Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Silicon Solar Manufacturing, and Dual-use Photovoltaics Incubator | DE FOA 0003057

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003057

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Silicon Solar Manufacturing, and Dual-use Photovoltaics Incubator funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0003057) is a U.S. Department of Energy program run through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), specifically the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). It is designed to accelerate the development of new solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies with a clear emphasis on strengthening U.S. domestic manufacturing capacity, improving U.S. competitiveness in solar, and reducing supply chain vulnerabilities that can affect the availability and affordability of solar energy systems.

The FOA plans to invest a total of $45 million over a three-year period, supporting multiple projects rather than a single large award. DOE anticipates making around 12 awards, with a maximum award amount (ceiling) of $10,000,000 per project. Awards will be made as cooperative agreements, which typically means DOE will be more hands-on than in a standard grant, staying actively involved through milestones, technical direction, and ongoing project engagement to help ensure the work stays aligned with program goals and delivers usable outcomes.

This opportunity is partially funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or BIL). A key statutory foundation cited in the announcement is BIL Section 41007(c)(2), known as the Advanced Solar Energy Manufacturing Initiative, which provides $20 million for this type of activity and traces its authorization back to the Energy Act of 2020. The FOA also notes that additional funding comes from FY2023 appropriations authorized under the Energy Act of 2020 (Division Z, Section 3004(b), 42 U.S.C. 16238(b)). In practical terms, DOE is blending BIL funding and other authorized DOE solar manufacturing funding streams to support a larger portfolio focused on PV innovation and manufacturability.

Programmatically, the FOA is centered on photovoltaics and, in particular, the manufacturability of low-cost, high-quality solar systems. The title signals emphasis on silicon solar manufacturing as well as "dual-use" photovoltaics, which generally refers to PV technologies designed to serve more than one function or to be deployed in ways that provide additional benefits beyond electricity generation (for example, PV integrated into built environments or land uses where energy generation and another use can coexist). The incubator framing suggests DOE is looking for efforts that help move promising PV concepts closer to scalable manufacturing and market readiness, not just lab-scale demonstrations.

The broader policy goals are also explicit: the FOA aligns with the federal push to rebuild and secure domestic manufacturing and supply chains for critical clean energy technologies. It is positioned as part of a government-wide approach to ensuring the clean energy transition delivers economic and workforce benefits, strengthens energy security, supports efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and advances environmental justice. In other words, DOE is not only funding technical improvements in PV technology; it is also trying to shape where and how those technologies are made, how resilient the supply chains are, and how benefits are distributed as solar deployment expands.

In terms of applicant eligibility, the opportunity is limited to for-profit organizations other than small businesses, making it particularly oriented toward larger companies or corporate entities with the capacity to execute sizable, multi-year R&D and manufacturing-scale efforts. The assistance listing is CFDA 81.087, the administering office is the Department of Energy Golden Field Office, and the FOA was originally posted July 6, 2023 with an original closing date of November 14, 2023.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy, infrastructure investment and jobs act (iija) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Silicon Solar Manufacturing, and Dual-use Photovoltaics Incubator" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 06, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 14, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: For profit organizations other than small businesses.

Apply for DE FOA 0003057

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