Why Are Solar Costs, So High In The Usa?

In Germany in Q3 2011, the installed cost of solar was $2.80 per watt,
. . . far less than the installed cost in the United States, $5.20 per watt.
. . . Yet the hardware costs are the same.

Minh Le, the Acting Deputy Program Manager of the Department of Energy’s
. . . Solar Technologies Program said,
“Unlike physics, where we can fundamentally figure out
. . . the upper limit for the efficiency of solar cells,
. . . there is no such limit to bureaucracy."
18,000 local jurisdictions with permitting responsibilities.
. . . More paperwork means more money and [higher] costs.

Source: greentechmedia