1 If the patent application was filed on or after June 8, 1995, the starting patent term is 20 years. 2  This accounts for the vast majority of patents in force today. 3  The 20 year term is calculated based upon the priority filing date, not counting provisional application or the original filing in a foreign country.
The report indicates that the median installed price of PV systems completed in 2012 was $5.30/W for residential and small commercial systems smaller than 10 kilowatts (kW) in size and was $4.60/W for commercial systems of 100 kW or more in size.
Preliminary DOE analysis on required component costs to reach a $1/watt installed PV system implies the following breakdown: 50 cents/watt for the module, 40 cents/watt for the balanceâofâsystem and installation, and 10 cents/watt for the power electronics.he U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that a $1/watt installed photovoltaic solar energy system â equivalent to 5â6 cents/kWh â would make solar without additional subsidies competitive with the wholesale rate of electricity, nearly everywhere in the US.