U.S. Department of Energy Awards $45 Million to Advance Solar Manufacturing & Grid Technologies
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $45 million for projects that will help seamlessly integrate clean energy sources onto the grid, supporting the Biden Administration’s goal of a decarbonized power sector by 2035. As solar and other renewable energy are rapidly deployed throughout the country, these projects are developing new technologies and capabilities to bolster the resilience of the U.S. electric grid. The funding, which also creates a new $25 million consortium, will advance the domestic manufacturing of solar energy and electric grid technologies.
“To flip the switch on climate change, we need a grid that’s chock full of renewable energy that’s also cheap and accessible,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The universities, small businesses, and national lab behind these projects are building the critical components of America’s future grid, making it more resilient on our way to a 100% clean power system.”
Renewable energy is America’s largest source of new electricity generation, with hundreds of gigawatts of solar and wind expected to come online in the next 15 years. Maintaining a reliable, high-renewable grid requires technologies and industry standards that can seamlessly coordinate renewable resources and restart the grid if it goes down. When the power goes out today, a grid operator must first turn on a spinning turbine — often times from a coal or gas-fired power plant — that sends a signal for other power sources to match. Grid-forming inverters will allow renewable sources to create that signal, eliminating the need for a turbine.
The selected projects will:
- Create a public-private consortium on grid integration technology (Award amount: $25 million) — The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of Washington, and the Electric Power Research Institute will co-lead an industry-wide consortium to advance research on grid-forming inverters — an emerging technology that allows solar and other inverter-based energy sources to restart the grid without a spinning turbine, typically a oil or coal-fired power plant. This consortium will include national labs, universities and minority-serving institutions, equipment manufacturers, utilities, and bulk power system operators.
- Provide utilities better data about rooftop solar power generation (Award amount: $6 million) — Two projects led by GridBright, Inc. (Alamo, California) and the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) will develop sensor hardware and system designs that will help utilities understand how much renewable energy is being generated by residential and commercial solar photovoltaics (PV), strengthening reliability of the electricity grid.
- Advance the commercialization of American-made solar innovations (Award amount: $14 million) — Nine solar hardware and manufacturing projects will receive DOE funding to accelerate the commercialization of innovative technologies that can lower the cost of solar technologies and help to integrate solar electricity into the nation’s energy grid. Among the projects include a new solar heat system to dry out sewage and convert it to fertilizer, which would help decarbonize the agricultural, wastewater, and industrial sectors and a project to develop a low-cost device to help prevent solar system electrical fires.
“Investments in clean and renewable energy infrastructure are a big reason why Washington state continues to lead in innovation and technological development. I am so glad to see this important funding go towards projects that will promote energy security, meet domestic demands, and create good-paying manufacturing jobs. This is an important step towards ensuring Washington state leads in solar energy and grid reliability,” said U.S. Senator Patty Murray (WA).
“Adding more renewable energy to the grid is key to fighting climate change, but it has its challenges. I am pleased that the Department of Energy is investing in researching and demonstrating innovative technologies that will help communities deploy more solar energy and create a more reliable grid. These awards are a testament to all of the innovative work being done by universities and companies all over the Pittsburgh area. We have been leaders in innovation for centuries and as that tradition continues, I will work to ensure that DOE and our institutions have the resources they need to keep innovating,” said U.S. Congressman Mike Doyle (PA-18).
“The Department of Energy’s investment in innovative local projects is the spark Northwest Washington needs to be a leader in solar manufacturing. I will continue to champion bold, FDR-like investment in the development of clean technologies to create well-paying jobs, bolster grid resiliency and competitiveness, and fight climate change,” said U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-2).
“Congratulations to Golden’s own Alliance for Sustainable Energy (NREL). The Alliance is bringing us closer to a cleaner future through its work in advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives and improving grid reliability for the nation,” said U.S. Congressman Ed Perlmutter (CO-07).
“Investing in clean energy technologies like solar not only helps us combat climate change, it strengthens our energy and manufacturing sectors, creating good jobs while building the economy of the future. I’m so thrilled that Louisville’s own Bert Thin Films is leading the way in this industry, working to reduce costs and expand access to an inexhaustible clean energy source. I congratulate Thad and Ruvini on earning this highly sought-after Department of Energy funding to continue their great work here in Louisville,” said U.S. Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3).
“Congratulations to Gridbright for being awarded this funding to advance their solar manufacturing and grid reliability projects. These initiatives are crucial for meeting the needs of the 21st century here in Contra Costa and across the country,” said U.S. Congressman Mark Desaulnier (CA-11).
WATCH: ‘What is Grid Integration’
The projects are part of DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2021 Systems Integration and Hardware Incubator funding program of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). EERE’s mission is to accelerate the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of technologies and solutions to equitably transition America to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050. The projects and work supported through EERE aim to ensure the clean energy economy benefits all Americans, creating good paying jobs for the American people — especially workers and communities impacted by the energy transition and those historically underserved by the energy system and overburdened by pollution.
Learn more about these projects, the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office’s research priorities in manufacturing and competitiveness and systems integration, and EERE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.
Article courtesy of Energy.gov
Your next camping trip is about to get an upgrade. Kia just dropped two new electric van concepts based on the PV5. With AI-powered home appliances like a refrigerator and microwave, and even a wine cellar, Kia’s new PV5 “Speilraum” is an electric van built for camping and more.
Meet the Kia PV5 Spielraum: An electric van for camping
Kia wasn’t lying when it said its first electric van would offer something for everyone. At the 2025 Seoul Mobility Show on Thursday, Kia and LG Electronics unveiled two new electric van concepts based on the PV5.
The Spielraum electric vans are built for more than just getting you from one place to another. With LG’s AI-powered home appliances, custom interiors, and a wine cellar, the Speilraum models take the PV5 to the next level.
Kia unveiled two new concept vans, the Spielraum Studio and Spielraum Glow cabin. For those wondering, the term Spielraum is German for “Play Space” or leeway. In other words, Kia is giving you more freedom to move.
The Studio version is designed as a mobile workspace with LG appliances like smart mirrors and a coffee pot. Using AI, the system can actually determine how long your trip will take and will recommend when to use the appliances.
Even more exciting (at least for the vanlifers out there), the Glow cabin converts the PV5 into a mobile camper van.
With a refrigerator, microwave oven, and added wine cellar (you know, for those long trips), Kia’s electric van is sure to upgrade your next camping trip.
Kia and LG signed an MOU and plan to launch production versions of the Spielraum electric vans in the second half of 2026. The South Korean companies are also developing a new series of advanced home appliances and other AI solutions that could be included in the vans when they arrive.
The PV5 will initially be available in Passenger, Cargo, and Chassis Cab setups. However, Kia plans to introduce several new versions, including a Light Camper model.
At 4,695 mm long, 1,895 mm wide, and 1,899 mm tall, the Kia PV5 passenger electric van is slightly smaller than the European-spec Volkswagen ID.Buzz (4,712 mm long, 1,985 mm wide, 1,937 mm tall).
With the larger 71.2 kWh battery pack, Kia’s electric van offers up to 400 km (249 miles) of WLTP driving range. It can also fast charge (10% to 80%) in about 30 mins to get you back on the road.
Kia will launch the PV5 in Europe and Korea later this year, with a global rollout scheduled for 2026. Ahead of its official debut, we got a closer look at the PV5 on public roads last month (check it out here).
Would you take the PV5 Spielraum Glow cabin for camping? Or are you going with the Studio version? Let us know in the comments.
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Tesla Cybertruck owners are starting to get the fix for the truck’s recent recall related to a falling trim. The fix is ridiculous for a $80,000-$100,000 vehicle as it leaves a weld burn and a panel gap.
Last month, Electrek reported that Tesla had quietly put a containment hold on Cybertruck deliveries.
While the reason was not confirmed at the time, we reported that we suspected that it was a problem with the cantrail, a decorative trim that covers the roof ledge of a vehicle. For the Cybertruck, it consists of the highlighted section below:
A week later, Tesla announced that it recalled all Cybertrucks ever made over an issue with the cantrail: it is falling off the Cybertruck.
Now, some Tesla Cybertruck owners are starting to receive the “fix” for the recall, but it is quite disappointing for what is a $80,000 to $100,000 vehicle.
A Cybertruck owner in New Jersey was already having issues with his cantrail and had to have his tent system installed, so his truck was already at the service center when the recall happened. He was given back his truck with the fix, but he was disappointed with the results, which left a mark on the cantrail and a significant panel gap. He shared pictures via the Cybertruck Owners Club:
According to the recall notice, the fix is as simple as removing the trim, applying some butyl patches, and reapplying the trim with two new nuts to secure it.
In the case of this Cybertruck, the new nut is leaving a significant gap on the chassis that Tesla should never have felt acceptable to deliver to a customer.
As for the burn or rust mark, the owner speculated that it was a weld mark as they weld the new nut, but there’s no welding required in the fix. Therefore, it’s not clear what happened, but there’s clearly a mark where the new nut is located.
Here’s a video of the process:
Electrek’s Take
Tesla is lucky. Many of its owners, especially with newer vehicle programs, like the Cybertruck, are early adopters who don’t mind dealing with issues like this.
However, this is a $80,000 to $100,000 vehicle, and most people expect a certain level of service with those vehicles.
You can’t have a remedy for a manufacturing defect that results in panel gaps and marks like this. It shouldn’t be acceptable, and Tesla shouldn’t feel good about giving back a vehicle like that to a customer.
On top of all of this, this is a pain for Cybertruck owners with wraps. They are going to have to rewrap the trim and it doesn’t look like Tesla is going to cover that.
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Romain Costaseca | Afp | Getty Images
As crypto prices rallied to record highs last year, venture investors piled into new bitcoin-related startups.
The number of pre-seed transactions in the market climbed 50% in 2024, according to a report published Thursday from Trammell Venture Partners. The data indicates that more entrepreneurs entered the bitcoin arena despite a cautious funding environment for the broader tech startup universe.
Bitcoin more than doubled in value last year, while ethereum rose by more than 40%. Early in the year, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved exchange-traded funds that invest directly in bitcoin and then extended the rule to ethereum, moves that brought a wider swath of investors into the market. The rally picked up steam in late 2024 after Donald Trump’s election victory, which was heavily funded by the crypto industry.
The early-stage startup boom dates back several years. According to the Trammell report, the number of pre-seed deals in the bitcoin-native category soared 767% from 2021 to 2024. Across all early-stage funding rounds, nearly $1.2 billion was invested during the four-year period.
“With four consecutive years of growth at the earliest stage of bitcoin startup formation, the data now confirm a sustained, long-term venture category trend,” said Christopher Calicott, managing director at Trammell, in an interview.
Venture capital broadly has been slow to rebound from a steep drop that followed a record 2021. Late that year, inflation started to jump, which led to increased interest rates and pushed investors out of risky assets. The market bounced back some in 2024, with U.S. venture investment climbing 30% to more than $215 billion from $165 billion in 2023, according to the National Venture Capital Association. The market peaked at $356 billion in 2021.
Trammell’s research focuses on companies that build with the assumption that bitcoin is the monetary asset of the future and use the bitcoin protocol stack to develop their products.
The numbers weren’t universally positive for the industry. Across all rounds as high as Series B, the total capital raised declined 22% in 2024.
But Calicott said he’s looking at the longer-term trend and the increase in the number of pre-seed deals. He said the renewed interest in building on blockchain is largely due to technical upgrades and increased confidence in bitcoin’s long-term resilience.
“Serious people no longer question whether bitcoin will remain 15 or 20 years into the future,” he said. “So the next question becomes: Is it possible to build what the founder is trying to achieve on bitcoin? Increasingly, the answer is yes.”
Trammell has been investing in bitcoin startups since 2014 and launched a dedicated bitcoin-native VC fund series in 2020. Its portfolio includes companies like Kraken, Unchained, Voltage and Vida Global.
Recent reports show momentum in crypto startup funding more widely. In February, crypto VC deals topped $1.1 billion, according to data and analytics firm The Tie.
PitchBook forecasts that crypto VC funding will surpass $18 billion in 2025, nearly doubling the $9.9 billion annual average from the 2023 to 2024 cycle. The firm expects greater institutional engagement from firms like BlackRock and Goldman Sachs to deepen investor trust and catalyze further capital inflows.
Joe McCann, a former software developer, is launching his third venture fund, and said this one will be “exclusively focused on consumer apps in crypto.”
He draws a direct parallel to the internet’s early days.
“In the 1990s, VCs were investing in physical infrastructure,” said McCann, who runs Asymmetric, a digital asset investment firm managing two hedge funds and two early-stage venture capital funds, with $250 million under management. “Ten years later, it was Groupon, Instagram, Facebook — apps built on top. That’s where we are with Web3 right now.”
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