National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Photovoltaic Research - PV Manufacturing R&D
Research and Development
 Spire Solar, Inc. develops automated equipment used to manufacture photovoltaic modules. The equipment performance has been improved through research performed under a PV Manufacturing R&D subcontract. |
The Photovoltaic Manufacturing R&D Project has existed for more than a decade, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. PV industry. This project has helped our nation's PV industry accomplish several goals since its inception:
- Improve module manufacturing processes and equipment
- Accelerate manufacturing cost reductions for PV modules, balance-of-systems components, and integrated systems
- Increase commercial product performance and reliability
- Enhance the investment opportunities for the substantial scale-up of U.S.-based PV manufacturing plant capacities.
The PV Manufacturing R&D team tracks the long-term progress of the partnered research with industry by monitoring and analyzing:
- Production Cost/Capacity — significant and measurable increases in PV module and systems production capacity and subsequent reductions in direct manufacturing costs
- Investment Recovery — decreases in PV manufacturing costs and subsequent return on the joint public and private investments facilitated by the Project
- U.S. Market Share of World Production — evaluation of the U.S. production, in megawatts (MW) of shipped PV product, compared to the rest of the world's production
