The United States is 70% on the way to achieving the country’s SunShot Initiative 2020 goals, according to analysts and researchers at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Earlier this month, a suite of studies was published by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot Initiative which identify the progress that has already been made by the US solar energy industry toward achieving the country’s SunShot goal of achieving cost parity with traditional energy sources by 2020.
“We’re close to 70 percent of the way toward achieving the SunShot Initiative’s 2020 goals,” said Robert Margolis, NREL senior analyst and project manager. “These reports provide a perspective on how far we’ve come and how much more can be done to advance solar technologies.”
The On the Path to SunShot study series identifies key research, development, and market opportunities that the authors believe must be addressed in the remaining years of the SunShot Initiative to make solar a cost-competitive energy across the US, and beyond.
“Solar energy is an integral part of our nation’s ongoing energy revolution,” said US Secretary of Energy, Dr. Ernest Moniz. “The US has over 10 times more solar installed today compared to 2011 when the SunShot Initiative was first launched, and the overall costs of solar have dropped by 65 percent. The Administration’s continued efforts through the SunShot Initiative will help to further reduce costs to make solar energy more accessible and affordable for American families and businesses.”
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory identified a recurring theme throughout the reports, which is that sustained innovation across all levels and sectors of the US solar industry is required to help meet the SunShot goals.
All the reports are available for viewing from the DOE website, or below:
- Emerging Issues and Challenges with Integrating High Levels of Solar into the Electrical Generation and Transmission Systems (Denholm et al. 2016)
- Emerging Issues and Challenges with Integrating High Levels of Solar into the Distribution System(Palmintier et al. 2016)
- The Role of Advancements in Photovoltaic Efficiency, Reliability, and Costs (Woodhouse et al. 2016)
- Advancing Concentrating Solar Power Technology, Performance, and Dispatchability (Mehos et al. 2016)
- Emerging Opportunities and Challenges in U.S. Solar Manufacturing (Chung et al. 2016)
- Emerging Opportunities and Challenges in Financing Solar (Feldman and Bolinger 2016)
- Utility Regulatory and Business Model Reforms for Addressing the Financial Impacts of Distributed Solar on Utilities (Barbose et al. 2016)
- The Environmental and Public Health Benefits of Achieving High Penetrations of Solar Energy in the United States (Wiser et al. 2016)
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