The US DOE award gives Tandem PV about $7.7 million to advance its solar technology toward commercial production 
It aims to deliver a high-efficiency tandem solar PV module under the TANDEM project, combining perovskite and silicon in a single solar panel 
The funding is tied to Tandem PV’s push toward higher-volume manufacturing in the US 
Tandem PV, the US-based solar technology startup, has been selected for the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) SCALEUP Ready program. It wins approximately $7.7 million in funding to support the commercial scale-up and US manufacturing of its perovskite-silicon solar technology.  
The ‘disruption wing’ of the DOE, ARPA-E’s SCALEUP Ready program, aims to help promising advanced energy technologies progress toward market adoption and commercial deployment. 
Tandem PV said its selection builds on its earlier technology development work. It is developing solar panels that use both perovskite and silicon. The company says the combination is designed to generate more power within the same panel area. It claims up to 29.7% efficiency for its tandem modules under internal testing. 
Its technology combines an ultra-thin perovskite layer with conventional silicon to make tandem panels. It claims this design can produce more power from the same panel footprint, thereby helping lower costs. 
The California-based company said the DOE funding will support its Tandems for American National Dominance in Energy Manufacturing (TANDEM) project. Under the project, Tandem PV intends to move its high-efficiency tandem solar panels toward large-scale commercial production and support US solar PV manufacturing. Recently, Tandem PV acquired Oregon-based thin-film metal oxide coating technology company nexTC Corporation, bringing this critical manufacturing process in-house (see North America Solar PV News Snippets). 
The award comes as Tandem PV works to move its technology beyond development and toward higher-volume US manufacturing. The company said the project will help accelerate that transition. In April 2026, it opened a 40 MW demonstration factory in Fremont to validate large-format manufacturing (see Tandem PV Opens 40 MW Perovskite-Silicon Fab In US). 
“Being selected by ARPA-E for SCALEUP Ready is a strong validation of our technology, our team and our path to scale,” Tandem PV CEO Scott Wharton said. He added that the project would help the company move faster toward high-volume US manufacturing. 
To date, Tandem PV says it has raised $100 million in venture capital, debt, and government funding from investors and institutions including Eclipse, Constellation Energy, 8090 Industries, Trellis Climate, the US Department of Energy, and the California Energy Commission. 
Earlier this year, former US Energy Secretary and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm joined Tandem PV’s board of directors. 
TaiyangNews 2024

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