Opportunity

Award Info:

Stipends will be based on appointment level and commensurate with qualifications:

• Level 1: Participants with a Bachelor's degree will receive a stipend starting at $40,000.
• Level 2: Participants with a Ph.D. will receive a stipend starting at $70,000. Participants with a Master's degree will start at $50,000.
• Level 3: The stipend amount will be based on the Level 2 rate plus a factor for years of relevant experience after the receipt of the degree

Participants will be eligible to receive an allowance of up to $10,000 for education and/or scientific activities, health insurance supplement, and possible relocation travel up to $5,000.

The appointment is full-time and cannot be supplemented with additional salary from the Host Institution.

Description:

The purpose of the Solar Energy Innovators Program is to enable selected applicants to conduct practical research on innovative solutions to the challenges faced by electric utilities, energy service providers, and electric public utility commissions as the levels of solar energy, as well as other distributed energy resources (DERs), increase on the electrical grid.

Selected applicants, referred to as “Innovators” herein, will participate for up to two years at a Host Institution on one or more topics related to the integration of solar energy.

The applicant to this program is the prospective Innovator. The applicant must identify a Host Institution and potential mentor at a utility, energy service provider, or public utilities commission (PUC) currently conducting research in an area related to the integration of solar energy onto the electricity grid.  DOE, ORAU, and ORISE do not match Applicants with Host Institutions.  Host Institutions may seek potential Innovators that are eligible to apply to the program, but it is the potential Innovator, not the Host Institution or mentor, who submits the application and supporting materials to this site.