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The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in conjunction with Sandia National Laboratory and in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP), developed the Solar Advisor Model (SAM) in 2006.
The Solar Advisor Model evaluates several types of financing (from residential to utility-scale) and a variety of technology-specific cost models for several and, eventually, all SETP technologies. The SETP technologies currently represented in SAM include concentrating solar power (CSP) parabolic trough and dish-Stirling systems and photovoltaic (PV) flat plate and concentrating technologies. Other technologies will be added in future versions, including CSP central receivers and residential solar water heating.
For more information regarding the capabilities of the SAM software, access the Background section of this site.
Released on December 3, 2008, SAM Version 2.5.0.2 is the most current version.
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