Thursday, March 21, 2013

Key Fact: US Installed PV Prices Fall 27% In 2012 To An Average Of $3

The solar genie is well and truly out of the bottle.  And sharply falling solar prices mean that it will never be bottled up again.

In 2012, US installed solar prices fell 27% to an average of $3.01/watt, down from the 2011 price of $4.10.  http://www.seia.org/research-resources/us-solar-market-insight-2012-year-review.  Utility scale solar projects averaged $2.27/watt, down from $3.20/watt in 2011.

A key energy policy in the USA has been to drive down the price of solar power. Its happening more quickly than anyone thought possible 5 years ago.  At this point, rooftop solar could soon cost less than $3/watt and utility scale solar less than $1.50/watt.  Those are tipping point prices, especially since every year a watt of solar generates more electricity!

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