Components in the national cost breakdown categories include:
PV modules: National weighted average delivered pricing for silicon modules.
PV inverters: National average factory-gate pricing with product as specified in the respective market segment.
Electrical balance of systems (EBOS): Includes all additional electrical components necessary for the system, including DC and AC wiring, system and equipment grounding, conduit, disconnects, fuses, circuit breakers and data monitoring.
Structural balance of systems (SBOS): Includes all additional equipment necessary to support the PV system structurally, including mounting systems, foundations, ballast, racking and clamps.
Direct labor: Includes all the necessary labor related to PV system installation, including electrical and structural balance of system hardware and system commissioning. Excludes any site preparation – those are included under the civil costs.
Design & engineering: Includes all system engineering, design performed by installers / EPC’s internal engineering team.
Permitting, interconnection & inspection: Includes all permitting and interconnection application fees.
Logistics and miscellaneous: Includes shipping and ancillary site mobilization costs. Excludes any equipment warehousing costs.
Taxes: Average US state sales tax applied to all cost categories under residential and commercial segments. The utility segment data no longer breaks out taxes as a separate line item as those are incorporated in the equipment category estimates. These changes have been made to the current system prices as well as historical 2023 prices.
Customer acquisition / origination: Includes all sales and marketing expenses agnostic of any lead generation. Indicative of a cash sale with no financing through the installer for the residential segment.
Civil: Includes site setup and preparation including but not limited to clearing, grading fencing, and access roads. Civil costs are accounted only for only in the utility segment.
Overhead and margin: All project-specific overhead including administration, project management, and installer / EPC contingencies and markup.