What is NREL's solar-plus-storage cost benchmarking work?

This work has grown to include cost models for solar-plus-storage systems. NREL's PV cost benchmarking work uses a bottom-up approach. First, analysts create a set of steps required for system installation.

What is PV system cost model (pvscm)?

The total cost over the service life of the system is amortized to give a levelized cost per year. In the PV System Cost Model (PVSCM), the owner’s overnight capital expense (cash cost) for an installed PV system is divided into eight categories, which are the same for the utility-scale, commercial, and residential PV market segments:

Why do community solar systems cost so much?

Community solar systems incur more initial costs to acquire numerous residential and commercial subscribers, and they incur ongoing costs of subscriber management, including bill management as well as marketing and customer acquisition to manage customer turnover.

Are residential PV systems cheaper than last year?

Compared to last year's report, modeled market prices for installed residential PV systems were 15% lower this year.

What are the 2022 PV and energy storage benchmarks?

These benchmarks are bottom-up cost estimates of all aspects of PV and energy storage system installations. Many of the trends that characterized the 2022 benchmarks—including high and volatile component prices and competition for limited supplies—appeared to lessen in 2023.

What are energy storage technologies?

Informing the viable application of electricity storage technologies, including batteries and pumped hydro storage, with the latest data and analysis on costs and performance. Energy storage technologies, store energy either as electricity or heat/cold, so it can be used at a later time.