Ajeet Rohatgi from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Joseph Goodman of the Georgia Tech Research Institute were each recently awarded grants for their individual proposals on advanced solar technology through the Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot Initiative.  Administered by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the SunShot Initiative seeks to reduce the costs of solar energy to $1 per watt by the end of the decade.  

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. The DOE SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national initiative to make solar energy cost competitive with other forms of energy in the coming years. Reducing the installed cost of solar energy systems by about 75% will drive widespread, large-scale adoption of this renewable energy technology and restore U.S. leadership in the global clean energy race.

Dr. Rohatgi joined the ECE faculty at Georgia Tech in 1985 and started a program on photovoltaics, which has become one of the best in the country. He has become an internationally recognized leader in photovoltaics. He is the founding director of the first university-based DOE Center of Excellence in Photovoltaic Research and Education. He is the author of more than 300 publications and holds 10 U.S. patents. Dr. Rohatgi has received numerous awards and distinctions from professional societies and Georgia Tech. He is the founder and CTO for Suniva.