Solar Technologies Boosted by $87 Million 

in DOE Support

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced in October up to $87 million in funding to 

support the development of new solar energy technologies and the rapid deployment 

of available solar energy systems. Of this amount, $50 million is from the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). Secretary Chu made the announcement 

at the opening of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon.

The 47 projects selected for funding will help 

further DOE’s goal of making solar electricity 

cost-competitive by 2015 through accelerated 

commercialization of solar technologies. 

Projects were selected in four categories: high 

penetration solar deployment, Solar America 

Cities special projects, solar installer training, 

and DOE national laboratories projects.

High Penetration Solar Deployment Projects

These projects focus on research and development to accelerate placing solar 

energy systems into the electrical grid. The award recipients are listed below:

Arizona Public Service (APS) Company – APS will develop, construct, manage, 

and study 1.5 megawatts (MW) of distributed photovoltaics (PV) in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Commonwealth Edison Company – This project will evaluate consumer reactions 

to advanced metering and price signals for power with and without PV and with 

both PV and storage.

Florida State University – Researchers will characterize the variation and impact 

of PV as a function of system size, location, type, and technology.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) – NREL will utilize modeling, 

simulation, laboratory testing, and field demonstrations to determine the effects of 

up to 500 MW of commercial-scale rooftop PV on distribution systems.

Solar Energy Technologies Program Newsletter

Solar Technologies Boosted by 

$87 Million in DOE Support..........................................1

Program Happenings & Highlights

Team Germany Takes Top Honors 

at 2009 Solar Decathlon...............................................3

Results of Solar Program 

Peer Review Published ..................................................4

Open PV Mapping Resource Introduced .............4

DOE Funds Innovative Solar Research 

from Small Businesses ...................................................5

Event News

Program to Participate in International 

Builders’ Show ...................................................................5

Solar Program Exhibits, Presents at 

Solar Power International.............................................5

Solar ABCs Stakeholder Meeting Held...................6

Solar Program Hosts IEA PV Power 

Systems Meeting...............................................................6

State Legislatures Focus on Solar 

in the Southeast ...............................................................7

Utility-Scale PV Variability Workshop Held.........7

Solar America Cities Notes

DOE Representatives Join Cities in 

Announcing Funding......................................................8

Philly School Flips the Switch on City’s

Largest Solar Array ........................................................9

STATE & Industry Updates

California Expands Feed-In Tariffs 

and Net Metering............................................................10

New Solar Panel Achieves 20.4% 

Total Area Efficiency.....................................................10

Solar Technology Acceleration Center 

Powers Up..........................................................................10

DOE Solar Program & Partner Publications.........11

Solar Program Funding Opportunities..................12

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM

4th Quarter 2009

Continued on following page

“I applaud each of 

these award winners, 

who are vital to moving 

our country towards 

a sustainable solar 

infrastructure.”

Energy Secretary 

Steven Chu
P. 2

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

Sacramento Municipal Utility District – This project will use utility-collected 

data to evaluate the value of advanced metering infrastructure, PV, and storage for 

homes using these technologies.

University of California San Diego – UCSD will develop advanced modeling 

tools and electric power control strategies to optimize power value while reducing 

any impacts of PV on existing microgrids.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – This project will evaluate 

existing and prototype data to identify cost-effective approaches to issues 

associated with high-penetration PV.

Solar America Cities Special Projects

Sixteen selected Solar America Cities will expand existing projects to overcome 

specific barriers to urban solar energy use. DOE will share lessons learned and best 

practices from these efforts with other cities through outreach activities beginning 

in early 2010. (See article under “Solar America Cities Notes” on page 8 about 

how four cities will use their funding.)

Solar Installer Training

Nine colleges, universities, and local organizations have been selected to lead regional 

solar installation programs. These “train-the-trainer” programs are part of the DOE 

Solar Program’s Solar Installer Instructor Training network, designed to increase the 

number of qualified, local workers needed for the installation of solar energy systems. 

Awardees are as follows:

The Pennsylvania State University

North Carolina State University

Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Inc. 

Kennebec Valley Community College 

Hudson Valley Community College 

Salt Lake Community College 

Houston Community College 

University of Central Florida 

California Community Colleges Board of Governors 

Continued on following page

NATIONAL LABORATORY UPDATES 

Solar Program Seed Fund 

Projects Announced for 

NREL and SNL 

Financial support from the 

Department of Energy (DOE) Solar 

Program was announced recently 

for fifteen select projects at National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory 

(NREL) and Sandia National 

Laboratories (SNL). The projects will 

receive more than $2.7 million in total 

funding.

The NREL/SNL Seed Fund effort 

supports projects that foster new 

research directions within existing 

DOE Solar Program activities 

and have the potential to drive 

transformational changes in the 

photovoltaic (PV) industry. Projects 

selected for the coming year include 

innovative work in disruptive 

technologies such as next-generation 

organic and quantum dot solar cells. 

Seed Fund projects are evaluated 

annually by a technical review panel 

that includes participants from DOE 

headquarters, NREL, SNL, academia, 

and private industry.

Austin, Texas

Berkeley, California

Boston, Massachusetts

Madison, Wisconsin 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

Minneapolis – St Paul, Minnesota

New Orleans, Louisiana 

New York City, New York 

Portland, Oregon 

Salt Lake City, Utah 

San Diego, California 

San Francisco, California 

San José, California 

Santa Rosa, California

Seattle, Washington

Tucson, Arizona 
P. 3

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

In early 2010, DOE will release a funding opportunity announcement for a 

National Administrator to both coordinate the activities of the nine awardees 

in the Installer Instructor Training network and to serve as a central, national 

coordinating body to address solar workforce development issues. Visit the Solar 

Program’s current financial opportunities page for updates. 

DOE National Laboratories Research Projects

Projects at DOE national laboratories will foster advancement in both the PV 

and the Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) industries. 

The selected labs are listed below (click name to visit laboratory Web site):

Argonne National Laboratory (3 projects)

Los Alamos National Laboratory (2 projects)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (6 projects)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (1 project)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (2 projects)

Savannah River National Laboratory (1 project)

To view additional funding opportunities with the DOE Solar Program, visit 

www.solar.energy.gov/financial_opportunities.html.

For information about the Recovery Act, visit: www.energy.gov/recovery/.

Program Happenings and Highlights

Team Germany Takes Top Honors at 2009 Solar Decathlon

The National Mall in Washington, D.C., 

was transformed into a renewable energy 

village recently, as the 2009 Solar Decathlon 

brought 20 unique homes to the site. This 

bi-annual event challenges 20 university 

teams from the United States and around 

the globe to design, build, and operate solarpowered, energy efficient homes. 

Team Germany’s “Cube House” took top honors, propelled by a perfect score 

in the net metering category and a demonstrated ability to produce energy 

through several days of rain. This is the Technical University of Darmstadt’s 

second consecutive Solar Decathlon victory. The University of Illinois at 

Urbana-Champaign received second place, followed by Team California. Several 

other teams, including University of Minnesota and University of Louisiana at 

Lafayette, placed first in individual competition categories. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY UPDATES 

NREL’s CSP Team Receives 

Two Awards from DOE’s 

National Laboratory Call 

The Concentrating Solar Power 

(CSP) team at NREL has been 

awarded funding in a recent DOE 

call for foundational PV and CSP 

research and development at 

national laboratories. DOE 

specifically requested CSP proposals 

for: 1) research on advanced heat 

transfer fluids and novel thermal 

storage, and 2) enhancing capabilities 

for testing and evaluating advanced 

concepts. NREL received funding 

in both categories.

The laboratory’s first project will 

upgrade and add equipment and 

facilities capable of characterizing 

new optical reflector and absorber 

materials, heat transfer fluids, 

storage fluids, and storage materials, 

as well as storage and collector 

systems and subsystems. Funded 

equipment and capabilities will 

be integrated into NREL’s Energy 

Systems Integration Facility 

(ESIF) and the Solar Technology 

Acceleration Center (SolarTAC), 

a public-private partnership 

(see story on page 10).

NREL’s second project under this 

funding is the development of new 

nanomaterials and encapsulation 

strategies aimed at substantial 

improvements in thermal energy 

storage density for CSP systems. 

This research leverages NREL’s 

existing fundamental materials 

research program. 

For further information about 

ongoing CSP research at NREL, 

contact Mark Mehos, 

mark.mehos@nrel.gov.

Continued on following page

“The ingenuity that comes 

from individual effort is the 

promise of our future.”

DEPUTY Secretary OF ENERGY

Daniel Poneman
P. 4

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

Crowds of visitors gathered on the National Mall to view houses at Solar Decathlon. Photo 

courtesy Stefano Paltera, U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

The teams competed in 10 contests, ranging from subjective attributes such as 

architecture, market viability, communications, lighting design, and engineering, 

to technical measurements of how well the homes provided energy for heating 

and cooling, hot water, home entertainment, and appliances. For the first time, 

this year’s competition included a net metering contest, worth a critical 150 points 

toward the total score. 

For an event recap, photos, and videos, visit the Solar Decathlon Web site: 

www.solardecathlon.org.

Results of Solar Program Peer Review Published

The DOE Solar Program has released the results of its 2009 Peer Review Meeting. 

The summary report and individual project reports are available on the Program 

Review Web site: www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/review_meeting/program_review_

meeting_2009.html.

Open PV Mapping Resource Introduced

NREL and DOE recently announced the beta release of the Open PV Mapping 

Project, a collaborative effort of government, industry, and the public. The project 

will provide a Web-based resource for users to evaluate the progress and current 

status of PV systems throughout the United States based on user-entered PV 

installation data. NREL will continue to enhance and expand the data to provide 

further analysis of the PV market. 

The project already has received more than 50,000 entries. To view the database, 

visit http://openpv.nrel.gov.

NATIONAL LABORATORY UPDATES 

Sandia National Laboratories 

Expands Collaboration 

with EPRI

SNL Photovoltaic (PV) Group 

has announced an expanded 

collaboration with Electric Power 

Research Institute (EPRI) and its 

inverter communications effort. 

SNL’s role will focus on the 

development of validation and test 

protocols for performance and 

interoperability of PV inverters. 

Sandia will use the grid-tied 

inverter facilities at its Distributed 

Energy Technologies Laboratory 

to develop a system to evaluate 

inverter communication and power 

interfaces simultaneously.

EPRI is an independent nonprofit 

that conducts research and 

development related to the 

generation, delivery, and use of 

electricity. For more information, 

visit the EPRI Web site at 

www.epri.com. 
P. 5

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

DOE Funds Innovative Solar Research 

from Small Businesses

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced in November more than $18 million from 

the Recovery Act to support innovative small business research, development, and 

deployment of clean energy technologies through DOE’s Small Business Innovation 

and Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. 

Through SBIR and STTR, federal agencies with large research and development 

(R&D) budgets set aside a portion of their funding to be issued annually through 

competitive solicitation to small businesses. The Recovery Act funding is in 

addition to the regular annual SBIR/STTR Awards. 

In the first phase of DOE’s SBIR Recovery Act funding, 125 grants of up to 

$150,000 each will be awarded to more than 100 small technology firms across 

the United States. This funding applies to ten topic areas, some of which have 

subtopics related to advanced solar technologies, including hybrid solar systems, 

distributed CSP, and organic and nano PV.

The Solar Program hosted an online meeting in October during which the current 

SBIR solar technologies awardees presented information about their projects. 

The webinar provided a progress update for Solar Program staff and offered an 

opportunity to identify synergies for possible integration of the SBIR awardees’ 

R&D with core Solar Program projects. 

For more information and a list of awardees, visit: 

www.science.doe.gov/sbir/Awards.html.

Event News

Upcoming Events

Program to Participate in International Builders’ Show

The Solar Program will participate in the International Builders’ Show (IBS) in 

Las Vegas, NV, January 19-22, 2010. Charles Hemmeline, acting team lead for the 

Market Transformation subprogram, will present information about new trends 

in residential solar installation. The IBS is the largest annual building industry 

tradeshow in the United States. Information and registration details can be found 

at: www.buildersshow.com. 

DOE’s Building Technologies Program will exhibit at the show.

Past Events

Solar Program Exhibits, Presents at Solar 

Power International

In October, the Solar Program participated as a sponsor and exhibitor at Solar 

Power International, the largest solar conference and exposition in the country. 

More than 25,000 registrants and exhibitors attended the Anaheim, California, 

NATIONAL LABORATORY UPDATES 

NREL Hosts International 

Energy Agency PV Hybrid 

and Minigrid Meeting 

NREL recently hosted the Task 11: 

PV Hybrid and Minigrid Working 

Group to discuss progress on this 

effort, which is sponsored by the 

International Energy Agency (IEA). 

Representatives from Australia, 

Canada, Germany, France, Spain, 

Japan, and the United States 

reviewed the working group’s 

activities in design and control, 

penetration of PV in mini-grids, and 

sustainability. Each area specifically 

addresses PV hybrid systems and 

mini-grids. 

Staff members from NREL presented 

at the meeting the state of research 

in PV hybrid and microgrid research 

and projects in the United States. 

The laboratory is working on a 

report to detail more than 40 PV 

hybrid power systems that have 

been installed nationwide over the 

last 30 years. 

The goal of the IEA effort is to 

foster international research and 

development collaboration and 

the assembling and dissemination 

of international knowledge on 

hybrid systems. Work in hybrid 

systems may also support studies 

in high-penetration, grid-connected 

systems, given the high levels of 

PV typically associated with 

hybrid systems.

Continued on following page
P. 6

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

event, representing all sectors of the solar industry. Sustainable building materials 

manufacturers and installers, industry associations, testing and certification 

organizations, and national, local, and international government organizations all 

had a presence at the conference.

Solar Program Manager John Lushetsky and a number of representatives from 

the Program and from DOE national laboratories spoke during the conference 

sessions. The annual event is organized by the Solar Electric Power Association 

(SEPA) and the Solar Energy Industry Association.

For videos and a conference recap, visit: www.solarpowerinternational.com.

Solar ABCs Stakeholder Meeting Held

The Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) held a Stakeholder 

Meeting on Friday, October 30, at the conclusion of the Solar Power International 

conference (see previous article). Members reported on progress toward developing 

codes and standards for new and existing solar technologies. 

Topics discussed included local codes, building electrical codes, safety, and grid 

interconnection. Stakeholders were also able to hear how they can get involved in the 

Solar ABCs process.

To view the meeting presentations, see the Solar ABCs Web site: www.solarabcs.org

(click “October 30 Stakeholder Meeting”).

Solar Program Hosts IEA PV Power Systems Meeting 

In conjunction with Solar Power International in October, the DOE Solar Program 

hosted the 34th Executive Committee meeting of the International Energy Agency 

Photovoltaic Power Systems (IEA PVPS) Programme. IEA PVPS is a collaborative 

effort that focuses on joint projects designed to drive the application of PV to 

electricity. The Programme currently has six ongoing research activities, or tasks, 

under the following topics:

•	 Exchange and dissemination of information on PV systems (Task 1) 

•	 Very large scale PV systems in remote areas (Task 8) 

•	 PV services for developing countries (Task 9) 

•	 Urban-scale grid-connected PV applications (Task 10) 

•	 PV hybrid systems within mini-grids (Task 11) 

* PV environmental health and safety (Task 12)

Two new tasks were formally initiated at the meeting: performance and reliability 

of PV systems (Task 13), and high penetration of PV into the grid (Task 14). The 

United States will participate in both of these five-year tasks.

Additional task information, including work plans and deliverables, are available 

on the IEA PVPS Web site: www.iea-pvps.org. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY UPDATES 

NREL’s New Reflectomer 

Expands Specular 

Reflection Characterization 

A Large Aperture Near-Specular 

Imaging Reflectometer (LANSIR) 

instrument is being designed and 

built at NREL. The LANSIR will 

provide complete specular reflection 

function for any material, over a 

range of sampling sizes. These more 

concise measurements of specular 

performance may advance the use 

of alternative optical materials for 

CSP systems. 

The first prototype is scheduled 

to be operational by the end of 

February 2010. The goal is to find 

optical materials with performance 

characteristics and durability similar 

to current glass mirror technology 

but at a lower cost.

The concept for the LANSIR was 

presented at the SolarPACES 

Task III (Solar Technologies and 

Applications: Development of 

Acceptance Test Guidelines 

for CSP Systems) Reflectance 

Characterization/Standards Working 

Group meeting in September.
P. 7

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

State Legislatures Focus on Solar in the Southeast

Jenn DeCesaro of SENTECH, Inc., a contractor to DOE’s Solar Program, joined Georgia State 

Senator Ross Tolleson (right) and Alabama Representative W.F. McDaniel outside Cornell 

University’s Silo House at Solar Decathlon. Photo courtesy Solar Program staff.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) held its Southeast 

Solar Institute meeting October 8-9 in Washington, D.C. The meeting brought 

together legislators from the Southeast United States with legislative staff and 

representatives from DOE, SEPA, utilities, and industry to address developments in 

solar power, including technology advancements, financial issues, federal and state 

policy, and environmental impacts. The meeting included a tour of homes at the 

Solar Decathlon.

Meeting presentations are available at: www.ncsl.org/?tabid=18749.

Utility-Scale PV Variability Workshop Held

The Utility-Scale PV Variability Workshop in October brought together more than 

60 national laboratory researchers and members of industry to discuss the impact 

of variability on utility planning and operations at large PV power plants. The 

workshop was sponsored and hosted by DOE, NREL, SEPA, Sandia National 

Laboratories, and the Utility Wind Integration Group.

Presentations are available at: www.uwig.org/pvworkshop-presentations.html.

NATIONAL LABORATORY UPDATES 

Sandia and SES Begin 

Power Generation at Dish 

Stirling Plant 

SNL and Stirling Energy Systems 

(SES) have begun power generation 

with the first dish system at Maricopa 

Solar near Phoenix. This is a key 

milestone in the commissioning 

process for the plant. 

Sixty production systems at 

the Maricopa plant will generate 

1.5 MW of electrical power into the 

grid. The 60-dish field is a basic 

building block for the planned large 

installations in California and Texas. 

The SunCatcherTM system is designed 

for manufacture, and is a substantial 

improvement over prior systems 

in terms of structural efficiency, 

assembly time, serviceability, 

and cost.

Sandia Laboratories has been 

closely supporting SES in the 

development and deployment of 

these systems, particularly in the 

areas of optics and controls. Four 

of the production systems have 

been installed and are operational 

at SNL. Significant refinement has 

been accomplished and factored 

into the installation at Maricopa. The 

Systems are fully funded by SES 

through private investment.

At Maricopa, 60% of the dishes 

have been assembled. Alignment, 

commissioning, and grid integration 

are progressing and the company 

expects full operation by January.
P. 8

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

Solar America Cities Notes

For information and updates about Solar America Cities activities, visit the 

appropriate city’s page at: www.solaramericacities.energy.gov.

DOE Representatives Join Cities in Announcing Funding

Representatives from the DOE joined officials from cities in Minnesota and Wisconsin 

to announce funding from recent DOE and Recovery Act grant opportunities. The 

grants will help the cities, which are among 16 Solar America Cities nationwide that 

received funding, to advance efforts to develop local solar energy. 

Minneapolis-St. Paul

Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, are teaming up to jumpstart the 

widespread deployment of solar technologies. Together, the Twin Cities will use 

the funding received to launch their Solar in the Cities initiative, a program that 

aims to build a solar infrastructure leading to five times more solar capacity in 

the cities by 2010. 

(L to R) Jason Coughlin, NREL analyst; Anders Rydaker, president, District Energy St. 

Paul; Mayor Chris Coleman, City of Saint Paul; Mayor R.T. Rybak, City of Minneapolis; 

Charlie Hemmeline, acting team lead for Market Transformation at DOE Solar Program; 

Joe Lucas, project officer, DOE. Photo courtesy Bruce Schnack Photography.

NATIONAL LABORATORY UPDATES 

NREL Researchers Develop 

Tool to Assess Thin-Film 

Solar Cells 

NREL scientists Dave Albin and 

Joe del Cueto presented their 

studies on the stability and transient 

behavior of polycrystalline thin-film 

PV cadmium telluride (CdTe) and 

copper indium gallium diselenide 

(CIGS) cells and modules at a 

recent SPIE conference. SPIE is the 

international society for optics and 

photonics.

The study examines metastable and 

transient behavior in CdTe and CIGS 

cells and modules in an effort to 

determine appropriate standardization 

of stabilization criteria. 

The accompanying article, “New 

Diagnostic Tool to Assess ThinFilm Solar-Cell Reliability,” is 

available at: http://spie.org/x36691.

xml?ArticleID=x36691.

Continued on following page
P. 9

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

Milwaukee, Madison and Midwest Renewable Energy Association 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will use its Solar America Cities Special Project grant 

award (see story, page 1) to expand the Milwaukee Shines initiative and establish a 

Solar Hot Water Business Council. Madison, Wisconsin, will use grant funding to 

expand its MadiSUN solar project, which seeks to double the use of solar energy 

in the city over a two-year period. 

Milwaukee is also home to the new office of the Midwest Renewable Energy 

Association (MREA), which will receive funding from DOE’s Solar Installer 

Training grants for a Midwestern solar training initiative. For more about 

MREA, visit: www.the-mrea.org.

(L to R) Mayor Tom Barrett, City of Milwaukee; Paula Kiely, director of Milwaukee Public 

Library; Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle; Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, City of Madison; Steve 

Palmeri, project officer, DOE; and Tehri Parker, executive director of MREA. Photo 

courtesy of Donald Murphy, Milwaukee Public Library.

Philly School Flips the Switch on City’s 

Largest Solar Array 

Springside School, a pre-kindergarten through grade 12 school for girls in 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, recently unveiled the city’s largest solar array. The 

94-kilowatt installation covers 10,000 square feet of roof at Springside’s Vare Field 

House. The unveiling ceremony was held November 20.

NATIONAL LABORATORY UPDATES 

New SkyFuel Trough 

Module Tested at Sandia 

National Laboratories 

SNL recently installed for testing 

a SkyTroughTM module, which is a 

high-efficiency parabolic-trough 

concentrating solar collector for 

utility-scale solar thermal power 

plants. The module, developed by 

SkyFuel, Inc., will be performance 

tested on the rotating platform 

at the laboratory’s National Solar 

Thermal Test Facility in Albuquerque, 

New Mexico.

The trough will be tested in ambient 

temperatures up to 350°C. Tests 

will compare the performance of the 

SkyTrough to LS-2 trough modules 

previously tested on the platform 

that are now installed and operating 

in trough plants around the country.

The SkyFuel installation and testing 

is part of SNL’s work with industry 

partners.
P. 10

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

State & Industry Updates

California Expands Feed-In Tariffs and Net Metering

On October 11, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two legislative 

bills to encourage utility customers to feed power from their renewable energy 

systems into the grid. The first bill expands the state’s feed-in tariff (FIT) by 

doubling the maximum system size to 3 MW and increasing the statewide cap for 

FIT agreements to 750 MW. Utilities using the FIT to buy power will be eligible 

for credits under the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), 

The second bill’s net metering provision offers the option for customers to either 

roll over energy credits or to transfer the excess power back to the utility at a predetermined rate. Again, the utility can receive credit for that power under the state 

RPS. The new law goes into effect January 2011. Both laws are aimed at helping 

utilities meet the RPS while encouraging utility customers to install renewable 

energy systems. 

Summaries of both bills are available on the Web sites of the Database of State 

Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) (www.dsireusa.org) and the 

California Public Utilities Commission (www.cpuc.ca.gov). 

New Solar Panel Achieves 20.4% Total Area Efficiency

In October, California-based SunPower Corp. announced the development of 

a solar panel that provides a minimum cell efficiency of 23% and a total area 

efficiency of 20.4%. The rating has been verified by NREL.

The 96-cell, 333-watt solar panel is a full-sized panel prototype developed using 

DOE funds.

Solar Technology Acceleration Center Powers Up

Members and supporters of the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) 

recently convened in Aurora, Colorado, to mark the “Powering Up” of the 74-acre 

site’s solar test and demonstration facilities. At the event, NREL and the Electric 

Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced that they had signed letters of intent 

to join SolarTAC.

SolarTAC is a public-private collaboration. 

NATIONAL LABORATORY UPDATES 

Alcoa to Test Aluminum 

Collector at NREL 

Alcoa, Inc. has been working with 

staff at NREL to develop a test 

plan and site to evaluate their 

aluminum intensive collector at the 

lab. Tests will include reflectance 

measurements, characterization of 

the parabolic shape using the Visual 

Scanning Hartmann Optical Tool 

(VSHOT), and testing at the Optical 

Efficiency Test Loop (OETL). NREL 

has also been working with Alcoa 

at their on-site facility to conduct 

VSHOT testing on interim versions of 

their design.

Alcoa was one of twelve CSP 

projects selected in November 

2007 for DOE’s Energy Efficiency 

and Conservation Block Grant 

awards to accelerate the adoption 

of renewable energy and move 

clean energy technologies into the 

marketplace.
P. 11

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

DOE Solar Program & Partner Publications

Solar Energy Technologies Program Fact Sheets

DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program, 2009

Photovoltaics: www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/46660.pdf

Concentrating Solar Power: www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/46661.pdf

Market Transformation: www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/46662.pdf

Systems Integration: www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/46663.pdf

Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments

(online version)

DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program, 2009

www.solaramericacities.energy.gov/resources/guide_for_local_governments/

Opportunities and Challenges for Development of a Mature 

Concentrating Photovoltaic Power Industry

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2009

www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/43208.pdf

The Effects of the Financial Crisis on Photovoltaics: 

An Analysis of Changes in Market Forecasts 

from 2008 to 2009

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2009

www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/46713.pdf

Model Interconnection Procedures and Net Metering 

Rules Incorporating Best Practices

Interstate Renewable Energy Council, 2009

http://irecusa.org/irec-programs/connecting-to-the-grid/

Connecting to the Grid Guide

Interstate Renewable Energy Council, 2009

http://irecusa.org/irec-programs/connecting-to-the-grid/

Freeing the Grid Report

The Network for New Energy Choices, 2009

www.newenergychoices.org/uploads/FreeingTheGrid2009.pdf
P. 12

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4th Quarter 2009

Solar Program Funding Opportunities

Pipeline of Program Activities

The Solar Energy Technologies Program conducts a range of research and 

development activities along the solar pipeline. Funding opportunities are available 

for photovoltaics, concentrating solar power, systems integration, and market 

transformation activities. The Solar Program provides opportunities for both 

financial and technical assistance. 

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.

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.

For More Information

Contact the EERE Information Center 

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

visit eere.energy.gov/informationcenter.