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DOE selects two winners of solar panel manufacturing industry training competition

Posted on by darion

The solar manufacturing sector is expected to add more than 35,000 new jobs following a planned investment of nearly $17 billion under the Biden-Harris administration’s strategy to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and industrial competitiveness. DOE’s Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO) launched the Upskill Prize in March 2024 to address the challenges of scaling the U.S. solar manufacturing workforce. The prize encourages partnerships to train workers for high-skill positions that manufacturers have had difficulty filling, including semiconductor processors, manufacturing equipment technicians, and operators.

The winners of Round 1 were:

  • Louisiana’s First Solar Force: This project is a collaboration between the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL) and First Solar to establish a semiconductor technical training center focused on thin-film solar cell processes to support employees at First Solar’s ​​new facility in Louisiana. The training center will be located in the ULL Research Park and will provide training for operators, technicians, engineers, data scientists, and managers.
  • Solar Panel Production Training: Crossroads Solar Enterprises and Purdue University Manufacturing Extension Partnership are partnering to offer solar panel manufacturing training to returning citizens. The training will support both new and current Crossroads Solar employees in topics such as equipment maintenance and quality management. Employees will also receive a certificate from Purdue upon completion of the training.

Round 2 participants should submit their entries by November 20. Winning teams will receive up to $500,000 for their entries. See the official rules and register to enter the contest.

The Upskill Award complements SETO’s ongoing investments in an inclusive solar workforce, including a $13.5 million funding program consisting of 12 projects focused on launching training partnerships to expand the solar workforce.

Learn more about SETO’s activities in the field of photovoltaic industry staff development and photovoltaic cell production.