For a leading PV manufacturer, estimated and compared the levelized cost of electricity produced by thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal parabolic trough generating facilities. Developed bottom-up component and system-level cost estimates for solar PV and CSP facilities and forecasted the cost escalation for supply constrained and specialized materials and components used in these plants. Hourly production simulations of the plants were performed using a customized application of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Solar Advisory Model, a detailed engineering model of solar generation technologies.
