The Energy Department has pumped $32 million into programs to train its solar energy workforce, develop a new solar power collector design and open public access to solar energy market datasets.
Deputy Energy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall said Tuesday DOE intends for the workforce training program to grow the U.S. solar industry and the clean energy economy.
The department aims to produce 75,000 trained solar workers by 2020 with $12 million in funding under the administration’s Solar Ready Vets initiative.
The program will also train professionals in real estate, insurance, finance and fire and safety careers, and establish new credentials for solar energy professionals.
DOE has allocated $15 million of the funding to the development of new concentrating solar power designs in an effort to reduce the cost of the solar collector field.
With $5 million in funding opportunity, the department also seeks to increase efforts to collect, manage and share electricity production and financial performance data related to solar.
