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The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

electrek.co

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Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#121

Post by 1024core »

warmwaffles wrote: post #107
ChuckMcM wrote: post #103

The aggressiveness of the price drops on solar is pretty amazing. I just lost one of the inverters on my grid-tie system after it had run trouble free for 13 years. So we're looking at the first "major" repair to the system I installed in 2003. And in 2003 my 5.2kW of panels on my roof cost $38,000 before subsidies and $19,000 after. 28 panels, two 2.5kW inverters, net about 4.2kW of generation. I priced out replacin…

How long until you start seeing a return on investment? Right now my electricity bill for my home is ~100 a month in Texas. I would need to keep the same panels without maintenance fees for 33.33 years by your price point of 40k

33.3333 * 7 / 40 = 5.83 years

Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#122

Post by stale2002 »

giarc wrote: post #6
Retric wrote: post #2

A side effect of this, large scale grid solar is now significantly cheaper than rooftop solar due to labor costs.

At which point would it be financially beneficial for a farmer to turn a field into a solar farm rather than plant a crop? I have no knowledge in economics of either so I couldn't even estimate.

This is a common mistake that people make, especially when talking about fancy, flashy technologies, like drive way solar panels, road solar panels, ect

We do not have a shortage of land or places to put solar panels. Land is cheap, cheap, cheap compared to the other costs of solar panels.

There is no need to come up with fancy schemes to convert roads or windows or farms or whatever to solar panels. We aren't running out of land for them any time soon.

Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#123

Post by Osiris30 »

warmwaffles wrote: post #107
ChuckMcM wrote: post #103

The aggressiveness of the price drops on solar is pretty amazing. I just lost one of the inverters on my grid-tie system after it had run trouble free for 13 years. So we're looking at the first "major" repair to the system I installed in 2003. And in 2003 my 5.2kW of panels on my roof cost $38,000 before subsidies and $19,000 after. 28 panels, two 2.5kW inverters, net about 4.2kW of generation. I priced out replacin…

How long until you start seeing a return on investment? Right now my electricity bill for my home is ~100 a month in Texas. I would need to keep the same panels without maintenance fees for 33.33 years by your price point of 40k

I keep a close look at the economic of rooftop pricing in TX - it's still not profitable switching but getting close.

Cons: - Retail cost of electricity is already v low in most of TX (Houston, Dallas) - so it's hard to compete. - not much competition in the solar rooftop installation space (due to first point above) - No net metering policies in Houston, Dallas.

Pros - High solar yield

Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#124

Post by jzwinck »

hooloovoo_zoo wrote: post #47
soperj wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For farms that are too hot, a possibility might be that they'd be able to alternate crops with solar panels, and it would shorten the day's sun when the crops are in the shadow of the panels.

Solar panels might get in the way of them using their farm equipment if they're close together.

Not a serious problem: Europeans already invented extra-narrow tractors for vineyards. You'd be amazed how much machinery they can drive between rows of plants that appear to be tightly packed. Or you can install the panels on tall stilts and drive under.

Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#125

Post by [deleted] »

IkmoIkmo wrote: post #112
vonmoltke wrote: post #3

This article is making a really big deal out of bids . While the trend is encouraging, let's wait and see if the winning bidders can actually deliver at the prices they bid before getting too excited.

Agreed. Now, I actually DO think they can deliver at the prices. But that doesn't mean solar prices dropped by 50%. Imagine this: you've got a business opportunity for a 20 year contract. Currently it costs you $10 to run per year, but that will drop to $6 after a few years, and drop further to $1 per year in the last 10 years. Where will it be priced? Well if I said say $5, then most would agree that makes sense. Af…

[deleted]

Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#126

Post by maxharris »

The availability of solar power at night or on cloudy days just improved 0% in 16 months.

Saying that solar is okay because it's hooked up to the grid is not an answer, because that's just another instance of a reliable energy source (fossil fuels, nuclear, hydro) bailing out an unreliable one (solar, wind).

Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#127

Post by toomuchtodo »

krschultz wrote: post #111
warmwaffles wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How long until you start seeing a return on investment? Right now my electricity bill for my home is ~100 a month in Texas. I would need to keep the same panels without maintenance fees for 33.33 years by your price point of 40k

Payback of 6 years with the new cost, even for your low electric bill.

Excellent example of why solar panels (in the right locations) and LEDs are a better investment than the S&P500 right now. You spend dollars now to eliminate the need for future dollars.

Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#128

Post by aoeusnth1 »

Pxtl wrote: post #37
cubano wrote: post #29

It's interesting how no one is discussing how the governments massive subsidy of the solar and wind power industries are completely distorting the market for these "prices", so studies like these are pretty much nonsense. Of course price/KW will drop massively if the entire thing is being propped up by taxpayer dollars and not the actual need to be profitable. I guess I just need to resign myself to the idea that so…

> Of course price/KW will drop massively if the entire thing is being propped up by taxpayer dollars and not the actual need to be profitable. If saving the world was free, the private sector would have done it already. It's not, so it needs to be subsidized.

I'm not against subsidizing solar as it is politically expedient, but a more direct and cost-efficient way to help the environment would be to tax carbon emissions and let the market figure out how to save the world.

Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#129

Post by toomuchtodo »

Osiris30 wrote: post #123
warmwaffles wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How long until you start seeing a return on investment? Right now my electricity bill for my home is ~100 a month in Texas. I would need to keep the same panels without maintenance fees for 33.33 years by your price point of 40k

I keep a close look at the economic of rooftop pricing in TX - it's still not profitable switching but getting close. Cons: - Retail cost of electricity is already v low in most of TX (Houston, Dallas) - so it's hard to compete. - not much competition in the solar rooftop installation space (due to first point above) - No net metering policies in Houston, Dallas. Pros - High solar yield

Keep in mind that the 30% tax credit will eventually taper off. It might behoove you to wait now, but not forever.

Re: The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

#130

Post by mrec »

krschultz wrote: post #111
warmwaffles wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How long until you start seeing a return on investment? Right now my electricity bill for my home is ~100 a month in Texas. I would need to keep the same panels without maintenance fees for 33.33 years by your price point of 40k

Payback of 6 years with the new cost, even for your low electric bill.

And presumably a lower bill implies lower energy usage, so he'd need fewer panels to cover it.
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