On December 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Fiscal Year 2021 Systems Integration and Hardware Incubator funding program, which will provide $45 million for projects that will advance research in solar hardware and systems integration, including the creation of an consortium dedicated to developing control technologies for a modernized electric grid.

These projects will help achieve DOE's goal of improving the reliability, resilience, and domestic benefit of solar technologies on the grid. 

DOE expects to make about 10 to 20 awards under the SETO 2021 Systems Integration and Hardware Incubator funding opportunity announcement (FOA), each ranging from $500,000 to $25 million.