The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on Aug. 3, 2010, announced that it was seeking new applications to its Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator project. The incubator project helps small businesses work with NREL and other Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories and facilities to help speed up the development and commercialization of new PV technologies. Applications for the incubator project are due on Sept. 16, 2010.

The incubator program helps NREL fulfill one of its primary functions: to help speed adoption of renewable energy technologies. To do this, the lab works with various players in the government, public and private sectors, to bring the best new technologies to market and to help make them as inexpensive and readily adoptable by industry and the public in general.

With this particular request, NREL is looking to fund development of PV technologies that will have a high-impact in significantly reducing the cost of PV electric generation, and expanding installed-PV capacity by 2015. In its request for applicants, NREL noted that DOE’s objectives include producing and installing more than 5 gigawatts (5,000 megawatts) of PV energy in the United States in 2015 and thereafter.

Under this request, NREL is asking interested parties to submit letters of interest in either of two pre-commercialization categories. The two categories, Tier 1 and Tier 2, represent different funding levels for fostering the different development stages of new technologies.

Tier 1 projects will focus on developing innovative PV-module related technologies and bringing them to the prototype stage, NREL explained. Such projects are eligible to receive up to $1 million through subcontracts. Tier 2 projects are eligible to receive up to $4 million to help small businesses move pre-commercialization PV prototypes into pilot-sized installations and finally into full-scale manufacturing.

According to NREL, the incubator targets small businesses that are not yet ready to commercialize their new PV technologies. The lab said such companies still need to make advancements before they are able to develop prototype cells and modules. And the incubator program will help these companies achieve their goals. NREL said it anticipates accepting new requests once every 12 months.