Open Calls

DuraMAT releases open calls to fund private companies and academic universities in the solar industry to conduct research and development on modules and materials with the national labs. In addition to supporting U.S. PV and supply-chain manufacturers, this work has the potential to benefit solar financiers and developers by making performance and reliability data available to the public. 

For DuraMAT Core Call (i.e., lab-led) Proposal calls, see Core Calls Information.

Current Funding Opportunity

2024

Durable Module Materials Consortium Duramat Fiscal Year 2024 Open Call Request For Proposals (RFP)

The DuraMAT Consortium is divided into five core objective areas. Proposals should leverage this structure and build on the resources DuraMAT established in fiscal years 2017–2023. Proposals should directly address the research questions below and the challenges of making a 50-year module and system, having confidence that a module may indeed last 50 years, and knowing which components must be field-repairable or replaceable in order to achieve the 50-year goal.

Research Questions:

  1. Which materials and module designs will enable sustainable, high-energy-yield 50-year modules and how do we ensure these new modules are not going to fail prematurely?

  2. What triggers wear out, defined as a rapid increase in degradation at end of life, and what are the characteristics, rates, and mechanisms of long-term degradation in PV modules?

    • Released: 11/6/2023
    • Closed: 12/15/2023
    • Status: RFP Closed

Past Funding Opportunities

2022

Durable Module Materials Consortium DuraMAT Fiscal Year 2022 Open Call Request For Proposals (RFP)

The DuraMAT Consortium is currently divided into five core objective areas: central data resource; multi-scale, multi-physics modeling; fielded module forensics; disruptive acceleration science; and materials solutions. Proposals should leverage this structure and build on the resources DuraMAT established in fiscal years 2017–2022. Proposals focused on system performance, balance of system, or connectors are not of interest for this solicitation because they were covered under the SETO FY22 Lab Call.

  • Released: 10/4/2022
  • Closed: 11/3/2022
  • Status: Projects Awarded

2019

Duramat Sources Sought/Request For Information (RFI)— ROUND 3 —Energy Materials Network Consortium For Durable Module Materials Program: Design, Testing, And Production Of Advanced Materials And Photovoltaic Modules Innovative Project Opportunity

This RFI is limited to efforts focused on the rapid discovery, development, de-risking, and commercialization of new durable materials and designs for photovoltaic (PV) modules with the potential to improve performance and lifetime while substantially reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). This RFI is not for the incremental advancement of existing materials and designs, nor is it for the advancement of the solar cell device technologies contained within the PV module.

  • Released: 8/7/2019
  • Closed: 9/13/2019
  • Status: Projects in awarded

2018

Duramat Solicitation For Letters Of Interest (SLOI)—Round 2 —Energy Materials Network Consortium For Durable Module Materials Program: Design, Testing, And Production Of Advanced Materials And Photovoltaic Modules Innovative Project Opportunity

DuraMAT is engaging the photovoltaic (PV) industry and university researchers to develop new materials, designs, and tests for more durable modules. DuraMAT released an SLOI to fund companies, universities, and non-profits in PV to conduct research and development on modules and materials with the national labs. The goal of this solicitation is to enable U.S. global competitiveness within the renewable energy sector by supporting research and development projects on module materials and designs that improve the performance and lifetime of PV modules and systems while decreasing the levelized cost of electricity toward the SunShot 2030 goals.

  • Released: 6/7/2018
  • Closed: 7/20/2018
  • Status: Projects Awarded

2017

DuraMAT Solicitation for Letters of Interest (SLOI)— ENERGY MATERIALS NETWORK CONSORTIUM FOR DURABLE MODULE MATERIALS PROGRAM: DESIGN, TESTING, AND PRODUCTION OF ADVANCED MATERIALS INNOVATIVE PROJECT OPPORTUNITY

This RFP focused on the rapid discovery, development, de-risking, and commercialization of new durable materials and designs for PV modules with the potential to improve performance and lifetime, while substantially reducing the levelized cost of electricity.

  • Released: 3/14/2017
  • Closed: 5/1/2017
  • Status: Projects Awarded

Bay Area Photovoltaic Consortium (BAPVC): New High-Impact Concepts in Solar Photovoltaic Module Packaging

This RFP focused on opportunities beyond the cell level, including innovative packaging concepts, such as materials and designs required for assembling, and encapsulating and interconnecting cells, as well as novel implementations of light management for improved quantum efficiency using light scattering, antireflective coatings, and interconnects.

  • Released: 1/17/2017
  • Closed: 2/28/2017
  • Status: Projects Awarded

Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies (QESST): Advanced Concepts in Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Module Packaging

The focus areas of this RFP were bottom-up approaches for predictive failure, advanced module design, materials and performance, and operando measurement of materials and devices.

  • Released: 5/2/2017
  • Closed: 5/24/2017
  • Status: Projects Awarded