Modeling the cost and minimum sustainable price of crystalline silicon photovoltaic manufacturing in the united states

Abstract

We extend our cost model to assess minimum sustainable prices of crystalline silicon wafer, cell, and module manufacturing in the United States. We investigate the cost and price structures of current multicrystalline silicon technology and consider the introduction of line-of-sight innovations currently on the industry roadmap, as well as advanced technologies currently at an earlier stage of development. We benchmark the capability of these concepts to reach the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot module price target and perform a sensitivity analysis to determine high-impact research domains that have the greatest impact on price. This exercise highlights advanced c-Si manufacturing concepts with significant cost reduction potential and provides insight into strategies that could greatly reduce module prices in a financially sustainable manner. © 2011-2012 IEEE.