The US government recently announced a major initiative aimed at supporting the domestic photovoltaic manufacturing industry.
As part of President Biden's "Invest in America" agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a $45 million funding program , including $18 million under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. These funds will support the manufacture of photovoltaic modules in the United States, with the aim of establishing a domestic manufacturing industry that can achieve the goal of photovoltaic deployment in the United States without relying on imported products.
The funding will also support the development of dual-use photovoltaic technologies, such as agricultural photovoltaic systems and building-integrated photovoltaic systems, to create new markets for photovoltaic products produced in the United States. The revitalization of American manufacturing industry is an important part of the "Biden Economics" of American economic strategy. Since Biden took office, the U.S. PV supply chain has issued 63 domestic manufacturing announcements. It includes more than 40 announcements since August 2022. According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy, domestic manufacturing of photovoltaic modules is the key to achieving a clean power grid.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm emphasized the positive impact of the Invest in America agenda. She noted that President Biden's Invest in America agenda has contributed to a surge in investment in homegrown PV manufacturing and the creation of thousands of high-paying union jobs in PV deployment. With these innovative American manufacturing technologies, the U.S. government is driving a clean energy transition that reduces the cost of electricity for the American citizen and protects him from the climate crisis.
Dual-use photovoltaic systems (photovoltaic modules have other functions besides power generation) have great development potential in expanding the scale of the photovoltaic market while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Other dual-use PV technologies include agricultural PV, building-integrated PV systems, floating PV systems, and vehicular PV systems. By integrating the PV system into the landscape and structure of an existing building, dual-use PV systems can minimize land use issues by making proper use of available space. DOE plans to support up to 12 projects
based on funding opportunities for PV manufacturing and dual-use PV incubators. These projects aim to build a network of manufacturers through the domestic PV supply chain, focusing on the production of polysilicon, silicon rods and wafers, photovoltaic cells, photovoltaic glass and other modules. In addition, the funding will facilitate the development of emerging dual-use PV systems, particularly agricultural PV systems, building-integrated PV systems, floating PV systems, and vehicle-mounted PV systems. Its goal is to expand the size of the U.S. photovoltaic market and create opportunities for domestically manufactured photovoltaic products. To disseminate information and provide guidance to potential applicants, an information webinar will also be held on July 12.
The US government's commitment to building a domestic PV manufacturing industry goes beyond this funding statement. The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced plans to provide another investment opportunity of up to $36 million for research and development of photovoltaic projects . The focus is to promote the development of thin film photovoltaic technology such as perovskite photovoltaic cells and cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic systems. In addition, $52 million has been allocated for 19 selected projects aimed at strengthening the photovoltaic supply chain in the United States, of which $10 million comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. An additional $30 million is dedicated to technologies that facilitate the integration of photovoltaic systems into the grid. The last administration of the United States launched the seventh round of the Made in America Photovoltaic Awards, a $4 million award program designed to promote innovation in photovoltaic hardware and software technology in the United States.
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