Continuing “Ferocious Cost Reductions” for Solar Energy

Sometime in the next 5 years photovoltaic power generation will be less expensive than most coal powered electric generation. Add the hidden health and environmental cost of coal and solar is dramatically lower in cost.

SEE:
Climate Progress

Anatomy of a Solar PV System: How to Continue “Ferocious Cost Reductions” for Solar Electricity

By Stephen Lacey on Jul 6, 2011 at 11:52 am

Most everyone knows the pace of products in digital technology. It was only 10 years ago that going to all digital photography was unthinkable for professional photographers now film is hard to find. IPhones do more than a desktop computer of a decade ago. The rate of change in photovoltaic technology has a pace similar digital technology.

The cost of photovoltaic manufacturing has dropped so dramatically that Balance of Systems Costs; labor, structure, wiring, design, financing and permitting costs are where the cost savings are.

Rocky Mountain Institute

Solar PV Balance of System

Next Steps and Key Recommendations

With a relatively young industry and no silver-bullet technology solution, reducing BoS costs is a challenge. Each PV system has unique characteristics, must be individually designed, and is regulated by one of nearly 30,000 local jurisdictions.Yet many near-term opportunities for cost reduction do exist, primarily related to improving technology, more appropriate regulations, better information and economies of skill and scale.