Solar and Storage Techno-Economic and Supply Chain Analysis
NLR’s solar techno-economic analysis examines the manufacturing costs, system costs, and supply chain issues for solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage technologies.
This work informs research and development by identifying drivers of cost, supply chain, and competitiveness for solar technologies.
NLR analysis of manufacturing costs for silicon solar cells includes bottom-up cost modeling for all the steps in the silicon value chain.
Capabilities
Solar Supply Chain and Industry Analysis
Solar Manufacturing Cost Analysis
Solar Installed System Cost Analysis
Solar System Operations and Maintenance Analysis
Key Project Publications
Spring 2025 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2025)
Winter 2025 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2025)
Fall 2024 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2024)
Summer 2024 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2024)
Spring 2024 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2024)
Winter 2024 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2024)
Fall 2023 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2023)
Summer 2023 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2023)
Spring 2023 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2023)
Winter 2023 Solar Industry Update, NLR Presentation (2023)
Browse all past solar industry updates on the NLR Publications Database.
Q1 – 2025 Solar Photovoltaic System Cost Benchmarks, NLR Dataset (2025)
Q1 – 2024 Solar Photovoltaic System Cost Benchmarks, NLR Dataset (2025)
Documenting 15 Years of Reductions in U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System Costs, NLR Technical Report (2025)
U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmarks, With Minimum Sustainable Price Analysis: Q1 2023, NLR Technical Report (2023)
U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmarks, With Minimum Sustainable Price Analysis: Q1 2022, NLR Technical Report (2022)
U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark: Q1 2021, NLR Technical Report (2021)
U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark: Q1 2020, NLR Technical Report (2021)
Research and Development Priorities to Advance Solar Photovoltaic Lifecycle Costs and Performance, NLR Technical Report (2021)
Floating Photovoltaic System Cost Benchmark: Q1 2021 Installations on Artificial Water Bodies, NLR Technical Report (2021)
Photovoltaic (PV) Module Technologies: 2020 Benchmark Costs and Technology Evolution Framework Results, NLR Technical Report (2021)
Annual Supply Chain for Photovoltaics (ASC-PV) in the United States: 2024 in Review, NLR Technical Report (2026)
An Updated Life Cycle Assessment of Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Systems Installed in the United States, NLR Technical Report (2024)
Energy and Carbon Payback Times for Modern U.S. Utility Photovoltaic Systems, NLR Factsheet (2024)
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Manufacturing Expansions in the United States, 2017-2019: Motives, Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Context, NLR Technical Report (2021)
Expanding the Photovoltaic Supply Chain in the United States: Opportunities and Challenges, NLR Technical Report (2019)
Terawatt-Scale Photovoltaics: Transform Global Energy, Science (2019)
Terawatt-Scale Photovoltaics: Trajectories and Challenges, Science (2017)
Technology Advances Needed for Photovoltaics to Achieve Widespread Grid Price Parity, Progress in Photovoltaics (2016)
On the Path to SunShot: The Role of Advancements in Solar Photovoltaic Efficiency, Reliability, and Costs, NLR Technical Report (2016)
On the Path to SunShot: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges in U.S. Solar Manufacturing, NLR Technical Report (2016)
Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Module Manufacturing Costs and Sustainable Pricing: 1H 2018 Benchmark and Cost Reduction Road Map, NLR Technical Report (2019)
Present and Future Silver Cost Component in Crystalline Silicon PV Module Manufacturing, Photovoltaics International (2016)
Economic Measurements of Polysilicon for the Photovoltaic Industry: Market Competition and Manufacturing Competitiveness, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics (2015)
A Wafer-Based Monocrystalline Silicon Photovoltaics Road Map: Utilizing Known Technology Improvement Opportunities for Further Reductions in Manufacturing Costs, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2013)
Estimating the Effects of Module Area on Thin-Film Photovoltaic System Costs, 2017 IEEE 44th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (2018)
Printed Interconnections for Photovoltaic Modules, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2017)
Evaluating the Economic Viability of CdTe/CIS and CIGS/CIS Tandem Photovoltaic Modules, Progress in Photovoltaics (2017)
Low-Cost CdTe/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics (2017)
Analysis of Glass-Glass CIGS Manufacturing Costs, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2016)
III-V-Based Optoelectronics with Low-Cost Dynamic Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy, Crystals (2019)
A Techno-Economic Analysis and Cost Reduction Roadmap for III-V Solar Cells, NLR Technical Report (2018)
Economic Competitiveness of III-V on Silicon Tandem One-Sun Photovoltaic Solar Modules in Favorable Future Scenarios, Progress in Photovoltaics (2017)
Raising the One-Sun Conversion Efficiency of III-V/Si Solar Cells to 32.8% for Two Junctions and 35.9% for Three Junctions, Nature Energy (2017)
Techno-Economic Analysis of Three Different Substrate Removal and Reuse Strategies for III-V Solar Cells, Progress in Photovoltaics (2016)
III-Vs at Scale: A PV Manufacturing Cost Analysis of the Thin Film Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth Mode, Progress in Photovoltaics (2016)
Tutorials
Watch these six video tutorials to learn about NLR's techno-economic analysis—from bottom-up cost modeling to full PV project economics. Note: These videos were produced when the laboratory operated as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The laboratory is now the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR).
Share
Last Updated April 10, 2026