Energy

Solar is Ready Now

· 1 min read

Notes from a great article at ThinkProgress: Solar is Ready Now: ‘Ferocious Cost Reductions’ Make Solar PV Competitive.

  • The 17 GW which was installed in 2010 is the equivalent of 17 nuclear power plants – manufactured, shipped and installed in one year.

  • Manufacturing costs have come down from $60 a watt in the mid-1970’s to $1.50 today.  In solar PV manufacturing, costs have fallen about 18% for every doubling of production

  • Solar PV fits in to the highest demand periods in the middle of the day..

  • Cheaper than gas

  • Cheaper than new nuclear

  • Cheaper than coal in about 7 years

  • Less price volatility

  • If only 500 MW of solar PV had been deployed in the northeast U.S. to help alleviate demand for electricity, the August 2003 U.S.-Canadian blackout wouldn’t have happened. That blackout was the second largest in the world, causing between $7 and $10 billion in economic damage.