Department Of Energy To Give Solar Energy Grants To 3 MI Organizations

WASHINGTON DC ? The Department of Energy will give grants to three Michigan organizations to help make solar energy systems more cost effective.

The three organizations to receive awards are:

* Cascade Engineering, Grand Rapids, $602,623: Racking system for commercial rooftops using polymers.

* Raymond Tinnerman Manufacturing, Rochester Hills, $1.67 million: Bracket system for commercial rooftop installations.

* University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, $1.5 million: Next generation of organic PV technology using small-molecule systems incorporated into a tandem architecture.

The SunShot Initiative seeks to make solar energy systems more cost-competitive, without long-term subsidies, by reducing the cost of these systems about 75 percent by the end of the decade. The achievement of the SunShot Initiative goals will encourage rapid, widespread adoption of solar energy systems across the United States.

DOE?s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce America?s dependence on foreign oil.

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