Solar Technology Cost Analysis

NREL’s solar technology cost analysis examines the technology costs and supply chain issues for solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies.

This work informs research and development by identifying drivers of cost and competitiveness for solar technologies.

An illustration shows the entire silicon solar cell value chain, beginning with a bulk polysilicon and progressing through silicon ingots, wafers, individual solar cells, and entire PV modules.

NREL analysis of manufacturing costs for silicon solar cells includes bottom-up cost modeling for all the steps in the silicon value chain.

Capabilities

Solar Manufacturing Cost Analysis

Solar Installed System Cost Analysis

Solar Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis

Solar Supply Chain and Industry Analysis

Solar System Operations and Maintenance Analysis

Key Project Publications

Fall 2024 Solar Industry Update, NREL Presentation (2024)

Summer 2024 Solar Industry Update, NREL Presentation (2024)

Spring 2024 Solar Industry Update, NREL Presentation (2024)

Winter 2024 Solar Industry Update, NREL Presentation (2024)

Fall 2023 Solar Industry Update, NREL Presentation (2023)

Summer 2023 Solar Industry Update, NREL Presentation (2023)

Spring 2023 Solar Industry Update, NREL Presentation (2023)

Winter 2023 Solar Industry Update, NREL Presentation (2023)

Fall 2022 Solar Industry Update, NREL Presentation (2022)

Browse all past solar industry updates on the NREL Publications Database.

U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmarks, With Minimum Sustainable Price Analysis: Q1 2023, NREL Technical Report (2023)

U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmarks, With Minimum Sustainable Price Analysis: Q1 2022, NREL Technical Report (2022)

U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark: Q1 2021, NREL Technical Report (2021)

U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark: Q1 2020, NREL Technical Report (2021)

Research and Development Priorities to Advance Solar Photovoltaic Lifecycle Costs and Performance, NREL Technical Report (2021)

Floating Photovoltaic System Cost Benchmark: Q1 2021 Installations on Artificial Water Bodies, NREL Technical Report (2021)

Photovoltaic (PV) Module Technologies: 2020 Benchmark Costs and Technology Evolution Framework Results, NREL Technical Report (2021)

An Updated Life Cycle Assessment of Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Systems Installed in the United States, NREL Technical Report (2024)

Energy and Carbon Payback Times for Modern U.S. Utility Photovoltaic Systems, NREL Factsheet (2024)

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Manufacturing Expansions in the United States, 2017-2019: Motives, Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Context, NREL Technical Report (2021)

Expanding the Photovoltaic Supply Chain in the United States: Opportunities and Challenges, NREL Technical Report (2019)

Terawatt-Scale Photovoltaics: Transform Global Energy, Science (2019)

Terawatt-Scale Photovoltaics: Trajectories and Challenges, Science (2017)

Technology Advances Needed for Photovoltaics to Achieve Widespread Grid Price Parity, Progress in Photovoltaics (2016)

On the Path to SunShot: The Role of Advancements in Solar Photovoltaic Efficiency, Reliability, and Costs, NREL Technical Report (2016)

On the Path to SunShot: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges in U.S. Solar Manufacturing, NREL Technical Report (2016)

Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Module Manufacturing Costs and Sustainable Pricing: 1H 2018 Benchmark and Cost Reduction Road Map, NREL Technical Report (2019)

Present and Future Silver Cost Component in Crystalline Silicon PV Module Manufacturing, Photovoltaics International (2016)

Economic Measurements of Polysilicon for the Photovoltaic Industry: Market Competition and Manufacturing Competitiveness, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics (2015)

A Wafer-Based Monocrystalline Silicon Photovoltaics Road Map: Utilizing Known Technology Improvement Opportunities for Further Reductions in Manufacturing Costs, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2013)

Estimating the Effects of Module Area on Thin-Film Photovoltaic System Costs, 2017 IEEE 44^th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (2018)

Printed Interconnections for Photovoltaic Modules, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2017)

Evaluating the Economic Viability of CdTe/CIS and CIGS/CIS Tandem Photovoltaic Modules, Progress in Photovoltaics (2017)

Low-Cost CdTe/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics (2017)

Analysis of Glass-Glass CIGS Manufacturing Costs, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2016)

III-V-Based Optoelectronics with Low-Cost Dynamic Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy, Crystals (2019)

A Techno-Economic Analysis and Cost Reduction Roadmap for III-V Solar Cells, NREL Technical Report (2018)

Economic Competitiveness of III-V on Silicon Tandem One-Sun Photovoltaic Solar Modules in Favorable Future Scenarios, Progress in Photovoltaics (2017)

Raising the One-Sun Conversion Efficiency of III-V/Si Solar Cells to 32.8% for Two Junctions and 35.9% for Three Junctions, Nature Energy (2017)

Techno-Economic Analysis of Three Different Substrate Removal and Reuse Strategies for III-V Solar Cells, Progress in Photovoltaics (2016)

III-Vs at Scale: A PV Manufacturing Cost Analysis of the Thin Film Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth Mode, Progress in Photovoltaics (2016)

Tutorials

Watch these six video tutorials to learn about NREL's techno-economic analysis—from bottom-up cost modeling to full PV project economics.

Text version