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.
The best large-scale photovoltaic power plants can produce electricity at 60 USD per MWh. The average value of such large power plants is currently at 72 USD per MWh and the upper limit at 86 USD per MWh. In comparison, coal-fired plants are between 66 USD and $151 per MWh, nuclear power at 124 USD per MWh.Small photovoltaic power plants on roofs of houses are still at 126-265 USD per MWh, but which can do without electricity transport costs. Onshore wind turbines are 37-81 USD per MWh.alculations of these costs at the point of connection to a load or to the electricity grid can be made. The cost is typically given per kilowatt-hour or megawatt-hour. It includes the initial capital, discount rate, as well as the costs of continuous operation, fuel, and maintenance.