The US Department of Energy plans to invest $50m in the Sunpath programme over the next two years to boost the solar manufacturing businesses in the US.

Sunpath is the second solar photovoltaic manufacturing initiative supporting the Department of Energy’s SunShot goal, which aims to make unsubsidised utility-scale solar cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade.

The programme seeks to augment domestic solar PV manufacturing through investments that have sustainable, competitive cost and performance advantages, by helping the companies with pilot-scale commercial production and financial crisis.

It is expected to help in accelerating cost reduction and commercialisation of solar technologies by coordinating solutions across industry.