SunPower Receives $1.8 Million Grant from CPUC for Solar PV Energy Storage Research

SunPower Corp. has received a $1.8-million grant from the CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission) towards enabling the solar energy company to conduct research in the field of PV (photovoltaic) energy storage for large-scale commercial applications.

This grant comes from the CSI RD&D (California Solar Initiative Research, Development, Deployment and Demonstration) Program by means of the CPUC.

For this purpose, SunPower will be partnering with three of the leading energy storage companies including ZBB Energy, Xtreme Power and Ice Energy towards establishing a pilot program to demonstrate the integration of sophisticated energy storage systems along with a combination of current PV systems towards usage for commercial customers.

The CPUC’s CSI (California Solar Initiative) operates with the goal of creating 1,940 MW of electricity that is solar-produced by the year 2016, thus moving California towards a clean energy future while helping towards lowering the expenses of solar energy systems for customers. CSI’s budget over a ten year period is $2.2 billion while the RD&D program operates with an overall $50-million budget towards achieving California’s goal in creating one of the most vibrant solar-powered industries prevalent in the entire nation.