transformation – funds different Solar America Cities Special 

Projects which help the 25 Solar America Cities scale-up innovative 

programs and concepts and provide solar installer instructor training in

PV and solar heating and cooling systems.

•	 High Penetration Solar Deployment – accelerates the placement of high levels 

of PV penetration into existing or newly designed distribution circuits.

To view funding opportunities, visit www.solar.energy.gov/financial_opportunities.html.

For information about ARRA funds, visit www.energy.gov/recovery/.

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

JULY 2009

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER

President Announces $117M for Solar Projects ........ 1

Program Happenings and Highlights

New Manager Takes Reins of DOE Solar Program ..... 2

PV Supply Chain, Cross-Cutting Tech Awards .......... 2

U.S. Trade Mission Learns About Solar in India ......... 3

New RSS Feed Offers Instant Notice of Funding Opps .. 4

DOE Seeks Proposals, Announces Awards 

for PV Technology Incubator Program ................... 4

Event News

Solar Grid Integration and Energy Storage Workshop ... 5

DOE Teams Up with Industry on PV Roadmaps......... 5

Int’l Reliability Workshop to Address Quality, Safety ... 5

Future of PV Manuf Focus of DOE-Sponsored Wkshps.. 6

DOE Participates in Solar Fact-Finding Trip to Spain... 6

Industry Wkshp Focuses on Reliability of c-Si PV Cells.. 7

SETP Holds Peer Review; Summary Report Planned... 7

Pre-Solicitation Conf at Princeton Lab for PPA Prop ... 7

Solar America Cities Notes

Solar America Cities Recognizes Philadelphia .......... 8

Orange County Convention Center Flips the Switch.... 8

City of Tucson Dedicates First of Seven Solar Projects .. 9

Berkeley Launches SmartSolar for Consumers......... 9

Solar America Cities Participates in National 

League of Cities Green Conference .....................10

25 Solar America Cities Share Experiences .............10

Solar America Showcase Awards

Winners Commit to Solar from Farm Belt to the Islands .11

State and Industry Updates

States Make Policy Changes to Boost Solar Integration .12

NARUC Selects Technical Assistance Awardees.......12

DOE Solar Program & Partner Publications ....... 13-14

DOE Solar Program Funding Opportunities ....... 15-17

Solar Events Calendar....................................18

National Lab Technology Developments...... throughout

“These technologies [solar 

and geothermal] represent 

two pieces of a broad energy 

portfolio that will help us 

aggressively fight climate 

change and renew our 

position as a global leader 

in clean energy jobs.”

Energy Secretary Steven Chu
P. 2

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Program Happenings and Highlights

New Manager Takes Reins of DOE Solar Program

JoAnn Milliken, a veteran leader of the U.S. Department 

of Energy (DOE), was named Acting Program Manager 

of the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP) 

in March 2009. In this role, Milliken oversees DOE 

solar research, development, demonstration, and market 

transformation activities. 

Milliken heads up SETP as part of a long and successful 

history at DOE. She joined the Agency in 1994 to manage 

battery and fuel cell research and development, and she led 

hydrogen and fuel cell technology development. In 2007 

she became Program Manager of the DOE Hydrogen Program, directing the 

program’s accelerated research, development, and demonstration efforts under 

the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. In addition, Milliken served as Acting Program 

Manager of the DOE Wind Program in 2008, launching the program’s roadmapping efforts to enable the United States to achieve 20% of its energy from 

wind by 2020. 

Prior to joining DOE, Milliken was a research chemist at the U.S. Naval 

Research Laboratory and a program manager at the Office of Naval Research, 

where she conducted and managed mission-related materials research. She earned 

a Doctorate in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania under Nobel 

Laureate Professor Alan MacDiarmid. She also received a Bachelor of Arts in 

chemistry from LaSalle University.

John Lushetsky, the former Program Manager, was selected for a special 

assignment as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for the DOE Office of 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

On a related note, Cathy Zoi was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the new 

Assistant Secretary for EERE, which oversees SETP, on June 19, 2009. 

PV Supply Chain, Cross-Cutting Technologies Awards Announced

On May 27, 2009, SETP announced the awardees of the Program’s PV Supply 

Chain and Cross-Cutting Technologies project, which funds companies with 

capabilities critical to PV manufacturing. Funded projects have the potential to 

impact a substantial segment of the PV industry within 2 to 6 years. 

Awards are given in two topic areas: proof of concept technical/feasibility 

assessment; and research, development, and demonstration. Recipients are 

as follows:

Proof of Concept Technical/Feasibility Assessment

•	 Accustrata (College Park, Maryland)

•	 Advanced Cooling (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

•	 Alenas Imaging (Conway, Massachusetts)

JoAnn Milliken, Acting 

Program Manager of SETP

Continued on following page

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

NREL Cell Wins Federal 

Technology Transfer Prize 

A new class of ultra-light, high-efficiency 

solar cells developed by National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 

has been awarded a national prize for 

commercialization of federally funded 

research. The Inverted Metamorphic 

Multijunction (IMM) Solar Cell was 

named a winner of the 2009 Award for 

Excellence in Technology Transfer by the 

Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for 

Technology Transfer.

The original IMM cell was invented by 

Mark Wanlass of NREL’s Concentrating 

Photovoltaics (CPV) Group. The design 

established a solar cell efficiency of 37.

9% under concentrated light equal to 10 

suns in 2005. In 2008, a modified version 

of the IMM design set a new record of 

40.8% efficiency under 326 suns at NREL.

Since 2005, NREL and Wanlass have 

worked with Emcore Corp of Albuquerque, 

New Mexico, to develop a commercial 

version of the IMM cell under a 

Cooperative Research and Development 

Agreement. Commercialized versions 

of the IMM cell are aimed at the space 

satellite market and for use on Earth in 

concentrated photovoltaic arrays, which 

use lenses or mirrors to focus sunlight 

onto the solar cells.

Wanlass and Emcore’s director of research 

and development Paul Sharps received 

the award at a ceremony on May 7 at the 

FLC national meeting in Charlotte, North 

Carolina. Sharing the award is NREL’s solar 

cell R&D team.
P. 3

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

•	 Fraunhofer USA, Inc., Center for Laser Technology (Plymouth, Michigan)

•	 Optomec, Inc. (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

•	 Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Palo Alto, California)

•	 Photonic Glass Corp. (Sharon, Massachusetts)

•	 PPG Industries, Inc. (Allison Park, Pennsylvania)

•	 SiOnyx Inc. (Beverly, Massachusetts)

•	 Solar Red (San Jose, California)

•	 Texas Engineering Experiment Station (College Station, Texas)

•	 University of Houston (Houston, Texas)

•	 University of Missouri (Rolla, Missouri)

•	 The University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, Texas)

•	 Washington Technology Center (Seattle, Washington)

Research, Development, and Demonstration

•	 3M (St. Paul, Minnesota)

•	 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (Allentown, Pennsylvania)

•	 DuPont (Wilmington, Delaware)

•	 General Electric (Niskayuna, New York)

•	 Sierra Solar Power (Fremont, California)

•	 Silicon Genesis Corporation (San Jose, California)

•	 Varian Semiconductor (Gloucester, Massachusetts)

•	 XeroCoat (Redwood City, California)

To learn more about the awards, visit www.solar.energy.gov/pv_supply_chain.html.

U.S. Trade Mission Learns About Solar in India 

Representatives from U.S. government and industries involved in solar energy 

embarked on a solar trade mission to India, March 22-27, 2009, to meet with 

their Indian counterparts. The trade mission, which was organized and led by 

the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), introduced 14 U.S. solar firms to the 

emerging Indian solar market through industry roundtables and client meetings 

in New Delhi, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad. A total of nearly 100 business-to-business 

meetings were facilitated, and the group also met with government officials. 

John Lushetsky, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of DOE EERE, William 

Zarit, Deputy Assistant Secretary of International Operations of DOC, and 

Carmine D’Aloisio, Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs in India, led the 

event. Commercial Service India and other DOC agencies assisted in planning 

and execution.

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

New TOPCAT System Tested at 

California CSP Plants 

In March, a new alignment technique—

Theoretical Overlay Photographic Collector 

Alignment Technique (TOPCAT)—was used 

to analyze mirror alignment at the Solar 

Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) plants in 

California. The resulting data was acquired in 

half the time the process has typically taken.

TOPCAT, a variation on dish alignment 

approaches developed at Sandia National 

Laboratories, takes photographs of the 

reflected receiver images in each of the four 

mirror rows in a trough module, whether 

LS-2 or 3. The data from the SEGS test will 

be analyzed, and the amount of adjustments 

needed will be calculated to bring each 

mirror into alignment. TOPCAT takes into 

account receiver misalignment and moduleto-module alignment errors. A typical LS-2 

loop consisted of two rows with 48 modules 

per row. Average time to acquire images and 

move to the next module was less than 

20 seconds. 

This was the second trip to the SEGS plants 

in CA using the TOPCAT system, and the 

first time it was used on SEGS plants using 

LS-3 modules. 
P. 4

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

New RSS Feed Offers Instant Notice of Funding Opportunities

SETP has launched a RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed to notify users of 

new funding opportunity announcements (FOAs). Users may register to receive 

real-time information as FOAs are released. To register, go to www.solar.energy.

gov/financial_opportunities.html and click on “Subscribe to the SETP Financial 

Opportunities RSS feed.”

DOE Seeks Proposals, Announces Awards for PV 

Technology Incubator Program

DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking project 

proposals as part of recently announced DOE funding to accelerate 

commercialization of solar energy. Proposals will be part of the DOE PV 

Technology Incubator program, which builds partnerships with U.S. industry 

and helps accelerate prototype and precommercial PV technologies into pilot 

and pre-scale manufacture. 

The anticipated ARRA program funding is $9 million. Subcontracts, up to $3 

million each, will be awarded as 18-month phased subcontracts. The minimum 

entrance criteria are demonstrated PV cells, process lab devices, or modules. The 

successful exit criteria are for prototype modules and pilot production demonstration 

at greater than 3 megawatts a year. Letters of intent are due by July 13, 2009. For 

more information, visit www.nrel.gov/business_opportunities/solicitations_rfps.html.

As part of the DOE PV Technology Pre-Incubator program, NREL also 

announced partnerships with 13 U.S. small solar businesses that have the 

capability to enter the market by 2012. These awards are aimed at small 

companies that are developing innovative technology concepts that will result 

in prototypes with project manufacturing costs of less than $1/watt. The total 

anticipated subcontracts under ARRA are $6 million. 

Awardees are as follows:

•	 Banyan Energy, Inc. (Kensington, California) 

•	 Crystal Solar, Inc. (Santa Clara, California)

•	 International Solar Electric Technology, Inc. (Chatsworth, California) 

•	 TiSol, LLC (Pasadena, California)

•	 Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (Littleton, Colorado)

•	 EPIR Technologies, Inc. (Bolingbrook, Illinois)

•	 MicroLink Devices (Niles, Illinois)

•	 1366 Technologies, Inc. (Lexington, Massachusetts)

•	 Lightwave Power, Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

•	 Vanguard Solar, Inc. (Sudbury, Massachusetts)

•	 Semprius, Inc. (Durham, North Carolina)

•	 SpectraWatt, Inc. (Hillsboro, Oregon)

•	 Luna Innovations Incorporated (Danville, Virginia)

To learn more about each company’s pre-incubator technology, visit 

www.nrel.gov/news/press/2009/696.html. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

NREL Develops Capability to 

Model and Evaluate Sub-Hourly 

PV System Output 

NREL has been working on developing 

higher temporal resolution PV output 

sets as part of the Western Wind and 

Solar Integration Study (WWSIS). This is 

the largest regional renewable energy 

integration study undertaken to date.

NREL developed an algorithm based 

on measured PV system performance 

that provides realistic 10-minute PV 

output values at sites that have satellitemodeled hourly irradiance data available. 

This enables realistic simulations of PV 

output for the 10-minute utility dispatch 

timeframe for almost any scenario of 

residential, commercial, and utility-scale 

PV deployment. In future work, this model 

will continue a validation process for sites 

outside the Southwest and examine the 

possibility of providing PV output and/or 

plane-of-array irradiance for the entire 

United States.

The algorithm has been shown to work 

for different PV collector types, including 

fixed flat plates and one-axis-tracking 

PV systems. This algorithm has been 

automated to provide a complete set of 

10-minute PV outputs for 29 different 

locations, for three complete years (2004–

2006), and for 15 different PV collector 

orientations. More information is available 

at www.westconnect.com/init_wwis.php. 
P. 5

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Event News

Upcoming Events

Solar Grid Integration and Energy Storage Workshop Planned

SETP staff, national laboratory teams, and industry professionals gathered 

June 24–25, 2009, in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, to focus on energy 

storage issues related to integrated PV/grid systems. Part of the Solar Energy 

Grid Integration Systems efforts, the workshop addressed topics such as 

identifying and prioritizing needs of energy storage for high penetration PV 

applications in residential and commercial sectors; determining high-priority 

research, development, and demonstration activities; and defining performance 

requirements for those activities.

DOE Teams Up with Industry on PV Roadmaps

DOE is partnering with industry association SEMI/PV Group for a joint 

workshop to discuss the development of a global PV industry roadmap. 

“Photovoltaic Industry Roadmaps: Opportunities through Collaboration” will 

solicit input from SEMI members to help develop an industry roadmap, which 

will be used to evaluate common components with the goal of reducing system 

costs. Speakers, including Solar Energy Industries Association representatives, 

will share PV roadmap experiences in Japan, the European Union, and the 

United States, highlighting key lessons from roadmap models in other industries. 

Participants will share input from PV manufacturers and supply chain partners, 

discuss potential roadmap models, and develop next steps. The workshop will 

be held in San Francisco on July 12, 2009. More information is available at 

www.solar.energy.gov/meetings_workshops.html.

International Reliability Workshop to Address Quality, Safety 

The International PV Reliability Workshop II will be held July 29–31, 2009, 

at the Tempe Mission Palms in Tempe, Arizona. The event will address global 

quality and safety of PV materials, including testing and certification of 

components, international codes and standards, grid integration, safety, and 

market transformation efforts. Speakers include experts from China, Japan, 

and the United States. 

The workshop will include tours of Arizona Public Service’s STAR Facility, 

TUV Rheinland’s PV test laboratory at Arizona State University (ASU), and 

Atlas Materials Testing facility. The event is organized by Sandia National 

Laboratories, NREL, and TUV/ASU.

More information and registration are available at 

www.nrel.gov/pv/ipr_workshop.html.

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

SNL Signs MOU with 

Japanese National Institute 

for PV Project Development 

SNL and Japan’s National Institute 

of Advanced Industrial Science and 

Technology (AIST) have signed an 

agreement to conduct and share research 

of mutual interest. Areas of immediate 

importance named in the memorandum 

of understanding include photovoltaics, 

nanoelectronics, nanomaterials, and 

computational investigations of the 

properties of materials.

Collaborations are expected to include 

staff exchanges between the two labs and 

information-sharing through jointly held 

workshops. SNL Vice President Rick Stulen 

and Tamotsu Nomakuchi, president of AIST, 

signed the agreement on May 4 at the DOE 

headquarters in Washington, D.C. Japan’s 

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry 

Toshihiro Nikai and U.S. DOE Secretary 

Steven Chu were present for the signing.

This MOU signing follows a three-day 

workshop last April between the State 

of New Mexico and various Japanese 

government and private organizations, 

in which SNL participated, to define 

collaborations for high-penetration PV and 

smart grid applications in New Mexico.
P. 6

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Future of PV Manufacturing Focus of DOE-Sponsored Workshops 

A series of workshops to explore the future of PV manufacturing in the United 

States is being planned to augment the ongoing National Research Council 

(NRC) project “Competing in the 21st Century: Best Practice in State & Regional 

Innovation Initiatives.” The goal of the workshops, which are sponsored by 

DOE and organized by NRC, is to examine factors that impact the PV market 

and enable the United States to capture and maintain competitive positions 

in domestic and foreign PV markets. Workshop speakers will include industry 

leaders, members of academia, government officials, and other stakeholders.

The first workshop was held April 2, 2009. Audio from the event is available 

at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/step/index.htm.

The next workshop is tentatively scheduled for July 2009.

Past Events

DOE Participates in Solar Fact-Finding Trip to Spain

Heliostats at the Abengoa PS 10 facility in Spain. 

A fact-finding trip to Spain to learn more about the country’s solar energy efforts 

included a representative from the SETP, 11 utility companies, both small municipals 

and large investor-owned utilities, and the Electric Power Research Institute. 

The journey began in Madrid with presentations about the Spanish feed-in 

tariff system and cost/grid parity. The group also visited the Spanish Ministry 

Institute of Diversification and Saving of Energy and toured the Phoenix Solar 

Installation. Following a briefing at Iberdrola, trip participants toured SunPower’s 

8.4-MW installation—a single-axis tracker system in a former rice paddy. 

At Abengoa, the group visited PS10 and PS20 power tower installations, a 

molten salt storage system, an in-progress trough system, and the company’s 

assembly facility. The group also viewed trough systems at Andasol plant 1, the 

first commercial parabolic trough power plant in Europe, and its sister system, 

Andasol 2. After a drive through “renewable alley,” where wind and solar abound 

in the Spanish desert, the group visited Plataforma Solar de Almeria, Europe’s 

largest center for research, development, and testing of CSP technologies. The 

trip, which was organized by the Solar Electric Power Association, concluded 

with a tour of First Solar’s 5.8-MW thin film PV plant. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

Recovery Act Investments at NREL 

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary 

Steven Chu made his first visit to NREL as 

secretary and announced $110 million in 

funding under the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act.

More than $100 million will accelerate 

construction of NREL’s Golden, Colorado, 

campus, dramatically expanding its 

capacity for renewable energy research and 

partnerships while showcasing some of the 

world’s most energy efficient buildings.

The announcement was part of a halfday tour of NREL by the Secretary and 

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter. With NREL Director 

Dan Arvizu, they toured the Process 

Development Integration Laboratory, NREL’s 

unique collaborative facility where industry 

works directly with researchers to rapidly 

turn solar photovoltaic innovations into 

commercial products.

Secretary Chu outlined the Administration’s 

efforts in its first 100 days to streamline 

DOE procedures and loan approval for 

$26B authorized since mid-February for 

clean energy projects that will create green 

jobs and promote economic recovery. He 

also reiterated the Administration’s goal of 

doubling the percentage that renewable 

energy contributes to the nation’s electricity 

supply by 2012—from 5 to 10 percent. Chu 

identified the hurdles in several categories 

where the Laboratory already performs 

critical research, including efficient building 

design, solar energy and improved energy 

storage for both personal vehicles and 

utility-scale power.

“It’s a start,” Chu said of the new 

investments. “By 2050 we need to reduce 

carbon emissions by 80% or more. To 

reach that goal we will need transformative 

new technologies.”
P. 7

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Industry Workshop Focuses on Reliability of c-Si PV Cells 

A procurement specification guideline for c-Si PV cells, completed by the Solar 

America Board of Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) as part of its effort to 

ensure that PV modules will meet long-term reliability goals, served as the basis of 

a workshop on May 13, 2009. Held by DOE and SEMI/PV Group, the workshop 

explored expanding the scope and support for developing useful cell standards.

SEMI, a global industry association serving manufacturing supply chains for 

the microelectronic, display, and PV industries, and PV Group, SEMI’s global 

PV initiative, have significant experience in developing standards for equipment, 

materials, and process standards in device manufacturing. Through collaboration 

with SEMI/PV Group, SETP hopes to bring suppliers together to drive down 

costs of PV materials, tools, and components.

The findings of this workshop, which was hosted by Dr. Govindasamy 

TamizhMani, a member of the Solar ABCs, at Arizona State University’s 

Polytechnic campus, will also be shared with a team of industry experts working 

in SEMI’s PV Group-supported Global Standards Roadmap project. 

The full Solar ABCs report, “Crystalline Silicon Terrestrial Photovoltaic 

Cells–Supply Chain Procurement Specification Guideline,” can be downloaded 

at www.solarabcs.org/cellprocurement. 

SETP Holds Peer Review; Summary Report Planned 

SETP held its Program Peer Review on March 9–11, 2009, in Denver, Colorado 

(a Solar America City), during which outside experts evaluated the program and 

its projects. In addition, program staff, national laboratory teams, and industry 

partners discussed SETP subprograms and projects funded by DOE. The 

resulting feedback will help guide SETP in its strategic planning process. 

Proceedings for the event covered four areas: PV research; CSP research and 

development; evaluation, validation, and analysis; and market transformation activities. 

DOE will summarize reviewer feedback into a report later this summer and 

provide details to individual principal investigators. 

Session presentations can be downloaded at www.solar.energy.gov/review_

meeting/program_review_meeting_2009.html.

Pre-Solicitation Conference at Princeton Lab for PPA Proposal 

More than 50 attendees from approximately 30 companies attended a solar presolicitation conference at DOE’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) on 

March 19, 2009. In February 2009, the Defense Energy Support Center issued a 

Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) request for proposal for rooftop and/or carport 

PV systems on behalf of PPPL. The request for proposal sought fixed-price 

bids for a 10-year PPA contract and includes a 10-year license between the solar 

developer and DOE to provide access to the installations. The Federal Energy 

Management Program, SETP, and NREL will provide technical support. The 

solicitation closed May 15, 2009. Awards, if any, are expected in September 2009.

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

SNL, UL Collaborate on PV 

Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter 

Requirements

The PV industry is responding to recent 

fires associated with PV systems with 

efforts better understand the causes and 

impacts of direct current arc faults in 

high voltage systems. There is no direct 

protection in a PV system to reliably detect 

and mitigate a PV arc fault failure mode. 

In April, Underwiters Laboratories (UL) 

convened an ad hoc working group to 

address this topic with representatives 

from the PV industry, protection equipment 

manufacturers, UL, SNL, and the Solar 

America Board of Codes and Standards. 

As a result of the two-day meeting, SNL 

and UL are collaborating to replicate PV arc 

faults under controlled lab conditions to 

characterize faulting signal signatures and 

develop proposed modifications to the 

2011 National Electric Code (NEC) for PV 

AFCI protection.
P. 8

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Solar America Cities Notes

Solar America Cities Recognizes Philadelphia at 

PV America Conference

On June 8, 2009, SETP 

Acting Program Manager 

JoAnn Milliken presented 

Mayor Michael Nutter of 

Philadelphia with a Solar 

America City sign, officially 

recognizing the city as a DOE 

Solar America City. 

The presentation was part of 

the PV America Conference in 

Philadelphia June 8-10, 2009, 

which brought together PV 

manufacturers, developers, and 

installers to provide the most 

current updates on PV technology, industry trends, and business opportunities. 

The event was presented by the Solar Energy Industries Association and the 

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Philadelphia’s Solar America City team has many innovative projects underway, 

and is guided by a community-based Solar Partnership Advisory Board. 

Philadelphia recently announced a rebate program that funds 35% of the cost 

of residential and small business solar installations. 

Orange County Convention Center Flips the Switch 

DOE’S John Lushetsky (second from right) joins Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, 

Senator Lee Constantine, and representatives from Orlando Utilities Commission and Orange County Convention 

Center to flip the switch on a new 1-MW rooftop solar installation. Photo courtesy Gil Ihrig, Orange County Photographer.

The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Florida, held a 

“Flipping the Switch” solar installation ceremony to mark the launch of OCCC’s 

1-MW rooftop installation on May 20, 2009. 

JoAnn Milliken, Acting Program Manager of SETP, presents 

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (left) with the city’s Solar 

America City sign. Rhone Resch, President and CEO of SEIA (right), 

looks on. Photo courtesy Solar Energy Industries Association.

Continued on following page

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

Workshop on CSP Qualification 

Methods and Standards 

Development of qualification methods 

and standards for CSP components and 

systems was the subject of a recent 

workshop hosted by NREL and the German 

Aerospace Center in Golden, Colorado. 

Attendees, which included representatives 

from U.S., German, and Spanish research 

laboratories, as well as representatives 

from U.S. and international component 

suppliers, developers, EPC contractors, and 

owner/debt engineering firms, provided 

expert opinions on testing and standards. 

Discussions focused on the development 

of standards for parabolic trough mirror/

module characterization, mirror lifetime 

and durability testing, parabolic trough 

receiver characterization, and solar field 

acceptance testing.

The information wll be used to prepare for 

an additional workshop that will be held 

to coincide with the 2009 SolarPACES 

Symposium in September. 

Participation in these working groups 

is open to anyone interested in actively 

supporting one or more of the topic areas. 

For solar field component testing, contact 

Dr. Peter Heller at peter.heller@dlr.de. For 

solar field acceptance testing, contact 

Mark Mehos at mark.mehos@nrel.gov. 
P. 9

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

The OCCC received a Solar America Showcase award in 2007 to develop the 

solar system, which is the largest of its kind in the southeastern United States. 

The multi-purpose project also includes a Climate Change Education Center 

where the public can learn about the benefits of solar and other renewable energy 

technologies. The OCCC is the second largest convention center facility in the 

country, hosting an estimated 1.4 million attendees per year. 

In his remarks at the event, DOE Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy 

Efficiency and Renewable Energy John Lushetsky praised Orlando for its efforts 

as a DOE Solar America City, and recognized the convention center as a highly 

visible reminder of the community’s commitment to solar.

City of Tucson Dedicates First of Seven Solar Projects

Tucson, Arizona, one of DOE’s 25 Solar America Cities, unveiled the first of 

seven municipal PV systems funded by Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) 

during a dedication ceremony on May 29, 2009, at the El Pueblo Activity Center. 

The roof-mounted 100 kW system is part of 1 MW total capacity that is planned 

for the seven projects. The system was built by SPG Solar using panels from 

local manufacturers Kyocera Solar and racks from Schletter, Inc. Through the 

Solar America City award, DOE provided Tucson with technical assistance from 

financial experts at NREL to help the city navigate the CREBs process.

Berkeley Launches SmartSolar for Consumers

The City of Berkeley, California, launched its SmartSolar program on 

April 28 to provide Berkeley residents and businesses with free consulting 

services, energy audits, and referrals to solar vendors. This independent service 

will educate consumers on energy efficiency, solar hot water, and solar electric 

technologies, and can provide site-specific project advice. The first year of the 

program is being funded by the DOE Solar America Cities partnership. The 

program will be administered by Berkeley nonprofit organization Community 

Energy Service Corporation.

More information is available at www.ebenergy.org/smartsolar/.

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates announces SmartSolar, a program for residents and businesses.

“I’m really happy to 

see the program come 

to Berkeley, because it 

provides us with another 

tool to assess [whether] 

solar energy makes sense 

for people and their 

homes.”

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

Hybrid Cooling Analyzed 

for Desert CSP 

NREL has contracted with WorleyParsons 

in Golden, Colorado, to determine the 

economics of hybrid parallel cooling 

systems for parabolic trough electricity 

generating plants. The study builds on 

NREL’s prior examination of CSP water 

consumption and will allow designers to 

determine the impact of water-saving 

measures on plant-levelized electricity 

cost, plant profits, and water consumption. 

The study will compare hybrid 

combinations of water- and air-cooled 

condensers to pure wet-cooled and pure 

dry-cooled cases. Dry cooling loses 

effectiveness on very hot days, so an 

optimum system might provide a wetcooling option for a few days of the year, 

while relying on dry cooling for the rest. 

The analysis will also look at two different 

U.S. locations, including the Nevada Test 

Site that is northwest of Las Vegas. 

The Nevada Test Site location is of 

particular interest, given DOE’s National 

Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) 

intent to locate a solar plant at the site. On 

March 16, NNSA issued a Notice of Intent 

to Award to Johnson Controls Inc. for a 

125-MW parabolic trough plant. Water 

consumption is a major concern for the 

location and examination of dry- or 

hybrid-cooling options will be critical to 

the Environmental Impact Statement for 

the project. 
P. 10

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Solar America Cities Participates in National League 

of Cities Green Conference 

The National League of Cities held its first Green Cities Conference and Expo, 

April 18-21, 2009, in Portland, Oregon, hosting more than 750 participants from 

235 cities. During the conference’s opening plenary, DOE Solar America Cities 

representative Hannah Muller presented Portland Mayor Sam Adams with a 

Solar America City road sign and congratulated him on Portland’s achievements 

in streamlining solar permitting and incorporating solar energy into the city’s 

climate action plan. Muller recounted the lessons learned from the Solar America 

Cities program and the 

creative approaches DOE’s 

25 partner cities are taking to 

remove market barriers and 

make solar a viable energy 

option. DOE representatives 

and conference attendees had 

the opportunity to interact 

at the Solar America Cities 

booth, where scores of city 

representatives inquired 

about what they could do to 

promote local advancement 

of solar energy. 

Presentations from the conference will be available at 

www.nlc.org/CONFERENCES___EVENTS/GreenCities/greenprogram.aspx.

25 Solar America Cities Share Experiences at Annual Meeting

DOE assembled 

representatives from its 25 

partner cities for the second 

Solar America Cities Annual 

Meeting, March 30–April 2, 

2009, in San Antonio, Texas, 

to discuss solar best practices 

and lessons learned. The 

goal of the meeting was to 

strengthen the network of 

cities working to make solar 

mainstream at the local level. 

The partners were joined 

by representatives from 

the national laboratory, university, and private sector institutions that provide 

the cities with hands-on technical assistance. Topics covered included creative 

approaches to solar finance, workforce development, engaging utilities and 

communities on solar, solar permitting, and codes and standards.

Six mayors attended the meeting, from the cities of Ann Arbor, Austin, 

Berkeley, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, and Santa Rosa. A highlight was the Mayors’ 

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

VSHOT Demonstration for 

Industry Partner 

The capabilities of the Video Scanning 

Hartmann Optical Test (VSHOT), a useful 

tool in research, development, and quality 

checking for both point and linear focus 

concentrators, were recently demonstrated 

at Skyline Solar’s linear-focusing, low 

concentration reflector at NREL. The 

purpose was to show how VSHOT could be 

used to characterize Skyline’s collector. 

Two companies, Solar Systems Company 

and Abengoa Solar, have already 

implemented VSHOT at their facilities. 

NREL provided design, fabrication, and 

training assistance to both companies 

through a Cooperative Research and 

Development Agreement. 

NREL, through DOE, is working on a 

licensing agreement to transfer VSHOT 

technology to industry, benefiting both 

existing and new industry users.

Lee Rahr (left), Portland’s Solar America City lead, with Hannah 

Muller (right) of DOE’s Solar America Cities program, at the National 

League of Cities Green Cities Conference in Portland, Oregon.

Tom Kimbis (left) is joined by the mayors of Pittsburgh, San Antonio, 

Berkeley, Santa Rosa, Austin, and Ann Arbor at the 2nd Annual Solar 

America Cities Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

Continued on following page
P. 11

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Roundtable, a facilitated discussion during which mayors fielded questions on the 

current and future role of solar in their cities. 

Presentations from the meeting are available at http://SolarAmericaCities.energy.

gov/AnnualMeeting2009

Solar America Showcase Awards

Winners Commit to Solar from the Farm Belt to the Islands

DOE announced the newest award winners of the Solar America Showcases 

on April 30, 2009. Solar America Showcases accelerate solar energy technology 

adoption and integration by providing technical assistance to large solar energy 

installation projects that are highly visible, novel, and replicable throughout 

the nation. The free technical assistance is offered by experts at DOE national 

laboratories, universities, and a competitively selected engineering firm. 

The award winners are as follows: 

Sequoia Foundation (Berkeley, California): 

The Solar Schools Assessment and Implementation Project

Berkeley Unified School District, together with West Contra Costa Unified 

School District, Oakland Unified School District, the Sequoia Foundation, its 

sponsored project, KyotoUSA, and MIG, Inc., will prepare a “Solar Master 

Plan” to plan and deploy the installation of PV systems on all appropriate 

district schools and administrative buildings.

Forest City Communities (Forest City, Hawaii)

This project builds on the success of a 2007 Showcase award, which deployed 477 

new 225-watt PV panels at the Ohana Military Community. The add-on project 

will integrate PV solar rooftop systems with generating capacity to service 2,317 

houses. A second, 3.6-MW solar farm will be constructed at the Forest City 

Affordable Housing Community on the Island of Hawaii. 

National Community Builders (Columbus, Ohio) 

This project will model large-scale, 2-MW PV installations within LEEDcertified, urban re-development neighborhoods in a northeastern climate zone. 

It will generate enough electricity to supply 600 to 800 residential and 

commercial tenants. 

The Solar America Showcase opportunity closes and reopens each quarter of 2009 for 

review of applications. Applications received before the end of the remaining quarters 

(September 30, and December 31) will be reviewed during the following quarter.

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

IEEE Magazine Publishes First 

Issue on Solar Energy Integration

Solar technologies and integration with the 

electric power system was the focus of 

the latest issue of “IEEE Power and Energy 

Magazine,” a publication that disseminates 

information to electric power engineers and 

other professionals involved in the electric 

power industry. 

SETP’s Dan Ton and NREL’s Ben Kroposki 

and Robert Margolis served as guest 

editors for the solar issue. Six articles 

discuss various aspects of solar technology 

and integration with the electric power 

system and the challenges of largescale integration: 

•	 General overview of solar technologies

and includes discussions on PV and CSP

•	 Utilities’ experience with solar

energy and the role they play in 

solar deployments 

•	 Planning for large-scale solar at the

transmission and distribution level

•	 CSP

•	 Germany’s experience with integrating

a large amount of solar into their grid

•	 Two large PV demonstration

projects in Japan.

The magazine can be viewed at 

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?i

sYear=2009&isnumber=4907258&Submit3

2=View+Contents.
P. 12

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

State and Industry Updates

States Make Policy Changes to Boost Solar Integration

Michigan and Virginia instituted changes that will assist integration of 

renewables into the electric grid: 

•	 In Michigan, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) collaborated 

with SETP in March to provide comments to the Michigan Public Service 

Commission on the proposed definition of “customer-generator” in a 

Michigan regulation. IREC was concerned that the wording could unintentionally restrict third-party ownership of net-metered facilities. A successful 

change in terminology from “owns” to “uses” in the regulation is expected 

to help prevent that outcome.

•	 In May, Virginia’s State Corporation Commission adopted a strong set of 

interconnection procedures that will cover all utilities, eligible technologies, 

and systems up to 20 MW, including interconnected PV systems. The Commission also reduced insurance requirements for smaller systems (less than 

2 MW) and incorporated IREC’s suggestions to implement a more effective, 

low-cost dispute resolution process. The rules went into effect July 1, 2009.

NARUC Selects Technical Assistance Awardees

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), 

through its partnership with SETP, selected nine states and Washington, D.C. to 

receive technical assistance from DOE national lab experts. Topic areas, and the 

selected states, include feed-in tariff policies (Hawaii, Washington, Michigan, 

and Colorado), resource assessment (Colorado, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, 

Georgia, Ohio, and Michigan) and grid integration (Washington, D.C.).

NATIONAL LABORATORY 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS

International Conference on 

Renewable Energy Planned for 

U.S. in 2010

The 4th International Conference on 

Renewable Energy and Distributed 

Resources will be held in Albuquerque, 

New Mexico, in December 2010. SETP 

SNL, and the Electric Power Research 

Institute have partnered to organize the 

internationally recognized event, which 

is expected to attract several hundred 

participants from the United States 

and abroad. 

Attendees represent a wide cross-section 

of industry, including utility planners and 

operators, manufacturers, regulators, policy 

makers, and scientists. The conference 

provides opportunities for participants to 

share experiences and address technical, 

market, and regulatory challenges in 

preparation for large-scale penetration of 

PV and other distributed resources. The 

2010 conference will also encompass the 

emerging area of smart grid and 

microgrid technologies.
P. 13

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

DOE Solar Program and Partner Publications

DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program Annual Report

DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP), May 2009 

The annual report summarizes SETP’s research, directives, and accomplishments 

for the 2008 fiscal year.

www.solar.energy.gov/pdfs/fy08_annual_report_43987.pdf

High Penetration of Photovoltaic (PV) Systems into the Distribution Grid

DOE SETP, June 2009

The report summarizes the workshop findings on top issues and barriers surrounding high 

penetration of PV systems, their corresponding research, development, and deployment 

activities, and performance requirements for those activities.

www.solar.energy.gov/pdfs/pv_grid_penetration.pdf

Solar Photovoltaic Financing: Residential Sector Deployment

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), March 2009

Information that homeowners and policy makers need to facilitate PV financing 

at the residential level is presented in this report. 

www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/44853.pdf

State Clean Energy Practices: Renewable Energy Rebates

NREL, March 2009

This publication highlights the impacts of specific renewable energy rebate programs 

on renewable energy markets around the country, as well as rebate program impacts on 

overarching energy policy drivers. 

www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45039.pdf

Photovoltaic Systems Interconnected onto Secondary Network 

Distribution Systems—Success Stories 

NREL, 2009

This report examines six case studies of PV systems successfully integrated into secondary 

network systems. The systems chosen are interconnected to secondary network systems in 

four Solar America Cities.

www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45061.pdf

Feed-in Tariff Policy: Design, Implementation, and RPS Policy Interactions

NREL, 2009

This paper discusses feed-in tariff (FIT) payment options and the interaction between 

FIT and the renewable portfolio standard. 

www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45549.pdf
P. 14

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Harnessing the Sun

NREL and DOE, May/June 2009

Part of a guest editorial—“The Future’s So Bright,” in the May/June issue of IEEE’s 

Power & Energy magazine—this feature piece provides an overview of solar resources, 

technologies, and cost-parity issues. You must be a member of IEEE to download the 

entire article.

www.ieee.org/organizations/pes/public/2009/may/index.html

Solar Access: Recommendations for the City and County of Denver 

DOE SETP, March 2009

This report recaps the importance of solar access on a local and national context for 

the city and county of Denver, Colorado, and provides best practices for promoting and 

protecting solar access. Denver is a Solar America City.

www.solaramericacities.energy.gov/PDFs/Solar_Access_Recommendations_City_And_

County_Of_Denver.pdf

Top Ten Utility Solar Integration Rankings 

Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), May 2009

This second annual report ranks U.S. utilities according to installed solar capacity in 

numerous categories, including both utility-side and customer-side of the meter and 

capacity per customer.

www.solarelectricpower.org (click on “Resource Library”)

Use of Municipal Assistance Programs to Advance the Adoption 

of Solar Technologies

American Solar Energy Society, May 2009

This paper discusses programs being implemented in three Solar America Cities to help 

businesses and residents determine whether to install solar energy systems. The paper is 

intended as a tool for municipalities and organizations examining programs to facilitate 

the installation of solar energy technologies at the local level. It educates readers about 

program design and other considerations in the design of municipal assistance programs.

www.solaramericacities.energy.gov/PDFs/Solar_Municipal_Assistance_Programs.pdf
P. 15

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Summary of DOE Solar Program Funding Opportunities

Pipeline of Program Activities

The Solar Energy Technologies Program 

(SETP) is engaged with a range of stakeholders and activities along the solar pipeline. From Materials and Device Concepts to 

key Market Transformation efforts, SETP is supporting the development of innovative projects to accelerate the growth of the 

U.S. solar industry.

Figure 1. Summary of DOE Solar Program Funding Opportunities

FOA or Solicitation CLOSING 

DATE FUNDING AMOUNT DESCRIPTION

Solar America Showcases September 30, 

2009

Up to $500K per award Solar America Showcases are designed to help facilitate large-scale 

installations that involve cutting edge solar technologies, novel applications 

of solar, high visibility sites, and/or high likelihood of replicability. Solar 

America Showcase is a Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance 

(NOTA) for proposed installations more than 250 kW and does not include 

direct federal funding for any recipient. Instead, showcase projects include 

technical assistance through teams of DOE-funded solar experts from 

national laboratories.

Recovery Act: 

High Penetration 

Solar Deployment

July 30, 2009 Up to $37.5M Total; 

Maximum Per Award 

Varies By Topic

This project will accelerate the placement of high levels of photovoltaic 

(PV) penetration into existing or newly designed distribution circuits. By 

facilitating increased growth of grid-tied PV installations, this project 

supports the SETP mission to accelerate widespread commercialization of 

clean solar energy technologies in the United States. The three goals are: 

• Develop modeling tools and database of experience with high 

penetration scenarios of PV on a distribution system 

• Develop monitoring, control, and integration systems to enable costeffective widespread deployment of small modular PV systems 

• Demonstrate integration of PV and energy storage into Smart Grid 

applications. 

The project’s success will require both modeling tools and actual 

performance and validation data, so the focus will be in four R&D areas: 

improved modeling tools development, field verification of high-penetration 

levels of PV into the distribution grid, modular power architecture, and 

demonstration of PV and energy storage for Smart Grids.

OPEN PROPOSED

Continued on following page
P. 16

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Recovery Act: 

Solar Market 

Transformation

July 30, 2009 Up to $37M Total; 

Maximum Per Award 

Varies By Topic

The objectives are to address current market barriers to the adoption of 

solar technologies and establish a nationally coordinated effort to spread 

solar installer training to the local level.

The two topic areas are listed below: 

Solar America Cities Special Projects helps the 25 Solar America Cities 

scale-up innovative programs and concepts, so they can be tested in a 

broader marketplace; thereby, increasing the likelihood of replication in 

other U.S. cities. 

Solar Installer Instructor Training promotes an increase in the quality 

and availability of instruction relating to the installation of photovoltaic (PV) 

and solar heating and cooling systems.

Recovery Act: 

National Laboratory 

Call for Foundational 

Photovoltaics and 

Concentrating Solar 

Power Research and 

Development

July 15, 2009 Approximately $17M 

Total; Maximum Per 

Award Varies By Topic

This opportunity complements ongoing SETP-funded private sector 

research and is restricted to DOE national laboratories. For the 

PV industry, it supports new research and development projects for nextgeneration devices and processes as well as supply chain and crosscutting 

technologies. For the CSP industry, this project supports research on 

advanced heat transfer fluids and novel thermal storage and enhancing 

capabilities for testing and evaluating advanced concepts.

Recovery Act: 

Photovoltaic (PV) 

Technology Incubators

July 13, 2009 Up to $3M each for 

18 months

Projects are focused on solving technical challenges that must be 

overcome to scale-up manufacturing and commercialize new products 

by 2012 and shortening the timeline for companies to transition 

pre-commercial PV technologies into full-scale manufacturing. This 

financial opportunity is administered by DOE’s National Renewable Energy 

Laboratory (NREL).

Minority University 

Research Associate 

(MURA) Program

July 13, 2009 Up to $300,000 each 

up to $1.8M

MURA encourages minority students to pursue careers in science and 

technology. Research associates engage in solar energy research projects 

and help develop cost-competitive, market-applicable technologies. 

Key objectives: Strengthen research and education capabilities of 

minority-serving institutions in renewable energy technologies and 

market development; Encourage minority students to excel in science 

and technology by providing them with practical experience and training 

through research projects in solar energy technologies and market 

development; Broaden the scientific, technical, and market development 

knowledge and resource base in solar technologies; Contribute to making 

electricity generated from solar technologies cost-competitive with 

conventional sources of electricity.

Solar America Cities - 

Technical Outreach

October 15, 

2009

$10.5M maximum per 

award for a five-year 

performance period

This project will provide comprehensive outreach to local governments 

to help them build sustainable solar infrastructures and expand their 

solar markets. The project will help accelerate solar energy deployment 

by proactively addressing the needs of local governments for technical 

information and guidance, focusing on many areas such as policies and 

regulations, financial incentives, training, and community engagement. 

Maximum funding for the first phase of the project, which is three years, is 

$6M. Maximum funding for the second phase, which is two years, is $4.5M.

Summary of DOE Solar Program Funding Opportunities, Continued OPEN PROPOSED

Continued on following page
P. 17

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

Summary of DOE Solar Program Funding Opportunities, Continued OPEN PROPOSED

FOA or Solicitation Opening

Date Funding amount Description

Photovoltaic (PV) Supply 

Chain and Cross-Cutting 

Technologies

September 

2009

Approximately 

$15M total

Focuses on component and/or manufacturing technologies with potential 

to have near-term (within 2-6 years of award) impact on a substantial 

segment of PV industry. Applications either have (1) high impact on 

evolutionary improvements that can be supplied across the industry at 

high volumes lower cost than current technology or (2) propose disruptive 

technologies applicable to a narrow segment of the industry which can 

dramatically reduce costs.

Web-based PV Operational 

Performance Database

July 2009 Approximately $1.5M 

total for 5 years

This opportunity will support developing, populating, and maintaining 

a Web-based PV operational performance database. The database will 

contain operational data of grid-tied PV systems at field installation sites. 

These data will be useful for monitoring and evaluating long-term cost and 

performance information on PV systems and components and for trending 

progress toward reaching the grid-parity goals of the SETP. 

Baseload Concentrating 

Solar Power (CSP) 

Generation

Summer 2009 TBD Objective will be to identify and evaluate future technology options and 

systems that can lead to the development of baseload CSP power plants 

capable of generating electrical power at a high capacity-factor and at 

competitive costs.

To view all current opportunities, visit www.solar.energy.gov/financial_opportunities.html.

To view all past opportunities, visit www.solar.energy.gov/past_opportunities.html.
P. 18

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

SOLAR EVENTS CALENDAR

Fourth Annual New Energy Symposium 

July 8-9, 2009

New York City, New York

http://neny.org/nes/2009/home

ASME: 3rd Annual Conference on 

Energy Sustainability

July 19-23, 2009

San Francisco, California

www.asmeconferences.org/ES2009/

National Association of Counties (NACo) 

Annual Conference and Expo 

July 24-29, 2009

Nashville / Davidson County, Tennessee

www.naco.org

(Click on Conferences and Events)

First Annual Utility Solar Conference

July 28-29, 2009

San Jose, California

Open only to utility employees

www.utilitysolarconference.com

11th Annual SolWest 

Renewable Energy Fair

July 24-26, 2009

John Day, Oregon

www.solwest.org

IEEE Power & Energy Society 

2009 General Meeting

July 26-30, 2009

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

http://ewh.ieee.org/cmte/PESGM09/

GovEnergy 

August 9-12, 2009

Providence, Rhode Island

www.govenergy.com

Renewable Energy Markets 2009

September 13-16, 2009

Atlanta, Georgia

www.renewableenergymarkets.com

2009 Solar Decathlon

October 9-18, 2009

Washington, D.C.

www.solardecathlon.org

Solar Power International 

(formerly Solar Power 2009)

October 27-29, 2009

Anaheim, California

www.solarpowerinternational.com

National Association of Regulatory 

Utility Commissioners Annual Convention

November 15-18, 2009

Chicago, Illinois

http://annual.narucmeetings.org

New Ideas in Educating a 

Workforce in Renewable Energy 

and Energy Efficiency

November 18-20, 2009

Albany, New York 

www.irecusa.org

(Click on Workforce Development) 

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 at least every quarter. If you 

have any comments or suggestions about 

the newsletter, 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