The U.S. Energy Department awarded $46.2 million in research grants to improve solar energy technologies and reduce costs to 3 cents per kilowatt-hour by 2030. Technology grants are awarded to 48 universities and developers

The money will be partly matched by the 48 projects awarded to laboratories and universities, including Arizona State, which plans to use $1.6 million to develop an X-ray test to evaluate the performance of thin-film modules under harsh conditions, according to a emailed statement quoted by Bloomberg. Arizona State leads awards with new module testing methods

“These projects ensure there’s a pipeline of knowledge, human resources, transformative technology solutions and research to support the industry,” Charlie Gay, director of the Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative, said in the statement.

Other awards include: $1.37 million to Stanford University to improve a perovskite over silicon module design; $1.13 million to Colorado State University to improve thin-film manufacturing and $2 million to SolarReserve Inc. to reduce costs of molten salt storage.