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NREL Funds Research into Low-Cost Solar Electricity
Media contact: Golden, Colo., Dec. 8, 1997 -- C Contracts worth about $60 million over three years will be awarded under the Thin Film PV (photovoltaic) Partnership program at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Recipients of the money will research ways to lower the cost of producing electricity from sunlight using photovoltaic semiconductors that can be applied as thin films on a variety of inexpensive backings. Today, photovoltaic power costs about $6 a watt. The goal is to develop thin film technology that can reduce that cost to $1 a watt, making clean, renewable solar-powered photovoltaics competitive with electricity produced by fossil fuels. Examples of PV products using thin film technology include photovoltaic roofing shingles and lightweight, flexible panels used by backpackers and boaters. When cost goals are met, PV will be competitive with conventional energy sources for significant amounts of electricity. Any use of PV that displaces fossil-fuel-generated electricity reduces emissions of greenhouse gases that have been linked to global warming. The Partnership Program represents the successful implementation of DOE's long-term commitment to developing cost-competitive photovoltaics. Researchers in thin film photovoltaics work with such semiconductors as amorphous and polycrystalline silicon, cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium diselenide (CuInSe2). The Thin Film PV Partnership builds on the successes of similar DOE/NREL-sponsored research programs over the last decade. Those programs developed amorphous silicon and film silicon as substantial, commercial photovoltaic technologies and helped create the thin film CuInSe2 and cadmium telluride technologies, which now are being commercialized by several U.S. companies. Teams that will receive funding submitted proposals in six categories: technology partnerships to bring thin film photovoltaics to production; research and development partnerships in CuInSe2, CdTe, amorphous silicon and thin film silicon; and a special topic on advanced, multijunction designs. The special topic is co-sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute, which will provide $400,000 to match a similar amount provided by DOE through NREL. The exact amount to be awarded to each institution is under negotiation, based on available funding. There were 63 requests for funding, totaling $120 million. Of the $60 million to be awarded, NREL will contribute $35 million. The rest of the money comes from corporate partners. Universities will receive about $4 million of the $11 million in federal funds expected during the first year of the program. Small businesses will get about $4 million, and large businesses will receive the remaining $3 million. About $5 million in private funds is expected to be invested in the Partnership in the first year.
A list of the organizations to receive funding follows. Technology Partner Awards
Astropower
BP Solar
EPV
Global Solar Energy
Optical Coatings Lab
Siemens Solar Industries
Solar Cells Inc.
Solarex
United Solar Systems Corp. CuInSe2 R&D Partner Awards
Colorado State University
Daystar
Florida Solar Energy Center
International Solar Electric Technology
Materials Research Group
University of Florida
Washington State University CdTe R&D Partners
Colorado School of Mines
ITN
University of South Florida
University of Toledo
Weizmann Institute of Technology Amorphous Silicon R&D Partner Awards
Colorado School of Mines
Energy Conversion Devices
Harvard University
Iowa State University
University of Oregon
Pennsylvania State University
Syracuse University
University of California-Los Angeles
University of North Carolina
University of Utah Thin Film Silicon R&D Partner Awards
MV Systems Special Topic Awards
Institute of Energy Conversion/ University of Delaware
Pennsylvania State University
University of Illinois
University of South Florida NR-05597 |