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.
Based on the average price of $3.70/watt, a 5kW system would cost $13,000 after tax credits. Below are some average 2015 quotes for other solar energy systems by size: 1  6kW solar energy system cost: $15,600.  8kW solar energy system cost: $20,700.