Photovoltaic (PV) Module Technologies: 2020 Benchmark Costs and Technology Evolution Framework Results

Technical Report · Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1829459· OSTI ID:1829459

Smith, Brittany L.  ^[1]; Woodhouse, Michael ^[1]; Horowitz, Kelsey A. W. ^[1]; Silverman, Timothy J. ^[1]; Zuboy, Jarett ^[2]; Margolis, Robert M. ^[1]

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1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
2. Independent Contractor

This report benchmarks 2020 PV module minimum sustainable price (MSP) via bottom-up manufacturing cost analysis, for established PV technologies in mass production, including crystalline silicon, cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium (di)selenide. We provide technology roadmaps to additional MSP reductions for these PV technologies. Separately, we consider III-V and perovskite PV technologies which are currently in small-scale or pilot production. Finally, this report uses a technology evolution framework (TEF) to analyze drivers of levelized cost of energy reductions, including installed system cost - which is heavily influenced by module price - as well as service life and annual energy yield.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1829459
• Report Number(s): NREL/TP-7A40-78173; MainId:32082; UUID:b5d21ecf-bc55-4604-a20d-5491b903d80c; MainAdminID:62870
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
14 SOLAR ENERGY
benchmark
CdTe
CIGS
cost model
III-V
module
perovskite
photovoltaic
PV
silicon