Washington U., Partners Launch Solar Energy Research Institute

St. Louis Business Journal

Washington University in St. Louis and a consortium of universities, laboratories and industry partners are in the process of launching the Solar Energy Research Institute in India and the United States to coordinate efforts to create low-cost solar cells and systems.

The institute will receive about $50 million in funding over the next five years, some for research and some for the deployment of solar systems in India.

The U.S. Department of Energy and the government of India are providing $25 million in funding, and industry partners, including St. Louis-based MEMC Electronic Materials Inc., are providing $25 million, according to Pratim Biswas, chair of the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University. He declined to say exactly how much MEMC was providing to support the institute