Solar funding for a greener Earth
Earth Day 2010 was a banner day to roll out all sorts of positive environmental messages, to encourage greener behavior and to demand governmental action to slow global climate change.
On April 22, the U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced a big, $200 million boost for solar power research and development. The new solar funding is granted with the hope that scientists can improve existing renewable energy processes in order to to bring technologies out of the laboratory and into the marketplace.
Of the $200 in new solar funding from the Department of Energy, $125 million is specifically for photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing growing out of “university-focused development” and “industry-focused development.”
Among the solar projects to which the federal funding is aimed is photovoltaic (PV) supply chain development. To help build the photovoltaic industry in the short term, $40 million will be directed over 3 years for “component and manufacturing technologies that show a strong potential to impact a substantial segment of the photovoltaic industry within two to five years.” Development of low-cost coating materials and electrical components, production of equipment that improves the speed of manufacturing or installation, and reduction of manufacturing waste are primary goals.
Another funded solar project is the search for and hiring of a new national administrator of the Department of Energy’s solar instructor training network. For this lofty goal, the government has set aside $4.5 million over 5 years. One of the primary purposes of the Solar Instructor Training Network is to create well-trained, local personnel at the solar industry front line. This ranges from sales, design, installation, commissioning and inspection of residential solar electric and solar thermal systems.
Tags: department of energy, photovoltaic industry, photovoltaic manufacturing, solar funding, solar research, solar technology
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