PVSC PROGRAM

"Technologies for a Solar-Powered Future" 

Becca Jones-Albertus  
US Department of Energy  

Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released its Solar Futures Study, a blueprint for solar energy’s role in achieving a decarbonized electricity grid. In it, DOE estimated that in order to achieve that goal, solar deployment will need to grow by an average of 30 gigawatts (GW) each year between now and 2025 and ramp up to 60 GW per year between 2025 and 2030—four times its current deployment rate—to total 1 terawatt of solar deployed by 2035. That kind of rapid deployment requires innovations from manufacturing to end-of-life. DOE is working to ensure that more panels are made in the U.S., that they’re deployed in an equitable manner, and that when their useful life is over—hopefully 20 years longer than currently expected—their environmental impact is minimized.

DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office director, Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus will talk about DOE’s plans to enable 1 terawatt of solar deployment in the United States, including how the office plans to achieve the manufacturing and equity goals of the administration, and how research can enable widespread solar adoption.

Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus serves as the acting director for the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. She is leading a team dedicated to decarbonizing industry and increasing the competitiveness of the U.S. clean energy manufacturing sectors through process innovations, collaborations, research and development, technical assistance and workforce training.

Dr. Jones-Albertus came to AMO from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) where she served as director. She has spent her career advancing solar technology, from fundamental research and development to advanced manufacturing. Before her tenure at the Department of Energy, Dr. Jones-Albertus was at Solar Junction where she led efforts to develop two-time world record solar cell efficiencies and to transition these technologies to manufacturing.

Dr. Jones-Albertus graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a B.S. in electrical engineering, and holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She has more than 10 patents and 40 technical publications.