Exploring large-scale solar deployment in DOE's SunShot Vision Study

Large-scale solar deployment is sensitive to several factors including future solar technology price and performance, electricity demand, and the challenges and benefits of integrating solar generation resources. The SunShot Initiative was launched by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2011 aimed at reducing the cost of solar electricity by about 75% from 2010 to 2020, whereby solar energy could compete with conventional electricity sources without subsidies. DOE conducted the SunShot Vision Study to evaluate the potential impacts of achieving these price and performance improvements, and the underlying modeling analysis suggests that solar energy could satisfy roughly 14% of U.S. electricity demand by 2030 and 27% by 2050. This growth of solar electricity could decrease electric sector carbon emissions by 28% and decrease retail electricity rates by 7% in the year 2050, relative to a reference scenario.