U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Solar Energy Technologies Program

Learning About PV: Quick Facts

Dangling Rope Marina on Lake Powell in Utah is home to this state-of-the-art 160-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic (PV) hybrid energy system. It was installed to replace diesel-fired generation.

This solar electric system for a house in California, integrates photovoltaic panels into an awning in the backyard. The system generates electricity for the house while also providing shade for the back porch.

This process, known as grid-firing of 150-mm cells, is just one of the many methods used in manufacturing photovoltaic modules. It was developed by Siemens Solar Industries under a PVMaT contract.

A woman in India uses a water pump powered by photovoltaics to collect potable water. This is just one of many applications of photovoltaics being used in rural parts of the world, especially in developing countries where people have never before had access to electricity.

We have compiled some recent "at your fingertips" facts and figures about solar electric, also known as photovoltaic (PV) applications, R&D, and the industry for quick reference. Please also see the sources indicated at the bottom of the page for further information.

• PV modules covering an area about 110 miles by 110 miles of the land in the United States, one-third the land occupied by roadways, could supply all the electricity consumed here.¹

• In 2000, PV systems generated 844 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.²

• The PV systems installed since 1988 provide enough electricity to power 250,000 American homes or more than 8 million homes in the developing world.³

• PV-generated power correlates well with utilities' daily load patterns, because the power is available when it is needed most—during daylight hours.

• The most frequently seen application of PV is in consumer products, which use tiny amounts of direct current (dc) power, less than 1 watt (W). More than 1 billion hand-held calculators, several million watches, and a couple of million portable lights and battery chargers are all powered by PV cells.

• PV is rapidly becoming the power supply of choice for remote and small-power, dc applications of 100 W or less.

• PV module production has increased more than thirteen-fold since 1989. Worldwide PV module shipments in 2002 were 560 megawatts (MW). The United States shipped 120 MW.⁴

• 2002 worldwide production of PV modules includes 33% single-crystal silicon, 55% polycrystalline silicon, and 5% amorphous silicon, mostly used in consumer products. Modules based on cadmium telluride now represent about �% of the market. The remainder (about 6%) represents a Japanese technology of amorphous silicon on a crystalline silicon slice.⁵

• The cost of larger PV systems (greater than 1 kW) is measured in "levelized" costs per kWh—the costs are spread out over the system lifetime and divided by kWh output. The levelized cost is now around 30 cents/kWh. At this price, PV is cost effective for residential customers located farther than a quarter of a mile from the nearest utility line. Reliability and lifetime are steadily improving; PV manufacturers guarantee their products for up to 25 years.⁶

• The worldwide PV industry has grown from sales of less than $2 million in 1975 to greater than about $2 billion in 2001.⁷

• Around 70% of U.S. solar cell production is exported, mostly to developing countries where 2 billion people still live without electricity.⁸

• Since the inception of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Photovoltaics R&D Program, thin films, one of our solar cell materials, have seen a steady rise in conversion efficiencies. Today's conversion efficiencies, the amount of sunlight turned into electricity, have reached 18.8% for CIS cells, 15.8% for CdTe cells, and greater than 12% for a-Si cells.⁹

• In 2001 PV module shipments jumped to almost 400 megawatts, which represents about a $2.5 to $3 billion dollar market.¹⁰

• As of 1998, the PV industry creates about 3000 direct and indirect jobs for every $100 million of module sales.¹¹

• A residential energy system typically costs about $8-10 per Watt. Where government incentive programs exist, together with lower prices secured through volume purchases, installed costs as low as $3-4 watt—or some 10-12 cents per kilowatt-hour can be achieved.¹²

• Currently, 48 states and a U.S. territory have some type of solar or renewable incentive—including investment credits, rebates, sales tax, or property tax waivers.¹³

• The largest commercial PV installation in the U.S. as of 2003 is 3.4 MW for Tucson Electric Power in Tucson, Arizona.

¹National Center for Photovoltaics
² Photovoltaics Industry Statistics: Market Share
³ Photovoltaics: Energy for the New Millennium 2000-2004
⁴PV News by Paul Maycock, March 2003
⁵PV News by Paul Maycock, March 2003
⁶Photovoltaics Industry Statistics: Costs
⁷ Solar Electric Power: Industry Roadmap
⁸Fast Solar Energy Facts
⁹Photovoltaics:Energy for the New Millennium 2000-2004
¹⁰CCEnergy Fall 2001 Newsletter (PDF 311 KB) Download Adobe Reader
¹¹Photovoltaics Promise...The Federal Role: National Center for Photovoltaics PV FAQs,1998
¹²Fast Solar Energy Facts
¹³ Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy