This talk will highlight the most recent efforts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to track solar photovoltaic (PV) supply and demand in the United States and globally, as well as detailed calculations of manufacturing costs for facilities across the globe. We will begin with an overview of the global solar PV supply chain and the input data used for NREL’s bottom-up crystalline silicon (c-Si) and thin film PV module manufacturing cost models. For the polysilicon, wafer, cell conversion, and module assembly steps of the c-Si supply chain, and for thin film modules, we will review the industry-collected input data and methods used for calculating the costs of goods sold (COGS); research and development (R&D) expenses; and sales, general, and business administration (S, G, &A) expenses. This analysis is compiled for state-of-the-art PV module manufacturing in several countries and regions.

Next-generation technologies that lower PV manufacturing and installation costs, reduce operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses, and improve system energy yield will also be highlighted. We look forward to sharing NREL's extensive work in these areas and discussing ideas for future directions.