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Tracking the Sun: Pricing and Design Trends for Distributed Photovoltaic Systems in the United States, 2022 Edition

Publication Type

Report

Date Published

09/2022

Authors

Barbose, Galen L, Naïm R Darghouth, Eric O'Shaughnessy, Sydney Forrester

Abstract

Berkeley Lab’s annual Tracking the Sun report describes trends among grid-connected, distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States. The latest edition of the report focuses on systems installed through year-end 2021, and is based on data from roughly 2.5 million systems. New to the report this year is an expanded coverage of paired PV-plus-storage systems, including details on system design and pricing trends.

The report describes trends related to:

Project characteristics, including system size, module efficiencies, prevalence of paired PV with storage, use of module-level power electronics, third-party ownership, mounting configurations, panel orientation, and non-residential customer segmentation ownership
Median installed-price trends, both nationally and by state, including preliminary data for first half of 2022
Variability in pricing according to system size, state, installer, equipment type, and other factors, relying on both descriptive and econometric analysis

Year of Publication

2022

Notes

The report, published in slide-deck format, is accompanied by a narrative summary briefing, interactive data visualizations, public data file, and summary data tables. All items can also be found at: http://trackingthesun.lbl.gov.

We want to hear from you. If you have specific questions about the report or data or requests for related analytical support from LBNL staff, you can submit those comments through a separate form here, and they will be routed to the appropriate staff.

A brief summary of this study is available here.

A webinar summarizing key findings from the report, recorded on September 22, 2022, can be viewed here.