Evaluating the causes of photovoltaics cost reduction: Why is PV different?
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); MIT
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
The goals of this project were to quantify sources of cost reduction in photovoltaics (PV), improve theories of technological evolution, develop new analytical methods, and formu- late guidelines for continued cost reduction in photovoltaics. A number of explanations have been suggested for why photovoltaics have come down in cost rapidly over time, including increased production rates, significant R&D expenditures, heavy patenting ac- tivity, decreasing material and input costs, scale economies, reduced plant construction costs, and higher conversion efficiencies. We classified these proposed causes into low- level factors and high-level drivers. Low-level factors include technical characteristics, such as module efficiency or wafer area, which are easily posed in terms of variables of a cost equation. High-level factors include scale economies, research and development (R&D), and learning-by-doing.
- Research Organization:
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EE0006131
- OSTI ID:
- 1338284
- Report Number(s):
- 1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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