Median Installed Price of Solar in the US Fell 5-12% in 2015
Two new Berkeley Lab studies find record low prices across all sectors
BERKELEY, Calif. — Solar energy system pricing is at an all-time low, according to the latest editions of two recurring “state of the market” reports released by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).
Within the market for distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, installed prices in 2015 declined by $0.20-per-watt (W) or 5 percent year-over-year for residential systems, by $0.30/W (7 percent) for smaller nonresidential systems, and by $0.30/W (9 percent) for larger nonresidential systems. Prices for utility-scale PV systems that came online in 2015 fell by $0.30/W (12 percent) from the prior year. Preliminary data for the first six months of 2016 suggest that prices have continued to fall in most states and market segments.