Where did photovoltaic cost data come from?

Photovoltaic cost data between 1975 and 2003 has been taken from Nemet (2009), between 2004 and 2009 from Farmer & Lafond (2016), and since 2010 from IRENA. Prices from Nemet (2009) and Farmer & Lafond (2016) have been converted to 2024 US$ using the US GDP deflator, to account for the effects of inflation.

How do market analysts evaluate the cost of PV systems?

Market analysts routinely monitor and report the average cost of PV systems and components, but more detail is needed to understand the impact of recent and future technology developments on cost. Consequently, benchmark systems in the utility-scale, commercial, and residential PV market sectors are evaluated each year.

What is pvscm system cost?

The PVSCM system cost is the price paid by the system owner to the system developer. Any tax credit realized by the owner is excluded and must be considered separately. Tariffs paid on imported hardware are treated as temporary market distortions that increase MMP but not MSP.

How many inverters does a PV system use?

The DC cables are connected to 19 utility-scale central inverters, each rated at 4 MW ac, giving the PV system a rated AC power output of 76 MW ac, which corresponds to an inverter loading ratio of 1.32. The inverters are made in Europe in a plant that produces 250 of them each year. These inverters are not subject to import tariffs.

How does pvscm calculate tariffs & subsidies?

Tariffs and subsidies are noted in the spreadsheet’s comments column. PVSCM is implemented using an Excel spreadsheet. It collects the cost elements for each category, then sums the categories to obtain the system cost, for both MSP and MMP. Unit conversion multipliers are listed on a separate sheet labeled "Factors."