State gets $8M for solar research

New York state recently received $8 million from the federal government to support innovative solar energy research and development. As part of a $60 million investment by the U.S. Department of Energy through SunShot Initiative, the grant aims to lower the cost of solar electricity, advance grid integration and support a growing U.S. solar workforce.

The federal energy department awarded $4.5 million to IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center to develop solar devices that “near the theoretical efficiency limits of single junction solar cells.” The department will also award $1.9 million to GE Global Research to develop “more reliable solar components.”

“The tremendous growth in the U.S. solar industry over the past few years is helping to pave the way to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future that protects our air and water and provides affordable clean energy to more and more Americans,” said U.S. energy department secretary Ernest Moniz.

The energy department’s SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that seeks to drive innovation to make solar energy cost-competitive with traditional energy sources by the end of the decade.