An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
The Photovoltaics (PV) team supports research and development projects that lower manufacturing costs, increase efficiency and performance, and improve reliability of PV technologies, in order to support the widespread deployment of electricity produced directly from sunlight (“photovoltaics”). The PV portfolio includes research directed toward reaching a levelized cost of energy of $0.03 per kilowatt-hour.
With the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of photovoltaics having decreased by roughly 90% since 2011, the PV team focuses on opportunities for even greater cost reductions to reach a LCOE of $0.03/kWh. This will allow for costs of several cents/kWh to address dispatchability and grid performance (e.g. for energy storage devices, demand side management, grid operation and planning, and advanced power electronics) while maintaining cost competitiveness.
The figure below illustrates different technology pathways to reaching the 2030 goal of $0.03/kWh for subsidy-free utility-scale solar power.
Unless noted, all scenarios above assume one-axis tracking systems with 1,860 kWh(AC)/kW(DC), five-year MACRS, 7% weighted average cost of capital (WACC), 2.5% inflation, $0.85/W system cost, $4/kW-year O&M, 0.2%/year degradation and a 50-year system lifetime.
The PV team maintains U.S. leadership in PV R&D, with a strong record of impact over the past several decades. For example, over one half of the world’s PV cell efficiency records on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s chart were supported by the PV program and its predecessors.
The projects in the portfolio currently represent roughly $179 million of investment, made over periods from two to five years. Learn about these programs and projects.
The webpages linked below provide more information about key photovoltaic technologies:
Committed to Restoring America’s Energy Dominance.
Follow Us

source