WASHINGTON, March 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Energy said it has plans to invest $13.7 million over the next three years in 11 projects to develop advanced solar technology.

The chosen universities include Arizona State University, the California Institute of Technology, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Delaware, the University of Florida and the University of Toledo.

Each of the universities will work with an industry partner to help commercialize the successful discoveries.

All of the projects involve researching ways to make high-performance solar cells more effective and reducing bottlenecks for commercialization and transition to the marketplace.