Thursday 19 May 2016

NREL helps DOE assess progress made by the U.S. solar industry


From the study “The Role of Advancements in Photovoltaic Efficiency, Reliability, and Costs”. Installed PV system prices will significantly decrease in the U.S. by 2020

Analysts and researchers at the Energy Department's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) played a significant role in a suite of studies released on May 18th, 2016 by DOE's SunShot Initiative.
The studies identify the progress made by the U.S. solar energy industry toward SunShot's goal of achieving cost parity with traditional energy sources by 2020.
"We're close to 70 percent of the way toward achieving the SunShot Initiative's 2020 goals,” said Robert Margolis, NREL senior analyst and project manager.
“These reports provide a perspective on how far we've come and how much more can be done to advance solar technologies.”
Focused on the lessons learned in the first five years of the 10-year Initiative, the reports identify key research, development, and market opportunities that must be addressed in the coming years and beyond 2020 to help the United States achieve cost-competitive solar energy.
Among the conclusions from the study series, a recurring theme emerges that sustained innovation across all levels of the industry –from component and system-level improvements, to streamlining access to solar and developing new business models across sectors –will help achieve DOE's SunShot goals.

Further solar price-reduction, new deployment strategies
In conjunction with key stakeholders, the “On the Path to SunShot” series findings will be used to focus researchers on key innovations and further develop solar price-reduction and deployment strategies over the next five years of the Initiative and in the decades beyond.

Cost of electricity from solar has dropped by as much as 65 percent
Since the SunShot Initiative was launched, solar technologies, solar markets, and the solar industry itself have changed dramatically. Cumulative U.S. solar energy deployment has increased more than tenfold, while the cost of electricity from solar has dropped by as much as 65 percent. 

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