Solar Energy Partnership Support and Barrier Elimination

The Department of Energy administered the Solar Energy Partnership Support and Barrier Elimination program (CFDA 81.118), with the most recent grant award disbursed on September 30, 2003—over twenty years ago. This program is inactive and no longer pursues new funding.

The program funded state and local solar energy deployment partnerships, community solar initiatives, and educational outreach to build markets for residential solar photovoltaic systems and solar thermal applications. Representative awards supported the Million Solar Roofs Initiative across multiple states, including Pennsylvania's statewide partnership initiative ($471,200), Philadelphia's community partnership ($127,000), Georgia's initiative ($68,782), and Colorado's solar technology deployment and builder education project ($54,100). Additional grants supported solar energy generators for Native American communities, municipal electric inspector training, and consumer education in Puerto Rico and California.

All 16 awards issued under this Assistance Listing were Project Grants. The Department of Energy was the sole funding agency. The program obligated $165 thousand in federal dollars across the portfolio, with an additional $516 thousand in non-federal matching contributions from recipients, yielding combined total obligations of $681 thousand. Typical awards ranged from $50,000 to $471,000 in federal dollars. A significant number of awards recorded negative dollar obligations in the data, indicating deobligations or data recording artifacts from the program's early administrative history.

Award volume peaked in 2000 and 2001, with five grants each year, then declined to two awards in 2002 and one in 2003. The program ran from 1999 to 2003. No recent grant opportunities are posted, and no new awards have been made in over two decades. The program should not be pursued for current funding.