US DOE sets $0.03/kWh target for utility-scale PV in 2030

Already well ahead of schedule on its 2020 cost-reduction targets for solar energy, the US Energy Department (DOE) has announced a new set of 2030 targets for its SunShot Initiative – including a $0.03/kWh goal for utility-scale solar in regions with average solar conditions.

In 2011 the DOE launched its SunShot initiative and associated funding programmes, with the aim of helping make solar competitive without subsidies by 2020 on a levelised cost of energy (LCOE) basis.