U.S. DOE seeks ‘mass, radiation tolerance, and durability’ in space solar cell manufacturing

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Integrated Energy Systems Office (IESO) and Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation are seeking innovative techniques to move space based solar power forward. The groups are launching a $12 million funding opportunity open to research laboratories and companies around the country.

Space based solar has gotten a lot of attention lately. Some propose to power data centers in space, while others seek to beam the energy to Earth.

Companies able to compete where “cost per watt is not the binding constraint,” but “mass, radiation tolerance, and durability are,” are specifically sought. An IESO representative said space photovoltaics (PV) is “one of the few solar energy segments where the U.S. has never given up its technology lead,” since the U.S. launched the world’s first solar powered satellite, Vanguard 1, in March 1958. 

The opportunity also marks the program as part of the nation’s critical mineral push. The document notes that space solar cell manufacturing is inefficient in its use of key resources, such as gallium and germanium, which each have under 1 kt of annual global production. China banned the export of both to the U.S. in December 2024. The currently suspended ban resumes November 27, 2026, seven weeks after this solicitation closes. 

The program, the Space Photovoltaics (PV) Research and Development Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) opportunity, will fund seven to eleven awards in total, across two separate tracks of topic areas:

• Next-generation Cell Innovation (Topic 1): Projects will focus on the advancement of high-performance, low-cost, and durable space-grade PV cells in the lab environment. DOE anticipates $8 million for this track, spread across five to nine awards.
• Rapid Production and Demonstration (Topic 2): Projects will focus on advancing innovative, high-volume manufacturing processes and demonstrating third party-validated performance of module prototypes in space or near-space environments. DOE anticipates $4 million here, across two to three awards.

The DOE says Topic 1 research is eligible for up to $1.5 million in funding, while topic 2 can gain up to $2 million. The program will cover up to three years of funding. Applications are due 11:59 p.m. ET on October 8, 2026. An informational webinar is scheduled for 1 p.m. on September 15, with office hours on September 29 and October 6. DOE expects to name selections in December 2026.

The opportunity notes a “special interest” in standard space solar cells (type III-V), as well mainstream terrestrial solar cell types. Each product class also has unique technological requests:

• III-V PV – substrate reuse techniques that still deliver at least 27% cell efficiency with greater than 95% yield after five wafer reuses
• crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV -radiation hardened cells that retain at least 80% of beginning of life peak power across missions longer than 10 years or in high radiation orbits, alongside thin wafer cells reaching 23% efficiency at air mass zero
• emerging perovskite PV -prioritizing tandem and multijunction designs above 30% efficiency that can survive thermal cycling, ultraviolet exposure, atomic oxygen, and humid storage

These three technologies are the current focus of space based solar cells.

The press release notes it is seeking those working on “advanced, space-applicable PV technologies or specializing in PV characterization and stress testing.” The DOE is also looking for “industry teams advancing near-commercial, pilot-scale space PV solutions with testing partnerships and the capability to fly PV prototypes or panels in space.”

Regarding III-V type solar technologies, the DOE notes that while these perform reliably, and have shown the ability to last 15 or more years in space, they remain expensive at over 100 times the cost of terrestrial technology. The solicitation calls the manufacturing process “time-consuming, difficult to automate,” with “low material utilization rates of critical minerals, which all drive high costs.”

Thus, faster manufacturing processes could expand the supply chain, lowering costs overall through scale.

The DOE notes that the program aligns with the administration’s “Space Superiority” goal.