[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 182 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 56349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22372]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


The SunShot Prize: Race to the Rooftops

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of decision to suspend prize rules and intent to issue a 
modified draft rules document.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice of its decision to 
suspend, effective September 18th, 2014, competition rules for the 
SunShot Prize: Race to the Rooftop in order to broaden the scope of 
participation and better align competition rules with SunShot goals 
given that the U.S. solar market has already realized 60% of the 
SunShot price targets for 2020. Building on this success, DOE will 
continue to target aggressive scenarios for reducing costs and 
increasing access to solar technologies for American consumers. DOE 
intends to release an updated draft rules document of the SunShot Prize 
program no later than the end of this calendar year and remains 
committed to accelerating market innovation using a balanced program 
portfolio of funding opportunities, initiatives, and prize challenges.

DATES: The current rules of the SunShot Prize will be suspended 
effective September 18th, 2014. DOE intends to release a modified draft 
rules document of the SunShot Prize program no later than end of the 
calendar year.

ADDRESSES: Questions about the SunShot prize can be sent to:
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Dr. Elaine Ulrich, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Mailstop EE-4S, 1000 Independence Avenue, Washington DC, 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Questions may be directed to Dr. 
Elaine Ulrich at (202) 287-1862 or by email at: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOE's SunShot Initiative aims to make 
subsidy-free solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of 
energy by the end of the decade. In collaboration with industry, 
SunShot drives American innovation in manufacturing, engineering, and 
business through a series of programs designed to spark and promote 
market solutions to solar energy development and clean energy growth. 
Launched in September 2012, the SunShot Prize aims to spur the 
ingenuity of America's businesses and communities to make it faster, 
easier, and cheaper to install solar energy systems across the nation. 
This prize competition focuses on lowering barriers and reducing 
inefficiencies that prevent the rapid deployment of cost-effective 
solar energy solutions. DOE intends to reexamine the current 
competition rules in light of today's market needs and conditions, 
plans to broaden the scope of participation, and better align 
competition rules with SunShot goals. Despite tremendous progress in 
the U.S. solar market for the past two years, significant obstacles 
continue to hinder the public vested interest in lowering the cost of 
solar deployment. DOE remains committed to accelerating market 
innovation using the SunShot Prize program among other initiatives and 
funding opportunities. To learn more about the SunShot Initiative or 
the SunShot Prize, please visit: http://energy.gov/sunshot.

    Dated: September 4, 2014.
Minh Le,
The SunShot Initiative, Director, Solar Energy Technologies Office, 
U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2014-22372 Filed 9-18-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P