PPG project lands $3M federal grant

S. Department of Energy as part of the department’s effort to boost innovation in the solar manufacturing industry.

PPG was awarded $3.1 million for a project to develop the materials, coating design and manufacturing process to commercialize a new glass article for Cadmium Telluride — a thin film used in photovoltaics — module manufacturing, according to a statement from the DOE.

The grant is part of the department’s SunShot initiative, which is investing up to $20.3 million in projects geared toward the solar manufacturing supply chain.

“America is in a world race to produce cost-effective, quality photovoltaics,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu in a written statement. “The SunShot initiative will spur American innovations to reduce the costs of solar energy and re-establish U.S. global leadership in this growing industry.”

Additionally, the department awarded $7 million to fund a round of the photovoltaic incubator program within the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to help get promising technology commercialized more quickly.