Lessons From the U.S.'s Plan to Cut Solar Prices: Green Insight

A decade ago, the U.S. Department of Energy launched the SunShot Initiative, which aimed to cut the cost of solar energy by three-quarters and make it competitive with other forms of electricity. SunShot was ambitious, it was significant in scope, and, it turns out, it even hit one of its targets three years early. With SunShot’s deadline now officially over, it’s worth looking at what worked, what didn’t, and what the next initiative should target.

SunShot’s targets were clearly delineated: achieve a specific cost per Watt for photovoltaic energy and concentrate various types of solar thermal power systems. By ...