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What We Learned From the U.S.’s Bold Plan to Make Solar Cheaper

What worked, and what didn’t, in the Department of Energy’s plan to drastically cut the cost of solar power

    

Photographer: Jacob Kepler/Bloomberg
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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.