The document outlines the significant economic impact and advancements in the solar industry due to EERE's $3.7 billion investment in solar photovoltaic R&D from 1975 to 2008, yielding a net benefit of $15 billion. It highlights the creation of successful companies like First Solar, major utility-scale projects, and the focus on reducing soft costs that account for a significant portion of solar installation expenses. Additionally, it discusses initiatives like the Rooftop Solar Challenge aimed at accelerating solar deployment.

1. 2013 Solar Industry Job Census Briefing
2226 Rayburn House Office Building
Jason Walsh, Senior Advisor
February 11, 2014

3. Impact of EERE Investments in Solar R&D
Actual vs. Counterfactual Cost
Curves
Counterfactual
Actual V. Counterfactual Reliability
Curves
Actual
Actual
Counterfactua
l
•
EERE’s $3.7B investment in solar photovoltaic R&D from 1975 to 2008 resulted in a
net economic benefit of $15B (2008 dollars) due to module efficiency and
reliability improvements.
•
EERE R&D accelerated solar industry by 12 years
3

4. First Solar: Driving Innovation in Ohio’s Factories
•
1990s: DOE’s NREL funding led
to boom in start-up thin-film PV
companies.
•
Led to First Solar LLC, now a
leading worldwide PV
manufacturer based in Ohio.
•
2012: First Solar installed its 10
millionth PV module in the 550
MW Desert Sunlight Solar Farm
project in Riverside County,
California
•
4
By 2015, Desert Sunlight Solar
will be one of the two largest
solar PV projects in the world
A First Solar associate handles photovoltaic materials at the company's
Ohio manufacturing plant
Courtesy of First Solar

5. DOE LPO Launched Utility-Scale PV Market in the U.S.
U.S. Projects Over 100MW
1705 Program Ends
Five LPO Projects
 1510 MW
 $4.6 Billion in Loans
CA
CA
NV
NV
NM
NM
AZ
AZ
Zero
Projects
2010
5
Ten Privately
Financed Projects
 2488 MW
2011
2012
2013
5

6. Concentrating Solar Power Became a Reality in the U.S.
Solana
Arizona
Ivanpah
California
• Completed in 2014
• 390 MW Concentrated Solar
Project
• $1.6 billion loan guarantee
6
• Completed in 2013 (250 MW)
• ‘Nighttime Solar’ - 6 Hours of
Thermal Energy Storage
• $1.45 billion loan guarantee
Tonopah
Nevada
• 2014 - Expected Completion
(110 MW)
• ‘Nighttime Solar’ - 10 Hours of
Thermal Energy Storage
• $737 million loan guarantee
6

7. SunShot Utility Scale Progress by Q4 2012
$4.00
Installed System Price ($/WDC)
$3.50
$0.29
$3.00
$2.50
$1.56
$0.13
$0.13
Power Electronics
Balance of Systems
Module
$1.27
$0.06
$2.27/W
$2.00
$1.03
$1.50
$1.00
$1.00/W
$0.18
$1.95
$0.10
$0.40
$0.50
$0.00
7
$3.80/W
Reduction Opportunities
2010 Modeled
System
Reductions by
2013
Power
Electronics
Balance of
Systems
Module
$0.50
SunShot Goal

8. Largest Cost Reduction Opportunity: Soft Costs
Installed System Price ($/WDC)
LBNL and NREL analyses
show balance of system
costs, or “soft costs”, such
as permitting, installation
and inspection costs
$4.00
$3.50
$3.00
$2.50
$2.00
$1.50
$1.00
$0.50
$0.00
$0.29
$1.56
$0.13
$0.13
Power Electronics
Balance of Systems
$1.27
$0.06
Module
$1.03
$1.00/W
$1.95
$0.18
$0.10
$0.40
$0.50
Source: LBNL, http://emp.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/germanus-pv-price-ppt.pdf; NREL
http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2012/2038.html
8

9. Soft Costs Dominating Overall Costs
Balance of system costs account for up to 50%
64% of the cost of a solar installation
 Not decreasing as quickly as equipment costs
9
Source: Second Annual Benchmarking…”, Friedman et al.,
in preparation.

10. Rooftop Solar Challenge (2011-2013)
• 22 teams, 50 million
people
• Best practices
developed, shared,
and harmonized
• Easier, cheaper, and
one week faster to go
solar on average
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11. One week per installation adds up . . .
PV Installed in RSC locales:
Residential: 225 MW
37,960 Residential
Systems
Commercial: 357 MW
=
Which means the RSC
saved Americans from…
Average Business Days
Saved Per Install = 5.1
3,148 Commercial
Systems
Average Business Days
Saved Per Install = 4.1
OVERYEARS OF RED TAPE
~800 10 LIFETIMES SAVED
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12. SunShot 2030 Vision: Rapid Solar Deployment
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