Veeco Receives $4.8M U.S. DOE Solar Manufacturing Grant

Veeco Instruments Inc. announced that it has been awarded $4.8 million by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate the research and development and commercialization of its copper, indium, gallium, selenium (CIGS) deposition systems.

The award was granted as part of the DOE’s “SunShot” High-Impact Supply Chain R&D Program, the goal of which is to achieve price parity between solar electricity and fossil-based electricity by the end of the decade, without additional subsidies. The DOE funding will help Veeco to speed up its efforts to commercialize multi-stage thermal deposition production systems used to manufacture cost-efficient CIGS solar cells.

Commenting on the Veeco award, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said, “Developing new, clean, homegrown sources of energy is a vital part of our economic recovery. This federal investment will help drive research and development of new solar power technology, helping make solar power more efficient. By making solar power more effective and affordable over the long term, we can cut emissions, improve our environment, lower our energy bills, and create good-paying green jobs right here at home.”