SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES OFFICE
SETO Crowns a Winner of the Second and Final Stage of its American-Made Perovskite Startup Prize

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) crowned a winner of the second and final stage of its American-Made Perovskite Startup Prize, a $3 million prize designed to accelerate the development and manufacturing of perovskite solar cells by moving world-class research out of the lab and into new U.S. companies.

The Perovskite Startup Prize aims to create opportunities for U.S. manufacturers and entrepreneurs by harnessing the potential that these technologies have shown for high efficiency and low production costs. The prize uses a quarterly review process, and in the latest Liftoff Contest cycle SETO named Verde Technologies as a winner.

In the Liftoff Contest, Verde Technologies developed a coating tool, the Verde Slot Coat System, that promises to dramatically accelerate research and development, obtained third-party validation of initial cell performance results with their coating system, and solidified a network that will help them launch their business. Verde Technologies was awarded the grand prize of $500,000 in cash and $100,000 in technical support vouchers. They hope to use their winnings to develop domestically-manufactured, lightweight, and flexible perovskite solar modules which can serve residential photovoltaics (PV) market customers whose roofs may not be able to bear the weight of conventional PV systems.

Learn about Verde Technologies' project and stay tuned for more Perovskite Startup Prize news as we enter the next quarterly review cycle. Find out how else DOE is helping clear the path to commercialization of perovskite solar cells.