U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) publishes benchmark reports that disaggregate photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage (battery) system installation costs to inform SETO''s R&D
The total cost over the service life of the system is amortized to give a levelized cost per year. In the PV System Cost Model (PVSCM), the owner's overnight capital expense (cash cost) for an installed PV system is divided into eight categories, which are the same for the utility-scale, commercial, and residential PV market segments:
Market analysts routinely monitor and report the average cost of PV systems and components, but more detail is needed to understand the impact of recent and future technology developments on cost. Consequently, benchmark systems in the utility-scale, commercial, and residential PV market sectors are evaluated each year.
Tariffs and subsidies are noted in the spreadsheet's comments column. PVSCM is implemented using an Excel spreadsheet. It collects the cost elements for each category, then sums the categories to obtain the system cost, for both MSP and MMP. Unit conversion multipliers are listed on a separate sheet labeled "Factors."
In December 2022, DOC issued a preliminary determination that certain module manufacturers in Southeast Asia were circumventing tariffs (Weaver 2022), which was made final in August 2023 (DOC 2023). The impact of this determination was mitigated by the AD/CVD tariff waiver issued in June 2022.
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