The FY2026 Space Photovoltaic (PV) funding opportunity will fund innovations advancing the state of the art in durable, high power space PV technologies enabling high-volume, low-cost manufacturing of space PV arrays. Institutes of higher education, nonprofit entities, and for-profit entities are eligible lead participants. This opportunity will provide up to 9 awards of up to $1.5M each in Topic 1 and up to 3 awards of up to $2M each in Topic 2, totaling up to $12M.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Integrated Energy Systems Office (IESO), which joins the former wind, solar, and grid integration programs under one office, was created as part of a broader DOE realignment to facilitate collaboration between technologies and holistically address the nation’s energy challenges. IESO brings together decades of knowledge in materials science, data, and system design. Connecting these capabilities enables IESO to create integrated solutions that lower energy costs, make our power grid more reliable, and support America’s global leadership in critical energy technologies.
The space economy is growing rapidly, with 2025 recording all-time record levels of global space launches, private investment, and mass launched. These records have largely been driven by the emergence of prominent new sectors of the space economy employing satellite constellations, the most prominent of which is the satellite internet industry. These sectors are expected to continue to grow over the next decade, and potential emerging sectors such as wireless power transmission and orbital compute technologies, if successful, will further increase future demand. For space missions, solar photovoltaic (PV) power remains the most prevalent energy generation technology used to power missions, as the lack of fuel requirement and direct solar-to-electricity conversion properties of PV technology enable low-mass power delivery and decade-plus operational lifetimes with no refueling and minimal maintenance.
Space PV manufacturing will need to grow and innovate to effectively meet the demand from new and emerging sectors of the space economy. In June 2026, IESO hosted a Space PV workshop, convening members of the academic, industrial, and federal communities to identify gaps and research areas of interest for the space PV community. The workshop found that the U.S. space PV industry currently lacks a single technology that combines high performance, long-term durability, and scalable, low-cost manufacturing. The incumbent high-performance option, III-V cells, is hindered by high costs and a vulnerable supply chain. Its reliance on critical minerals like gallium and germanium, which are subject to foreign export controls, limits both scalability and affordability, preventing wider adoption in the commercial sector.1
In response, the emerging space industry has adopted silicon (Si) PV, leveraging established terrestrial manufacturing to achieve lower costs and a more stable supply chain. However, silicon PV presents its own significant limitations, including inherently lower efficiency and high degradation from radiation damage, which restricts its viability for longer or more demanding missions.1
In addition to established technologies, there is the opportunity for innovative PV cell and panel designs that can simultaneously achieve high power conversion efficiency (PCE), high specific power density, durability and reliable performance for >10 year missions, limited supply chain restrictions, and low manufacturing cost. Especially promising are perovskite PV technologies, which have demonstrated resilience to radiation damage from non-ionizing energy loss, potentially have reduced critical minerals requirements, have the potential to be manufactured at high throughput, and can integrate into >30% PCE multijunction cells either with other perovskites or with non-perovskite cell layers. Despite this initial promise, emerging technologies such as perovskite multijunction cells require validation in space and space-like accelerated stress conditions to adequately de-risk initial deployments. Given the high cost and long lead times associated with space flight, it has been challenging to perform this initial validation, and even more challenging to do so in a way that allows for rapid cycles of learning for the space PV R&D community and rapid collection of in-space data for predictive performance modeling.1
This opportunity provides 7-11 awards of up to $1.5-$2M each to innovative R&D projects aimed at tackling these and other major issues with space PV, to promote rapid expansion of space PV panel capacity for the growing space economy. Projects will be spread across two opportunity Topic Areas: Topic 1, the Photovoltaic Accelerator for Reliable Solar Energy Conversion in Space (PARSECS), focused on early-stage solutions and demonstrations of new technological progress on lab-scale devices, and Topic 2, Space PV Manufacturing R&D, which funds prototype development and development of new and existing innovations to coupon-size prototypes. Projects should focus on developing advanced cell or panel technologies capable of simultaneous achievement of low cost, high-volume manufacturing; durability for target space missions; high PCE and performance at end of life; and limited supply chain concerns. Alternately, projects can propose the development of new methods or systems to rapidly test prototype samples to de-risk performance of new space solar technologies during missions, including new, low-cost accelerated stress tests capable of simulating a specific space environment and rapid, accessible ways to test in orbit.
Of special interest for this opportunity are innovations in A) III-V PV, B) crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV, C) emerging perovskite PV, D) other PV, and E) low-cost space PV testing to advance low-cost reliable power for space applications.
III-V technology is often described as the "heritage" space PV technology, since a majority of legacy spacecraft historically have been powered by triple junction (3J) III-V PV panels, which can achieve up to 30-33% initial cell PCE at air mass 0 (AM0) while reliably performing over 15-year geostationary orbit (GEO) mission lifetimes. Alternative III-V architectures such as 4J and inverted metamorphic multijunction (IMM) architectures are also commercial or near-commercial. Despite this impressive performance, III-V arrays remain expensive with manufacturing costs estimated to be over 100x the nameplate power costs of terrestrial silicon panels. These high costs are due in part to the epitaxial growth processes used for space-qualified III–V multijunction cells. This process usually involves epitaxially growing 3J cells by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE)/metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) onto a single crystalline substrate, subsequent thinning of the substrate using chemical etching or substrate removal processes such as epitaxial liftoff, and whole disposal of the unused III-V and/or Ge materials. This process is time-consuming, difficult to automate, and has low material utilization rates of critical minerals, which all drive high costs. In addition to cost, the low material utilization rates also impact material availability and strain critical mineral supply chains. In particular, Ga and Ge are low-volume critical byproduct metals with annual global production volumes of under 1 kt and have supply chains that are dominated by foreign companies. This concentration creates major supply chain risks in the U.S. because Ga and Ge have been subject to export controls, contributing to supply uncertainty and increased prices. To address these and other issues in the III-V PV technology space, this opportunity is interested in projects that aim to reduce the cost and critical material reliance of III-V PV cell manufacturing through:
c-Si is currently the dominant PV technology for low earth orbit (LEO) space applications and leverages a large terrestrial market with extensive supply chains. Space c-Si PV arrays can be manufactured at high volume and low cost, deliver reasonable PCE, and have fewer critical mineral and material supply chain concerns relative to III-V arrays. However, current c-Si solar cells degrade in the space environment from defect formation due to radiation and from damage to surface passivation, encapsulation, and interconnects due to UV and thermal cycling. Innovations such as wafer thinning, which shorten carrier transport distance, and Ga-doping of p-type wafers, which reduces doping loss to radiation damage have led to some improved performance, and continued innovations are needed for c-Si technology that is reliable for missions longer than 5 years and missions in higher-radiation orbits.1 This opportunity is seeking innovative projects in silicon PV that:
Emerging perovskite-based multijunction PV devices have the potential to simultaneously deliver high PCE, durability in space mission environments, high-throughput manufacturing, and low cost, with less reliance on critical mineral supply chains. Perovskite-based multijunction technologies have shown the potential to be readily integrated in low-cost manufacturing, promising PCE records in both single junction and tandem cells, and initial reports indicating perovskite PV cells may be resistant to radiation damage. Despite this promise, perovskite PV cells are still undergoing initial testing in space, and space qualified perovskite PV products are not yet commercialized. Furthermore, perovskite-based multijunction panels have not yet demonstrated durability against all stresses a PV panel will experience during space missions. Perovskite-based modules, in particular flexible low-mass modules most promising for commercial space flight missions, degrade under thermal cycling, combined light-heat stress, high UV exposure, atomic oxygen exposure, potential induced degradation, and humid storage conditions (such as launch pad conditions), 1 2 all of which are major reliability risks for space deployment of perovskite panels. Furthermore, other types of space stressors, such as vacuum durability from micrometeorite impacts and non-proton radiation damage, have been inadequately characterized for perovskite PV, which compounds risk for first-of-a-kind deployments. Perovskite-based multijunction cells are not manufactured at the same scale as terrestrial c-Si, as global perovskite-silicon tandem manufacturing largely remains at pilot line scale, and other types of tandems or higher order multijunction cell technologies are not in mass production. This opportunity is seeking to address these technical challenges through projects that aim to:
While applicants can propose single junction perovskite PV solutions, especially in fundamental durability studies, this opportunity will emphasize tandem and multijunction perovskite PV technology, which has more potential to deliver higher specific power for space PV missions. This includes both all-perovskite multijunction technology and hybrid perovskite multijunctions comprising both perovskite and non-perovskite PV technologies.
Additionally, PV technologies not specifically named here are eligible to apply, if the proposed solution is able to demonstrate potential to meet all design criteria listed above (high efficiency, low cost, high-volume manufacturing potential, limited supply chain concerns, and high specific power).
Testing novel PV technologies in the space environment is very costly and time-intensive. Perovskite PV cells are still undergoing initial space testing, and there is no space-qualified perovskite PV product on the market today. The high cost of space launches raises the bar for first-of-a-kind (FOAK) deployments, as technologies need to demonstrate a high degree of technical validation to minimize the chances of underperformance. The risk aversion inherent to FOAK deployment in space missions lays bare the need for increased demonstration and validation capability, both in space and in terrestrial setups aimed at simulating the space environment. For ground setups, low-cost testing equipment capable of simultaneous stress testing is of particular importance, to be able to rapidly test prototype samples with the highest level of fidelity to the space environment. Therefore, this opportunity is also seeking projects that:
Proposals across all of these technical areas of interest should apply in one of two topics.
The PARSECS topic seeks projects developing early-stage emerging PV technologies that address one or more of the topics detailed above, or any other technology that enables durable, efficient space PV with limited critical materials considerations. Proposals in Topic 1 will be assessed on the ability to facilitate or accelerate manufacturing of high-performing space PV panels in a 5-10 year timeframe. Proposals in Topic 1 aiming to improve space PV validation testing should focus on developing space and space-simulating AST setups that probe research-cell level (~1" substrate) performance. The PARSECS topic will fund 5-9 awards of up to $1.5M each ($8M total anticipated).
The Space PV Manufacturing R&D Topic aims at funding R&D projects that accelerate the development of space solar PV products. Projects in this area should focus on advancing areas of interest as listed above and demonstrating advances in durability and performance on coupon size (~20-100 cm²) prototype devices, with a specific focus on technologies that are 2-3 years away from deployment readiness. Space validation testing proposals in this area should be aimed at validating space readiness of coupon size prototypes, with a particular emphasis on accelerating cycles of learning and R&D feedback loops for end user manufacturers and researchers. The Space PV Manufacturing R&D Topic will fund 2-3 awards of up to $2M each ($4M total anticipated).
August 31, 2026
September 15, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET
September 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET and October 6, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET
October 8, 2026 by 11:59 PM ET
Phase 1) Submissions Open from August 31, 2026 – October 8, 2026
Phase 2) DOE Selection is expected in December 2026: DOE will review submissions based on relevance to the program objectives and review criteria and notify selected entities for next steps. Note that DOE may choose to meet with submitters or ask additional clarifying questions prior to selection.
Phase 3) Negotiations will occur for approximately two months after selections have been made: Selected organizations will meet with TechWerx to negotiate work, budget, timing and impact.
Application Overview:
Performers must meet the following eligibility criteria:
1 The 2026 Integrated Energy Systems Office (IESO) Space PV Workshop: Defining Technical Targets for U.S. Leadership, Washington, D.C., June 02, 2026.
2 Siegler, T.D., et. al., ACS Energy Lett. (2022) 7 (5): 1728-1734, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.2c00698.
3 To qualify as a domestic entity, the entity must be organized, chartered or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular state or territory of the United States; have majority domestic ownership and control; and have a physical place of business in the United States. Specifically, applicants must certify the following:
I certify that the named applicant is not owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a government of a Country of Risk and meets the eligibility requirements for this program. I further represent that the information contained in the submission is true, complete, and accurate. I understand that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent information misrepresentations, half-truths, or omissions of any material fact, may subject me to criminal, or administrative penalties or fraud, false statements, false claims or otherwise. (18 U.S.C. § 1001 and § 287, and 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 3733 and 3801 3812. I further understand and agree that the statements and representations made herein are material to DOE’s funding decision. I further certify that all project team members have been made aware of the Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program prohibition and all project team members have complied with their responsibilities to certify they are not party to a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program.
4 The term "foreign country of concern" means the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, or any other country determined to be a country of concern by the Secretary of State. See 42 USC 19237(2): Definitions.
5 Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program is defined in 42 USC 19232 (P.L. 117-167, section 10638(4)).