In 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy selected a team led by Boeing's Research & Technology division as a participant in the Solar America Initiative, an effort to make solar energy more affordable and cost competitive with conventional electricity sources in the United States by 2015. Under this initiative, Boeing is researching the combination of some of the world's most efficient solar cells with innovative, advanced optics to produce less expensive, more efficient solar power systems.

Last year, the company achieved a significant milestone by installing an outdoor solar array test facility in Seal Beach, California, to monitor the long-term performance of the arrays. The first 3.6 kilowatt array installed at the facility has met all performance expectations and is currently operating on the electrical grid. In addition, four remote test systems, or "mini" arrays, have been deployed for lifetime performance testing. Boeing partners include Southern California Edison, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Light Prescription Innovators, PV Powered, James Gregory & Associates (Sylarus), and the California Institute of Technology.