This tool calculates levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for photovoltaic (PV) systems based on cost, performance, and reliability inputs for a baseline and a proposed technology.

Choose your inputs and watch the effect on LCOE to determine whether a proposed technology is cost-effective, to perform trade-off analysis among different technology options, and to do break-even analysis of cost or performance. Each balance icon button adjusts a single input to make the baseline and proposed LCOE equal.

For more details, please consult the documentation. You may also be interested in other tools for calculating cost and performance for renewable energy.

Presets for Inputs

Use the presets (below) to choose a different cell technology, package type, system type, location, or inverter loading ratio for the inputs.
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?

Baseline

Cost

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.

Performance

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.

Reliability

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.

Financial

Unconstrain baseline and proposed discount rates to be equal.

Proposed

Cost

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.

Performance

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.

Reliability

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.

Financial

Unconstrain proposed and baseline discount rates to be equal.

Results

LCOE result

 

Baseline LCOE (USD/kWh)

 

Proposed LCOE (USD/kWh)

 

Additional results

 

Baseline

Module price (USD/W)

 

Total installed system cost (USD/W)

 

Proposed

Module price (USD/W)

 

Total installed system cost (USD/W)

 

 

Notes

License

This software is made available under a BSD 3-clause license.

Citation

If you use results from this calculator in a publication or proposal, please cite it:

SJ Andrews, B Smith, MG Deceglie, KA Horowitz, and TJ Silverman. “NREL Comparative PV LCOE Calculator.” Version 2.0.0, August 2021

Note: We recommend including the URL for a specific commit if citing results from an unreleased version.

This tool calculates levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for photovoltaic (PV) systems based on cost, performance, and reliability inputs for a baseline and a proposed technology.

Choose your inputs and watch the effect on LCOE to determine whether a proposed technology is cost-effective, to perform trade-off analysis among different technology options, and to do break-even analysis of cost or performance. Each balance icon button adjusts a single input to make the baseline and proposed LCOE equal.

For more details, please consult the documentation. You may also be interested in other tools for calculating cost and performance for renewable energy.

Presets for Inputs

Use the presets (below) to choose a different cell technology, package type, system type, location, or inverter loading ratio for the inputs.
?
?
?
?
?

Baseline

Cost

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.

Performance

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.

Reliability

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.

Financial

Unconstrain baseline and proposed discount rates to be equal.

Proposed

Cost

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the proposed LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.

Performance

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.

Reliability

Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.
Automatically adjust this input to make LCOE match the baseline LCOE.

Financial

Unconstrain proposed and baseline discount rates to be equal.

Results

LCOE result

 

Baseline LCOE (USD/kWh)

 

Proposed LCOE (USD/kWh)

 

Additional results

 

Baseline

Module price (USD/W)

 

Total installed system cost (USD/W)

 

Proposed

Module price (USD/W)

 

Total installed system cost (USD/W)

 

 

Notes

License

This software is made available under a BSD 3-clause license.

Citation

If you use results from this calculator in a publication or proposal, please cite it:

SJ Andrews, B Smith, MG Deceglie, KA Horowitz, and TJ Silverman. “NREL Comparative PV LCOE Calculator.” Version 2.0.0, August 2021

Note: We recommend including the URL for a specific commit if citing results from an unreleased version.

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Last Updated April 3, 2025