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Technology advances needed for photovoltaics to achieve widespread grid price parity
Author(s) -
JonesAlbertus Rebecca,
Feldman David,
Fu Ran,
Horowitz Kelsey,
Woodhouse Michael
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.2755
Subject(s) - cost of electricity by source , photovoltaics , grid parity , electricity , environmental economics , photovoltaic system , grid , net present value , electricity generation , reliability engineering , computer science , environmental science , economics , engineering , electrical engineering , production (economics) , microeconomics , power (physics) , mathematics , physics , geometry , quantum mechanics
To quantify the potential value of technological advances to the photovoltaics (PV) sector, this paper examines the impact of changes to key PV module and system parameters on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). The parameters selected include module manufacturing cost, efficiency, degradation rate, and service lifetime. NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM) is used to calculate the lifecycle cost per kilowatt‐hour (kWh) for residential, commercial, and utility scale PV systems within the contiguous United States, with a focus on utility scale. Different technological pathways are illustrated that may achieve the Department of Energy's SunShot goal of PV electricity that is at grid price parity with conventional electricity sources. In addition, the impacts on the 2015 baseline LCOE due to changes to each parameter are shown. These results may be used to identify research directions with the greatest potential to impact the cost of PV electricity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.