What is a distributed solar system?

Berkeley Lab’s annual Tracking the Sun report describes trends among grid-connected, distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) and paired PV+storage systems in the United States. For the purpose of this report, distributed solar includes residential systems, roof-mounted non-residential systems, and ground-mounted systems up to 5 MW-AC.

Where did photovoltaic cost data come from?

Photovoltaic cost data between 1975 and 2003 has been taken from Nemet (2009), between 2004 and 2009 from Farmer & Lafond (2016), and since 2010 from IRENA. Prices from Nemet (2009) and Farmer & Lafond (2016) have been converted to 2024 US$ using the US GDP deflator, to account for the effects of inflation.

How efficient is a residential PV system in 2024?

The representative residential PV system (RPV) for 2024 has a rating of 8 kW dc (the sum of the system’s module ratings). Each module has an area (with frame) of 1.9 m 2 and a rated power of 400 watts, corresponding to an efficiency of 21.1%.

How do market analysts evaluate the cost of PV systems?

Market analysts routinely monitor and report the average cost of PV systems and components, but more detail is needed to understand the impact of recent and future technology developments on cost. Consequently, benchmark systems in the utility-scale, commercial, and residential PV market sectors are evaluated each year.

How much AC does a solar PV system produce?

The aluminum rails and module clamps are imported from China and subject to 25% tariff. Each module is paired with a microinverter rated at 330 W ac, giving the PV system a rated AC power output of 6.6 kW ac, which corresponds to an inverter loading ratio of 1.22.

How does Seto calculate PV system cost?

Unlike most PV cost studies that report values solely in dollars per watt, SETO’s PV system cost benchmark reports values using intrinsic units for each component. For example, the cost of a mounting structure is given in dollars per square meter of modules supported by that structure.