!

"#$"%&"'()*+*
,-./"0(1./2
!$"#3"/(4.-5
63'-7(89'$
:'-;(<9='"'
!9%(>"?%9/
Achieving Low-Cost
Solar PV:
Industry Workshop Recommendations for
Near-Term Balance of System Cost Reductions
@<AB.'5((C(()D+E(!/.?%977(6'""F(@.9G((C((!/.?%977H(6I((J+KLM((C((N#O(PE*BP)EBDJL+((C((NQO(PE*BP)EBDM)*
!""#""$%&
'()*+",-".*)*/01"(2"'34516""#""$(073"%(8/5*9/"&/4595851""#""$%&:(+;
!"#$%&'()&!
SoIar holovoIlaic (IV) eIeclricily offers enormous
olenliaI lo conlribule lo a Iov-carbon eIeclricaI
syslem. Hovever, cosls musl dro lo fundamenlaIIy
Iover IeveIs if lhis lechnoIogy is lo Iay a signihcanl
roIe in meeling I.S. energy needs.
aIance of syslem (oS) cosls (aII cosls excel lhe IV
moduIe) currenlIy accounl for aboul haIf lhe inslaIIed
cosl of a commerciaI or uliIily IV syslem. ModuIe rice
decIines vilhoul corresonding reduclions in oS cosls
viII hamer syslem cosl comeliliveness and adolion.
This reorl summarizes near-lerm cosl-reduclion
recommendalions lhal emerged from Rocky
Mounlain Inslilule's !"#$%&'(&)$#$*+,&"-&!./0,1&2,/34*&
56$%%,00,,
1
an induslry-vide evenl organized in }une
2O1O.
2
Il focuses on oS cosls for rigid, reclanguIar
moduIes inslaIIed in commerciaI and uliIily syslems
u lo 2O MW caacily. The design slralegies and
recommendalions in lhis reorl Iay lhe foundalions for
near-lerm cosl reduclions of ~5O/ over currenl besl
raclices. These reduclions exceed currenl lra|eclories,
and if imIemenled, can enabIe grealer soIar IV
adolion.
We hoe lhis reorl viII rove usefuI lo a vide range
of soIar induslry slakehoIders and inleresled observers.
In arlicuIar, our recommendalions are largeled
al equimenl manufaclurers, IV syslem inslaIIers,
ro|ecl deveIoers, hnanciers, governmenl rogram
adminislralors, and olenliaI nev enlranls.
eyond lhe near-lerm focus of lhis reorl, many
diverse and olenliaIIy game-changing IV ceIIs
and moduIe lechnoIogies are being deveIoed and1
or Iaunched. Some of lhese couId roml draslic cosl
reduclion, bul even if lhose lechnoIogies succeed, lheir
abiIily lo scaIe quickIy is unknovn so lhe counlry
cannol vail for a lechnoIogicaI breaklhrough.
IinaIIy, il is imorlanl lo recognize lhal soIar IV is onIy
one iece of a Iov-carbon energy syslem, vhich musl
incIude a orlfoIio of efhciency and cIean lechnoIogies.
1
A charrelle is an inlensive, lransdisciIinary, roundlabIe design vorksho vilh ambilious deIiverabIes and slrong syslems inlegralion. ver
a lhree-day eriod, lhe SoIar IV oS charrelle idenlihed and anaIyzed cosl reduclion slralegies lhrough a combinalion of breakoul grous
focused on secihc issues (rooflo inslaIIalion, ground-mounled inslaIIalion, eIeclricaI comonenls and inlerconneclion, business rocesses)
and Ienary sessions focused on feedback and inlegralion.
2
Some of lhe recommendalions emerged afler lhe charrelle, lhrough discussions vilh arlicianls and olher conlribulors.
'()*+",-".*)*/01"(2"'34516""#""$(073"%(8/5*9/"&/4595851""#""$%&:(+;
<""#""$%&
*+,-)./'01'2'-!$%*-0%+)-!&#34!)&$
The SoIar IV oS Design Charrelle vouId nol have been ossibIe vilhoul lhe generous suorl of lhe foIIoving arlners:
TechnicaI Sonsors:
In addilion, ve vouId Iike lo lhank lhe charrelle arlicianls, RMI slaff and arlners, and olher conlribulors lo lhis ro|ecl.
3

R'"G(9/G(S0-;"(
!$9/&9;F
3
A fuII Iisl of conlribulors and allendees can be found in Aendix A.
=""#""$%&
'()*+",-".*)*/01"(2"'34516""#""$(073"%(8/5*9/"&/4595851""#""$%&:(+;
'5'+4!#6'%$422*&7
Near-lerm 7$#$*+,&"-&/./0,1 (oS) cosl-reduclion recom-
mendalions deveIoed al Rocky Mounlain Inslilule's
!"#$%&'(&)$#$*+,&"-&!./0,1&2,/34*&56$%%,00,
4
indicale
lhal an imrovemenl of ~5O ercenl over currenl besl
raclices is readiIy achievabIe. ImIemenling lhese
recommendalions vouId decrease tnta! Bn5 cnsts tn
$0.600.90jwatt Inr !argc rnnItnp and grnund-mnuntcd
systcms, and offers a alhvay lo bring holovoIlaic
eIeclricily inlo lhe convenlionaI eIeclricily rice range.
!"#$%&!'(&)#(*#+()%,-,%#./#+(0+#
1.$2$)3,#&4#*/*',56#7.&*8#3&*'*
In lhe conlexl of numerous gIobaI chaIIengesincIud-
ing cIimale change, voIaliIe fueI rices, energy infra-
slruclure insecurily, and rising energy coslssoIar
holovoIlaic (IV) lechnoIogies have made greal slrides
during lhe asl hfly years from lheir origins in seciaI
aIicalions Iike saleIIiles and off-lhe-grid syslems.
Hovever, lhey have nol yel been videIy adoled for
eIeclricaI generalion. ne of lhe main reasons is cosl.
AIlhough soIar IV has reached grid arily in seIecl
markels, signihcanl reduclions are sliII required lo
make il a lrue game-changer.
TechnoIogy deveIomenl and economies of scaIe have
heIed manufaclurers of bolh cryslaIIine siIicon and
lhin hIm (such as CdTe) IV moduIes creale aggressive
yel credibIe cosl-reduclion roadmas.
5
These lrends
make oS coslsvhich accounl for aroximaleIy haIf
of lyicaI commerciaI and uliIily ro|ecl coslsever
more signihcanl. In addilion, oS cosl-reduclion o-
orlunilies are fragmenledusuaIIy nol road-maed
or coordinaledand, lherefore, rogress is unIikeIy lo
be as aggressive as il is for moduIes.
In lhis reorl, baIance of syslem refers lo aII of lhe
u-fronl cosls associaled vilh a IV syslem ,8+,90&06,&
1":;#,< mounling and racking comonenls, inverlers,
viring, inslaIIalion Iabor, hnancing and conlracluaI
cosls, ermilling, and inlerconneclion, among olhers.
Iigure 1, beIov, shovs a cosl breakdovn for a con-
venlionaI commerciaI or uliIily IV syslem inslaIIed in
2O1O, based on research vilh induslry Iayers.
aIance of syslem cosls incIude lhe eIeclricaI syslem,
lhe slrucluraI syslem, and enabIing business rocesses.
4
See Ioolnole 1.
5
As shovn in Iigure 1, currenl besl-raclice cosls for IV syslems are in lhe vicinily of $3.5O1W for ground-mounled syslems |lhroughoul
lhis reorl, cosl eslimales are resenled in doIIars er vall of moduIe DC raled caacily, unIess slaled olhervisej. In order lo comele on cosl
vilhoul subsidies againsl IS average relaiI eIeclricily rices, a cosl reduclion of aroximaleIy 5O ercenl is required. AddilionaI gains are
necessary lo comele vilh vhoIesaIe over generalion.
6
This cosl eslimale resenls cosls using lhe $1W melric. IIlimaleIy, IV syslem designs shouId be olimized based on lhe IeveIized cosl of
eIeclricily (LCL). LCL (in $1kiIovall-hour) dislribules lhe cosl over lhe oulul of lhe syslem, and lakes inlo accounl such imorlanl fac-
lors as syslem erformance, reIiabiIily, and mainlenance cosls. Ior an anaIysis of LCL, refer lo Iigure 4 and lhe main lexl of lhe reorl.
>9;8+1"?:"@(45".+1*7A(B/"(2"@(/C1/59(/*)"D:':",-"'345164"0*:"!E?E
F
'()*+",-".*)*/01"(2"'34516""#""$(073"%(8/5*9/"&/4595851""#""$%&:(+;
G""#""$%&
'+,#)$'9-,#&4#'+,#.&*#()%9*'-/#!&*,*#
3+$22,)0,*#'&#3&*'#-,%93'(&)
Achieving signihcanl oS cosl reduclions vilh Iarge IV
syslems is arlicuIarIy chaIIenging because lhe inslaIIa-
lion rocess requires conlribulions from many Iayers,
incIuding deveIoers, inslaIIers, suIiers, reguIa-
lors, uliIilies, and buiIding ovners. The oS induslry
is more fragmenled lhan lhe moduIe manufacluring
induslry and has lo accommodale videIy varying siles,
reguIalory syslems, and cuslomer demands. Wilhin
lhis conlexl, severaI imorlanl consideralions for oS
cosl-reduclion slralegies emerged al lhe charrelle:
Each PV systcm has unIquc charactcrIstIcs and
must bc IndIvIdua!!y dcsIgncddifferences
belveen siles, regions, and design ob|eclives mean
lhal a one-size-hls-aII aroach lo IV deveIomenl
is imraclicaI and vouId roduce sub-olimized
IV syslems. As lhe IV induslry grovs, high
voIume aroaches musl baIance slandardizalion
and cuslomizabiIily.
Thcrc Is nn sI!vcr bu!!ct dcsIgn sn!utInnsince
oS cosls are disersed across severaI calegories,
ranging from slrucluraI suorl lo eIeclricaI
conneclion lo hnancing, lransformalionaI cosl
reduclions viII come from many reIaliveIy smaII
imrovemenls. In order lo coordinale and riorilize
lhese oorlunilies, inlegraled anaIysis looIs and
cross-vaIue-chain coIIaboralion efforls are needed.
Many nppnrtunItIcs Inr cnst rcductInn arc
avaI!ab!cdesile recenl rogress, many cosl-
reduclion oorlunilies sliII exisl reIaled lo
imroving lechnoIogy, more aroriale
reguIalions, beller informalion, and economies
of skiII and scaIe. Induslry +""9,0303"*
=
is essenliaI lo
idenlify and remove barriers lo videsread
adolion of oorlunilies.
In Iale }une 2O1O, Rocky Mounlain Inslilule (RMI) or-
ganized a design charrelle
8
in San }ose, CaIifornia. The
charrelle vas focused on baIance of syslem cosl-reduc-
lion oorlunilies for commerciaI and smaII uliIily IV
syslems. The charrelle incIuded more lhan 5O induslry
exerls
9
vho arlicialed in a faciIilaled series of Ie-
nary sessions and vorking breakoul grous.
During lhe charrelle rocess, lhe arlicianls focused
on oS design slralegies lhal can be aIied al scaIe in
lhe near lerm (Iess lhan hve years). Since rigid, reclan-
guIar moduIes accounl for more lhan 95 ercenl of lhe
currenl markel, charrelle oS designs vere conslrained
lo lhis videsread slandard. In addilion, lhe charrelle
addressed reIaliveIy Iarge syslems (rooflo syslems
Iarger lhan 25O kW and ground-mounled syslems in
lhe 12O MW range).
1O
S(!27$"%7(S##'.9;3(:/;.%#977-/5(
4"7-5/H(T'.;"77"7H(9/G(!;90-/5(69/(
!"#$%&'"()"*+,)-&',.")(/
As iIIuslraled in Iigure 2, lhe charrelle focused on
hysicaI syslem design, enabIing business rocesses,
lhe scaIing of lhe induslry, and lhe synergies avaiIabIe
by coordinaling across boundaries. There are many
Iinks belveen lhese areas, and, in many cases, benehls
achieved in one area can creale osilive or negalive
reercussions for olher areas (e.g., a more reIiabIe
eIeclricaI syslem design reduces erformance risk,
lhus Iovering hnancing cosls). ecause of lhis frag-
menlalion, lhese inlerconneclions, and lhe absence of a
siIver buIIel soIulion, lransformalionaI cosl reduclion
requires a syslems aroach.
11
0121$,-".#&03/-&4#%1+-"3)&53-#)-",$&
-7(!=&7$9/$-90
Charrelle arlicianls rovided hundreds of ideas for
cosl reduclion, formuIaled design rinciIes, deveI-
oed secihc designs, and considered concrele imIe-
menlalion recommendalions.
12
This reorl focuses on
some of lhe mosl broadIy aIicabIe recommendalions,
vhich are aIso somelimes lhe mosl chaIIenging lo
imIemenl. A fuII Iisl of ideas and recommendalions is
avaiIabIe uon requesl.
,H3490*)"'34516"I149;/J
%9/969K1"L1C1)9K1A"@(45
Many of lhe mosl romising hysicaI design slrale-
gies are aIready being considered by Ieading inslaIIers
and comonenl suIiers, bul lhey have nol yel been
videIy deIoyed or combined in olimaI vays. Char-
relle arlicianls idenlihed severaI crilicaI areas:
Rcducc wInd cxpnsurcreducing moduIe
exosure lo vind forces enabIes lhe dovnsizing
of slrucluraI comonenls. Slralegies incIude moduIe
sacing, sile Iayoul, soiIing and deeclion
7
5""9,0303"* can be dehned as cooeralion for muluaI benehl in a comelilive environmenl.
8
See foolnole 1.
9
Allendees incIuded IV inslaIIers, IV syslem designers, IV comonenl manufaclurers, uliIilies, syslem ovners, aulo induslry engineers,
design exerls, Iean manufacluring exerls, rocess exerls, IV moduIe manufaclurers, and numerous olher backgrounds.
1O
Though innovalive moduIe design soIulions, aroaches for smaIIer syslems and lhe roIe of subsidies are cIearIy imorlanl, lhey are oulside
lhe scoe of lhese recommendalions.
11
A syslems aroach sans lhe enlire vaIue chain and Iayers, and considers imrovemenls for one comonenl or rocess in Iighl of lheir
imacls on or synergies vilh olher eIemenls of lhe syslem.
12
The design slralegies and recommendalions resenled in lhis reorl reecl discussions and hndings from lhe charrelle suIemenled by
RMI research. Charrelle arlicianls and olher exerls have conlribuled lo lhese vievs, bul lheir inul does nol imIy endorsemenl.
F""#""$%&
'()*+",-".*)*/01"(2"'34516""#""$(073"%(8/5*9/"&/4595851""#""$%&:(+;
lechnoIogies, and more advanced design concels
vilh exibIe slruclures. Ior a lyicaI ground-
mounled syslem, efhcienl vind design (vilh
enabIing reguIalions) is eslimaled lo reduce lhe
vind forces on moduIes by 3O ercenl or more,
olenliaIIy Ieading lo corresonding reduclions in
slrucluraI syslem cosl. These slralegies have nol
seen videsread induslry deIoymenl, arliaIIy
due lo chaIIenges associaled vilh lhe aIicalion of
lhe ASCL-7 slrucluraI slandard.
Usc mndu!c Inr structurclhere are oorlunilies
lo use rigid gIass moduIes as arl of lhe slrucluraI
syslem, enabIing lhe dovnsizing of racking syslems
for rooflo and ground-mounled syslems. CIose
coIIaboralion belveen inslaIIers, manufaclurers, and
cerlihcalion agencies is required lo achieve lhis goaI.
RcthInk c!cctrIca! systcm archItccturcsongoing
imrovemenls in smaII inverler cosls, reIiabiIily,
and erformance can heI calure benehls
associaled vilh high-voIlage over aggregalion
and high-frequency conversion. olh lhese
aroaches reduce lhe cosl of lhe hysicaI Ianl,
incIuding vires and inverlers, vhiIe offering beller
syslem erformance if reIiabiIily can be mainlained.
Dcvc!np ncw pnwcr c!cctrnnIcs tcchnn!ngIcs
over eIeclronics, mosl nolabIy DC-lo-AC inverler
lechnoIogies, offer an oorlunily for breaklhrough
lechnicaI design. In arlicuIar, inlegraling AC
inleIIigence inlo each moduIe of an array or slring
of moduIes aears lo offer high olenliaI for cosl
reduclion. IIlimaleIy, Iug-and-Iay inslaIIalion
aroaches lhal don'l require seciaIized Iabor may
be ossibIe.
MInImIzc Insta!!atInn !abnrincreased
inslaIIalion efhciency can come vilh innovalion,
exerience, and scaIe, as designers conlinue lo
deveIo looI-Iess syslems, aulomaled equimenl,
and higher IeveIs of reassembIy. Ior ground-
mounled syslems, lhese slralegies couId save an
eslimaled 3O ercenl of Iabor lime and cosl. Ior
rooflos, vhere Iabor is a Iarge share of lhe cosl,
lhe oorlunily is even grealer.
.849/144",+(014414J
$1A801"@(45"*/A"D/01+5*9/53
Charrelle arlicianls considered each sle in lhe busi-
ness rocesses
13
lhal a IV ro|ecl goes lhrough, from
roosaI lo inlerconneclion. As lhe I.S. IV induslry
malures, lhere are considerabIe oorlunilies lo make
lhese rocesses more slreamIined and Iess exensive
vhiIe decreasing ro|ecl risk. A arlicuIar focus on lhe
foIIoving areas is imorlanl:
>9;8+1"!:"M"'345164"MNN+(*0H"5(",-".('"@(45"$1A8059(/
'()*+",-".*)*/01"(2"'34516""#""$(073"%(8/5*9/"&/4595851""#""$%&:(+;
O""#""$%&
E!ImInatc unncccssary stcps and strcam!Inc
prnccsscssignihcanl cosl reduclions can be
achieved by slreamIining rocesses lhroughoul lhe
ro|ecl cycIe. ImIemenling consislenl reguIalions
and reducing lhe uncerlainly associaled vilh
arovaI rocesses can heI reduce non-vaIue-
added lime. A delaiIed rocess malhal idenlihes
currenl cycIe limes and cosls, as veII as unneeded
aclions, revork, and olher faclors driving lime,
comIexily, and coslis needed. Dedicaled efforls
by induslry organizalions and cuslomers are needed
lo inform lhis anaIysis and lo demonslrale highIy
reIicabIe rocesses lhal reduce cosls vhiIe
mainlaining safely.
Rcducc prnjcct drnpnuts"every ro|ecl lhal
does nol make il from roosaI lo comIelion adds
overhead lo successfuI ro|ecls. These drooul
ro|ecls may be caused by unreaIislic cuslomer
execlalions, slakehoIder inexerience, unforeseen
ermilling chaIIenges, or a Iack of cailaI. ne vay
lo address lhese issues mighl be a dalabase of
exisling ro|ecls lhal deveIoers can use lo evaIuale
roosed ro|ecls.
&/A845+3"'0*)1JP/48+1"Q+(B5H"*/A"%*58+*59(/
As lhe soIar induslry grovs, lhere is greal olenliaI lo
adol besl raclices from olher Iarge, gIobaIized, com-
modilized induslries. Tvo key areas comIemenl each
olher lo offer cosl savings:
5tandardIzc cnmpnncnts and prnccsscsas lhe
induslry malures, an increased IeveI of
slandardizalion of oS comonenl designs
can decrease cosl, Iabor, and ermilling lime. Lfforls
lo increase slandardizalion can drav from olher
induslries, vilhoul overIy conslraining lhe soIar IV
induslry's exibiIily lo adal lo sile-secihc
silualions or revenl innovalive designs. Iro|ecl
inlegralors1syslems inslaIIers coIIaboraling vilh
suIiers can drive increased slandardizalion and
economies of scaIe for comonenls. Cooelilion
across lhe vaIue chain is a slrong enabIer of
slandardizalion.
Lcvcragc hIgh-vn!umc, !can manuIacturIng
manufacluring voIumes for many oS comonenls
are aIready in lhe hundreds of lhousands or miIIions
of unils er year. Hovever, signihcanl cosl-saving
oorlunilies remain because lhe soIar induslry
is lyicaIIy characlerized by 1) use of maleriaIs
designed and roduced for a differenl induslry, or 2)
numerous manufaclurers vilh reIaliveIy smaII
markel shares lhal roduce muluaIIy incomalibIe
roducls. As lhe oS induslry sels slandards and
consoIidales, increased voIumes for fever arls viII
become lhe norm, aIIoving Iean manufaclurers
lo decrease cosls by reducing lhe maleriaI and
Iabor required, invesl in high voIume manufacluring
rocesses, and increase lhroughul. Syslem size (u
lo a oinl) can Iay a key roIe in economies of scaIe.
When lhe many design consideralions resenled in
lhis reorl are added inlo a conceluaI syslem design,
oS cosls in lhe range of $O.6OO.9O1vall seem ossibIe
in lhe shorl lerm, vilh a broad variely of designs
achieving lhose cosls. Iigure 3 shovs lhe cosl eslimale
for lhe charrelle's ground-mounled design using lhe
Ianl-IeveI inverler aroach, yieIding a lolaI oS cosl
of $O.681vall (afler laking inlo accounl a $O.2O1vall
er moduIe cosl reduclion).
Recognizing lhal lhe #,>,#3?,:&+"/0&"-&,#,+0%3+30. (LCL)
15

is lhe mosl imorlanl melric, Iigure 4 shovs lhe olen-
liaI effecl of lhe design recommendalions on LCL. In
addilion, lhe hgure shovs lhe olenliaI effecl on LCL
of reducing moduIe cosls lo $O.7O1vall, even lhough
slralegies lo achieve lhal goaI vere oulside lhe scoe of
lhe charrelle.
A videIy scaIabIe IV design caabIe of achieving cosls
under $O.1O1kWh unsubsidized offers lruIy game-
changing olenliaI because il becomes cheaer lhan
relaiI eIeclricily in many I.S. markels.
13
In lhis reorl, usiness Irocesses refer lo aII lhe enabIing rocesses associaled vilh a IV ro|ecl, incIuding cuslomer negolialion, conlracl-
ing and hnancing, ermilling and reguIalory arovaIs, and uliIily inlerconneclion.
14
@--,+0&"-&A":;#,&5"/0&!$>3*4/: Ior cerlain eIeclricaI syslem archileclures, increased inlegralion of inversion rocesses vilh moduIe eIeclronics
is ossibIe. SecihcaIIy designing over eIeclronics inleIIigence lo malch moduIe characlerislics may reduce moduIe cosls by safeIy dovnsiz-
ing or eIiminaling bIocking diodes, moduIe home runs, and backskin maleriaI.
15
See foolnole 5.
>9;8+1"<:"R1*+ST1+6"@(45"'*C9/;4"2(+"@H*++1551"Q+(8/AS
%(8/51A"'34516"I149;/
?=
U""#""$%&
'()*+",-".*)*/01"(2"'34516""#""$(073"%(8/5*9/"&/4595851""#""$%&:(+;
6&03278#9#)/".#&:)%1/-8;<="%#&
:QQ.'$(-7(>""G"G(>.?
In order lo reaIize lhese cosl reduclions, coordinaled ac-
lion is necessary. SecihcaIIy, Iigure 5 Iisls high-riorily
aclivilies lo enabIe and acceIerale cosl-reduclion efforls.
SeveraI of lhese aclivilies address chaIIenges secihc lo
slrucluraI, eIeclricaI, or rocess cosl-reduclion ideas. A
diverse, reguIarIy coIIaboraling grou of slakehoIders
needs lo Iead and conlribule lo lhese recommenda-
lions. These measures are described in more delaiI in
lhe main body of lhe reorl and in Aendix .
In addilion lo lhe aclivilies roosed for each focus
area, a coordinaled efforl is required lo lie logelher lhe
disarale oS cosl drivers. ne idea suggesled al lhe
I.S. Dearlmenl of Lnergy (DL)'s Augusl 2O1O BCDE&
E"%F/6"9&couId lie logelher lhe disarale cosl drivers:
a slandard looI lhal rovides an anaIylic viev of cosls
across lhe oS. uiIding on exisling modeIs, such a
ubIicIy avaiIabIe inlegralive modeIing moduIe couId
be used lo evaIuale lhe imacls on LCL of secihc
design slralegiesfrom moduIe lo inslaIIalionacross
lhe vaIue chain. Il vouId aIso aIIov designers, cuslom-
ers, reguIalors, and manufaclurers lo accuraleIy ana-
Iyze lrade-offs belveen differenl designs, codes, incen-
live rograms, conlracl slruclures, hnancing schemes,
and economics in lerms of syslem erformance and
imacl on LCL.
veraII, lhe aclivilies described in lhis reorl viII
enabIe cosl reduclion and increased adolion by
romoling:
LIIccyc!c cnst dccIsInn makIng,
!" #$%&'()*"+,,-.(/(/,$"(,"-),0,(."'(1$%1)%/21(/,$3
!" 4$"/$+).1'.%"5,+&'",5"%.6.7,-0.$(".55,)('",$"
hIgh-pntcntIa! sItcs and dcsIgns,
!" 89."1:/7/(*",5").;&71(,)*",5<+/17'"1$%"<$1$+/.)'"(,"
" .617&1(."-),=.+('".5<+/.$(7*3"
!" 89."1:/7/(*",5").;&71(,)'"(,"'.("'&:'/%/.'"1(",-(/017"
!cvc!s and tn sunsct thcm judIcInus!y,
!" 4$"/$+).1'.%"+,$'/'(.$+*",5").;&71(/,$'"1+),''"
utI!Ity and gnvcrnmcnt jurIsdIctInns, and
!" 89."1++.7.)1(/,$",5"&-%1(.'"(,"'()&+(&)17"1$%"
c!cctrIca! cndcs.
>#;3)%&-9"/&=38?@&A#B-<C#)#8,-"3)&';/-#2/&
="$$&DEE#8&6%%"-"3),$&53//"F"$"-"#/&
The SoIar IV oS Design Charrelle efforl focused on
convenlionaI lechnoIogies and a Iess-lhan-hve-year im-
Iemenlalion limeframe. Signihcanl vork is required
lo achieve lhe $O.6OO.9O1vall cosl largels described
in lhis reorl. To reduce soIar IV over rices beyond
lhese largels ($O.5O1vall and beIov), innovalive oS
aroaches viII be necessary.
Such aroaches may incIude
buiIding-inlegraled syslems, DC-
eIeclric microgrids, concenlraling IV
lechnoIogies, bio-based slrucluraI
syslems, or fundamenlaIIy differenl
holovoIlaic lechnoIogies, such as
ainl-on roducls or ceIIs lhal enabIe
lhe use of radicaIIy differenl mounl-
ing slruclures. oS cosl reduclions
viII aIso be achieved as moduIe ef-
hciencies conlinue lo imrove, adding
more vallage er unil area of racking
and er doIIar of ro|ecl cosl, inde-
endenlIy of lhe savings described in
lhis reorl.
RegardIess, currenl oS aroaches
have lhe olenliaI lo considerabIy
drive dovn syslem cosls and viII
IikeIy remain dominanl for a vhiIe.
>9;8+1"=:"L1C1)9K1A"@(45"(2"P)105+90953"P4596*51"2(+"@H*++1551"
Q+(8/AS%(8/51A"'34516"I149;/
>9;8+1"G:",+(N(41A"&/A845+3"M059C95914"5("'8NN(+5"
@(45S$1A8059(/"Q(*)4