Mission-oriented R&I policies : in-depth case studies : US SunShot Initiative and reflections of the Chinese solar energy policies : case study report

The SunShot Initiative was launched in 2011 by the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). The overall mission of the SunShot is to support solar energy adoption by making it affordable and cost-competitive with other forms of energy by 2020. Due to the technological progress made and overall market conditions of solar systems, the targets of the SunShot initiative have been met two years ahead of schedule, and new ambitious targets have been set to reduce the costs of solar energy by an additional 50% between by 2030. The SunShot Initiative can be considered a success story in many aspects, but it has been less successful in gaining global leadership in terms of solar energy manufacturing industry. China has become the global hub of solar energy during the last decade. This case study looks at the overall context and achievements of the SunShot initiative, reflecting those to simultaneous developments in China.