Solar Technology Review from National Laboratory

Many see energy technology as an important component of the future world economy. In the US, much of the public sector work on energy technology research is driven by the Department of Energy through the national laboratories, which employee over 30,000 scientists and engineers.

Many of these labs regularly issue useful reports for students interested in energy research or policy. One example is the 2008 Solar Technologies Market Report (PDF), issued by the National Renewable Energy Lab. The report is a great one-stop resource for information on this topic. From the executive summary:

The focus of this report is the U.S. solar electricity market, including photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. The report is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of global and U.S. installation trends. Chapter 2 presents production and shipment data, material and supply chain issues, and solar industry employment trends. Chapter 3 presents cost, price, and performance trends. Chapter 4 discusses policy and market drivers such as recently passed federal legislation, state and local policies, and developments in project financing. Chapter 5 provides data on private investment trends and near-term market forecasts.

Other recent NREL publications can be found here; a full list of all national laboratories and research centers can be found on the Department of Energy's website, here.