SunShot Initiative Projects in Pennsylvania
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative
is a national effort to support solar energy adoption by making solar energy
affordable for all Americans through research and development efforts in
collaboration with public and private partners.
SunShot funds cooperative research, development, demonstration,
and deployment projects by private companies, universities, state and local
governments, nonprofit organizations, and national laboratories to drive down
the cost of solar electricity.
Pennsylvania is home to 21 current and past SunShot Initiative
projects.
Research, Development, and Deployment
- Awardee: Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection
- Location: Harrisburg,
PA
- Award Start Date: 2016
- Status: Active
- Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Name: Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies 2 -
State Energy Strategies (SEEDS2-SES)
- Total Government Share: $550,000
This project uses detailed scenario modeling to analyze
current solar development and legislation and determine how they will be
applied in 2030 under a scenario where up to 10 percent of electricity sales
are from solar generation. The project will inform strategies that help meet
state energy goals, develop environmental compliance plans, contribute to
Pennsylvania's compliance of the Clean Power Plan, and increase grid
resiliency. This work will result in a well-informed solar deployment plan that
will be available to policymakers, regulators, industry, investors, and
consumers. This project is expected to help lower the costs, increase the
speed, and lower the barriers to solar market expansion in Pennsylvania.
- Awardee: Lehigh
University
- Location: Bethlehem,
PA
- Award Start Date: 2017
- Status: Active
- FOA Name:
Photovoltaics Research and Development 2: Modules and Systems (PVRD2)
- Total Government Share:
$117,291
This project is investigating the introduction of atomic layer deposited
(ALD) tunnel barriers that simultaneously allow electron flow and passivate the
silicon surface for silicon-based solar cells. The tunnel barrier is combined
with metal oxide materials that selectively transport electrons or holes. This
work employs ALD for the fabrication of these thin film layers, which is a
scalable technique capable of sub-nanometer control of film thickness, even on
non-planar substrates. This work quantifies the electronic behavior of these
contacts, which may constitute some of the most efficient electrical contacts
to silicon photovoltaics to date.
- Awardee: PPL Electric Utilities
- Location: Allentown, PA
- Award Start Date: 2017
- Status: Active
- FOA Name: Enabling Extreme Real-time Grid Integration of
Solar Energy (ENERGISE)
- Total Government Share: $3,320,000 (subject to change
pending negotiations)
This project leverages several different grid technologies
to deploy a distributed system platform that bridges the gap between existing
and future technologies by monitoring, controlling, and optimizing a high
penetration of solar generation. PPL is also developing a multi-layer device
and communications architecture and a 500-customer pilot on at least 10
distribution circuits. The project team plans to perform an extensive one-year
demonstration, proving all target parameters before deploying it system-wide.
- Awardee: Carnegie
Mellon University
- Location: Pittsburgh,
PA
- Award Start Date: 2015
- Status: Active
- FOA Name: Sustainable and Holistic Integration of Energy
Storage and Solar PV (SHINES)
- Total Government Share: $1,036,963
This project will develop and demonstrate a distributed,
agent based control system to integrate smart inverters, energy storage, and
commercial off-the-shelf home automation controllers and smart thermostats. The
system will optimize PV generation, storage, and load consumption behaviors
using high-performance, distributed algorithms.
- Awardee: National
Energy Technology Laboratory
- Location: Pittsburgh,
PA
- Award Start Date: 2015
- Status: Active
- FOA Name: SunShot National Laboratory Multiyear Partnership
(Systems Integration SuNLaMP)
- Total Government Share: $4,238,040
This project will develop new power electronics devices,
systems, and materials to address power electronic and dispatchability
challenges that result from connecting hundreds of gigawatts of solar energy
onto the electricity grid. These devices will incorporate advanced
high-frequency (HF) magnetics along with the latest wide bandgap silicon
carbide (SiC) switches. This design enables cost-effective grid integration of
PV while increasing its dispatchability.
- Awardee: PPG
Industries
- Location: Allison
Park, PA
- Award Start Date: 2013
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: Solar Manufacturing Technology (SolarMat)
- Total Government Share: $2,148,729
The goal of this project is to develop the materials,
coating designs, and manufacturing processes necessary to commercialize a new
glass article for the cadmium telluride (CdTe) module manufacturing industry.
This new glass article combines an improved transparent conductive oxide plus
buffer layer, a high transmission glass substrate, and a low-soiling
anti-reflective (LSAR) coating into one product offering. The combination of
these various technologies into a single product results in performance gains
and improvements in module cost. The cost reductions stem from the choice of
deposition technology, scaling to high volume manufacturing, and systems
integration of multiple coating operations.
- Awardee: Citizen Penn
Future
- Location: Harrisburg,
PA
- Award Start Date: 2012
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: Rooftop Solar Challenge
- Total Government Share: $303,765
The PennFuture team will create a model zoning ordinance
using the Solar ABCs as a foundation. It will also expand opportunities for
project financing through low-interest solar loans, public-private solar
investment fund, group purchasing, and community solar options.
- Awardee: Pennsylvania
State University
- Location: University
Park, PA
- Award Start Date: 2012
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: SunShot Concentrating Solar Power R&D (CSP
SunShot R&D)
- Total Government Share: $163,405
Pennsylvania State University, under the 2012 SunShot
Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) R&D FOA, is designing and testing a novel
solar collector system that relies on stationary optics, avoiding the need for
mirror movement. The system is capable of achieving optical performance equal
to state-of-the-art parabolic trough systems, but at a lower cost.
- Awardee: ALENCON
Acquisitions
- Location: Plymouth
Meeting, PA
- Award Start Date: 2011
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: Solar Electric Grid Integration- Advanced Concepts
(SEGIS-AC)
- Total Government Share: $2,980,297
Alencon Systems will develop and commercialize a new type of
transformational power electronic technology to utility-scale PV systems based
on novel, patent-pending ideas. A 99.1% efficient, centralized inverter with a
capacity of up to 100 megawatts lies at the heart of the Alencon system.
Feeding this single inverter is an advanced harvesting network that utilizes
string-wise maximum power point tracking and high DC voltage (2500 VDC) nodes
that are easy to install and maintain.
- Awardee: Carlisle
Construction Materials
- Location: Carlisle,
PA
- Award Start Date: 2011
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: Extreme Balance of System Hardware Cost Reduction
(Bos-X)
- Total Government Share: $ 1,472,207
This project will develop low cost, high efficiency,
flexible, building-integrated PV solar cells on roofing membranes.
- Awardee: PPG
Industries
- Location: Allison
Park, PA
- Award Start Date: 2010
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: Baseload Concentrating Solar Power (CSP Baseload)
- Total Government Share: $749,776
PPG, under the Baseload CSP FOA, is producing a durable
first-surface mirror with improved optical performance and geometry design to
reduce the unit cost of the reflector subcomponent in a concentrating solar
power (CSP) application. PPG Industries is creating an ultra-large,
front-surface glass mirror with an inorganic protective hard coat. This
approach is working toward reduced operation and maintenance costs and a lower
overall unit cost of the reflector assembly. Moving to a larger-sized glass
reflector also reduces manufacturing costs because fewer mirrors are needed.
The project aims to achieve an estimated leveled cost of electricity (LCOE) of
less than $0.08/kWh.
- Awardee: Lehigh
University
- Location: Bethlehem,
PA
- Award Start Date: 2008
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: Advanced Heat Transfer Fluids and Novel Thermal
Storage Concepts for Concentrating Solar Power (Thermal Storage)
- Total Government Share: $1,090,623
Lehigh University is working to establish the technical
feasibility of using phase change materials (PCM) at elevated temperatures and
to acquire engineering results that will lead to the demonstration of
large-scale thermal storage systems.
- Awardee: Alcoa
- Location: Pittsburgh,
PA
- Award Start Date: 2007
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Research and
Development (CSP R&D)
- Total Government Share: $2,407,340
Alcoa, under the CSP R&D FOA, is seeking to demonstrate
that significant life cycle cost savings and subsequent LCOE reductions are
achievable through the design optimization of aluminum-intensive collectors.
- Awardee: Plextronics
- Location: Pittsburgh,
PA
- Award Start Date: 2007
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: Incubator 1
- Total Government Share: $3,000,000
PlexTronics is enabling the low-cost,
high-volume manufacture of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices for use as
alternative energy sources by developing cells and modules with efficiencies
greater than 5.8% and 3.5%, respectively, and lifetimes over 5,000 hours.
- Awardee: PPG
Industries
- Location: Allison
Park, PA
- Award Start Date: 2007
- Status: Completed
- FOA Name: Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Research and
Development (CSP R&D)
- Total Government Share: $2,185,465
PPG, under the CSP R&D FOA, is aiming to develop and
commercialize large-area second-surface glass mirrors that are superior in
value, cost, and performance, to existing mirrors on the market today.
Solar in Your Community Challenge
The Solar
in Your Community Challenge is a $5 million prize competition funded by the
U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative that aims to expand solar
electricity access to low and moderate income (LMI) households; state, local,
and tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations.
The Challenge is supporting dozens of teams across the
country with cash prizes and technical assistance to demonstrate innovative,
scalable business and financial models that can open new solar markets that
benefit these underserved communities.
Teams are competing for up to $1 million in final prizes for
the most innovative and scalable models. To compete, teams must design and
deploy scalable community-based solar projects or programs, up to 5 megawatts
in 18 months that serve at least 20% LMI households or 60% non-profits.
- Location: Pittsburgh,
PA
- 2018 Planned kWh Development: 500
- Challenge Track: Low and Moderate Income, Nonprofit
The Gladstone School Campus in Hazelwood is currently being
redeveloped to include 40 low-income housing units, 20 market rate units, a day
care and wellness center and Hazelwood’s community-empowerment organization. As
part of the larger redevelopment project, the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment
Group aims to install solar panels to power housing units for Low-Income (LI)
households. Solar panels will be integrated into the building design to power
the main building on the Gladstone School Campus, which is being renovated to
LEED Platinum-certification standards.
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- 2018 Planned kWh Development: 1,250
- Challenge Track: Low and Moderate Income, Nonprofit
The CPCDC proposes to become the owner and operator of solar
energy facilities that will produce several outcomes in support of CPCDC’s
mission. As an earned revenue source, the income generated from selling the
solar energy will provide the CDC with a predictable and sustainable resource
to support the community, create jobs, and reduce residents’ energy bills.
- Location: Meadville, PA
- 2018 Planned kWh Development: 25
- Challenge Track: Low and Moderate Income
Increased Economic Opportunities is a startup that funds
small renewable energy system installations by raising funds via crowdsourcing.
The focus of this small non-profit is to install renewable energy systems on
homes, surrounding properties, empty lots maintained by the city, and local community
buildings. After the installation, proceeds from electricity production are
used for systems maintenance and additional system installations at other
properties.
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- 2018 Planned kWh Development: 2,500
- Challenge Track: Low and Moderate Income
Solarize Philly is a citywide program to make solar possible
for all Philadelphians. Led by the Philadelphia Energy Authority, it will add
2.5 MW of PV on 500 Philadelphia homes and buildings in 18 months by reducing
customer acquisition costs, reducing system costs through bulk purchasing,
increasing consumer confidence, simplifying solar permitting and
interconnection, and subsidizing solar for low and moderate-income households.
Solarize Philly will create 73 jobs, expand solar installer training, clean the
grid, and reduce energy costs for residents. It will kickstart progress on City
Council’s goal of 20,000 solar roofs by 2025, and drive solar market growth in
our region.
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- 2018 Planned kWh Development: 151
- Challenge Track: Low and Moderate Income
The mission of the Northwest Philly Solar Cooperative is to educate
people in the surrounding community about rooftop solar, negotiate bulk buy
discounts from solar contractors, and advocate for better policies on clean
energy. The Co-op has proposed a Solar Neighborhood Investment Project (SNIP)
which would generate approximately 151 kWh in north Philadelphia. Specific
details regarding this project are not yet known.
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- 2018 Planned kWh Development: 10,000
- Challenge Track: Low and Moderate Income
Solar for Our Neighborhoods plans to build 10 MW of solar on
under-utilized urban land with financial benefits of these projects shared with
low-income residents in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Qualifying low-income
customers will benefit from these solar projects by receiving bill credits for
reducing their home energy usage, lowering costs for all customers. Program
partners include the regional utility, government and community organizations,
solar industry professionals, financial institutions and low-income energy
efficiency service providers.