ACCELERATING SOLAR POWER ADOPTION

The document outlines the necessity of rapid solar PV growth to meet climate targets, identifying high costs as a primary barrier. It proposes a multi-dimensional approach to reduce manufacturing costs by a factor of two or more using lean manufacturing, whole systems design, and end-use efficiency. Additionally, it emphasizes the need to professionalize rooftop installation and calls for government support through stable demand and standardized regulations to avoid supply chain bottlenecks.

• To meet a target of supplying 30% of current U.S. electricity with solar energy by 2030, the PV industry must maintain an average annual growth rate of approximately 35% through 2030, which would result in nearly 700 GW of installed capacity.
• High costs remain a critical barrier to adoption; for PV to be competitive in 19% of U.S. electricity markets, installed costs must drop to $2/watt, as current levelized energy costs are mostly above $0.20 per kilowatt-hour.
• Manufacturing costs can be reduced by a factor of two or more by applying industrial best practices, specifically end-use efficiency, whole systems design, lean manufacturing, and economies of scale.
• Significant cost-saving opportunities exist in manufacturing through the reduction of consumable waste, better coordination with tool manufacturers to lower operating expenses (opex), and the right-sizing of clean room HVAC systems.
• Rooftop installations under 100 kW account for about half of annual U.S. PV capacity, but costs remain high because the sector operates as a "cottage industry" where labor can contribute up to $2 per watt, or 25% of total system cost.
• Rapid industry scaling risks severe supply chain bottlenecks; for instance, producing 100 GW of modules annually would require up to one billion square meters of glass, which is 20% of the 2008 global manufacturing capacity.
• Government and industry groups must enable growth by providing predictable demand (potentially via auctioning systems) and creating uniform standards for net-metering, permitting, and interconnection to reduce installation delays.

APA

Newman, S., Doig, S., Hansen, L., & Lacy, V. (n.d.). ACCELERATING SOLAR POWER ADOPTION. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_L06-RMI-Accelerating_Solar_Power_Adoption.pdf

Chicago

Newman, Sam, Stephen Doig, Lena Hansen, and Virginia Lacy. ACCELERATING SOLAR POWER ADOPTION. RMI, n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_L06-RMI-Accelerating_Solar_Power_Adoption.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Newman |first1=Sam |last2=Doig |first2=Stephen |last3=Hansen |first3=Lena |last4=Lacy |first4=Virginia |title=ACCELERATING SOLAR POWER ADOPTION |publisher=RMI |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_L06-RMI-Accelerating_Solar_Power_Adoption.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newmanndaccelerating, author = {Newman, Sam and Doig, Stephen and Hansen, Lena and Lacy, Virginia}, title = {{ACCELERATING SOLAR POWER ADOPTION}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_L06-RMI-Accelerating_Solar_Power_Adoption.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }