NREL teams with Berkeley Lab to analyse solar pricing trends

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The US Department of Energy's (DOE)’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) have jointly released two reports examining solar photovoltaic pricing in the United States.

The first report, Photovoltaic (PV) Pricing Trends: Historical, Recent, and Near-Term Projections, examines progress in PV price reductions to help DOE and other PV stakeholders manage the transition to a market-driven PV industry and to provide clarity surrounding the wide variety of potentially conflicting data available about PV system prices.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

“There is often confusion when interpreting estimates of PV system prices,” NREL Solar Technology Financial Analyst David Feldman said. “This report helps to clarify this confusion by bringing together data from a number of different sources and clearly distinguishing among past, current and near-term projected estimates.”

The report indicates that while data sources, assumptions, and methods differ substantially between the bottom-up analysis and the reported price analysis, the results support the validity of both analyses and provide a consistent perspective on system pricing.

The second report, Benchmarking Non-Hardware Balance of System (Soft) Costs for U.S. Photovoltaic Systems Using a Data-Driven Analysis from PV Installer Survey Results, presents results from the first DOE-sponsored data collection and analysis of non-hardware balance-of-system costs — often referred to as “business process” or “soft” costs, such as labour or permitting.

Both reports were produced as part of an ongoing collaborative research effort between the two labs focused on solar technology soft cost and system-level cost analysis and modelling. This research is supported by funding from the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Both reports are discussed in Felicity Carus's blog on PV-Tech.

Read Next

September 10, 2025
At RE+ 2025, companies launched AI-driven platforms, terrain-following trackers, low-carbon modules, and advanced energy management solutions for solar and storage.
Premium
September 10, 2025
PV Talk: Italy’s new CfD policy offers clear support for solar developers in an otherwise uncertain legislative landscape, says Terrawatt's Patrizio Donati.
September 10, 2025
A project claimed to be Germany’s largest agriPV plant has been commissioned in the north-east of the country.
September 10, 2025
Renewables developer rPlus Energies has secured US$100 million in tax equity financing for its 125MW solar PV plant in the US state of Idaho.
September 10, 2025
Indian solar module manufacturer Vikram Solar reported a 79.7% year-on-year increase in revenue for the first quarter of FY26.
September 10, 2025
Cordelio Power has started commercial operations at its 150MW Winfield solar project in Lincoln County, Missouri.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines