Monday, June 9, 2014

Yesterday, today and tomorrow

The three charts below look at solar power in the past, now, and in the future.

See full article at CleanTechnica

The Past:

Solar was more expensive than other forms of energy and only survived with subsidy.



The Present:

Solar now costs the same as other forms of electricity.


The Future:

Solar will get inexorably cheaper than alternatives.


The chart below shows the levelized cost of electricity from solar.



As the cost of solar falls, so the amount installed will rise --- exponentially. Interesting that the forecasts in the Wikipedia article by the US Department of Energy of a LEC of PV solar of 13 c per Kw by 2019 look very conservative.  The LEC by the end of 2015 for solar PV should be on my forecasts about 15 cents,  only a little above the average US electricity price of  12.3 cents.

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