1) Total installed cost, which includes the cost of modules and balance of system (BOS) costs. BOS refers to land, support structure and hardware, power conditioning and interface units, safety and control components, engineering, and, if employed, energy storage and reconversion system.
2) Cost of capital, which depends on the interest rate and amortization period (usually taken as equal to the expected lifetime of the system).
3) O&M costs, which include replacement of components, maintenance and repair of moving parts in the case of trackers, and surface cleaning (if needed).
4) Capacity factor k, which is equal to the ratio of the annual kWh generated to the kWh that would be generated if the output was constant at its peak value. This is one of the crucial determining factors. It depends on the insolation regime, operating conditions, and the dependence of cell efficiency on operating temperature.