TheUShas shown its commitment to solar manufacturing after the Department of Energy decided to pour $50million into the SUNPATH (Scaling Up Nascent PV At Home) programme.
SUNPATH is the second solar photovoltaic manufacturing initiative that will support the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative.
It was only in 1995 that theUnited Statesdominated the solar market manufacturing 43 per cent of its PV panels. However, this declined to 27 per cent in 2000 and seven per cent in 2010.
The aim of SUNPATH is to increase domestic manufacturing with investments that have sustainable and performance advantages while also offering competitive costs. In addition, SUNPATH will aid companies with pilot-scale commercial production as they scale up their manufacturing capabilities.
It is believed that the PV Manufacturing Initiative will accelerate cost reduction and commercialisation.
The Department of Energy is now seeking applicants with industrial scale demonstrations of PV modules, cells or substrates with lower cost solutions.
