Tag Archives: cost
Decreasing Costs of Renewables: Will it Drive Cap and Trade Incentives?
The exponential growth of wind and solar are threatening the business models of coal and nuclear turning them from price-makers to price takers. A viable exit strategy for coal plants may well be to encourage Cap & Trade so they can make a stable exit strategy before the tide of cheap renewable energy washes them [...]
2014: The Year of Solar Grid Parity
Because of strong demand for rooftop solar forecast this year in key markets and further drops in pricing, Deutsche Bank believes the solar industry will transition from subsidized to sustainable in 2014. The industry passed the 100 gigawatt (GW) threshold in 2012 and because of strong demand expected this year, the Bank expects solar to grow 20% – to [...]
Current Solar Industry Trends: Storage and Low Costs
Predicting the future is always fraught with hazards but a recent survey caught our eye with a bold prediction: nearly one-third of solar installers/integrators world wide expect to utilize storage in more than 40% of their installs by 2015! Oh and they need microinverters to come down in cost by 50% before they are willing [...]
The 7 Biggest Solar Myths
1. Solar energy is too expensive. According to SunRun, 97% of Americans overestimate the upfront cost of going solar. Since the price of PV has been declining, solar energy is more affordable than ever. There are federal and state incentives in place today that give the technology the chance to grow, while making solar energy [...]
Will PV Module Prices Finally Stabilize?
Solar PV revenues and module prices are predicted to slightly stabilize in the second half of 2013 but not after more declines over the next several months, according to a market research report released this week from IHS. A new solar PV module shipment record of 11GW was reached in the fourth quarter according to [...]
3 Great Ways to Lower Energy Costs With Alternative Energy
A large number of homeowners are unable to grapple with the rising energy costs. Over 85% of the energy used in the world is from non-renewable resources. Remember, “Time’s winged chariot hurrying near,” as all the non-renewable resources may deplete in near future. Therefore, it may compel us to rely only on the renewable [...]
Solar + Nanotechnolgy: The Future of Energy
One of our Solar Energy World Facebook fans requested a blog post about solar power and nanotechnology. These two technologies combined could pave the way for even more efficient and cost effective solar power generation in the future. This post will give an overview of the concept of nanotechnology, and the effect that it may [...]
Understanding The Basics of Your Electricity Bill
Hello solar drops and droplettes! Electricity bills can seem quite cryptic to the uninitiated, so we are going to do our best to demystify the bills for our readers. It is our hope that you will gain a better understanding of your electricity usage, utility rates and schedules, how you can reduce your personal usage [...]
Are Renewables Too Expensive?
Yesterday, I shared with you the American Council on Renewable Energy’s “fact check” on renewable energy job creation. As you read from that piece, renewable energy employs hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country. But even with job creation, is renewable energy even worth it if it’s too expensive? Perhaps. But that’s the catch [...]