INSTITUTION PROFILE / PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS
U.S. Department of Energy
The department that funds America's perovskite research and start-ups
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is a federal executive department. It does not make solar cells. In perovskite solar cells, its main role has been to fund R&D at universities, national laboratories and start-ups, and to push commercialisation along through a validation centre and prize competitions. The tandem development work at First Solar, Swift Solar and Tandem PV was also selected through DOE funding calls. This profile looks at one question only: how much influence DOE actually has over perovskite solar cells.
- DOE in 30 seconds
- What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
- What it does for perovskite solar cells
- How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
- The companies and organisations involved
- Outlook
- Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit
1. DOE in 30 seconds
Department of EnergyAbbreviated DOE
DOE is both a funder and a policymaker that sets the direction of national R&D. For perovskite solar cells it has named four challenges (efficiency, durability, manufacturability and bankability, meaning reliability good enough for lenders to finance projects) and directed money at each of them Sourced. Since 2025, however, the department has been reorganised, and solar R&D is now handled by the Integrated Energy Systems Office (IESO) within the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI). On top of that, the FY2027 budget request gives IESO a budget of zero.
2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
Unlike the companies in this series, none of the institutions that appear in perovskite solar cell coverage makes solar cells. What separates them is the route by which they influence the industry, and that gives four types.
3. What it does for perovskite solar cells
DOE's money for perovskite solar cells has come through three channels: R&D funding calls, a validation centre and prize competitions Sourced. All amounts are as announced at selection, and DOE notes that they may change during negotiations.
| Programme | When | Amount | What it covers and who was selected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 Perovskite Funding Program | Announced August 2020 Selected March 2021 | 22 projects, US$40 million | Three topic areas: device efficiency and stability, module manufacturing, and validation and bankability. Open to universities, national laboratories and companies |
| Validation centre PACT | Selected March 2021 | US$9 million + US$5 million | Sandia National Laboratories (PACT, US$9 million) and NREL (CHEETA, US$5 million) operate as a single centre. It develops accelerated test protocols, validates performance outdoors and gives investors objective information |
| American-Made Challenges: Perovskite Startup Prize | March 2021 to July 2024 | US$3 million in total | A prize competition for newly founded U.S. for-profit companies. In January 2024 DOE announced the single winner of the final stage (Verde Technologies) |
| Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics (perovskite tandem part) | Call issued September 2023 Selected May 2024 | US$44 million overall of which four projects, US$23.7 million | Cubic PV, First Solar, Swift Solar and Tandem PV. The goal is, by the end of 2026, 27% conversion efficiency on modules larger than 500 cm², and passing selected IEC 61215 tests among other targets |
DOE says that to compete with commercial technologies, perovskite PV must survive at least 20 years outdoors, and it puts degradation by water and oxygen at the top of the list of problems Sourced. Projects selected under the FY2020 programme include barrier films that seal in lead, and encapsulation and moisture-barrier work aimed at modules that still deliver 80% of their original output after 20 years. The 2024 tandem call likewise set passing selected IEC 61215 tests as a condition, not just efficiency. For a supplier of encapsulants, barrier films or hole-transport materials, U.S. public money has been aimed less at "efficiency records" than at "proof that the product lasts".
4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
| Aspect | What DOE has | What it does not have |
|---|---|---|
| Powers | The power to set R&D challenges and performance targets and to run calls, selection and awards itself. It runs prize competitions and has national laboratories set up validation centres | The final say on the budget (Congress passes it). Power to decide international standards (IEC) |
| Geography | Programmes funded from the U.S. budget that support U.S. universities, national laboratories and companies. The 2024 tandem call aimed at market acceptance of tandems made in the United States | Any direct authority over foreign companies or other countries' markets |
| Wider reach | PACT's stated role is to create fair test protocols and give objective information to investors and lenders | Power to make other countries or other companies follow those test protocols |
| Scale | 15,705 federal employees (early 2025), down by more than 3,500, plus more than 100,000 contractors. IESO's FY2026 enacted budget is US$320 million (including work other than solar) | The Budget in Brief does not show an annual amount spent on perovskite solar cells alone |
The "zero budget for IESO" in FY2027 is a budget request from the administration to Congress, not an enacted amount. In the Budget in Brief tables, IESO has US$181.71 million enacted for FY2025, US$320 million enacted for FY2026 and a request of zero for FY2027 (down 100% year on year) Sourced. The amounts in section 3 are also figures at the time of selection, and may since have changed through negotiation and contracting, or through the reviews carried out from 2025. We have not been able to confirm whether each individual project is still running Not yet confirmed.
5. The companies and organisations involved
Links to the company profiles in this series
| Company | Link to DOE programmes (as stated in primary sources) | Link to this series |
|---|---|---|
| First Solar | "High-Performance Tandem Modules Based on Wide-bandgap FAPbI3 Perovskites and Narrow-bandgap CI(G)S Bottom Cells" (US$6 million, targeting 27% conversion efficiency) | Company profile in preparation |
| Swift Solar | "PIPPIN: Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Solar Cells from Prototype to Production", a perovskite-silicon tandem with the perovskite layer made by vapour deposition (US$7 million) | Company profile in preparation |
| Tandem PV | "STACKED: Stability and Characterization of Hole-Transporting Layers Key to Enabling Outdoor Durability" (US$4.7 million) | Company profile in preparation |
| Cubic PV, Verde Technologies | Cubic PV: a four-terminal perovskite-silicon tandem (US$6 million). Verde Technologies: winner of the Startup Prize | Not covered in this series |
6. Outlook
| What the evidence suggests | Primary information it rests on | Category |
|---|---|---|
| If the FY2027 request is enacted as proposed, new DOE funding calls for terrestrial solar, perovskites included, will become less likely | The Budget in Brief sets IESO's FY2027 request at zero, and says CMEI will prioritise critical minerals, hydropower and advanced manufacturing | Inference |
| For the four tandem projects selected in 2024, the end of 2026 will be the point at which results are measured | The funding opportunity webinar set targets to be met by the end of 2026, including 27% conversion efficiency, modules larger than 500 cm² and passing selected IEC 61215 tests | Inference |
| DOE's influence will persist less through new money than through an accumulated body of "how to measure", such as PACT's test protocols and national laboratory data | PACT's stated role is to develop accelerated test protocols and provide objective information to investors | Inference |
7. Glossary
- CMEI
- The Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, the DOE office that took over the work of the former Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
- IESO
- The Integrated Energy Systems Office, the unit within CMEI responsible for R&D on solar, wind, the power grid and related areas.
- Bankability
- Having enough evidence on performance and lifetime for financial institutions to decide to lend to a project.
- PACT
- The Perovskite PV Accelerator for Commercial Technologies, a centre that independently validates the performance and lifetime of perovskite solar cells.
- IEC 61215
- The international standard for design qualification and type approval of terrestrial photovoltaic modules. It sets out tests such as temperature and humidity exposure.
8. References
- U.S. Department of Energy FY 2025 Agency Financial Report: the Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977, roughly 15,000 federal employees and more than 100,000 contractors, and a reduction of more than 3,500 from 15,705 in 2025. https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-12/fy-2025-doe-agency-financial-report.pdf
- U.S. Department of Energy FY 2027 Budget in Brief (April 2026): US$53.91 billion in discretionary funding, the budget of CMEI (formerly EERE), FY2025 and FY2026 enacted amounts and the FY2027 request for Integrated Energy Systems, and the National Laboratory of the Rockies. https://www.energy.gov/documents/doe-fy-2027-budget-brief
- U.S. Department of Energy Integrated Energy Systems Office: IESO's role, and its place under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for CMEI. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/integrated-energy-systems-office
- U.S. Department of Energy Perovskite Solar Cells: IESO's support for R&D, the four challenges, and NLR's efficiency chart. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/perovskite-solar-cells
- U.S. Department of Energy Four Ways DOE is Helping Clear the Path to Commercialization of Perovskite Solar Cells: durability, efficiency at scale, manufacturability and bankability, and at least 20 years outdoors. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/articles/four-ways-doe-helping-clear-path-commercialization-perovskite-solar-cells
- U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 Perovskite Funding Program: announcement in August 2020, selection of 22 projects worth US$40 million in March 2021, the three topic areas and project summaries. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/solar-energy-technologies-office-fiscal-year-2020-perovskite-funding-program-0
- U.S. Department of Energy FY2020 Perovskite Funding Program Validation and Bankability Center: PACT and CHEETA, US$9 million to Sandia and US$5 million to NREL, and the centre's role. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/solar-energy-technologies-office-fiscal-year-2020-perovskite-funding-program
- U.S. Department of Energy American-Made Challenges: Perovskite Startup Prize: US$3 million in total, March 2021 to July 2024, and Verde Technologies named winner on 30 January 2024. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/american-made-challenges-perovskite-startup-prize
- U.S. Department of Energy Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics Funding Program: US$44 million, call in September 2023 and selection in May 2024, and the four perovskite tandem awardees and their amounts. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/advancing-us-thin-film-solar-photovoltaics-funding-program
- U.S. Department of Energy SETO Thin-Film PV FOA 3058 webinar slides (September 2023): performance targets for the end of 2026 (27% conversion efficiency, more than 500 cm², selected IEC 61215 tests) and the goal of market acceptance for tandems manufactured in the United States. https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-09/SETO%20Thin-Film%20PV%20FOA%203058%20-%20Webinar.pdf
9. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the article | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Established in 1977, a reduction of more than 3,500 from 15,705 federal employees, more than 100,000 contractors | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-12/fy-2025-doe-agency-financial-report.pdf |
| FY2027 request of US$53.91 billion, US$4.81 billion more than FY2026, CMEI as the former EERE, IESO's FY2025 and FY2026 enacted amounts and zero FY2027 request, CMEI's priorities, NREL's current name NLR | Sourced | Reference 2 https://www.energy.gov/documents/doe-fy-2027-budget-brief |
| IESO's role and its place within CMEI | Sourced | Reference 3 https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/integrated-energy-systems-office |
| IESO supports perovskite R&D, the four challenges, and the former SETO page now published as an IESO page | Sourced | Reference 4 https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/perovskite-solar-cells |
| At least 20 years outdoors, degradation by water and oxygen, bankability | Sourced | Reference 5 https://www.energy.gov/cmei/articles/four-ways-doe-helping-clear-path-commercialization-perovskite-solar-cells |
| 22 projects and US$40 million under the FY2020 programme, the three topic areas, and projects on barrier films that seal in lead and on 80% output after 20 years | Sourced | Reference 6 https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/solar-energy-technologies-office-fiscal-year-2020-perovskite-funding-program-0 |
| Amounts, host laboratories and roles of PACT and CHEETA | Sourced | Reference 7 https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/solar-energy-technologies-office-fiscal-year-2020-perovskite-funding-program |
| The Startup Prize's total, period, eligibility and winner | Sourced | Reference 8 https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/american-made-challenges-perovskite-startup-prize |
| The thin-film PV programme's US$44 million and timing, and the four perovskite tandem awardees, their projects and amounts | Sourced | Reference 9 https://www.energy.gov/cmei/systems/advancing-us-thin-film-solar-photovoltaics-funding-program |
| Performance targets for the end of 2026, selected IEC 61215 tests, and the goal of tandems manufactured in the United States | Sourced | Reference 10 https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-09/SETO%20Thin-Film%20PV%20FOA%203058%20-%20Webinar.pdf |
| The four types of institution | Our calculation | Our own classification |
| Total of US$23.7 million for the four tandem projects | Our calculation | Our own sum of the four amounts in reference 9 |
| The annual budget for perovskites alone, and whether individual projects are still running | Not yet confirmed | Not stated in references 2 or 6 to 9; this article does not estimate them |
| The three points in the outlook (section 6) | Inference | This article's reading of references 2, 7 and 10 |
Last updated 25 September 2026 / Troy Technical
All figures come from DOE's financial report, Budget in Brief, official web pages and funding opportunity materials. Amounts are those at the time of selection. Items marked "Inference" are this article's reading of the primary information, not statements by DOE.