Solar Energy Innovation Network

The Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN) helps communities develop transformative approaches to adopting solar energy. Teams develop their ideas in real-world contexts, yielding results that can unlock tomorrow's solar markets.

SEIN seeks to overcome barriers to solar adoption by connecting teams of stakeholders that are pioneering new ideas with the resources they need to succeed.

Teams that participate in SEIN receive support from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories and participate in peer-to-peer learning with other teams that are tackling similar challenges. These teams are developing and documenting their solutions for solar adoption with scale in mind, so that others can adapt those solutions to their own contexts.

Topics by Round

SEIN is currently in its third round. Each round lasts about 18 months and brings together new teams to address a different topic. The first and second rounds have completed.

Assistance for Early Adopters

NREL is offering targeted analytical support to help other communities and organizations adopt and apply insights developed through the Innovation Network. Learn more about early adopter assistance and apply.

Publications

Visit the SEIN publications page to browse publications from all rounds of the Solar Energy Innovation Network.

Program Structure

Teams are grouped into cohorts based on shared challenges and goals. Over the course of 18 months, teams receive direct funding, analytical support from NREL and other expert partners, and facilitation support.

Through coordinated engagement at multiday working sessions spread across the 18 months, teams also work together to identify local and regional benefits and barriers, formulate and test innovations, and validate new models. Sustained interaction with other teams creates a valuable platform for ensuring a team's solutions benefit from lessons learned elsewhere and are devised in ways that maximize replicability. Insights and results from the program are shared at a symposium at the end of each round, through NREL publications, and on this website.

SEIN is funded by the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office and is led by NREL.

Contact

Please direct questions to the Solar Energy Innovation Network team.