Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems - Advanced Concepts

The objective of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to fund projects that develop technologies in power electronics that reduce the overall photovoltaic (PV) system costs, allow high penetrations of solar technologies onto the grid (e.g. reactive power, energy storage, advanced functionalities), and enhance the performance, reliability, and safety of the PV system. In addition, projects funded under this FOA will demonstrate the feasibility of these technologies in the field and will directly support the objectives of the SunShot Initiative, which has a goal to reduce the total costs (including installer margin) of solar energy systems by about 75 percent before the end of the decade and to make solar competitive with conventional fossil-fuel sourced generation. The DOE has identified several major areas where significant cost reductions in power electronics can be made including: 1) economies of scale; 2) advanced components; 3) reliability; 4) smart grid integration; and 5) understanding of system implications. The DOE also is considering how changes in power electronics impact the cost of the PV system as a whole. DOE anticipates that the U.S. Solar Industry can reach the aggressive SunShot targets by focusing on both power electronics research and in technologies more specific to grid-connected, photovoltaic systems. There will be two topics to which an application may be submitted under this FOA: Topic 1: Smart-Grid Functionality Topic 2: Using Power Electronics to Address Balance of System Costs The full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. Applications must be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE website to be considered for award. The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE eXCHANGE website. A user Guide for the EERE eXCHANGE can be found on the EERE website at: http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchange/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system. Information on where to submit questions regarding the content of the announcement and where to submit questions regarding submission of applications is found in the full FOA posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website.