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U.S. Department of Energy

Mission, Vision, and Goals

Photo of a male silhouetted against a solar array.

Researcher Josh Stein of Sandia National Laboratories studies how clouds impact large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants. Photo from Randy Montoya, Sandia National Laboratories

SunShot Vision Study

The SunShot Vision Study provides an in-depth assessment of the potential for solar technologies to meet a significant share of electricity demand in the United States during the next several decades. The DOE study explores a future in which the cost of solar technologies decreases by about 75% between 2010 and 2020 in line with the SunShot Initiative's cost targets.

The mission, vision, and goals of the SunShot Initiative are described below.

Mission

The SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort to make the United States a leader in the global clean energy race by fueling solar energy technology development. SunShot will enable widespread, large-scale adoption of solar across America by making solar energy systems cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade.

Vision

The SunShot Initiative vision is to make the total cost of solar energy economically viable for everyday use, so that all Americans will benefit from this clean renewable energy resource.

Goals

The SunShot Initiative aims to reduce the total installed cost of solar energy systems by 75%. This can be accomplished by reducing solar technology costs, reducing grid integration costs, and accelerating solar deployment nationwide. Here are some identified strategies:

  • Increasing PV solar cell efficiency, reducing production costs, and opening new markets for solar energy
  • Shortening the amount of time it takes to move promising new solar technologies from development to commercialization and strengthening the U.S. supply chain for solar manufacturing and commercialization of cutting-edge photovoltaic technologies
  • Driving down the cost of concentrating solar power (CSP), fostering collaboration for utility-scale solutions, and integrating solar into the electric grid, clearing the way for high-penetration solar
  • Investing in education, policy analysis, and technical assistance to remove critical barriers and speed rapid penetration
  • Developing a well-trained workforce to foster U.S. job creation in the solar industry.