How are PV production costs modeled?

The costs of materials, equipment, facilities, energy, and labor associated with each step in the production process are individually modeled. Input data for this analysis method are collected through primary interviews with PV manufacturers and material and equipment suppliers.

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.

What is pvscm system cost?

The PVSCM system cost is the price paid by the system owner to the system developer. Any tax credit realized by the owner is excluded and must be considered separately. Tariffs paid on imported hardware are treated as temporary market distortions that increase MMP but not MSP.

How much does a top-five module cost in 2025?

A top-five module maker told OPIS that 2025 loading prices have not meaningfully increased, even with higher upstream costs. Current offers from leading manufacturers of utility-scale projects are in the low-$0.080/W range. The FOB China TOPCon module price for the first-half 2025 loading was at $0.085/W, with values between $0.082-0.087/W.

How much do Topcon modules cost?

One developer source says they are seeing $0.29/W to $0.32/W quoted for TOPCon modules from “preferred” manufacturers in countries subject to the ongoing AD/CVD case, while American producers assembling modules with Indonesian cells are offering prices in the low 0.20s/W.

How does pvscm calculate tariffs & subsidies?

Tariffs and subsidies are noted in the spreadsheet’s comments column. PVSCM is implemented using an Excel spreadsheet. It collects the cost elements for each category, then sums the categories to obtain the system cost, for both MSP and MMP. Unit conversion multipliers are listed on a separate sheet labeled "Factors."