The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a $45 million investment, including $18 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to bolster the pilot manufacturing of solar components that will contribute to the domestic manufacturing sector.

The initiative aims to support the government’s solar deployment goals without relying heavily on imported products while fostering the development of new dual-use solar technologies.

DOE said the funding is expected to help create new markets for American products, stimulate economic growth, and advance the nation’s clean energy transition.

The Silicon Solar Manufacturing and Dual-use Photovoltaics Incubator funding opportunity will provide financial support to up to 12 projects to establish a robust network of manufacturers across the domestic solar supply chain.

The focus will be on areas such as polysilicon production, silicon ingots and wafers, solar cells, glass, and other module components, along with associated manufacturing equipment.

Additionally, the funding will encourage projects that aim to open new markets for emerging dual-use photovoltaic (PV) sectors, including agrivoltaics, building-integrated PV, floating PV, and vehicle-integrated PV.

By creating opportunities for domestically made products capable of expanding PV markets and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the initiative aims to contribute to a sustainable and resilient energy landscape.

Dual-use photovoltaics entails integrating PV panels into various applications such as agrivoltaics (combining solar energy production and agriculture), building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), floating PV, and vehicle-integrated PV.

By fostering a more diverse group of solar manufacturers within the country, the initiative will generate jobs, stimulate economic activity, strengthen technical expertise, simplify shipping and logistics, and mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities.

In line with its commitment to promoting domestic solar manufacturing, the DOE has recently announced its intention to release up to $36 million in funding for research and development projects focused on advancing thin-film solar technologies like perovskite and cadmium telluride PV.

DOE has allocated $52 million for 19 selected projects, including $10 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to strengthen America’s domestic solar supply chain.

An additional $30 million in funding has been designated for technologies that facilitate the integration of solar energy into the grid.

Recently, DOE announced a plan to invest up to $1 billion in a demand-side initiative called the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs to establish a national clean hydrogen network.

According to the DOE’s 2023 Energy and Employment Report, Clean Energy jobs increased by 3.9% in the United States, adding 114,000 jobs in 2022, accounting for 40% of the total energy jobs.