The U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative has leveraged $104 million dollars in government research grants into $1.7 billion in private equity and venture capital investment into new solar power technologies. Started in 2007, the SunShot Incubator program’s purpose is to make solar energy cost-effective and competitive with other energy technologies by 2020.
The SunShot Incubator program has nurtured fifty-eight solar startup companies since the beginning of the program. Technology advances in Photovoltaic software and hardware are a particular focus of these awards. The program assists early-stage startup companies with commercialization and investment. It has so far raised $18 in private investment for every $1 awarded by the Department of Energy for the participating solar companies.
Among the current cohort of SunShot Incubator enterprises are several California-based businesses, including:
- Brittmore Group, of San Jose, developing an automated system for frameless photovoltaic (PV) modules;
- Folsom Labs, San Francisco, makes software for PV system engineers to efficiently design high-performance solar arrays with cloud-based design tools.
- kWh Analytics, Oakland, building big data information tools for solar investors.
- Renewable Power Conversion, San Luis Obispo, developing a sealed inverter with plug-and-play installation.
- SineWatts, Palo Alto, makes SineWatts Inverter Molecules featuring historic miniaturization and semiconductor integration.
- SMASHsolar, El Cerrito, developing a scalable PV mounting system .
- Solar Census, Walnut Creek, produces online shade tool that aids system designers in customizing PV systems in 3D.
- Sunrun Inc., San Francisco, automating design, costing, simulation, proposal generation, pricing, permitting, and field management for solar systems.
Argent Solar is dedicated to bringing you the most up-to-date solar rooftop technologies and system designs. With new and exciting research into these areas in California, we can bring you lower-cost and more efficient rooftop systems for your home and business.