The Price of Solar Is Declining to Unprecedented Lows

[burfman]

Source: Scientific American

Now, the latest data show that the continued decrease in solar prices is unlikely to slow down anytime soon, with total installed prices dropping by 5 percent for rooftop residential systems, and 12 percent for larger utility-scale solar farms. With solar already achieving record-low prices, the cost decline observed in 2015 indicates that the coming years will likely see utility-scale solar become cost competitive with conventional forms of electricity generation.

A full analysis of the ongoing decline in solar prices can be found in two separate Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Reports: Tracking the Sun IX focuses on installed pricing trends in the distributed rooftop solar market while Utility-Scale Solar 2015 focuses on large-scale solar farms that sell bulk power to the grid.
Put together, the reports show that all categories of solar have seen significantly declining costs since 2010. Furthermore, larger solar installations consistently beat out their smaller counterparts when it comes to the installed cost per rated Watt of solar generating capacity (or $/WDC).

Perhaps the most interesting piece of data to come out in the latest Lawrence Berkeley National Lab reports is the trend in the price of solar power purchase agreements or PPAs. These prices reflect the price paid for long-term contracts for the bulk purchase of solar electricity. The latest data show that the 2015 solar PPA price fell below $50 per megawatt-hour (or 5 cents per kilowatt-hour) in 4 of the 5 regions analyzed. In the power industry, the rule of thumb for the average market price of electricity is about $30 to $40 per megawatt-hour—so solar is poised to match the price of conventional power generation if prices continue to decline.



Read more: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/the-price-of-solar-is-declining-to-unprecedented-lows/

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Well it looks like things are continuing to get better for solar power.

Looks like the day will come - driven entirely by the economic bottom line - when most new power plants will either be solar or wind.

Fossil fuels will still be needed to fill in the gaps (night time, no wind, etc) until we have cheaper batteries.

Which if enough people are driving battery cars (the middle class Tesla?) might happen sooner than we think.






Burfman..................

[Orrex]

1. In other words, the Sun is going down

k/r

[yeoman6987]

6. Yeah 5 percent on 30 grand. Wow!

Yep that is how much it will cost me. It needs to go down a lot more then that.

[diane in sf]

7. Make sure your appliances are energy star, your home is well-insulated, swap out your lightbulbs

for LEDs, then see what your monthly electric bill is. The estimate you got seems unusually high. I got a quote of $5K (with the 30% rebate here in N. California) for solar paneling my 1900 sq ft house

[Egnever]

12. wow 5k

That seems crazy cheap.

[Native]

14. In Florida they only offer a sales tax exemption. Ugh.

[Orrex]

13. Hey, don't begrudge me a pun over a simple thing like 25K

That's been (and remains) my complaint all along: spend what is for most people an impossible sum of money in order to make back a fraction of that amount.

When we had to replace a bunch of old windows in our house, the salesman touted the money we'd save on our heating bill.
"These windows will cost us $6000," I pointed out, "and they'll save us maybe $20 per month? Sign me up!"

The same applies here. A great concept, but unattainable for a majority of the population.

[awoke_in_2003]

22. Not on me. nt

[Andy823]

2. K&R

Thanks, this is good to know.

[ErikJ]

3. We'd only need to cover a couple counties in Texas to power the whole US.

We’d only only have to cover an area a bit bigger than California with solar panels to power the entire world with solar energy. And only a couple counties in Texas to power the whole US.

I recently installed a 100 watt solar panel system on my motorhome for just $185. I dont need to plug in anymore or run the generator unless I want to run the air conditioner or microwave.

[Ready4Change]

5. Or push to get more solar on roofs or over parking lots.

There is so much un-utilized roof and parking lot space with great solar exposure, and putting it to use wouldn't devour any more green space at all.

[ErikJ]

9. Yes roofs would be a lot more decentralized too than huge solar utility plants

which could be subject to sabotage or whatever. Utilities want to maintain their centralized power over us though so we have to buy from them. I think the Calif and Texas thing was just to illustrate how real little space it would require to power the world or US. .

[Dustlawyer]

17. Put over canals it prevents most of the evaporation and is dead space not being used.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

4. Another sign that the republicans are disfunctional.....

They can't get their act together enough to prevent this.

[truthisfreedom]

11. Too true!

[ffr]

8. Democratic vision. Thank you President Obama and Harry Reid!

My family can take some credit for this as well. Our small part. We opt'ed in to pay more for our power specifically requiring that all of our electric energy come from 100% renewable resources, solar, wind or geothermal. I believe that became available because PBO and Harry Reid made our energy companies allow for that option and a 50/50 option as well. The energy companies didn't want to provide those, probably because they know renewables will be cheaper in the future.

And guess what? Our household's total power bill is still 1/3rd that of comparable homes in our neighborhood. Hmmm. Go figure.

[SHRED]

10. I'm against subsidizing centralized energy production...

...no matter how green.

First we need our tax dollars supporting us and freeing us from the monthly electricity bill with residential rooftop solar and community based energy.

The old mega centralized model is still a form of enslavement to ever increasing rates.

[Native]

15. Let's have a carbon tax that goes back to consumers to use toward solar.

And I'm waiting for Musk's solar roofs!

[SHRED]

16. I like that!

[iandhr]

18. To quote Sir Humphrey Appleby

That policy would be extremely courageous

https://m.

[not fooled]

20. Another reason to oppose centralized production

I'm tired of seeing the desert in the SW US considered disposable land that can be scraped to erect massive solar installations. Incredible ecosystems ruined so that monopolistic utilities can maintain control of our electrical supply.

If this country weren't so stupid as to be in thrall to the capitalist class we would have rooftop heavily promoted by the government.

[SHRED]

21. Well said

[Hassin Bin Sober]

23. Agree 100%

Free energy will have all sorts of "line charges" to keep the price magically what it always was - plus.

When people talk about wind farms and solar fields I get the feeling they will figure out how to fuck us - gotta pay the investor class. The same feeling I get when they talk about hydrogen fuel cells and the need to belly up to the pumps owned by Shell and Bp - how convenient.

We need more innovation in solar cell efficiency AND more innovation in battery storage. I think the auto market will drive the storage piece.

We just bought our first Hybrid. It's a Ford Fusion plug in hybrid. It amazes me how we can get 25 all electric miles on a battery charge. A battery with enough juice to move a 4000 pound vehicle 25 miles.

With Teslas talking about 300 plus miles. Wow. Sign me up for a couple of those batteries in the house when the price gets low enough. Add in some super efficient cheap solar.

[lonestarnot]

19. Panels on every roof! or ground tee hee!

Excellent!